Bet Wonder Gadot to find passing gear

The Mid-Atlantic region is the focal point for Saturday’s stakes action. Parx Racing offers its Grade 1, $1 million doubleheader of the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion, and has some solid supporting events including the Grade 3, $300,000 Gallant Bob. Laurel also has a stakes-filled card, rescheduled from last week due to the threat of inclement weather, topped by the Grade 3, $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. And Charles Town has a stakes-packed card, too, led by the Grade 3, $300,000 Charles Town Oaks.

Belmont has Saturday’s two other graded stakes – the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Noble Damsel.

Cotillion Stakes

Even if she loses Saturday to either Midnight Bisou or Wonder Gadot, who have been her chief divisional rivals all season, I think Monomoy Girl has already clinched the 3-year-old filly championship. Monomoy Girl is 5 for 5 this year, including four straight Grade 1 scores in the Ashland, Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, and Coaching Club American Oaks. If that isn’t a championship résumé for a 3-year-old filly, nothing is. Moreover, Monomoy Girl owns two decisions each this year over Midnight Bisou and Wonder Gadot.

As for the Cotillion, Monomoy Girl is cutting back in distance from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/16 miles and, if anything, she might actually prefer the slightly shorter trip. When you also factor in how adaptable she is to any pace scenario, it’s obvious that Monomoy Girl will be very, very tough to beat.

That, however, does not mean Monomoy Girl is invincible Saturday, because I don’t think she is. I like Wonder Gadot to pull off a mild upset.

Early this year, Wonder Gadot showed a costly habit of hanging on the money. She hung late in the Fair Grounds Oaks and Fantasy, and in the Kentucky Oaks, too. That last one is noteworthy, because I firmly believe Wonder Gadot had the measure of Monomoy Girl in deep stretch of the Kentucky Oaks, but simply refused to pass her, and settled for a half-length loss.

After Wonder Gadot hung yet again in yet another narrow loss in the Woodbine Oaks, she was finally fitted with blinkers. The initial results were dramatic. Wonder Gadot crushed a big field of males in the Queen’s Plate and followed with another runaway win in the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales.

Wonder Gadot was a distant 10th most recently in the Travers, but I’m not that concerned. She was overmatched going in, was not abused when beaten, and is now running back quickly, a good sign. I’m also not concerned that Wonder Gadot mastered only soft opposition in both the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales. The important takeaway from those performances was how she focused and applied herself wearing blinkers. Without blinkers, Wonder Gadot wouldn’t pass Monomoy Girl late in the Kentucky Oaks. With blinkers this time, she might.

Gallant Bob Stakes

Firenze Fire is a prime win candidate off his wide trip third most recently in the Allen Jerkens and his romp in the Dwyer two starts back. But if you like him, then you can also like Seven Trumpets at a higher price.

Seven Trumpets finished second to Firenze Fire in the Dwyer and in the Jerome earlier this year, but finished in front of him when second in the Jerkens at 32-1. Granted, Seven Trumpets saved more ground in the Jerkens than Firenze Fire. But Seven Trumpets still ran well by effectively coming from off the pace on a track that was kind to speed, and considering how he has improved lately, he is capable of another step forward.

Charles Town Oaks

Sense of Bravery represents one of my favorite angles. She is a 3-year-old moving back to her own age group after tangling with nine older opponents last time in the Groupie Doll Stakes, finishing second to Champagne Problems, who came back to miss by a nose in last week’s Locust Grove, earning a 96 Beyer Figure. Still, I can’t resist Alter Moon.

Alter Moon made her first start for trainer Chad Brown most recently in the Grade 1 Test Stakes after being purchased for $675,000 at the Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale in July, the second-highest price of that auction. And Alter Moon, whose prior form at Gulfstream is good enough to win this, certainly would have finished better than fourth in the Test had she not raced on a dead rail to the top of the stretch.