Stella di Camelot favored for Brown in Mrs. Revere

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three weeks after winning Breeders’ Cup races at Churchill Downs with Newspaperofrecord in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Sistercharlie in the Filly and Mare Turf, Chad Brown is back with another favored filly to race on the grass course here. Brown, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer the past two years, has brought Stella di Camelot to Churchill from his base at Belmont Park for Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere.

Although matched against 11 rivals, led by graded-placed runners Get Explicit, Cool Beans, and Princess Warrior, Stella di Camelot is a clear 2-1 morning-line favorite, having decisively won her U.S. debut after winning two of seven races in Europe. The U.S. victory in the $200,000 Pebbles at Belmont Park on Oct. 13 illustrated her ability. She overcame a slow start to outrun Andina Del Sur, winner of the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, by 2 3/4 lengths over soft turf.

The turf at Churchill may not be rated as soft on Friday, but some give in the ground again appears assured since the course has retained moisture during this cool, damp month. Two scheduled grass races were moved to the dirt on Wednesday after rain Monday.

Stella di Camelot, a daughter of Camelot owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Kent Spellman, and Bethlehem Stables, picks up Joel Rosario for the Mrs. Revere, a race restricted to 3-year-old fillies and contested over 1 1/16 miles. Rosario, like Brown, experienced a rewarding Breeders’ Cup, winning three races in the series, including the Classic aboard Accelerate.

Among Stella di Camelot’s leading adversaries are Get Explicit and Cool Beans, who finished a head apart in second and third in the Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland on Oct. 19.

Get Explicit also finished second in the Flaming Page Stakes at her Woodbine base on Aug. 11. Between the Flaming Page and the Valley View she won an allowance at Woodbine over yielding turf Oct. 5.

Get Explicit’s trip in the Valley View was less than desirable. Farther off the leaders than usual after breaking from post 12 in a 13-horse field, she had to rally behind a slow pace and then raced wide around the second of two turns to fall a halflength shy of victory.

“I expect another very good performance,” said trainer Barbara Minshall. “She can sustain a long run. She’s very game and very brave.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. rides Get Explicit, the fourth favorite on the morning line at odds of 6-1.