Believe You Can have a tough field to contend with in the Mother Goose Stakes
It will be the stretch duel between the top three finishers of the Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks all over again, when the winner of the Kentucky Oaks, Believe You Can, takes on the Broadway’s Alibi (second) and Grace Hall (third) in the Grade 1, $300,000
Mother Goose Stakes on 23 June, 2012, at Belmont Park on 1 1/16 miles over the venue’s dirt course.
Trained by Larry Jones for the Brereton C. Jones, who homebred, Believe You Can - kept the three-year-old filly at Churchill Downs since winning the Kentucky Oaks.
Plans are to van the Oaks winning daughter of Proud Citizen to New York, where at Belmont Park she will arrive on 17 June, 2012, and according to trainer Larry Jones, the filly will start breezing on either the next day or the day after.
“The biggest thing is getting her there,” said the trainer. “There are no flights available. If she handles the trip and handles the track, we’re running.”
Out of El Prado mare El Fasto, Believe You Can has run over the Belmont Park’s dirt course once back in 2011, as a juvenile, and keeping in view the result of that race, Believe You Can liked the Big Sandy.
She participated in the Grade 3 Tempted Stakes on 2 October, 2011, to run over a distance of six furlongs. Believe You Can got the better of Perennial Song in the stretch, who finished second, and Georgie’s Angel third, while the winning filly wrapped up
the 6 furlong dash in 1 minute and 11.20 seconds.
“She did well over the track last year,” said Jones.
Apart from Believe You Can, Grace Hall, and Broadway’s Alibi, Eden’s Moon will also participate in the Mother Goose, after exiting from a dismal 13th place finish in the Kentucky Oaks.
Winner of the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes, Contested, and second place finisher, Zo Impressive, will make the Mother Goose Stakes’ field as well.
“[The Mother Goose] looks like a good one, with the top four or five fillies in the country,” said Jones. “We’ve never ducked anybody, otherwise we never would have been in the Kentucky Oaks.”
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