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Edict set for U.S. debut in G3 Noble Damsel

by Christian Abdo

John T. Behrendt’s Edict is set for her stateside debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Noble Damsel, a one-mile inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

The 4-year-old Il Campione bay will make her first start in the care of trainer David Donk and outside of her native Argentina. Edict’s last two efforts were Group 1 victories at San Isidro for conditioner Eduardo Accosano, including the Enrique Acebal in November and Copa de Plata Roberto Vazquez Mansilla Internacional one month later.

Edict, who was named Argentina’s Champion 3-Year-Old Filly last year, has worked extensively in New York since June to prepare for her stateside bow. She will exit post 4 in rein to Jose Gomez carrying a field-high 126 pounds.

“She’s trained well. She has acclimated well. She is a very smart, intelligent filly,” said Donk. “It has been a good learning curve for her. She has breezed quite well. Johnny [Velazquez] breezed her once at Saratoga from the gate and was quite happy with her.”

Edict’s topflight wins came at 1 1/4 miles, but Donk said cutting her back to one mile is ideal for long-term plans.

“The idea is to not run her too far first out. The plan at the moment has been that she gets to run twice or three times, but probably twice this year, and let her continue to mature and develop,” Donk explained. “I’d love to see her be a quality filly long-term here.”

Behrendt and Donk are no strangers to success as a team, having won the 1998 Grade 3 Pilgrim at Belmont Park and Grade 3 Generous at Hollywood Park with eventual New York Horse of the Year Incurable Optimist.

“I had John and [wife] Theresa Behrendt’s first horses when I went out on my own after working for Woody [Stephens]. It has been a long and loyal friendship. We’ve had success over the years, but more importantly, it is their loyalty as clients,” Donk said. “It is really fun to have a horse of this quality from John’s operation in Argentina.”

Behrendt is a part-owner of Edict’s sire, whose name Il Campione is fitting because it means “The Champion” in Italian, and he has been Argentina’s Leading Sire for the past two years.

Also intriguing is that Didia, winner of the Grade 1 New York presented by Rivers Casino in June at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, had won the same Argentine Group 1s in 2021 before launching a strong U.S. campaign for trainer Ignacio Correas, IV.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who took this event five consecutive years from 2016-2020 and again last year in an off-the-turf match race, will be represented by Midnight Mile [post 9, Vincent Cheminaud, 122 pounds], Saffron Moon [post 8, Eric Cancel, 122 pounds] and Alluring Angel [post 5, Manny Franco, 122 pounds].

Mrs. John Magnier and Roisin Henry’s Irish-bred Midnight Mile has finished second in her trio of efforts for Brown, including in Listed one-mile turf events here in the Plenty of Grace in April and the Perfect Sting in July. She was most recently in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on August 14 at Saratoga Race Course.

The 4-year-old No Nay Never bay came from a campaign in Great Britain for conditioner Richard Fahey, highlighted by a win in the Group 3 Oh So Sharp in October 2022 at Newmarket. After that score, she made a stateside appearance in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and climbed from last-to-fourth in the event won by Meditate.

CHP Racing’s Saffron Moon returns from an over nine-month layoff dating to a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Cardinal in November at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old Malibu Moon dark bay entered that race off a 2 3/4-length allowance win in October at Keeneland that earned an 89 Beyer, matching her career-best earned in an eight-length maiden romp going one-mile there in April 2022.

Lawrence Goichman’s Alluring Angel won her first start for Brown in a local one-mile optional-claimer in June. The Fastnet Rock bay was off slowly, traveling last-of-7 before rallying to a three-quarter-length victory over next-out victor and reopposing Breath Away.

Alluring Angel made one effort for trainer Mike Maker before the last-out victory, winning a local nine-furlong allowance by a head in November. She made her five prior starts for conditioner Jorge Abreu including stakes placings as a juvenile in the Untapable at Kentucky Downs and Tepin at the Big A.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Tango Uniform Racing and Steven Rocco’s Grade 3-placed Breath Away [post 6, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds] looks to be the sixth winner in the event for trainer Christophe Clement, which would equal Brown’s record.

The 4-year-old Bated Breath dark bay enters from a rallying optional-claiming victory by a neck over Grade 3-winner Tax Implications going one-mile over good Spa turf on August 16. Breath Away’s only graded stakes attempt was a third in the one-mile Grade 3 Autumn Miss in November at Santa Anita Park, and Clement said it is time for another chance.

“Her last race was a very good race,” Clement said. “She’s doing well and it’s a bit ambitious, but it’s the right time of year to be ambitious.”

Breath Away boasts a consistent 10-3-4-1 ledger that includes a Listed Sanibel Island triumph last April at Gulfstream Park.

Glen Hill Farm’s dual Grade 2-placed Kentucky homebred Ocean Club [post 1, Frankie Dettori, 124 pounds] stretches back out in distance after a rallying third in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint on August 31 at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Jack Sisterson, the 4-year-old Curlin chestnut had made 11 consecutive starts at one-mile or beyond, including a win in the 1 1/16-mile Monroe in May at Gulfstream Park.

The Monroe victory, which was for trainer Bethany Baumgardner, earned a career-best 91 Beyer and added to Gulfstream success in the Martha Washington going the same distance on Tapeta last June for conditioner Thomas Proctor.

Rounding out the field are Group 3-winner Elounda Queen [post 7, Luis Rivera, Jr., 122 pounds] for dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox; dual graded stakes-placed Five Towns [post 2, Jorge Ruiz, 124 pounds] for trainer Graham Motion; and stakes-winner Poca Mucha [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 124 pounds] for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. Movie Moxy and Signal From Noise are entered for the main track-only.

The Noble Damsel is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s 11-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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