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Lady Mary set for stateside debut in G3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks

by Keith McCalmont

MHM Stables, Sterling Stables and David Grund’s Group 1-placed Lady Mary will make her U.S. debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, an 11-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Jack Sisterson, the Lawman bay made her first eight starts in her native Germany for conditioner Andreas Suborics, including head losses at Group 3 level in the one-mile 2023 Preis der Winterkonigin to Shagara at Baden-Baden and in the 10-furlong Diana Trial to Erle at Hoppegarten.

Lady Mary, who is in training with Sisterson at Saratoga Race Course, enters from a third-place effort in the Group 1 German Oaks on August 4 at Dusseldorf when 4 1/2-lengths back of familiar foe Erle.

“She's been here for 10 days at Saratoga. She's settled in well and usually the good ones do. She's a very athletic type that seems to have a lot of class to her,” Sisterson said. “I've been in contact with her previous owner, and he's helped diagnose her form. He said she has a running style - speed and a turn of foot - that would suit America as well. She ticked all the boxes for the U.S., so we're excited about her.”

Lady Mary saved ground in a close-up sixth position under jockey Vincent Ho in the German Oaks while racing right-handed over the undulating triangular-shaped course. Although she stumbled slightly inside the final quarter-mile, Lady Mary stayed on strong to the wire and earned show honors by a half-length.

Sisterson said Lady Mary has demonstrated enough in her brief time at the Spa to earn a start in Saturday’s lucrative test.

“It will be a learning experience for us how she handles the trip on a flat course with three turns, but I think she'll be a versatile filly,” Sisterson said. “In the short time we've had her here in Saratoga, she seems very athletic and could probably handle any sort of trip from a mile to 11 furlongs.

“It's a very different style of training here in the U.S. - you're constantly switching leads and going left-handed, so she's probably not used to that,” added Sisterson. “We just wanted to get her settled and she's been very forward in her gallops. We wouldn't normally run them this quick off the plane, but she showed signs she's adapted pretty quick to the American style and she's ready to run Saturday.”

Sisterson credited agent Alex Elliott in arranging the private purchase of Lady Mary, noting the recent success that MHM Stables and Sterling Stables had in partnership with Group 3-placed Irish import Vina Arana, who rallied to win a one-mile turf maiden in August at Saratoga in her U.S. debut.

“We do a lot of business with Alex and we've had some successful purchases together in the past. He's recommended this filly highly for America and we were able to get something done through him,” Sisterson said.

Lady Mary is out of the Rainbow Quest mare La Reine Noir, a half-sister to 2008 Group 1 Prix de l’Opera winner Lady Marian. Manny Franco, who won seven races including five stakes on Saturday at Colonial Downs, has the call from post 7.

Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox has entered a pair of contenders in LNJ Foxwoods’ Mixologist [post 9, Ruben Silvera] and Dicke Racing’s dual stakes-winning New York-bred Caldwell Luvs Gold [post 3, Luis Rivera, Jr.]

Mixologist, a Frosted grey, is cross-entered in Friday’s Listed one-mile Winter Memories here. She has won 2-of-3 starts beginning with a first-out graduation in June traveling one-mile over firm Churchill Downs turf when a neck better than Deep Satin, who exited that effort to win her next two starts that includes a salty maiden score at Saratoga and a dead-heat victory in Saturday’s Listed Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs.

Mixologist endured a troubled-trip eighth in July at the Spa in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claimer won by Proctor Street, who is entered in Friday’s Listed Winter Memories here, but returned to form last out on August 16 to be elevated to victory at the same level and course. There, Mixologist exited the outermost post 10 under returning Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario and settled in seventh position before launching a seven-wide bid down the lane to finish a half-length back of Winter Memories hopeful Vino Rouge, who crossed the wire first but was demoted to fourth for veering out at the eighth-pole and causing Wrigleyville, who was fourth past the wire, to check.

The $175,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Princess Grace and graded stakes-winner Catnip. She is out of the multiple stakes-placed Silent Name mare Masquerade, who is a half-sister to Vuelo Colorido, winner of the 2002 Grade 1 Clasico Rafael Martinez Nadal at El Comandante; and Svea Dahl, who captured the 2002 Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm Handicap at the Big A.

Caldwell Luvs Gold, by Goldencents, boasts a 10-3-2-2 record for purse earnings of $307,765 led by state-bred stakes wins on dirt in the 2023 Seeking the Ante traveling six furlongs at the Big A and the 1 1/16-mile New York Oaks in July at Finger Lakes.

She finished sixth in her lone turf outing in May sprinting six furlongs here when exiting the outermost post 12 against optional-claiming company. Caldwell Luvs Gold, bred by Jeremiah Desmond and Drumkenny Farm, is out of the Quality Road mare Snow, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Quindici Man.

SF Racing’s French homebred Mont Saint Michel [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche], who is two deep on the also-eligible list for Wednesday’s $1.6 million Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational at Kentucky Downs, is expected to run here for trainer Brendan Walsh.

"She's been doing good and I'm itching to run her that little bit further to see how she does,” Walsh said. “She's bred to go that far, and she gives me every impression that she'll thrive going that far. Hopefully, that will work out."

The Wootton Bassett dark bay graduated at second asking when facing elders in June traveling one-mile over firm Woodbine turf in a key race in which the second [Vazhi], third [Romantica], fifth [Determined First], 10th [Storms of Life] and 13th-place [Twirling Piper] finishers exited to graduate next out.

She followed with a pair of nine-furlong efforts over firm turf in stakes company when a 4 1/2-length fourth in the Christiana in July at Delaware Park and a last-out fifth when three lengths back of victorious stablemate Waves of Mischief in the Grade 3 Pucker Up on August 4 at Ellis Park. Waves of Mischief is also entered in the main body of the Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Mont Saint Michel is a half-sister to dual Group 2-winner Dark Vision and Group 3-winner and multiple Group 1-placed Lope Y Fernandez, who finished third in the 2020 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.

Godolphin’s Irish homebred Beautiful Love [post 4, Dylan Davis] stretches out considerably from a sixth-place finish in her stateside debut last out in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 17 at the Spa.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who has won seven graded races in New York this year, the Siyouni chestnut arrived in the U.S. from a pair of February starts at Meydan Racecourse. Her campaign began with a runner-up effort to eventual Grade 1-winning stablemate Cinderella’s Dream in the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic ahead of a six-length romp in a one-mile conditions race.

Beautiful Love’s third dam, Snow Bride, produced the Nijinsky-sired multiple Group 1-winner Lammtarra, who captured the 1995 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Rounding out a talented group are the stakes-placed Macanga [post 10, Lane Luzzi], also cross-entered in the Winter Memories, who was last seen finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.; allowance winner Lady Madonna [post 8, Jose Lezcano] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; along with maiden winners Americandreammaker [post 11, Jose Gomez] for trainer Michelle Hemingway, Egyptian Candy [post 1, Eric Cancel] for conditioner Daniel Leitch, Justdeny [post 5, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Danny Gargan, and Miss Roberts [post 2, Romero Maragh] for conditioner Jamie Begg.

The Jockey Club Oaks is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 11-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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