Coglianese / NYRA Photo Photo

Micheline looks to star in Sunday's Chelsey Flower

by Brian Bohl

Godolphin's Micheline will return to turf after a Grade 1 start on the main track, making her Belmont Park debut in the $100,000 Chelsey Flower for juvenile fillies on Sunday.

One of three stakes for fillies on the last day of the meet, the eighth running of the Chesley Flower, contested at one mile on the Widener turf, will go off as Race 4 on the nine-race card that also features the $125,000 Zagora at 1 ½ miles on the Widener and the seven-furlong $100,000 Pumpkin Pie on the main track.

Micheline broke her maiden at second asking with a 1 ¾-length score in the one-mile Sorority on September 11 at Monmouth Park. Trainer Michael Stidham tried her on dirt for the first time last out in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades on October 4 at Keeneland. A slow start and a ninth-place finish prompted the connections to return her to grass, where she ran third in her first start on August 11 at Saratoga before graduating a month later.

The Bernardini filly, who has been training in Fair Hill, Maryland, drew post 9 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez picking up the mount.

"We're going back to what we know she's good at," Stidham said. "She's been training great at Fair Hill. We think that, based off her performance in the Alicibiades, that she probably prefers turf."

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer will take the step up to stakes company for the first time, facing a step up in caliber after breaking her maiden in her second start on September 28 at Monmouth. After running fifth in her debut that moved off the turf on September 7, the Summer Front filly registered a three-length victory in her first start on grass three weeks later for trainer Christophe Clement.

Purchased for $135,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, Speaktomeofsummer will make her first start at Belmont, drawing post 6 with Junior Alvarado aboard.

"Her first start, off the turf, was disappointing, but she's a much better filly on the turf and she proved it in the other race," said Clement assistant Christophe Lorieul. "She won at Monmouth Park in her second start and she's been improving since then. I know it's going to be a tough task, but we are trying and it's the end of the year. There are not too many options. She's doing well."

Barry Schwartz's Sparkling Sky ran fourth in her first stakes start last out, rallying in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on September 29 going 1 1/16 miles on firm Belmont turf. The Todd Pletcher trainee, purchased for $650,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale, will exit from post 8 in her return Belmont engagement with Jose Ortiz on the return call.

A pair of debut winners will make their second starts against a high-caliber field, with Enola Gay and Princesa Caroline looking to step up. Enola Gay, conditioned by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, won at 6 ½ furlongs on September 12 at Kentucky Downs. Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 1.

Princesa Caroline, under the care of meet-leading trainer Chad Brown, won at 1 1/16-miles on the Belmont turf on September 28. A half-sister to 2017 Champion Turf Female Lady Eli, the dark bay daughter of American Pharoah will look to build on that effort, which earned her a field-high 83 Beyer Speed Figure, with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano set to depart post 2.

The Irish-bred Bredenbury will make her first North American start since arriving from England. The Night of Thunder filly went 1-1-1 in her first four starts in Great Britain, all six-furlong turf sprints, and has been training at Graham Motion's base in Fair Hill.

"She's been pretty straightforward," Motion said. "She's had several breezes here and has been holding her own and doing pretty well."

Motion said he thinks stretching Bredenbury out to a mile can suit her skills, even if it takes some time to acclimate.

"I think it will eventually, whether it's this time or later," he said regarding the longer distance. "If by chance this race came off the grass, I might run her the next week at Aqueduct. But I think this is what she wants to do."

Bredenbury will pick up Joel Rosario's services, breaking from post 7.

Trainer Mark Casse will send out a pair of entrants looking for their first stakes wins in Quality Heat and Lady Fatima, who ran third and sixth, respectively, in the Woodbine Cares on September 15 at five furlongs.

Lady Fatima, with two wins in five starts, bounced back from an eighth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on July 11 at the Spa and the Woodbine Cares to best an eight-horse optional claimer field on October 12 at Woodbine. She will return to Belmont, where broke her maiden on May 23, and will have Dylan Davis ride her from post 5.

Quality Heat has never finished off the board in four starts [1-1-2] and built on her Woodbine Cares effort with a runner-up finish on October 12 over the same track. Joe Bravo will pick up the mount and leave from post 4.

Rounding out the field is Astoria Kitten, off a maiden-breaking win last out on October 3, for trainer Danny Gargan [post 12, Kendrick Carmouche]; Mosienko, a winner in her second start for trainer Michelle Nevin on October 3 [post 11, Luis Reyes]; and a pair of stakes-placed entrants for trainer David Donk in Sky Kitten, third in the Sorority, from post 3 [Eric Cancel] and English Breeze, third in the P.G. Johnson on August 29 at Saratoga [post 10, meet-leading rider Manny Franco].

Wicked Title was entered for the main-track only.