Ultra Brat looks to extend streak in Saturday's Pebbles

by Brian Bohl

Ultra Brat will seek her third consecutive win as she headlines a large field of 12 in Saturday's 24th running of the $200,000 Pebbles for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

Alex Campbell, Jr.'s Ultra Brat registered a career-high 87 Beyer Speed Figure with a victory by a neck in the Christiecat on September 9 at Belmont Park. The bay filly, trained by Graham Motion, is 3-1-0 in her last five starts, including a win against allowance company on July 21 at Delaware Park.

Ultra Brat will pick up Hall of Famer Edgar Prado and will leave from post 5.

Chad Brown will saddle a pair of entries in Grade 2 Lake George-winner Ancient Secret and She Doesn't Mind. Ancient Secret won her first four career starts before a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen on September 24 at Woodbine.

Ancient Secret is 3-for-3 in Belmont starts, including a victory in the Wild Applause on June 19. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was aboard for all four of her career wins, will have the mount again out of post 4.

She Doesn't Mind will seek her first win in North America after finishing in the money in all four of her starts. After breaking her maiden in France, the bay filly is 0-3-1, including a runner-up effort in the Riskaverse on August 25 at Saratoga. Javier Castellano will be back aboard out of post 12.

George Weaver also has multiple entries, led by Thundering Sky, who is seeking her first career win on turf. Thundering Sky stalked the pace before finishing third in the Ontario Colleen.

After making her first five career starts on dirt, the daughter of Sky Mesa has gone 0-1-2 in five turf starts, including a runner-up showing in the Wild Applause on June 19 in her last Belmont start, which Ancient Secret won by a head.

Thundering Sky will leave post 11 in tandem with Antonio Gallardo. Her stablemate, Louisville First, will be making the step up in class after winning against allowance company on September 10. She departs post 10 with jockey Eric Cancel.

Insta Erma, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, recorded a personal-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure in winning an optional claimer on September 15. The Pioneerof the Nile bay filly has won two straight starts entering her stakes debut and has won three of her last five starts. Jose Lezcano has the call from post 8.

 Believe in Bertie, for trainer Brad Cox, has a stakes victory to her credit with the Louisiana Legends Soiree on July 2 at Evangeline. A runner-up finish in the Indiana Grand, where she ran one length behind winner Queen Caroline on September 7, has her entering her Belmont debut in good order out of post 2. Luis Saez is set to ride. 

 Stella Rose made her first graded stakes start last out for trainer Christophe Clement, finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks. That effort was the first time in three turf starts she finished off the board; after winning against allowance company on August 27 at Saratoga. Joel Rosario has the mount out of post 9.

Baciami Piccola will look to return to the winner's circle for the first time in six starts, leaving from post 6. Trained by Brian Lynch, the British-bred Amerman Racing filly is looking for her second stakes win to add to her Grade 3 Florida Oaks victory last March.

King of Prussia Stable's Mo d'Amour, a main-track only entry, would gain class relief after making three straight graded stakes starts, including a pair of fourth-place finishes in both the Grade 1 Mother Goose and the Coaching Club American Oaks on July 24 at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Mo d'Amour dug in gamely in midstretch to take third in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last out on August 20.

Mo d'Amour, a Kentucky-bred Uncle Mo filly, breezed four furlongs in 48.95 seconds on Monday on the dirt training track. If the Pebbles is moved to the dirt, she will leave from the outside.

"She worked so well I entered her as a main track only in the Pebbles just in case it decides to rain," Pletcher said.

Rounding out the field is Wild About Harry, who will be making her 2016 stakes debut for trainer Linda Rice out of post 3; Welcoming, will go for her first career stakes win for Clement, will leave post with 7 with Manny Franco; and Enjoy Yourself, the British-bred bay filly looking for her first win in six starts and first career stakes victory for trainer John Terranova in drawing the rail with Angel Arroyo.

Mom's On Strike, for trainer Joe Sharp, is also a main-track only entry.

 The Pebbles is named after Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's champion grass mare, who won the 1985 Breeders' Cup Turf at Aqueduct Racetrack as a 4-year-old. Also at the age of 4, she was voted the Champion Grass Mare in the United States, and Champion Older Mare and Champion Miler in England.