The Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes co-headlines the stakes action at Parx Racing on Saturday, September 19. The race is the 13th on the card and is scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track for three-year-old fillies.
With a field of nine entered, the race features several proven stakes runners, including Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner, Grade 2 winner Zany, and a number of fillies coming into the race in good form.
The key question for handicappers is how the pace will develop. Multiple horses possess early speed, which could create a legitimate pace and set the race up for a patient runner.
The Field
1. My Miss Mo (5-1)
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., My Miss Mo has won her last two starts, including the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks.
Tyler Gaffalione returns to ride, having previously guided her to victory in the Black-Eyed Susan. My Miss Mo went wire-to-wire in the Monmouth Oaks last time.
The concern is the expected pace. Her two most recent victories came when she was able to take advantage of relatively soft early fractions. Earlier in the season, when she faced faster-paced races in the Grade 2 Davona Dale and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, she finished second in both.
From the inside post, she may have to go faster early than she did in her last two races.
2. Bodacious Bay (8-1)
Bodacious Bay enters the race with an impressive four-start record: one win and three runner-up finishes.
She was second to My Miss Mo in the Monmouth Oaks last time after chasing that rival through moderate fractions. That was also her first start on a fast dirt surface.
Bodacious Bay now moves into the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn, where Joseph has done well with horses making their first start for him. She should be able to save ground and track the speed from the inside.
A bullet four-furlong workout at Saratoga adds another positive sign. At 8-1 on the morning line, she could be interesting for underneath wagers.
3. Zany (9-2)
Zany is perhaps the biggest question mark in the field.
Earlier in her career, she looked like one of the top Kentucky Oaks contenders. She won her first three starts, including the Grade 2 Demoiselle and Suncoast Stakes, before finishing second in the Grade 1 Ashland.
Her form subsequently declined. She finished sixth as the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks and then fourth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Zany is cutting back from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/16 miles, and that could help. John Velazquez rode her last time and gets back aboard here.
Her earlier speed figures show the ability is still there. The question is whether she can return to the form that produced back-to-back 134 final-time ratings in the Suncoast and Ashland.
