Splendora Seeks to Confirm Her Class in the Molly Pitcher

The winner of the latest Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) will arrive at Monmouth Park after an authoritative victory in the Shawnee Stakes (G3); Alpine Princess, Scalable, and Nerazurri figure among her main rivals

OCEANPORT, New Jersey (Special to Turf Diario).- Splendora will be one of the headline attractions on the Haskell Stakes (G1) card when she leads the field this Saturday in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2-1700 m, dirt, $500,000), an event that brings together several of the top older mares on the American circuit.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Boyd Racing and By Talla Racing, the daughter of Audible arrives in peak form following her victory in the Shawnee Stakes (G2) on May 30 at Churchill Downs. On that occasion, she tracked the pace closely and drew off in the straight to defeat Immersive (Nyquist) by 2 3/4 lengths.

That form was subsequently flattered when Immersive, the 2024 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, went on to win the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2). Splendora had been entered in that same race, but her connections decided to skip it in favor of the Molly Pitcher. The 5-year-old mare has lost just one of her last seven starts, when finishing fourth in the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) over a shorter distance. Her career record counts 8 victories and 4 seconds from 14 appearances, with earnings of $1,357,700.

Facing her will be Alpine Princess, who seeks redemption after finishing last in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1), beaten by more than 26 lengths. The Brad Cox trainee had previously achieved the biggest win of her career in the Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, prevailing by a neck over Eunomia (Tiz the Law).

A winner of 7 races with over $1,230,000 in career earnings, the daughter of Classic Empire will look to prove that her recent performance at Saratoga was merely a misstep.

Todd Pletcher will be represented by Scalable (Speightstown), who was also entered as a main-track-only option in the De La Rose Stakes (L) at Saratoga. The Repole Stable colorbearer won two stakes during the winter at Aqueduct and is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Bed o’ Roses Stakes (G2).

Another contender is Nerazurri (Protonico), who bounced back to the winner's circle with an easy victory in the Lady Jacqueline Stakes (L) at Thistledown. Trained by Mark Casse, she had previously faced elite company, including a runner-up finish to Nitrogen (Medaglia D'Oro) in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3).

Dry Powder (Gun Runner), Lika Rolling Stone (Bustin Stones), and Lost Horizon (Into Mischief), recent winner of the Serena’s Song Stakes (L), complete a competitive field.

Splendora, however, will start as the standard-bearer. A Breeders’ Cup champion back at the top of her game, she will attempt to secure another graded score and confirm her status as one of the premier mares in the United States.