In search of her fourth Grade 1 victory in a row, Pretty Mischievous headlines a field of nine sophomore fillies set for Saturday’s $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx.
Trained by Brendan Walsh, the bay filly has won the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, the Acorn at Belmont Park, and the Test at Saratoga in her last three starts.
A winner of seven races overall, the daughter of Into Mischief has never finished out of the money in nine career starts.
Chief among her challengers in the 8 1/2-furlong test will be the Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose.
A three-time stakes winner, the Kenny McPeek-trained filly earned her biggest career victory four starts back in the Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.
Two starts back she won the Indiana Oaks (G3) before finishing third last time out in the Grade 1 Alabama.
Other fillies of interest in the Cotillion include Ceiling Crusher and Occult, who both come in off easy graded stakes wins.
Ceiling Crusher won the Grade 3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar by six lengths last out, while Occult won the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks by better than ten lengths.
Cotillion Stakes Predictions and Race Analysis
Pretty Mischievous
This daughter of Into Mischief has put together quite a nice record for trainer Brendan Walsh. In fact, she has won four of five this year against top competition. The only filly in the field to be truly proven against the best, she once again will take some beating on Saturday.
Having said that, her wins have not come easy, and this is another tough race. Her style of staying in touch early and then running hard down the lane should suit this field well. She clearly has a strong desire to win.
She is the one to beat, and a must use in the exotics, but this could be the race where her winning streak comes to an end.
Defining Purpose
This gray daughter of Cross Traffic has won three stakes races in her last seven starts for trainer Kenny McPeek, including the Grade 1 Ashland back in April.
She has never beaten a field quite this good and has had her chances in the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama. Her race in the latter, when third was not bad, but she never looked like a winner in the 10-furlong affair.
She has good tactical speed and cuts back to a distance she probably prefers, so she cannot be ignored, but as the second choice, I am liking a few others better on Saturday.
Ceiling Crusher
The wildcard of this field, this daughter of Mr. Big travels east from California for the first time. A winner of 5-of-6 in her career, she has often won by big margins while running against primarily fellow California breds.
Last time, however, she proved herself against open company with an easy win in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar.
Now she faces tougher competition and other speed. It’s a tough task, but she might just have the talent to prove herself against the best. She is not my top pick, but she is a dangerous runner on Saturday.
Occult
Trained by Chad Brown, this Into Mischief filly has been on the improve of late, She fell short in her first graded stakes attempt three starts back, but since adopting a more late run style, she has looked good since.
In the Grade 1 Acorn, she had some trouble early but rallied well to be third. Last out, she absolutely blew by her competition in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks. Now with six lifetime starts, she really seems to be putting it together.
With a solid pace in front of her, and Irad Ortiz, Jr. picking up the mount, I think the well-bred filly has a big shot here to pull off a mild upset. She is the top pick.
Hoosier Philly
At her best, this daughter of Into Mischief is a dangerous runner. The problem is that she does not always run her best. Coming off a disappointing run in the Charles Town Oaks, she has been working well in hopes of rebounding in the Cotillion.
It’s possible she can, but given that her only strong races this year have come when she has controlled the pace, this could be a tough spot.
She gets a positive jockey change to Johnny Velazquez here, but will still have to deal with other speed. She’s a threat, but her 2023 form suggests that she will succumb to early pressure in this one.
Foggy Night
A stakes winner in two of her last three starts, this Butch Reid-trained filly looks to prove that she can compete at the highest level.
Three starts back she upset the field at odds of 14/1 in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks, but was a far way back in second behind Occult in the Monmouth Oaks.
She rebounded with a win in the local prep, winning the Cathryn Sophia Stakes decisively. Her recent form is quite good, but she looks a cut below the top ones in here. I am looking elsewhere in the Grade 1.
Just Katherine
This daughter of Justify failed in her graded stakes debut, but that was nearly six months ago and she has been improving since then. Trained by Jose Jimminez, she ran two very solid races at Saratoga.
She was a good second in the Wilton Stakes to Randomized, who went on to win the Grade 1 Alabama in her next start, and then she was a winner over a solid allowance field in her next start.
She has enough tactical speed to stay in touch early and then can pass horses in the stretch. Coming off those solid races in New York against solid competition, I believe she is a live longshot on Saturday.
Imonra
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. this Violence filly had a two-race winning streak this spring at Gulfstream Park in maiden in allowance company.
After graduating to stakes racing, she finished second and sixth in a pair of Grade 3 races in Iowa and West Virginia.
There is still some room for improvement, but she does appear to be a cut below the top ones in this field. I like others better on Saturday.
Majestic Creed
This daughter of Jimmy Creed is a local filly, having made most of her starts at Parx, where she has won 4-of-12 lifetime and once won a maiden claiming event by nearly 35 lengths.
Most recently, she was third behind Foggy Night in the Catherine Sophia. She brings plenty of speed to the table from her outside post but has never proven herself except against far cheaper competition.
She looks like a deserving longshot on Saturday and is not likely to stick around when the real running begins.
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