La Troienne Stakes Predictions, Picks, Betting Odds (Churchill Downs)

Check out our predictions and odds for the 2022 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs! Odds taken from TwinSpires Sportsbook.

La Troienne Stakes Predictions and Best Bets

Here are my plays ($50 in total)

$5 Trifecta Box –  Shedaresthedevil, Pauline’s Pearl and Temper Time = $30

$20 Exacta –  Shedaresthedevil over Pauline’s Pearl = $20

If you’re playing only to win, go with my top pick Shedaresthedevil (6/5)

Already a Grade 1 winner at Churchill Downs the last two seasons, Shedaresthedevil will look to make it three years in a row when she headlines a field of seven older females entered in Friday’s $750,000 La Troienne Stakes.

The 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner is unbeaten in five career starts at Churchill Downs, and will look to defend her title in the mile and a sixteenth affair on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.

Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of Daredevil has only run once so far this year, finishing third behind Ce Ce and Pauline’s Pearl in the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park eight weeks ago.

The three-time stakes winner Pauline’s Pearl, who impressively won the Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic in her start before the Azeri, will once again tangle with the La Troienne morning-line favorite.

A well-bred daughter of Tapit, the Steve Asmussen-trained 4-year-old will be in search of her first Grade 1 victory on Friday.

Looking to upset the top two will be the Rob Atras-trained Battle Bling, who comes in off a second in the Top Flight.

A 4-year-old daughter of Vancouver, she has come to hand of late with three straight solid stakes performances at Aqueduct, including a win in the Ladies.

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La Troienne Stakes Predictions and Race Analysis

Shedaresthedevil

She’s certainly run good races at other places, but this classy 5-year-old mare seems to really love Churchill Downs. Perfect in five starts over the main track at the Louisville oval, she seems primed to make it six in a row on Friday for trainer Brad Cox and regular rider Florent Geroux..

Granted, she was beaten by her top foe here last time when third in the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park, but the performance was still quite solid in her first race off the layoff. I look for her to improve on the effort, and also appreciate the lack of early speed in here.

Returning to her favorite track in search of her fourth career Grade 1 victory, she seems to have found a very good spot to get the job done. The defending champ, and winner of the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, is the top pick.

Pauline’s Pearl

The main competition to the favorite, this Steve Asmussen-trained filly has already won three stakes races and looks to be running better than ever as a 4-year-old. The winner of the Grade 3 Fantasy last spring, she wasn’t quite good enough, when fading on the rail in last year’s Kentucky Oaks.

She followed that up by running second or third in three consecutive graded stakes, before returning to her winning ways late last year. A good win in the Zia Park Oaks was followed by a better victory in the Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic.

After that high note, she took her game back to the big leagues, and rallied nicely to split Ce Ce and Shedaresthedevil in the Azeri. A repeat of the performance could get the job done here, but my guess is Shedaresthedevil proves tougher this time around.

Battle Bling

Twice claimed in her career, this one seems to have left the claiming ranks behind with three straight solid performances in stakes races in New York. Having said that, they all came at Aqueduct, and the competition probably will come up a little light compared to this.

While the recent form is good, I think the move to Churchill Downs against solid mares like Shedaresthedevil and Pauline’s Pearl will likely be more than she wants. Of the late runners, I like a few others better.

Jilted Bride

Another one with solid recent form, she won her latest by daylight seven weeks ago in an Oaklawn Park allowance race. Before that, she was just edged out for second to She’s All Wolfe in the Grade 3 Bayakoa.

A consistent sort, she has finished third in three previous stakes tries, without really threatening the winner. The Grade 1 La Troienne will be her toughest test yet, so expecting anything better than a third in here seems a bit much. Still, her recent form should be respected.

She’s All Wolfe

A late runner with very little early speed, look for her to trail early. The good news is she comes into Friday’s test off two pretty solid efforts, having rallied for second in the Bayakoa, before finishing a respectable fourth in the Azeri.

If the pace is strong, it will help her chances, but with rain expected and not a lot of speed in here, I fear that her rallying style will be at a disadvantage. She looks like a player for a minor share only.

Temper Time

It was a long time coming, but this daughter of Malibu Moon finally broke her maiden last November. Interestingly, she did it by 13 lengths over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs. With rain in the forecast, she might see a similar track on Friday.

It’s a big step up, but she continues to improve, having won two straight nicely at Turfway Park and then Keeneland. It looks like trainer Dale Romans really has her going well now, and after the top two, I like her best.

Ava’s Grace

A 4-year-old daughter of Laoban, this one comes in off a sharp allowance score at Oaklawn Park. While she has yet to breakthrough in four previous stakes tries, she was a good second behind Pauline’s Pearl in last year’s Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

She also has speed to contend with Shedaresthedevil early. Perhaps her latest performance signals that she is ready to take a step forward, but I remain skeptical having finished way back in the Azeri just two starts ago.

How to watch the La Troienne Stakes