Covfefe Makes Stakes Debut in Frizette Stakes

There are some pretty good fillies entered in Sunday’s $400,000 Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park. That’s not surprising with a “Win and You’re In” berth to the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) available, along with 17 qualification points for the 2019 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

But truth be told, most eyes will be focused on one filly, and that one filly is #6 Covfefe, who was pretty sensational winning her debut on September 16th at Churchill Downs in a manner that suggests she could be a very special filly indeed.

Conditioned by Brad Cox, Covfefe had trained well prior to her first start and was favored at 1-2 while sprinting six furlongs against eight rivals. In the end, 1-2 wound up looking like a bargain as Covfefe set a quick pace and pulled away with authority to win by 9 ¼ lengths, earning speed figures of 98 (BRIS) and 86 (Beyer) that stamp her as clearly the fastest filly in the Frizette field.

And that’s saying something, considering that her seven rivals are pretty accomplished on the whole. Sue’s Fortune, for example, won her debut at Belmont by 8 ½ lengths before rallying from mid-pack to score a narrow victory in the Adirondack Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga. The Jeremiah Englehart-trained daughter of Jump Start will seek to bring her record to a perfect 3-for-3 on Sunday and could get a good setup since there appears to be plenty of speed on paper to set up her late run.

Cassies Dreamer has also enjoyed a positive start to her career, though her first two starts have come for different connections. After being claimed out of her winning debut at Saratoga, new trainer Barclay Tagg chose to step Cassies Dreamer up sharply in class for the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) over the same track, and the result was a solid third-place finish at odds of 68-1. If she improves again, she can definitely vie for a spot in the top three.

Nonna Madeline could only finish fifth in the Spinaway, but that was after dueling hard on the front end. Two starts back, the Todd Plecther-trained filly finished a good second in the Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III) at Saratoga, and in her debut, she defeated the talented Jaywalk by 3 ¼ lengths.

Speaking of Jaywalk, she’s gone unbeaten since that loss against Nonna Madeline, breaking her maiden by 7 ½ lengths at Parx before shipping to Delaware Park and winning the White Clay Creek Stakes, making her one of the most accomplished fillies in the Frizette field. Completing the field are Brucia La Terra, Take Me to Hardoon, and Graceful Princess, all of them debut winners at Saratoga.

The Frizette is the seventh race of the day, with a post time of 4:46 p.m. Eastern.