Regret Stakes Exotics Plays

A talented group of 10 sophomore fillies will vie in Saturday’s grassy, $275,000 Regret S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. The affair has a bit of everything with speed, stalkers, pressers, and closers, plus a filly making her seasonal debut that I have a whole lot of interest in. 

Regret S. Exotics Plays

• $4 exacta key box 3 with 1,6 ($16)
• $1 trifecta 3 with 1,6 with all ($16)
• $1 trifecta 3 with all with 1,6 ($16)
• $1 trifecta 1,6 with 3 with all ($16)

I’m not often keen on horses that were either pulled up or vanned off in a contest and then go on the shelf for an extended time directly after. But since I have such high esteem for conditioner Al Stall, Jr., I’m not concerned in the slightest about the condition of #3 Gavea. The German-bred daughter of Gleneagles was a first-out winner on the Chantilly turf in a race that was not an ordinary juvenile contest. Second placer Opera Mundi closed her juvenile campaign with a stakes score at Deauville, while third-place finisher, Juddmonte’s Zandy, graduated well at Chantilly in her second lifetime attempt for trainer Andre Fabre. 

Gavea was a winner in an allowance tilt at Churchill in September in her second lifetime run when displaying a quick turn of foot approaching the turn for home, prior to being eased early in the Chelsea Flower S. at Aqueduct to conclude her 2023 campaign. The bay looks like a very good prospect to me, and she has worked forwardly in advance of her sophomore debut. I love that Stall opted for this race off the shelf rather than an easier spot for her comeback – that’s a major sign of confidence to me. Julien Leparoux has the call. 

I expect #1 Way To Be Marie to be well backed following her second in the Edgewood (G2) on the course last time out, but she must be included, nonetheless. This Rob Atras pupil has finished in the top two in five straight turf routes and gets both Florent Geroux and the rail. I liked her before her Edgewood performance, and my opinion hasn’t changed since that effort. 

Two-time Grade 2 heroine #6 Buchu ran better than it appears on paper in the Edgewood, as she had a fine placement turning for home but was one-paced in the lane. She possibly didn’t love the yielding going on the day, or perhaps she was a bit short second time off the layoff. Either way, I’m using her for sure under Martin Garcia.