Now that Micheline has notched her first graded stakes victory, doing so in her 2021 debut, trainer Michael Stidham is convinced there's much more to come this year for the 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini.
The next step is the June 20 Eatontown Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth Park, with the $150,000 Father's Day feature race attracting a full field of 12 (plus four also eligibles). Among those entries are three other graded stakes winners: Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer, First Row Partners and Hidden Brook Farm's Nay Lady Nay, and Klaravich Stables' Counterparty Risk.
Stidham is hoping the 1 1/16-mile grass race readies Micheline, a Godolphin homebred, for the Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) Aug. 14 at Arlington International Racecourse.
"We had her ready to go at Belmont Park June 4 (in the New York Stakes, G2T) but it absolutely poured rain," he said. "It had rained there for a couple of days and right before the race, they had to postpone the post parade because it was raining so hard. So we scratched her out of that.
"We needed a race for her. We knew this one would come up tough but we're pointing to the Beverly D. So we needed a race. It's time to get another race in her.
"Hopefully, we'll get a good firm turf course on Sunday at Monmouth."
Stidham learned about Micheline's aversion to a soft or yielding turf the hard way. After a sharp seasonal debut that saw her win the Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) at Tampa Bay Downs March 6 off a five-month layoff—"I didn't feel like I had her cranked up to 100% but she won anyway," Stidham said—Micheline was a tiring sixth in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland April 10.
That race was run over a yielding turf course.
"The race at Keeneland was a disappointment but the rain came down in buckets all morning and all day and the turf was horribly soft," said Stidham. "She hated it. She never looked comfortable on it. When it came time for her to make her move she was spinning her wheels.
"To me, it's a throw-out race."
Micheline has proven to be a consistent turf router during her 14-race career with five wins, two seconds, and a third. She has earned $671,978.
"She was always a filly that showed us a lot of ability and talent," said Stidham. "The proof of that is we shipped her to Saratoga for her first career start (in 2019). That will tell you what we thought of her. We rarely ship to Saratoga unless we really like one."
Micheline finished third in her racing debut. Stidham then shipped her to Monmouth, where she won the Sorority Stakes at a mile on the grass—as a maiden.
If Stidham has any reservations about the Eatontown Stakes—beyond the full, competitive field—it's the 1 1/16-mile distance. Micheline won the Hillsborough at 1 1/8 miles and another stakes race at 1 5/16 miles. Stidham views her as most effective at 1 1/8 miles and longer.
Mychel Sanchez has the mount.
Monmouth Park, Sunday, June 20, 2021, Race 11Entries: Eatontown S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Belle Laura (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 118 Juan Carlos Avila 15/1 2 2Speaktomeofsummer (KY) Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr. 118 Christophe Clement 15/1 3 3Morning Molly (KY) Keiber J. Coa 122 Thomas F. Proctor 8/1 4 4Counterparty Risk (IRE) Nik Juarez 124 Chad C. Brown 8/1 5 5Micheline (KY) Mychel J. Sanchez 124 Michael Stidham 5/1 6 6Nay Lady Nay (IRE) Dylan Davis 118 Chad C. Brown 7/2 7 7Valletta (KY) Gerardo Corrales 118 Danny Gargan 20/1 8 8Xanthique (KY) Angel Cruz 122 Thomas Morley 10/1 9 9Sweet Bye and Bye (PA) Ruben Silvera 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 9/2 10 10Crystal Cliffs (FR) Victor R. Carrasco 118 H. Graham Motion 6/1 11 11Myhartblongstodady (NY) Jose C. Ferrer 118 Jorge R. Abreu 15/1 12 12Vigilantes Way (KY) Paco Lopez 118 Claude R. McGaughey III 10/1 13 13Tasting the Stars (VA) Luis R. Reyes 118 John C. Kimmel 15/1 14 14Crown and Sugar (FL) Albin Jimenez 118 Darien Rodriguez 15/1 15 15Positive Power (KY) Nik Juarez 118 John P. Mc Allen 30/1 16 16Inconvenient Facts (KY) Carlos J. Hernandez 118 Dennis S. Kendall, Jr. 30/1
