Godolphin's Creative Flair and Flaxman Holdings' group 3 winner Harajuku will invade from across the pond when taking on five American-based contenders in the second running of the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes Sept. 18 going 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf at Belmont Park.
The Jockey Club Oaks Invitational is the final leg of the filly division of the NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds, which also consists of the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) and the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3T). Its male counterpart race, the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational, also is scheduled for Saturday's 11-race card.
Trainer Charlie Appleby enjoyed success shipping Godolphin-owned Althiqa to New York this season, capturing the Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park and Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course.
For the Jockey Club Oaks, Appleby sends out Creative Flair, who was a last-out third in the Saratoga Oaks in her North American debut. The daughter of Dubawi, who was off a step slow, saved ground under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith down the backstretch, angled several paths wide just past the quarter pole and finished third, beaten two lengths.
"The race didn't ever really set up for her. She jumped a little slowly and got a little bit of a knock," said Appleby assistant Chris Connett. "The team wanted her to sit a bit closer to the pace than she ended up being and it just didn't pan out. She's had a nice break and seems fresh and well and ready to run a big race for us."
Creative Flair was a three-time winner in England at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/4 miles. She ventured outside England for the first time when a close third in the Prix Chloe (G3) July 18 at Chantilly in France, her start preceding the Saratoga Oaks.
Connett said Creative Flair is arriving at Saturday's test in good order following her Saratoga effort.
"She traveled back to Newmarket with the rest of the team and had an easy week to 10 days before coming back to full training," Connett said. "She clearly showed the right signs for Charlie to aim her back here. She's traveled well and I'm really happy with her. All systems go for Saturday."
Jockey Jamie Spencer ships stateside to pilot Creative Flair from post 1.
Flaxman Holdings' Harajuku will look to give France a second Jockey Club Oaks triumph, after Edisa shipped to capture the inaugural edition in 2019.
Trained by Andre Fabre, the bay daughter of Deep Impact captured the Prix Cleopatre (G3) on May 1 at Saint-Cloud going 1 5/16 miles over next out group 1 winner Incarville. Harajuku arrives off a narrow fourth in the Prix de la Nonette (G2) Aug. 23 at Deauville.
Jockey Stephane Pasquier comes in from France to engineer the trip from post 7.
The Chad Brown-trained pair of Higher Truth and Shantisara are two of five other American-based contenders looking to defend their home turf.
Owned by Mike Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley, Higher Truth is the only filly to compete in all three legs of this year's filly division of the Turf Triple series. The daughter of Galileo ran third, beaten a half-length in the Belmont Oaks, then missed by three-quarters in the Saratoga Oaks, finishing second.
Shantisara (Coulsty), owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta, will see an increase in ground after making the grade in the Pucker Up (G3) at 1 1/8 miles Aug. 14 at Arlington International Racecourse. The first five of her seven starts came in France.
Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will give third-out maiden winner Baby Blythe a considerable jump in class following a seven-length romp on Aug. 14 in a 1 3/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga.
Owned by Donald and Donna Adam's Courtlandt Farms, the daughter of American Pharoah displayed a devastating turn of foot around the far turn of her maiden score, going from a close fourth to in front by 5 1/2 lengths at the next point of call. Third on debut in December at Aqueduct, Baby Blythe did not race until July 24 when sixth to subsequent stakes winner Rastafara.
"Distance won't be an issue with her. She has a great turn-of-foot and had a half sister (Family Way) who won going 10 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs," McGaughey said. "She probably needed her second race since she hadn't run in so long. We got it in her and next time she won."
Completing the field are Augustin Stable's Be Up, a two-time winner for trainer Jonathan Thomas, and Kaleem Shah's Madone, a dual graded stakes-winning West Coast invader for trainer Simon Callaghan.
Belmont Park, Saturday, September 18, 2021, Race 9Entries: Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Creative Flair (IRE) Jamie P. Spencer 121 Charles Appleby 7/2 2 2Higher Truth (IRE) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Chad C. Brown 3/1 3 3Baby Blythe (KY) Luis Saez 121 Claude R. McGaughey III 9/2 4 4Be Up (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Jonathan Thomas 15/1 5 5Madone (KY) John R. Velazquez 121 Simon Callaghan 6/1 6 6Shantisara (IRE) Flavien Prat 121 Chad C. Brown 7/2 7 7Harajuku (IRE) Stephane Pasquier 121 Andre Fabre 4/1
