Looking back on the lone defeat in Eclatant's career doesn't look so bad. In her first start stretching out to two turns, the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 30, she ran third to two of the top contenders for the Kentucky Oaks (G1): Brad Cox-trained stablemate Good Cheer and Quietside.
Refocused on sprints, the Stonestreet Stables homebred now attempts to solidify herself on top of her own division as she faces five rivals in the $400,000 Beaumont Stakes (G2) at Keeneland April 6.
The daughter of Into Mischief is a perfect 3-for-3 around one turn and most recently earned her first graded victory Feb. 1 in Gulfstream Park's Forward Gal Stakes (G3) over the same seven furlongs she'll travel Sunday. She closed from off the pace that day while winning by 1 1/4 lengths but has proven successful in prompting the pace at Keeneland in a six-furlong allowance optional claimer she won by 1 1/4 lengths last October.
A question mark for Eclatant would be how she will handle a wet track, which is forecast to be the weather conditions throughout Keeneland's opening weekend. That question mark also extends to her rivals as only one, Volleyballprincess, has raced on a dirt surface rated below "fast."
That start for Bran Jam Stable and David Clark's Volleyballprincess came in the seven-furlong Parx Future Stars Filly Division Stakes at Parx Racing Dec. 30, her first start after a 2 1/4-length maiden win. Over the sloppy track, the North Carolina-bred daughter of Mo Town raced off the pace and was beaten less than a length for second while nine lengths behind a runaway winner.
On the lead in her next start in the seven-furlong Ruthless Stakes over a fast Aqueduct Racetrack surface, she opened up on her competition to win by 10 lengths. On the lead again a month later in the Busher Stakes, she battled gamely for the opening seven furlongs but faded to be beaten 4 3/4 lengths in third at the end of the mile.
Breaking from post 2, it seems likely the Louis Linder Jr. trainee will be part of the pace again as she returns to her preferred distance.
Potential pressure could come from LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable's Stunner, another trained by Cox, who has shown speed in most of her starts, including a gate-to-wire triumph in the Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct in November. In her last start, the Forward Gal, she rated nicely while stalking the pace but could not hold off Eclatant's charge in the stretch, settling for second.
Mag Racing's G W's Girl enters off two consecutive Oaklawn Park stakes wins this winter. The 99 Equibase Speed Figures she earned in both victories, which came in her first two starts on dirt, sit as the highest career numbers among the six entrants.
Mineola Farm II, James Hirschmann III, and Silent Grove Farms' homebred Continuity makes her 3-year-old debut for trainer Eddie Kenneally after suffering her first career defeat while stretching out to 1 1/16 miles and running fourth to champion Immersive in the Alcibiades Stakes (G1).
Godolphin homebred Verity rounds out the field in the outside gate, entering off a pair of sprint victories at Turfway Park for trainer Eoin Harty.
Keeneland, Sunday, April 6, 2025, Race 9Entries: MiddleGround Capital Beaumont S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Eclatant (KY) Luis Saez 120 Brad H. Cox - 2 Volleyballprincess (NC) Eliseo Ruiz 118 Louis C. Linder, Jr. - 3 G W's Girl (FL) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Greg Compton - 4 Continuity (KY) Ben Curtis 118 Eddie Kenneally - 5 Stunner (FL) Flavien Prat 118 Brad H. Cox - 6 Verity (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 118 Eoin G. Harty -
