Dealbata Modest Choice in Noble Damsel

A 4-year-old daughter of multiple Group 1 winner Ad Valorem, Julie’s Love began her career in Europe for trainer Manfred Hofer with a record of 1-5-3 from 12 starts. She is 3-for-4 since coming to the United States and joining Motion’s stable, winning her first two starts, allowance races at Keeneland and Belmont Park . She then ran third behind multiple stakes winners Gitchee Goomie and Hessonite in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap at Parx Racing on July 3. Most recently, Julie’s Love rallied on the outside and held off the late-running Dealbata to win Saratoga Race Course’s De La Rose on August 4 for the first stakes victory of her career.

“She showed that she’s somewhat adaptable,” Motion said of Julie’s Love, who has won on the lead, stalking, and coming from off the pace in her three stateside victories. “She’s matured a lot – she was pretty wound up when she first came over here – and Julien [Leparoux] knows her very well. Overall she’s been very consistent, and I think her last race was her best. She’s improved since the Penny.”

Leparoux, who has ridden Julie’s Love in all of her North American starts, has the return call and the duo will leave from post position 7 as the 7-2 second choice.

Trainer Chad Brown has entered both the Irish-bred Dealbata, who missed by a half-length to Julie’s Love in the De La Rose, and the French filly Kya One, who would be making her North American debut.

Owned by Martin Schwartz, Dealbata has made two starts for Brown after registering three wins from five starts in France when trained by Mikel Delzangles. The daughter of Dubawi was a length best in the Mohegan Sky overnight stakes on June 16 at Belmont Park , her first start for Brown after nearly eight months on the sidelines.

Dealbata drew post position 5 under Ramon Dominguez and was made the 3-1 morning-line favorite.

The Noble Damsel could be the North American debut for Mackie Racing’s Kya One, a stakes winner in France who has been in Brown’s care since late July.

“It seems like she might be better at further distances, but in her works she seems like she has some turn of foot and it might be a good spot to get her started in,” Brown said. “I’m still kind of learning a few things about her, but she is training well. It might be a good spot to get a race into her and see where we are.”

A 4-year-old One Cool Cat filly, Kya One was sixth, beaten 2 ½ lengths, on May 28 in the Group 2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud Racecourse outside Paris, her most recent start. That race was against fillies, but she competed against colts in her three previous starts, winning the Prix Jacques Laffitte Stakes on April 5 at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse.   

“She’s got some decent running lines,” Brown said. “She kept good company over there and she’s been running with boys. The last one was against fillies, beat two [and a half] lengths, steadied repeatedly. She’s a pretty nice horse.”

John Velazquez was named to ride Kya One, who leaves from post position 3 at 8-1 on the morning line.

Adding to the European flavor of the Noble Damsel is Guy Roxburghe’s British-bred Federation, who dead-heated for victory with Prize Catch in a 1 1/16-mile turf optional claimer on August 27 at Saratoga . She is half of an uncoupled entry for trainer Christophe Clement, who will also saddle Edward Cox Jr.’s Naples Bay , a 4 ¼-length winner of a 1 1/16-mile turf optional claimer on August 17 at Monmouth Park .

“Both are doing well. It’s a little bit quick for Federation, but she’s doing well and we don’t have another race until mid-October,” Clement said. “ Naples Bay had a very nice allowance win at Monmouth and deserves a shot in a stakes.”

Both fillies seek their first stakes victories in the Noble Damsel. Joel Rosario has the call aboard Federation, who drew post 9 at 9-2 on the morning line, while Jose Lezcano will ride Naples Bay , 5-1, from post 6.

British-bred Law of the Range, a 5-year-old daughter of Alhaarth, completes the international quintet as she exits her first North American outing, a sixth on July 28 in Saratoga ’s Grade 1 Diana. Trained by Tom Albertrani for Chris McHale, she’ll be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 4 at 20-1 on the morning line.

Completing the field from the rail out are La Cloche, who was fifth in the De La Rose and is an older half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Winter Memories; Embarr, victorious in a turf optional claimer at Monmouth last time out; and Silver Screamer, winner of the Grade 3 Eatontown Handicap at Monmouth in June and most recently fifth in the Grade 3 Matchmaker there.