Splendora Brings Elite Credentials Into Molly Pitcher

With a Breeders' Cup win already to her name, Boyd Racing and By Talla Racing's Splendora seeks another graded stakes victory in the $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) July 18 at Monmouth Park. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 5-year-old daughter of Audible enters off a score in the Shawnee Stakes (G2) May 30 at Churchill Downs, where she stalked the pace and drew clear by 2 3/4 lengths over runner-up Immersive. The latter, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2024, subsequently won the June 27 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs—a race from which Splendora scratched to await the Molly Pitcher. Before the Shawnee, Splendora had finished fourth in the May 2 Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) over 7 furlongs, her only loss in seven starts since July of last year. She enters the 1 1/16-mile Molly Pitcher with a career record of 8-4-0 in 14 starts with earnings of $1,357,700. Splendora is out of the Frost Giant mare Miss Freeze, a black-type winner of the restricted 2016 Lynbrook Stakes at Belmont Park. A registered Maryland-bred, Splendora sold for $125,000 at Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale in 2022 from the Brookdale Sales consignment to Sweetwater Trading, agent for Talla Racing and Rockingham Ranch. Fellow millionaire Alpine Princess will look to rebound to her graded stakes-winning ways after a disappointing outing in her last start. The Brad Cox trainee finished last of six in the June 5 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, beaten more than 26 lengths. A start before, the 5-year-old daughter of Classic Empire scored a career-best graded stakes victory in the April 17 Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, winning by a neck over Eunomia for owners Full of Run Racing Two and Madaket Stables. Alpine Princess, a $190,000 graduate of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, has made $1,232,165 in her 20-race career. The seven-time winner enters the race with one victory from three starts this year, all in graded stakes. Repole Stable's Scalable—cross-entered in the July 17 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga as a main-track-only participant—has two stakes wins from four starts this year. Kicking off her 2026 campaign with a pair of stakes victories at Aqueduct Racetrack, the $757,778 earner finished fourth last time out in the Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2) June 5 at Saratoga for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Michael Eiserman's Nerazurri enters the Molly Pitcher off a dominant victory in the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes June 20 at Thistledown. Ahead of that start, she was soundly beaten in back-to-back grade 1s after a productive stakes-winning winter campaign. The Mark Casse trainee also finished second by 2 3/4 lengths in the Feb. 7 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park when outdueled by her stablemate Nitrogen. Other entries include Dry Powder, Lika Rolling Stone, and recent Serena's Song Stakes winner Lost Horizon.