Dubai Escapade will try to emulate 'Madcap' in Madison

Dubai Escapade will try to emulate 'Madcap' in

Madison

Darley Stable's DUBAI ESCAPADE (Awesome Again), the 7-2 morning-line favorite

for Wednesday's $200,000 Madison S. (G2) at Keeneland, will try to emulate her

half-sister, Madcap Escapade (Hennessy), who captured last year's running of the

seven-furlong test for distaffers. She will face 10 rivals, led by 123-pound

highweight BENDING STRINGS (American Chance) and Grade 2 winner JOSH'S MADELYN

(Quiet American), who were both unplaced in the 2005 Madison.

Trained by Eoin Harty, Dubai Escapade has landed both of her American outings

at Gulfstream Park, a 6 1/2-furlong allowance by 7 3/4 lengths and a one-mile

optional claiming event by three-quarters of a length. Sold for $2 million at

the 2004 Barretts March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the lightly raced

four-year-old has been assigned 117 pounds for her stakes debut. She will break

from post 10 with Edgar Prado in the irons.

Multiple Grade 2 victress Bending Strings will look to rebound from her

seventh-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita H. (G1) in her 2006

debut on March 11 at Santa Anita. Last fall at Churchill Downs, the Wally Dollase trainee posted a

convincing 4 1/2-length score in the one-mile Chilukki S. (G2) but ended her

season on a disappointing note when ninth in the Falls City H. (G2). The

five-year-old mare gets the services of hot jockey Rafael Bejarano.

Josh's Madelyn boasts two wins from four starts at the Lexington, Kentucky,

oval, most notably the 2004 Raven Run S. (G2). Most recently a close runner-up

in the American Beauty S. at Oaklawn Park, the Larry Jones-conditioned mare

won the six-furlong Pan Zareta S. in her first outing of the year. Terry

Thompson has the call on the five-year-old.

Multiple Grade 3 winner FLYING GLITTER (Glitterman), a solid runner-up in the

Raven Run last October, will be reunited with regular rider Robby Albarado.

The four-year-old was a game second in her seasonal reappearance in an Oaklawn

allowance/optional claimer.

Other notable contenders include last-out Hurricane Bertie H. (G3) runner-up

ATLAS VALLEY (Capote), recent Shirley Jones Breeders' Cup H. (G2) runner-up

BEAUTIFUL BETS (Alphabet Soup), and the Todd Pletcher-trained EVER ELUSIVE

(Forestry), a $1 million Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2003 who's

coming off two straight sprint victories at Gulfstream Park.

GIVEMEMORE (Brz) (Special Nash [Ire]) will lead the post parade with Scott

Spieth aboard, followed by ISLAND ESCAPE (Petionville), Jesus Castanon; SILVER

CROWN (Distorted Humor), James Graham; Josh's Madelyn; Bending Strings;

Beautiful Bets, Mark Guidry; Atlas Valley, Rene Douglas; Ever Elusive, John

Velazquez; Flying Glitter; Dubai Escapade; and MALIBU MINT (Malibu Moon), Kristi

Chapman.

Nine of the 11 entrants will carry 117 pounds, with Bending Strings toting

123 and Flying Glitter 119.