Noble Damsel J

AMERICAN GRADED STAKES

PREVIEWS

With six of the eight fillies and mares in Sunday's $100,000 Noble Damsel S.

(G3) listed between 3-1 and 8-1 in the morning line, the one-mile feature over

Belmont Park's Widener turf shapes up as a competitive betting event. Our choice

is the 4-1 third choice in the morning line, STRIKE THE BELL (Mizzen Mast), who

breaks from the rail under Ramon Dominguez.

Strike the Bell has yet to register a black-type win but has placed three

times in overnight stakes. Though unplaced in two prior graded attempts this

season, in the Beaugay S. (G3) and Ballston Spa H. (G2), she seemed to have

excuses in both. In the May 1 Beaugay, she was coming off a layoff of more than

six months and finished a distant seventh. Last time, she entered the Ballston

Spa off a much shorter but not insignificant layoff. Falling as much as 13

lengths off the lead, she made a mild bid in the late stages to finish 3 1/2

lengths behind Dynaslew (Dynaformer), the same rival that had beaten her in the Beaugay. It's also worth noting that the Saratoga turf was playing favorably

toward speed at that point, hindering Strike the Bell's effectiveness.

Two back, Strike the Bell finished a head second in the Miss Liberty S. to

Maram (Sahm), a rival well established at this level and who would have fit well

in this spot. Dominguez rode this filly to a win and a second-place finish a

year ago, so we like her chances to take a big step forward here.

QUIET MEADOW (El Prado [Ire]) is a logical threat having missed by only a

nose in this race last year to the much classier Rutherienne. Unfortunately, the

five-year-old has dropped eight straight since taking a Florida-bred stakes in

April 2009, though she has acquitted herself with strong performances in the

Eatontown H. (G3), Gallorette H. (G3) and Matchmaker S. (G3), among others. The

Chad Brown pupil runs her race virtually every time -- it's only a matter of

whether she will finally show the will to win. At a short price, we'll try to

beat her for the top spot.

CHESTORIA (Chester House), a multiple stakes-winning New York-bred, has fared

well in graded company in the past, placing in races such as the Eatontown and

Beaugay. She's never finished worse than fourth over the past 15 months, and

that kind of consistency should serve her well in a race that did not come up

especially deep. At 8-1 in the morning line, she appears to offer value.

MERIWETHER JESSICA (Freud) is undefeated in three starts for trainer Rick

Violette, who assumed training duties for the mare last spring. She narrowly

escaped with wins against New York-bred company, including the Yaddo S. over Chestoria, but we have to wonder if she's due for regression off

such hard races. She was not nearly as effective against open stakes company

when trained by Linda Rice, so we'll side with others this time.

SCOLARA (Quiet American) has faced several of these before, and exits a fifth

in the Ballston Spa. The main knock against her is that she's shown a tendency

to hang of late, not making up much ground in the final furlong. The Bill Mott

charge definitely fits based on prior placings at this level, and she's a

must-include in exotics plans. C. S. SILK (Medaglia d'Oro) figures to be

prominently positioned throughout. She enters in good form, having taken an

overnight stakes at the Spa last time, but will have to work a little harder

this time as the local sod does not figure to be as speed-friendly.

SWEETER STILL (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]), a Grade 3 winner back in her

California days, has not replicated that kind of form during a sporadic 2009-10

campaign. She exits a win against minor stakes rivals at Delaware Park and would

need to elevate her game here. KRISTI WITH A K (Petionville) would have fit

really well here on her 2009 form, which included a strong second-place finish

in the Athenia S. (G3), but what she's shown this season leaves much to be

desired.