Stidham mulls plans for Pirate's Trove, Helen Kathleen

Pirate's Trove has been on the radar of many

Arlington fans since

her raucous 12 1/4-length victory on May 31. The daughter of Speightstown has

done little but simply improve the luminosity of her rising stardom with her two

subsequent starts -- both in stakes and both victories showing marked

improvement and maturation for trainer Mike Stidham.

A WinStar Farm and M R Capital-bred sophomore, Pirate's Trove was purchased

by Gary Biszantz's Cobra Farm out of the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling Sale

for $110,000. After her breakout win in his snake-embroidered green silks on

debut in May, the filly caught the attention of and was subsequently sold to

Qatar's Al Shahania Stud for an undisclosed price and has taken those blue silks

with white stars into the Woodbine winner's circle in the $125,000 Duchess

Stakes at seven furlongs on July 20 and the $100,000 Etobicoke Stakes at six

furlongs on Monday. The half-sister to five-time stakes winning mare Authenicat

was ridden in all three events by Arlington's leading-money jockey Florent

Geroux.

Having notched a 99 BRIS Speed figure in her 4 1/2-length romp in the

Etobicoke -- just her third career start -- Pirate's Trove has abundant

potential to keep progressing.

"She came back the next morning after the (Etobicoke) and looks great,"

Stidham remarked. "She sat behind a few lengths behind a half in :44 (and 3/5)

and then made a big run at the eighth-pole and was really impressive."

Though it is expected that a step into graded stakes company will happen soon

for the swift charge, even bigger prizes may be on the horizon. Being owned by

Qatari interests, it would not be a surprise to see the filly venture to the

Middle East at some point. Aware of such a possibility, Stidham is taking it all

in stride.

"I am not sure where we're going next," he said. "On the 18th of

October at Woodbine there's (the $100,000 Ruling Angel) Stakes and I'm also

thinking about the ($75,000 Unzip Me Stakes) at Santa Anita for three-year-old

fillies down the hill going 6 1/2 (furlongs) on (September 27)."

Stidham also confirmed that Biszantz's talented sophomore filly Helen

Kathleen is aiming toward a possible start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pucker Up

Stakes at Arlington. The daughter of prominent sire Candy Ride broke her maiden

in her turf debut and third overall start on July 19 and followed that up with

an eye-catching victory on August 9 over her elders, as well as the Pucker Up

course and distance of 1 1/8 grassy miles.

"We are considering the Pucker Up for her," Stidham said. "Based off her

numbers so far and just knowing the filly, I think she could compete. She's a

big, classy filly with the arrows pointing the right direction right now. I

think she can step up. Whether she's ready off an 'a-other-than' (allowance) to

win a graded stakes, I'm not sure. Do I think she's stakes quality? Yes."

Helen Kathleen -- a long-winded attractive daughter of the unraced A.P. Indy

mare Indy Verse -- was a $90,000 purchase at the 2012 Keeneland September

Yearling Sale. After two dirt sprints in May and June at Churchill Downs

produced a third- and fourth-place finish, she has relished her training at

Arlington, as well as the change in surface and added real estate.

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