Stamina is the primary question for all of the fillies contesting the Grade 1 Alabama. None of them have gone this far before and few figure to be at their best going this demanding classic distance. Midnight Bisou (3) will be the favorite off her runner-up effort in the Coaching Club American Oaks behind division leader Monomoy Girl. While she earned a top speed figure and got the two-turn trip, I still thought her overall performance was somewhat dull, as she didn’t show the same kick that she had displayed in her prior two starts. She’s raced much closer to the pace in her two starts for Steve Asmussen, so I wonder if they will revert to the closing tactics that worked for her earlier in the year. The Pace Projector is predicting a fast pace, so such a strategy could pay off. My bigger concern with Midnight Bisou is that she just may not want to go this far.

The same can be said of Talk Veuve to Me (8). She stretched out successfully in the Acorn, but that came around one turn. She passed the two-turn test in the Indiana Oaks last time against an inferior field, but she certainly looked good doing it. The talent is certainly there, but it will be interesting to see if Julien Leparoux can ration out her ample speed going this distance. The talent is certainly there, but it will be interesting to see if Leparoux can ration out her ample speed going this distance.

I’m taking a shot with SHE'S A JULIE (4). Her Iowa Oaks win was similar to Talk Veuve to Me’s last performance, as they both ran fast races in winning by large margins against inferior fields. The difference is that She’s a Julie is going to be a better price, and I have more confidence that she can handle the distance. It took a while for her to get back into form when she came back off the layoff last winter at Fair Grounds, but she has really come to hand in the last few months. I loved the way she finished off that Iowa Oaks, as she appeared to get stronger the farther they went. Steve Asmussen has an excellent record in this situation, as he is 10 for 26 (38 percent, $2.91 ROI) over the past five years with 3-year-old fillies coming off wins in dirt graded stakes. There’s plenty of stamina on the bottom side of her pedigree, as her dam is by excellent sire Dubai Millennium and is a half-sister to the dam of Bodemeister.