It would be wise to watch the board in this spot to see how much money first time starter Mensa Member (7) takes. They paid $200,000 for this daughter of Flatter, who also possesses an attractive damside pedigree. While more of her siblings handled dirt well, she is a half-sister to 4-time turf winner Forever in Love. Chad Brown is dangerous in these spots, but reports are that this filly has not trained very forwardly in the mornings on dirt. I’m more interested in those with experience.

The most logical filly to consider is Shady Shady Shady (10), who finished a closing second in her debut on opening day. While she ran well that day for a barn that isn’t known for its worth with firsters, that race was falling apart at the end and she just picked up pieces. The winner Drynachan returned to run poorly against stakes company next time out, which has me doubting the overall quality of that field.

I prefer SHAK'S HIDDEN GEM (3), especially given the added ground of this race. This filly actually broke fine in her debut for Gary Contessa, but got repeatedly shuffled back down the backstretch and wound up last for the run around the far turn. From there, she swung out for the drive and actually closed well to get up fourth while well clear of the rest of the field. It’s a positive sign to see that the runner-up returned to win. Furthermore, I think this is a filly that will improve with distance, given that her dam was best going long on the dirt. The stamina-building 7-furlong workout on July 27 – prior to her debut – suggests that they may have been pointing for a race like this all along.