2017 Athenia Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - The G3 Athenia Stakes will be run this Saturday, October 28 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Belmont Park's turf track and race 1 1/16 miles for the winner's share of the $200,000 purse.

A field of 12 plus one Alternate Entry have been confirmed for the Athenia Stakes - race 7 on Belmont Park's stacked Saturday schedule. Post time is 3:43 PM. Let's takes a glance at the past performances of all 13 possible entries for this competitive G3 stakes.

2017 Athenia Stakes Entries at Belmont Park

Off Limits 2-1

Irish bred Chad Brown trained mare has five wins, two seconds and a third-place finish in her 15 career starts. She was OK at home and failed to place in her first four North American starts but has been good in five starts since - three wins and two seconds. Last time out was a successful graded stakes debut - a win over Time and Motion in the G3 Noble Damsel Stakes here September 23 after an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Saratoga August 12, a second in the listed Perfect Sting Stakes on this track in July and an Allowance score here in June. Off Limit has been trending upward ahead of this weekend and shoots for a third straight win (second graded stakes) from post 7. Joel Rosario rides the morning line favorite.

Elysea's World 5-1

Irish bred Chad Brown trained filly has three wins, four seconds and a third-place finish in 13 career starts. Last time out was a respectable second in the G2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine September 16 which followed a fourth in the minor Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga August 5, a fifth in the G3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes at Parx July 4, an OK third in the G3 Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico May 20 and consecutive seconds - the H2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay March 11 and the G3 Suwannee River Stakes at Gulfstream Park February 11. Before that was an Allowance Optional Claiming score on that track December 29 and off-the-board finishes in two GS races - a sixth in the G2 Sands Point Stakes and a fourth in the G2 Lake Placid Stakes. Elysea's World has been OK in her career but has failed to hit the board in two of her last three starts overall. She hopes to build on an OK effort however when she leaves from the rail with Javier Castellano aboard the second betting choice.

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Time and Motion 6-1

Has 14 career starts for trainer James Toner with five wins, a second and three third place finishes. She enters off a fourth after weakening in the G3 Noble Damsel Stakes at Belmont Park September 23 which followed consecutive thirds - the G3 Modesty Handicap at Arlington July 8 and the G3 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park May 13. Before that were consecutive sixths - the G2 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland April 15 and the G1 Matriarch Stakes in December. She was terrific before that - a good win in the G1 QE II Challenge Cup at Keeneland October 15, 2016 followed another win in the 2016 G2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga August 21, a second behind Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational July 9, 2016 and a nice three race win streak - the listed Wonder Again Stakes, the minor Memories Of Silver Stakes and a MSW at Gulfstream. She also had a fifth in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Time and Motion was very good at this time last year, has recorded a pair of bullet works since the Noble Damsel and hopes to snap a bit of a funk when she departs from post 5 with John Velazquez guiding her.

My Impression 8-1

Shug McGaughey trained filly has won six of 15 career starts with two seconds and one third place finish. She enters off a good 1 1/2 length win in the minor One Dreamer Stakes at Kentucky Downs September 6 which followed a sixth in the G1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga July 22 and consecutive runner-up finishes - the G3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes at Parx July 4 and an Allowance Optional Claiming at Belmont Park June 11. Before that were consecutive fifth place finishes - the minor Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct April 15 and the G2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay March 11, a good win in the minor Winter Memories Stakes at Aqueduct November 25 and an OK third in the G3 Pin Oak Valley View Stakes at Keeneland last October. Other results include a terrific 3 1/4 length win in the 2016 G3 Commonwealth Oaks at Laurel Park and a win in the minor Christiana Stakes at Delaware Park last July 6. My Impression has four stakes wins in her career, has five wins in nine starts at this distance and tries for her first graded stakes score in 13 months. Jose Ortiz will be in the saddle from post 3.

Decked Out 8-1

Keith Desormeaux trained filly has three wins, two seconds and three third place finishes in 17 career starts. She enters off a fifth I the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita September 30 which followed another fifth in the G2 John C Mabee Stakes at Del Mar September 2 and nine months away. Before that was a good win in the G1 American Oaks at Santa Anita December 31, an ugly twelfth in the 2016 Rodeo Drive Stakes here last October 1, an OK second in the 2016 G1 Del Mar Oaks, a disappointing ninth in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational last July 9 and consecutive fourths - in the G2 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita and in the G3 Senorita Stakes on that track. She also had a 2 3/4 length win in the G3 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita April 9, 2016. Decked Out has been a tad tough to figure out, has placed in just two of her last eight starts and will try to bounce back off a pair of underwhelming efforts. Nik Juarez will try to snap the skid from gate 12.

Juno 10-1

Brazilian bred Neil Drysdale trained mare has five wins and three third place finishes in her 14 career starts - she won all five starts at home including a pair of Group 1 stakes, a Group 2 and a Group 3 - impressive. She hasn't kept up the momentum since shipping however - a fourth last time out in the listed All Along Stakes at Laurel Park September 16 followed a seventh in the G2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar August 5 and an OK third in the G3 Wilshire Stakes at Santa Anita July 1. Before that was a fourth in the G2 Monrovia Stakes on that track May 27, a third in the G3 Royal Heroine Stakes April 8, an eleventh in the G3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes November 5 and a pair of fifths in stakes action. Juno has yet to show that she can hang in North American stakes company and hopes to change her luck around Saturday from gate 4. Junior Alvarado has the mount.

Penjade 12-1

French bred Chad Brown trained filly has placed in 12 of 14 career starts - four wins, six seconds and two third-place finishes. She makes her graded stakes debut on a tidy three-race win streak - all Allowance races with the last coming on this track September 8 and another coming here in May. Before that was a thirteenth in her only North American stakes start - the minor Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream in December and three straight runner-up finishes in Allowance races in 2016. Penjade has been good against lesser company and hopes it finally translates in her major step up Saturday. Irad Ortiz will be in the reins from gate 10.

Westit 15-1

British bred Carlos Laffon-Parias trained filly has just one win in her 11 career starts to go along with three seconds and three third-place finishes. She makes her North American debut Saturday on the heels of consecutive runner-up finishes in Allowance races in France after an eleventh in a stakes in France July 23 and a third in the Prix de Sorellina in June. She steps up in OK form and hopes to snap a seven-race losing streak from gate 8 with Manuel Franco in the irons.

Puca 15-1

Bill Mott trained mare has just four wins in 16 career starts to go along with two seconds and a third-place finish. She arrives on the heels of a nice win in the minor Steve Pini Memorial Stakes at Suffolk Downs September 2, a fifth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Saratoga August 12 and a win, a second and a sixth respectively in a trio of Allowance races earlier this year - the win came at Belmont Park June 24. Puca had four graded stakes starts in 2014/2015 and placed in just one - a second in the G2 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct. She looks for her first graded stakes score Saturday and enters in so-so form. Jose Lezcano has the mount from post 9.

Thundering Sky 15-1

George Weaver trained filly has 15 career starts with three wins, three seconds and three third place finishes. She enters off a good win in the minor Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga August 5 which followed a sixth in the G3 Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx July 4, a fourth in an Allowance at Belmont Park June 1, a fifth in an Allowance Optional Claiming on that track April 28 and a good win in the minor Pebble Stakes at Belmont Park last October. Before that was a third in the G3 Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine last September 24, a fifth in the G2 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga in July, 2016 and a second in the minor Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park. Thundering Sky has failed to place in three of her last four starts but hopes to build on a decent stakes win last time out. Rajiv Maragh gets the call from gate 6.

Queen Caroline 20-1

Has 16 career starts for trainer Michael Matz with six wins, three seconds and a third-place finish. She enters off a nice win in the minor Brookmeade Stakes at Laurel Park September 30 which followed a second in the minor Steve Pini Memorial Stakes at Suffolk Downs September 2, a third in the minor William M. Backer Stakes at Laurel Park August 5, a fifth in the listed Indiana General Assembly Distaff July 15 and a nice win in the minor Nellie Mae Cox Stakes at Laurel Park in June. She has two graded stakes starts - a fourth in the G3 Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico in May and an eighth in the G1 QE II Challenge Cup last October at Keeneland. Queen Caroline has shown improvement lately and will chase a first graded stakes score from gate 2. Joe Bravo rides.

Firsthand Report 20-1

Multiple Stakes winning Todd Pletcher trained filly has six wins in her 14 career starts with three seconds and two third-place finishes. Last time out was a win in the minor Alphabet Soup Stakes at Parx September 23 which followed a fifth in the minor Marshall Jenney Stakes on that track September 2 and three straight wins including the minor Power by Far Stakes at Parx July 22 and the minor Lyphard Stakes at Penn National in June. Firsthand Report has won four of her last five starts overall - in very good form for her graded stakes debut. Luis Saez will be in the saddle Saturday from post 11.

Conquest Tizfire 30-1

Alternate Entry - James Lawrence trained filly has just three career starts with one win and a pair of runner-up finishes. She has yet to race in stakes company but looked OK in a runner-up finish in an Allowance here last time out October 6. Before that was a maiden score at Presque Isle Downs September 20 and a second in her debut at Woodbine April 10.

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