Cotillion Stakes 2025
Parx is in the spotlight this weekend, as we have the Cotillion Stakes and also the Pennsylvania Derby as the two biggest purses on the stakes calendar. This race features the 3-year-old fillies and a very good field ready to take on the 1 1/16-mile event with a $1 million purse.
Given that we don’t have a Thorpedo Anna this year, this race seems to have a bit more intrigue. And even though we have some short prices on the board and some prices that look like obvious throwaways, the wide range of jockeys and trainers adds another degree to the handicap.
This one will be Race 13 in your Saturday Parx program with post time expected to be 5:15 p.m. ET.
Cotillion Stakes 2025 Entries, Horses, Jockeys, and Trainers:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Scottish Lassie | J. Rosario | J. Abreu | 9/5 |
| 2 | La Cara | D. Davis | M. Casse | 7/2 |
| 3 | Clicquot | I. Ortiz Jr. | B. Walsh | 8-1 |
| 4 | Indy Bay | T. Gaffalione | S. Joseph Jr. | 8-1 |
| 5 | Not Too Late | S. Leon | U. St. Lewis | 30-1 |
| 6 | Ourdaydreaminggirl | E. Ruiz | L. Linder Jr. | 20-1 |
| 7 | Good Cheer | L. Saez | B. Cox | 5/2 |
| 8 | Dry Powder | A. Fresu | C. Summers | 10-1 |
The odds would imply a three-horse race between rail favorite Scottish Lassie for Joel Rosario and trainer Jorge Abreu, who is having a career year in the WPS% department at 53%. Good Cheer may get the best trip on the outside for Brad Cox with top rider Luis Saez. La Cara for Dylan Davis and Mark Casse has two G1 wins already, taking down the Acorn Stakes and the Ashland.
Can Clicquot, Indy Bay, Dry Powder, or one of the long shots make a big push and at least hit the board?
Here are some thoughts on each horse at the odds at time of publish:
1. Scottish Lassie (9/5; Rosario/Abreu): The trend line is pointing up for the daughter of McKinzie and Bodebabe, as Scottish Lassie rides in off of a resounding win in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. That was only a four-horse field, though, and she won by 15 ½ lengths without having to worry about traffic or any challengers. La Cara was scratched from that race, so we didn’t get to see the head-to-head battle there.
But we did see it in the Acorn and La Cara was better, winning that race while Scottish Lassie was third. It was there that Scottish Lassie got caught in traffic midtrack and went off-stride. Something similar here and she’s going to have a disappointing finish. Interestingly, Irad Ortiz Jr. had that ride in the Acorn. Joel Rosario had the ride in the American Oaks. And Rosario has the ride again here.
2. La Cara (7/2; Davis/Casse): It is crazy to think that the Acorn Stakes winner could be termed an “unknown”, but that is the case with La Cara. She had a little extra downtime after the win during Belmont Stakes weekend and failed to fire in the Alabama Stakes, finishing fourth in a field of six. After running out to the lead, she just didn’t have it the rest of the way.
It seemed eerily similar to what happened after she won the Ashland and then finished 11th in the Kentucky Oaks. She overcame a bump at the start and ran to the front before tiring out. This race, though, is 1 1/16, not the 1 ¼ that the Alabama was or the 1 ⅛ that the Kentucky Oaks was. Maybe that will help her case.
3. Clicquot (8-1; Ortiz/Walsh): This race is a major step up in class for Clicquot, but her Equibase Speed Figures and her past performances suggest that she absolutely has a shot. The daughter of Quality Road and Royal Obsession has won three straight races and has already run on four different tracks, so the ship to Parx shouldn’t be an issue. Five of the top nine career earners for Brendan Walsh have been female horses, though none of them won this race.
Clicquot won by four as an easy favorite in the Indiana Oaks after winning an allowance in her first try at 1 1/16 miles. Of the mid-range prices, she is arguably the most interesting…
4. Indy Bay (8-1; Gaffalione/Joseph): But then there’s Indy Bay. She’s a sprinter going two turns for the first time, as she’s maxed out as seven furlongs for Saffie Joseph Jr. Tyler Gaffalione will be asked to navigate the longer run and the quality of his ride may dictate how the board looks at the end of this one. The daughter of Take Charge Indy has hit the board in all seven career starts, including just one as a 2-year-old in mid-December.
She won the Charles Town Oaks last time out and three of her last four Equibase Speed Figures would be good enough to hit the board here, if not win the race. Irad Ortiz Jr. had that ride and he switches to Clicquot here, so that’s intriguing. But Indy Bay can stalk this pace for a while and as long as the pace isn’t too fast for her at the outset, then it comes down to her ability to go the increased distance. Maternal grandfather Speightstown was a sprinter, and a damn good one, but father Take Charge Indy regularly ran two turns.
5. Not Too Late (30-1; Leon/St. Lewis): It is already too late for Not Too Late, a three-time winner in 15 starts who ran fifth in the Charles Town Oaks. Frankly, she’s more of a concern to get in the way of somebody like Good Cheer looking to get inside.
6. Ourdaydreaminggirl (20-1; Ruiz/Linder): The best name in the field goes to Ourdaydreaminggirl, but that doesn’t win races. She does have six career starts at Parx, though, including a strong second-place run to Dry Powder in the Cathryn Sophia. She closed really well in that race over a mile and 70 and has the chance to be a factor in exotics.
7. Good Cheer (5/2; Saez/Cox): The superstar tandem of Luis Saez and Brad Cox is likely to drive this price down on race day, but she also might be the horse to beat. She won each of her first seven races before finishing fifth in the Acorn Stakes and then second last time out in the Alabama Stakes, but she ran very well in that one. The Godolphin filly just didn’t have enough against Nitrogen.
However, that race was a mile and a quarter. Her loss in the Acorn was a mile and an eighth. She won five races at 1 1/16 before the Kentucky Oaks at 1 ⅛. Maybe this is just the right distance for her and takes the uncertainty out of the ride for Saez, who has been aboard for each of her last eight starts.
8. Dry Powder (10-1; Fresu/Summers): Don’t discard Dry Powder, as the daughter of Gun Runner emerged from a field of 13 to win the Cathryn Sophia last time out. Somewhat lightly-raced in comparison to the others in this field, trainer Chad Summers has a good one here. She’s hit the board in all five races, including two wins and a third in the American Oaks. The only start for Summers at Parx was Dry Powder in that Cathryn Sophia win, for whatever that’s worth.
Cotillion Stakes Predictions
By drawing an outside post, Good Cheer is likely to have the best trip, as Abreu already lamented Scottish Lassie having the rail draw. La Cara will want the lead, but she could get jostled in the process. Of the three favorites, Good Cheer is my choice, but I really, really like Clicquot. Irad Ortiz Jr. went with the Walsh filly and must really like her chances, which could be inferred as some distance concerns with Indy Bay.
Good Cheer over Clicquot, Scottish Lassie, and La Cara is the order for me, but I will have a win ticket on Clicquot at a little bit of a price as well.
Prediction: 7-3-1-2
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