Noble Damsel (G3) Picks

A competitive field in Saturday’s Noble Damsel (G3) where trainer Chad Brown has three runners, and I like the biggest price of them as #5 Alluring Angel (6/1) is second back from a lengthy layoff but has plenty to like under regular jockey Manny Franco. I bring up that up since many of the regular riders for the various horses are not going to be jockeying them on Saturday as most of them will be down at Parx for the Pennsylvania Derby. However, Manny Franco stays aboard Alluring Angel who won last time out against optional claiming company coming back from a seven-month layoff. The horse might have gotten Lasix for that effort but took a big step forward in her first start at four-years-old. The former Mike Maker trainee is now with Brown and has been firing off some impressive workouts over the grass leading up to the race. She will make a run from the back, but Franco seemed to fit her well last time out and she provides outstanding value in this field. An X-factor in the race is the #4 Edict (12/1) for trainer David Donk who is making her first start in North America after starting her career in Argentina. She won a Group 1 race going 1 ¼ miles on the turf last time out but will be making her first start of 2024. Donk has been working this filly for quite some time as she’s registered 12 official works leading up to her North American debut and she will be an honest price. She might be a bit of a boom/bust selection, but the back class is there, and the price will be right for a trainer who does not spot his horses in these types of races unless he believes they can compete. #6 Breath Away (8/1) came up just short against Alluring Angel two races ago but won against similar company last time out and now steps back up against stakes company for the first time this year. The former stakes winner has been remarkably consistent in her career as she’s hit the exacta in 7 of 10 races while only missing the board twice. The horse has some early speed and should be able to sit a mid-pack trip under jockey Dylan Davis who has continued his white-hot summer from up in Saratoga to already winning some big races during the first week of Belmont at the Big A. The horse has races to run back to where she’s off Lasix and has handled comparable stakes fields. Feels like a runner that should be included in all vertical wagers. Chad Brown has another pair of runners on the outside in the form of #8 Saffron Moon (4/1) and #9 Midnight Mile (4/1). Both are capable of good efforts, but I give the lean toward Saffron Moon who is making her first start in 2024 for a trainer who is outstanding with runners coming off the bench. Additionally, Brown rarely spots a horse off the bench in a graded stakes if they are not up for it. She is Grade 3-placed and showed great promise once she switched to the turf. Brown has put her through 17 official workouts with virtually no breaks in the weekly schedule, so her fitness should not be an issue. Look for new jockey Eric Cancel to get her spotted in a forward position tracking the pace while sitting in the two path. There should not be an overwhelming amount of speed in the race, and she could get the first crack at the leaders.