\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Comets are one of those rare phenomenon that bring out the stranger qualities in people and horses.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Kind of like blue moons.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This week in Montana is the running of the Grade III Haley\u2019s Comet Stakes, and we have nine three-year-fillies looking to the skies for some answers to some serious questions that may determine their fates.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Can I go the distance?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Can I handle graded company?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Can I run on turf?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The race is a mile on the turf course here in Montana, and these fillies look to be an unpredictable bunch with or without lights flying through the skies.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>On the inside post we have topicount2<\/I>\u2019s Storm\u2019s Ghost.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/B>This Storm Cat filly broke her maiden two starts ago and since then has been trying to find her niche on the stakes circuit.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She showed a preference for turf early in her career, and although her one win came from going to the lead she will likely run just behind the leaders.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Storm\u2019s Ghost<\/B> has finished first or second in half of her starts so far, but her inexperience may be what beats her this time out.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>At 11\/1, she is one of the long shots of the field.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Breaking second is Miss Haack (IRE)<\/B>, the 9\/1 entry from ottox<\/I>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>We have a closer here, who in her last start in the Banana Stallion Stakes (I had to work that in somewhere because I really like the name) came from 7th<\/SUP> in the stretch to win by a head.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Coming into this race, Miss Haack (IRE) <\/B>has two wins in a row, which would give anyone confidence.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The Daylami (IRE) filly\u2019s speed figures have been improving and she should be one to watch.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Gradeone<\/I>\u2019s Bit Of A Ruse<\/B> has the third spot in the field.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She comes off two very disappointing starts in some Grade I races.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Bit Of A Ruse, <\/B>who is by Seeking The Gold, had a great two-year-old season that left her as the 6th<\/SUP> ranked turf classic filly but has yet to impress at three with only a lone fifth to her credit.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Ideally she would like to go to the front but recently has been seen more towards the back.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She goes off at 9\/1.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In the four slot we see Katherine, <\/B>a beautiful Pine Bluff filly from phonetrick<\/I>\u2019s stable.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This will be her first run on the turf.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her two career wins have come in sprints, but she should be able to handle the mile in this race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Katherine<\/B> is a closer who could easily sit anywhere in this field to wait for her opportunity to run.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The railbirds (and there seem to be a lot of them in Montana) are quite impressed with this filly and have her\u00a0 <\/SPAN>picked as the favorite at 5\/2.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>If she can run on the grass, which is the one huge question swirling around her, she will be a threat to the other eight here this week.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Starting fifth is Blame Canada<\/B>, a 9\/1 shot from zambrano<\/I>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The Blushing Flame filly may prefer a little more distance than a mile, although her last two starts were not as impressive as she has shown she can be.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Blame Canada<\/B> won a dirt sprint as a two-year-old, but improved when given more distance and switched to turf.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She will probably hang just off the pace, but we will see if she finds her form again.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In the sixth position is sprinter<\/I>\u2019s Battle Tested<\/B>, another good looking filly with a serious question about her.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>As nice as her record looks, this daughter of War Chant has never faced graded company.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It\u2019s very difficult to argue with a record like this though: in five races she has three wins and two places.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has won two allowances at a mile on the turf, both by over a length.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Battle Tested<\/B> has shown that she can go to the lead as well as rate.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>All she has to prove is that she can face the tougher competition and a field of more than six starters.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>At 11\/1, not too many people have much confidence in her, but she appears ready to live up to her name.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Starting seventh is Bandstand<\/B>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She is the most experienced filly in the race with fourteen starts behind her.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has shown she can run, but the question here is about distance: kevoman5<\/I> has only run the Dixieland Band filly in a route once and this was on the dirt course.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Bandstand <\/B>came home 11th<\/SUP> in that start, though whether it was the surface or the distance that hurt her remains to be seen.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>On turf her most impressive speed figure, a 90, came at 7 furlongs so the extra furlong may not be too much to ask.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She may be a good choice to have some impact in this race and will go off at 7\/1.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The eight horse is Ascendancy<\/B>, a Rainbow Quest filly who is trying hard to find her place in graded races.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has done alright so far in her three-year-old season but has yet to win this year despite some good efforts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Ascendancy <\/B>is a deep closer who has shown she is capable of coming from ninth to first if her situation calls for it.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>At 5\/1 she should not be ignored.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>On the outside we have Peyragudes<\/B>, who has a string of wins in allowances and stakes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Limpid<\/I>\u2019s filly has improved in her two starts in graded company and may be ready to win this time out.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has managed to hold her form from two to three and the handicappers like her at 3\/1.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Peyragudes<\/B> will go to the lead and make every attempt to wire the field.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The Unbridled\u2019s Song filly looks ready to step into the next stage in her career with this race.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Despite the eclectic nature of this field, Peyragudes<\/B> might\u00a0 <\/SPAN>be the one to handle them.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She should win, but \u201cshould\u201d doesn\u2019t always cut it when there\u2019s a comet in the title.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>If <\/I>Katherine <\/B>can run on the grass, and if <\/I>Battle Tested<\/B> can run against the tougher fillies, we will have quite a race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Don\u2019t count out \u00a0<\/SPAN>Miss Haack (IRE)<\/B> and Bandstand<\/B> as both of these fillies will be looking for moments of weakness from the others to make their moves.<\/P> \u00a0<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Motley Field Looks For Answers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}