I’M A Chatterbox, rallied to win the $175,000 Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday.

The three-year-old filly by Coolmore’s first season sire, Munnings covered the nine and a half furlongs over a fast track, with Lovely Maria finishing two and a half lengths back in second and Forever Unbridled finishing a neck back in third.

I’m A Chatterbox, who set the pace from the rail in her previous stakes win, came from off the pace in the Rachel Alexandra. Winning rider Florent Geroux scored a stakes treble on the day.

It was a Rachel Alexandra one-two for trainer Larry Jones, who also sent out Calumet Farm’s White Clover, who set the early pace.

I’m A Chatterbox was well off the early pace and came with a wide run around the turn, moving best of all at the head of the straight and pulled clear for the win.

“She overcame the outside post and it will kill you here,” Jones said. “She sat well, but she had done that in her first race, so we weren’t too concerned about that. The horse on the inside was setting a good pace, so we knew there was a legitimate pace to close into for her. Lovely Maria worked out a good trip for herself, so we were really happy with all three horses. (I’m A Chatterbox) is awfully game. She has a world of talent.”

The Rachel Alexandra is a prep for the $400,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks at eigth and a half. Two of the last three winners of the Oaks went on to win the Grade 1 Kentucky: Untapable in 2014 and Believe You Can, also trained by Larry Jones, in 2012.

DAVONA DALE

Ekati’s Phaeton, a 25/1 shot, took a hotly contested field of three-year-old fillies wire to wire to win the mile Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes last Saturday at Gulfstream. Birdatthewire was a neck back in second, edging Eskenformoney by a neck.

“This filly has the most speed of any filly I’ve ever trained and I trained Musical Romance to win the Breeders’ Cup,” commented the winning trainer, William Kaplan.

“In all of her races prior to this one, I’ve been trying to teach her to stay off it a little bit and keep herself in reserve. We didn’t do too good last time doing it that way (fourth in the Grade 2 Forward Gal behind Birdatthewire), but (jockey Saez) said she wants to be up front, so I told him to just let her go. We let her go today and he proved he was right.”

Connections confirmed that the Gulfstream Oaks will be Ekati’s Phaeton’s next start. “She’s carried her speed a mile and I don’t see why she can’t carry it further,” he continued.

“Once she got the lead, she was holding them off on the turn (and) I thought she had something left. Now the Kentucky Oaks is in the process, but we still have to go two turns with her. That shouldn’t be a problem.”