LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In another time – and especially another place – trainer Mike Stidham would’ve been reveling in the run-up to the Beverly D. Instead, Stidham will be arriving in Louisville on a flight from his Maryland base not long before he saddles Princess Grace to face just four fillies and mares on Saturday afternoon in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at its new venue, Churchill Downs. Since it was first run in 1989 at Arlington Park, the Beverly D. always was highly anticipated as a critical race in the filly and mare turf division. For years, the host town of Arlington Heights, Ill., staged a week-long festival celebrating the Beverly D. and its male counterpart, the Arlington Million, as sporting events of national importance. “We miss Arlington, we really do,” said Stidham, who won 485 races at the now-shuttered track in suburban Chicago. “We have so many great memories of our summers there.” Stidham said he was a “willing guinea pig” in sending Princess Grace to Churchill for the $500,000 Beverly D., referring specifically to how fellow horsemen have been “apprehensive” in running horses over a turf course that has gone unused for nine weeks. Princess Grace, a winner of 7 of 11 starts and more than $1 million, will be ridden by Florent Geroux when breaking from post 3 in the 1 1/8-mile race. “You’d have to say the turf-course situation is why there’s such a short field,” Stidham said. “The good thing about our filly is she’s run well over some tricky turf courses elsewhere, such as Parx and Kentucky Downs. I don’t think anybody really knows what the condition of the turf will be, so I assume the outcome of this race will have something to do with who handles it best and how it’s playing.” :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! Princess Grace figures on or near the early lead in the 32nd Beverly D., with the two mares drawn to her inside, Dalika (post 1, Brian Hernandez Jr.) and Family Way (post 2, Tyler Gaffalione), also likely to be up close. Although she led throughout in winning the Grade 3 Dr. Penney at Parx Racing in her last start, the 5-year-old Karakontie mare has shown on multiple prior occasions a capability of prevailing from just off the pace. Once the tempo has been established, two of the other Beverly D. favorites, Rougir and Lily Pond, will be looking to reel in the front-runners down the stretch. Rougir (post 4, Manny Franco) is part of the ultra-deep contingent of filly and mare turf standouts based in New York with Chad Brown. After returning from a six-month layoff to win the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont Park in mid-May with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, the French-bred filly was fifth in the New York Stakes and fourth in the Diana. “We’re obviously a bit off form with her after a nice Beaugay,” Brown said. “She hasn’t run the way we thought she would in her last two starts, but I felt like this distance would be good for her. I also felt it would be a free roll to send her down there for a Grade 1 over a course that’s really a question mark for everybody. She’s certainly training well enough to win this race.” Brown has had an absolute stranglehold on the Beverly D. in recent years. He won his first in 2011 with Stacelita before reeling off a remarkable five in a row from 2015 to 2019, giving him a record six overall. Lily Pond (post 5, John Velazquez) is the sleeper of the field. Not only is she the only 3-year-old in the lineup, but she will be making her first start in North America after five starts in Ireland, the latest resulting in a victory in a Group 2 event open to older fillies July 17 at The Curragh. The Irish-bred daughter of Galileo is owned by the Coolmore group and trained by Aidan O’Brien, the same team that won the final Beverly D. held at Arlington, the 2021 running won by Santa Barbara. The Beverly D. is a Win and You’re In toward the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 5 at Keeneland. The Arlington Million, unlike in some prior years, is not a BC Win and You’re In.