Vasilika Aims to Return to Winning Ways in Mabee

After her stretch run came up just short in the Aug. 3 Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar to end a four-race win streak, Vasilika will try for her fifth graded stakes win this season in the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) Aug. 31 on the Del Mar lawn.

The Yellow Ribbon was another quality effort for Vasilika. It marked her first start following a break of more than two months going back to her victory in the May 27 Gamely Stakes (G1T) on the turf at Santa Anita Park. The 5-year-old daughter of Skipshot  rallied from fourth, 2 1/2 lengths back, in the Yellow Ribbon to finish third, just a half-length behind Beau Recall and Storm the Hill.

With two grade 1 wins, seven graded stakes wins, and nearly $1.4 million in earnings, Vasilika is far and away the most accomplished runner by Skipshot. Since the Yellow Ribbon, she has worked three times for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Hollendorfer initially was barred from starting horses at Del Mar, but a San Diego judicial officer granted the Hall of Fame trainer an injunction July 26 that allows him to race at the meet. 

Del Mar followed the lead of Santa Anita, which ruled off Hollendorfer June 22 after he had a fourth horse suffer a catastrophic breakdown in racing or training at that meet. Hollendorfer co-owns Vasilika with All Schlaich Stables, Gatto Racing, and George Todaro.

Two-time grade 3 winner Toinette enters off an allowance-level victory Aug. 7 on the Del Mar turf. Trained by Neil Drysdale for owners Ken Baca, Lisa and Nicholas Hawkins, and Joseph and Lynne Hudson, the allowance win marked the daughter of Scat Daddy's first start since October.

Meanwhile, La Force, a grade 2 winner on dirt who finished second in three straight grade 1 races on dirt last year, will try turf for the first time in two years. 

Trainer Richard Baltas will saddle Elysea's World and Quebec in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile race out of the chute for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Elysea's World has four grade 3 stakes wins in the past 18 months but hasn't hit the board in three tries at the grade 2 or grade 1 levels. Most recently, the 6-year-old Irish-bred mare was fifth, beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Beau Recall, in the Yellow Ribbon.

"Elysea's World is doing really well," Baltas said. "The (Yellow Ribbon) was a little short for her, she needs longer, but she came out of it well."

Quebec, a 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief , was the runner-up to Mabee rival Toinette in the Aug. 7 race, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Entries: John C. Mabee S. (G2T)

Del Mar, Saturday, August 31, 2019, Race 7

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Vasilika (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Jerry Hollendorfer	9/5
2	2Paved (KY)	Victor Espinoza	119	Michael W. McCarthy	12/1
3	3La Force (GER)	Mike E. Smith	121	Patrick Gallagher	12/1
4	4Toinette (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	119	Neil D. Drysdale	3/1
5	5Ahimsa (KY)	Brice Blanc	119	Peter Eurton	8/1
6	6Ippodamia's Girl (KY)	Ruben Fuentes	119	Andrew Lerner	30/1
7	7Juliet Foxtrot (GB)	Drayden Van Dyke	119	Brad H. Cox	7/2
8	8Quebec (KY)	Norberto Arroyo, Jr.	119	Richard Baltas	15/1
9	9Elysea's World (IRE)	Joseph Talamo	119	Richard Baltas	12/1
10	10Meal Ticket (FL)	Kent J. Desormeaux	119	Matthew Chew	20/1