Three Juvenile Stakes Top Santa Anita Action Sunday
Image:
Description:
Photo: Benoit Photo
Mind out wins a five-furlong maiden race in her debut at Del Mar
Headed by three $100,000 stakes that serve as preps for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the emphasis is on juvenile grass racing Oct. 6 at Santa Anita Park.
The three races, the Zuma Beach Stakes, Surfer Girl Stakes and Speakeasy Stakes, each cater to a different division within the 2-year-old ranks. The Zuma Beach and Surfer Girl, both at a mile, are unofficial steppingstones to the Juvenile Turf (G1T) and Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), respectively, while the five-furlong Speakeasy serves as a "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge Race qualifier for the Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T). All three Breeders' Cup races are Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
Slotted as the last of eight races Sunday, the Surfer Girl offers a rematch between the 1-2-3 finishers from the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes Sept. 2, all of whom were making their first starts in America after racing in Europe. That afternoon at Del Mar Yesterdayoncemore overcame traffic to surge past rivals and keep runner-up Croughavouke and third-place Applecross at bay.
The Surfer Girl makeup is more than a mere repeat of the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies. New to the mix are a couple of fillies with quality dirt form, Cholula Lips and Smiling Shirlee, in addition to eye-catching maiden winner Mind Out, who is stretched out to a route after winning her debut at five furlongs on the Del Mar turf Aug. 21.
In that summer unveiling, Mind Out launched a wide rally following a sluggish start to go from last to first under Flavien Prat, who has the return assignment Sunday.
Video: Race 3 (MSW) at DMR on 8/21/19
"She was impressive, ran on really well," said trainer Simon Callaghan. "So now she has to show she can do it going a mile, but her pedigree suggests that is going to be the case."
Those bloodlines are difficult to miss. A daughter of Tapit out of stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Kid Majic, she is a half sister to four-time stakes winner and Canadian champion Miss Mischief, who won races from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.
Purchased by bloodstock agent Hugo Merry for $850,000 from the Gainesway consignment at The Saratoga Sale at Fasig-Tipton last year, she races for Gainesway Stable, LNJ Foxwoods, and Andrew Rosen.
Other high-achieving performers from Del Mar are in the Zuma Beach, the male counterpart race to the Surfer Girl that goes as race 4, where Encoder and Billy Batts meet again after finishing a head apart in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes Sept. 1. Encoder, backed to 3-5 odds, proved best at Del Mar, catching Billy Batts in the closing strides.
Video: Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. (BT)
Their chief adversary in the Zuma Beach may prove to be Hariboux, a British invader with a 3-1-1 record from 5 starts.
Shippers also landed in the five-furlong Speakeasy, though they come from within the U.S. Alfie Solomons, a brother to two-time grade 1 winner World of Trouble, and Mr. Tip are newcomers to California after scoring first-out victories at Kentucky Downs and Arlington International Race Course, respectively, adding depth to a 11-horse cast—the deepest of Sunday's stakes. Seven of its competitors are untested on grass and will hope to make the transition from synthetic or dirt races, a group that includes Ginobili, the fourth-place finisher in the Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) Sept. 2.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 06, 2019, Race 8Entries: Surfer Girl S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Cholula Lips (CA)
Rafael Bejarano
120
Mike Harrington
12/1
2
2Smiling Shirlee (CA)
Ruben Fuentes
120
Jeff Bonde
15/1
3
3Warren's Showtime (CA)
Jorge I. Velez
122
Craig Anthony Lewis
30/1
4
4Yesterdayoncemore (IRE)
Victor Espinoza
124
James A. Stack
3/1
5
5Mind Out (KY)
Flavien Prat
120
Simon Callaghan
5/2
6
6Applecross (IRE)
Abel Cedillo
120
Richard Baltas
6/1
7
7Croughavouke (IRE)
Drayden Van Dyke
120
Jeff Mullins
7/2
8
8Savvy Gal (KY)
Aaron T. Gryder
122
Richard Baltas
10/1
9
9Eclair (KY)
Evin A. Roman
120
Bob Baffert
6/1
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 06, 2019, Race 4Entries: Zuma Beach S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Hariboux (GB)
Drayden Van Dyke
120
Jeff Mullins
5/2
2
2Encoder (KY)
Flavien Prat
124
John W. Sadler
8/5
3
3Hit the Road (KY)
Victor Espinoza
122
Dan Blacker
10/1
4
4Billy Batts (KY)
Norberto Arroyo, Jr.
122
Peter Miller
5/2
5
5Club Aspen (CA)
Jorge I. Velez
120
Craig Anthony Lewis
20/1
6
6War Beast (KY)
Abel Cedillo
122
Doug F. O'Neill
8/1
7
7Cool Runnings (KY)
Kent J. Desormeaux
120
J. Keith Desormeaux
10/1
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 06, 2019, Race 6Entries: Speakeasy S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Greg's Diva (KY)
Tyler Baze
117
Philip D'Amato
9/2
2
2Alfie Solomons (FL)
Victor Espinoza
120
Wesley A. Ward
5/1
3
3Commander (FR)
Abel Cedillo
122
Philip D'Amato
12/1
4
4Mr. Tip (KY)
Sophie Doyle
120
Jack Sisterson
12/1
5
5Bulletproof One (CA)
Norberto Arroyo, Jr.
121
Peter Miller
12/1
6
6Ginobili (KY)
Drayden Van Dyke
120
Richard Baltas
4/1
7
7Raging Whiskey (MD)
Rafael Bejarano
124
Doug F. O'Neill
5/1
8
8Square Deal (CA)
Flavien Prat
124
Simon Callaghan
5/1
9
9Absolute Weapon (KY)
Martin Garcia
120
Andrew Lerner
30/1
10
10Biddy Duke (KY)
Aaron T. Gryder
117
Andrew Lerner
12/1
11
11El Tigre Terrible (CA)
Ruben Fuentes
120
Peter Miller
8/1