Keeper Ofthe Stars Could Strut in Red Carpet
Image:
Description:
Photo: Benoit Photo
Keeper Ofthe Stars and jockey Abel Cedillo
Two starts ago Keeper Ofthe Stars won an allowance race on the Golden Gate Fields turf.
That Sept. 20 effort set up her clear victory in the Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T), the first stakes win of her career, Oct. 26 at Santa Anita Park.
The 3-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute will try for a third straight win at a third different California track Nov. 30 when she starts in the $100,000 Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) on the grass at Del Mar.
Because of rain in the area Nov. 27-28, the 1 3/8-mile race for fillies and mares was postponed from Thursday to Saturday. The schedule change was announced Nov. 24, when the rain was in the forecast.
Campaigned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, Keeper Ofthe Stars already has put together a strong season with five wins in seven starts. In the Autumn Miss, she surged past five rivals in the final quarter-mile to post a 1 1/2-length victory as she completed that one-mile test in 1:32.70 on firm turf. The effort earned Keeper Ofthe Stars a career-best 109 Equibase Speed Figure.
Video: Autumn Miss S. (G3T)
The Autumn Miss victory was the first graded stakes win for trainer Jonathan Wong. Rider Abel Cedillo was aboard that day and will be in the irons Saturday. Even though she's a 3-year-old facing older rivals, as the lone graded stakes winner in the field Keeper Ofthe Stars will be the 120-pound highweight.
At the other end of the weight spectrum in the expected field of eight is Vibrance, a twice grade 1-placed daughter of Violence who has shown some potential on turf. Assigned just 112 pounds for Saturday, Vibrance enters off a runner-up finish in an allowance level race on the Santa Anita turf Oct. 4.
Last year Vibrance earned grade 1 placings in a pair of starts on dirt when second in the Chandelier Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita and third in the Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Donna and Jim Daniell's Vibrance will have J.C. Diaz Jr. aboard for the first time Saturday.
The rescheduled Red Carpet is one of seven graded stakes scheduled for the Del Mar turf Saturday and Sunday.
Del Mar, Saturday, November 30, 2019, Race 4Entries: Red Carpet H. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Vibrance (LA)
John R. Velazquez
112
Michael W. McCarthy
10/1
2
2Lostintranzlation (CA)
Flavien Prat
116
Richard Baltas
4/1
3
3Strike At Dawn (KY)
Drayden Van Dyke
113
Richard Baltas
6/1
4
4Tiny Tina (KY)
Geovanni Franco
117
Philip D'Amato
6/1
5
5Curlin's Journey (KY)
Ruben Fuentes
116
Dallas E. Keen
15/1
6
6Keeper Ofthe Stars (KY)
Abel Cedillo
120
Jonathan Wong
3/1
7
7Zuzanna (KY)
Paco Lopez
113
Robert B. Hess, Jr.
12/1
8
8Siberian Iris (IRE)
Rafael Bejarano
119
Richard E. Mandella
5/2
