Comanche Country Brings Cresting Form Into Surfer Girl

Fresh off an authoritative one-mile turf stakes win and unbeaten in two Southern California starts, the Phil D'Amato-trained Comanche Country  should be plenty tough among a field of 10 juvenile fillies in the $200,000 Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) which will be contested at a flat mile Oct. 9 over the Santa Anita Park turf.

The 9-5 favorite in her U.S. debut, a one-mile turf maiden special weight at Del Mar July 30, Comanche Country rallied nicely through the lane to win going away by three-quarters of a length. Subsequently off at 2-1 among a field of 11 in the ungraded Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Sept. 10, Comanche Country was all business turning for home en route to a 1 1/4-length win.

Second, beaten a nose in her six-furlong turf debut April 25 in Ireland, she was never a factor in her final Irish start, a seventh-place run in a group 3 stakes going six panels on turf May 15.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, the 2-year-old daughter of Highland Reel  is 2-1-0 in four starts and will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Umberto Rispoli. 

A first-out five-furlong maiden turf winner in open company June 10, the Brian Koriner-trained Sell the Dream , a California-bred filly by Munnings   out of the Run Away and Hide  mare Enayat Alsalam, came back to be third versus state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt in the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes Aug. 7 and in her most recent start, she rebounded with a vastly improved effort at one mile on turf, running second to the top pick in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Sell the Dream races for the second time at one mile on grass. Owned by Edward Brown, Alan Klein, and Phil Lebherz, Sell the Dream will be ridden for the fourth time by Abel Cedillo.

A first-out maiden winner going five furlongs on dirt and most recently a well-beaten fifth going seven furlongs in the TVG Del Mar Debutante (G1T), the Bob Baffert-trained Fast and Shiny  has been supplemented to the Surfer Girl, trying turf and two turns for the first time. She races with blinkers off.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Fast and Shiny, a Kentucky-bred filly by Bernardini  out of the Lion Hearted  mare Spotted Heart , will be handled for the first time by veteran Joe Bravo in her third career start.

Dandy Man Shines Needs Better Racing Luck in Zuma Beach

A much-troubled fourth as the favorite in his U.S. debut, Irish-bred Dandy Man Shines  will hope for clear sailing among a field of 11 juveniles going one mile on turf in the $200,000 Zuma Beach Stakes (G3T) later on the Sunday card.

Trained by Jeff Mullins and owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dandy Man Shines, who was off at 4-1 in the 14-horse Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (G3T) Sept. 11, was off slowly in heavy traffic around the far turn and was ping-ponged between horses a sixteenth of a mile from home when beaten 5 1/4 lengths by stablemate Packs a Wahlop , who he'll face again on Sunday. Following a stewards inquiry, Dandy Man Shines was moved up to third as the original second-place finisher was disqualified.

Winless in two English starts, the most recent a fourth-place finish in a group 2 stakes going seven furlongs on turf July 26, Dandy Man Shines will be ridden again by Rispoli.

Mullins and the ownership of Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal are obviously holding a very strong two-card hand, as Packs a Wahlop made no mistakes in his first try around two turns, winning the Del Mar Juvenile Turf by 4 1/4 lengths while well clear of the trouble behind him.

A 1 1/2-length maiden winner going five furlongs on turf two starts back on Aug. 5, Packs a Wahlop laid close to the early pace in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf and came away from his competition nicely.

With Mike Smith staying on Packs a Wahlop, Peter Eurton's Gas Me Up , an impressive 1 1/2-length one-mile turf maiden winner Sept. 11, will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez in what will be his fourth overall start.

Owned by Exline-Border Racing, Michael Jawl, and Aaron Kennedy, Gas Me Up is an Ontario-bred colt by Hard Spun   out of the Smart Strike  mare Chic Thrill.

Though neither the Surfer Girl nor the Zuma Beach are official "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup qualifiers, one or both of the races could propel horses toward races on the first Breeders' Cup Day, the Nov. 4 Future Stars Friday program, at Keeneland.

Entries: Surfer Girl S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 09, 2022, Race 5

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 3:06 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Bolts Babe (KY)	Kyle Frey	120	Shelbe Ruis	15/1
2	2Sell the Dream (CA)	Abel Cedillo	120	Brian J. Koriner	4/1
3	3Comanche Country (IRE)	Umberto Rispoli	124	Philip D'Amato	8/5
4	4Bolt's Broad (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Shelbe Ruis	20/1
5	5Court Snort (CA)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Sergio Morfin	20/1
6	6Fast and Shiny (KY)	Joe Bravo	120	Bob Baffert	6/1
7	7Queenzy (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Jeff Mullins	15/1
8	8Excelia (IRE)	Ramon A. Vazquez	120	Philip D'Amato	4/1
9	9Havana Angel (IRE)	Ryan Curatolo	120	Leonard Powell	10/1
10	10Cast Member (CA)	Hector Isaac Berrios	120	Tim Yakteen	12/1

Entries: Zuma Beach S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 09, 2022, Race 10

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 2 yo
• 5:38 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Malibu Coast (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	122	Michael W. McCarthy	8/1
2	2Gas Me Up (ON)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Peter Eurton	10/1
3	3Castleknock (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	122	Peter Miller	30/1
4	4Dandy Man Shines (IRE)	Umberto Rispoli	120	Jeff Mullins	4/1
5	5Packs a Wahlop (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Jeff Mullins	5/2
6	6Valiancer (KY)	Kyle Frey	120	Jeff Mullins	20/1
7	7Suburban Prince (VA)	Victor Espinoza	122	Doug F. O'Neill	30/1
8	8Giver Not a Taker (CA)	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	120	Peter Miller	6/1
9	9Ah Jeez (KY)	Abel Cedillo	120	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
10	10For A Laugh (IRE)	Joe Bravo	122	Simon Callaghan	4/1
11	11De la Luna (KY)	Ryan Curatolo	120	Quinn Howey	30/1
12	12Russells Hustle (KY)	Ash Morgan	120	George Papaprodromou	30/1
13	13Reincarnate (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	120	Bob Baffert	6/1