James and Donna Daniell's Offlee Naughty will seek to continue his reign as king of the Southern California turf routers in the June 18 $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.
Offlee Naughty has struck his best stride as a 5-year-old, winning his last three races, including two graded stakes races. What makes the Michael McCarthy trainee even more impressive is the fact that he continues to find a way to win despite what traffic nightmares he faces in deep stretch. In both the April 8 Charles Whittingham (G2T) and May 13 San Luis Rey (G3T) the son of Flashback prevailed convincingly despite losing his momentum at the five-sixteenths pole.
Stretching out one furlong further in the 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano, Offlee Naughty, partnered with jockey Umberto Rispoli, will rematch against familiar foes in Sunday's contest as the 2-4 finishers in the San Luis Rey return for revenge. Though while San Luis Rey runner-up and Brazilian group 1 victor Planetario and fourth-place finisher Opry present solid challenges, the biggest adversary could be Offlee Naughty's own barnmate, the distance-loving filly Duvet Day .
Duvet Day, an Irish-bred closer type that is also often hampered by troubled trips, enters the San Juan Capistrano off a late-charging second-place effort in the 1 1/2-mile Santa Barbara Stakes over this course April 30. Three starts back, the daughter of Starspangledbanner rallied to a handy score in the 1 1/2-mile Astra Stakes.