The Rancho Renaldo

The first graded stakes for Saturday’s card will be The Rancho Renaldo (G3), held over six and a half furlongs on the dirt and open to filles and mares, three years of age and up. The race, offering a total prize purse of $150,000 is set to go off at 2:25 PM EST. There was a small chance of rain earlier in the week, but it looks like that will miss our day of racing here in California leaving us with a fast track at post time and a field of eight to go to the starting to gate on Saturday. Let’s take a look through this year’s contenders. 

1. Golosa Y Humeda – haackslew – O. A. Haack – 5/1 

Drawing the inside rail, this five-year-old mare will be making her graded stakes debut this weekend. The daughter of Bernardini will be making her eighteenth career start. The most recent start for the bay mare came in an allowance race over seven furlongs across the country in New York. The mare was one of the last out of the gate, settling into eighth early in the nine-horse field. While she would steadily progress forward throughout the race, she would cross the wire in fifth, setting a speed figure of one hundred two. Her most recent win was also at the allowance level, though this time in Canada at six and a half furlongs where she would race in a similar closing fashion. 

2. Movant – hold4old – W. Kewmwa – 3/1 

This lightly raced five-year-old mare is sired by Laoban and will be making her seventeenth career start this weekend. The scratch bred brown mare most recently started in The Very Vane (G1) at a mile and one-eighth here in California. The mare was out of the gate late, off the pace in ninth early. She never seemed to find her stride in the race and crossed the wire in eighth, setting a speed figure of one hundred and six. Her start prior to this also came in California, this in April during the Union Jack Flyer Stakes (G1) at a mile. The mare wasn’t as far off the pace early in this race, settling towards the middle of the pack in sixth. She wasn’t asked to make her move until the stretch, where she showed a nice turn of foot to win the race by a quarter of a length. She is the only horse in the field to have already won a graded race. 

3. Susie And Elaine – 555farms – E. Cerda –13/1 

This four-year-old chestnut is making her first graded start of the year after a prolonged step down in class to the allowance level. The daughter of The Factor most recently started here in California during an allowance race over six and a half furlongs in late July. Facing a five-horse field, the mare was the last out of the gate at the start but quickly started picking off her competition before going on to cross the wire in second, setting a speed figure of one hundred two. Her most recent win, also here in California, was in another allowance race over the same distance over a surface rated as good. Facing a larger field of nine, stil was still one of the last out of the gate, running easily in seventh early. Midway through the race she started to pick up the pace and went on to win by a quarter length. Her only graded start was in August of last year during the Girls Wanna Have Fun (G1) at a mile where she finished eighth.  

4. After The Pulpit – pmjstable – F. Gossett – 9/1 

Returning to graded stakes as well for this race, the six-year-old light grey mare will be the oldest runner we have for this Saturday’s race. She will be making her twenty-ninth career start. The daughter of Flashback most recently started in Illinois during a listed stakes race over six furlongs. Breaking seventh in a ten-horse field, the mare was shuffled back in the race and went on to cross the wire in tenth, setting a speed figure of ninety-four. In February the mare saw her most recent win, this coming in an allowance race in Canada in a six-furlong sprint.  Closer to the pace early, just three and a quarter lengths off the pace in fourth, the mare would make her move in the stretch to win by a length. Her most recent graded start was in October of 2022 during The TOCA Sprint (G3) at six furlongs in which she finished fifth.  

5. Eve Of War – commission – C. Cook – 5/1 

Working our way towards the end of our field, this five-year-old light grey mare by Tapit is coming into this race off of two consecutive wins. The most recent start for the mare came during a listed stakes race in Kentucky over six furlongs. Going straight to the lead out of the gate, she took the field from gate to wire in the race, winning by a length in a quarter with a speed figure of one hundred one. She ran the exact same way in her prior start, an allowance race over seven furlongs in Louisiana. This will be her twenty-third lifetime start, but her first start against graded company. 

6. Set Of Skills – cdog13 – R. Simcox – 4/1 

Lightly raced with thirteen career starts, this five-year-old mare by Liam’s Map is returning to face graded stakes company for this race. Her most recent start was last month during an allowance race over eight and a half furlongs in Vermont. Towards the back half of the field at the start, the mare made her move to the front midway through the race before going on to win by two lengths and setting an impressive speed figure of one hundred eleven.  Her most recent graded start was in late March during the Its The Weekend Sprint (G3) at seven and a half furlongs in Ohio. Well off the pace early, she would rally to finish just off the board in fourth. 

7. Girl Of Nirvana – ddstables9 – T. Ace – 8/1 

Making her graded stakes debut, this five-year-old mare will be making her nineteenth career start in her race this Saturday. The bay mare most recently started in an allowance race over six and a half furlongs in Kentucky. The filly broke out of the gate and settled into second, gained the lead briefly, and was overtaken in the stretch to cross the wire in fourth, setting a speed figure of one hundred two. Her most recent was in June of last year during an allowance race in New York over a sloppy track. Out of the gate again nicely and settling into third off the pace, she would take over the lead in the stretch to win by one and a half lengths. 

8. Sunset Station – thezoo8 – L. Radzinski – 7/2 

This striking roan mare is seeking her first graded stakes win. The five-year-old daughter of Constitution and HOF dam Clark County will be making her twenty-eighth career start. The most recent start for the mare came in June in Florida during The Princess Looney (G1) at six furlongs in Florida. The mare would be one of the last out of the gate, settling back early on in ninth. At the midway point she had fallen back to tenth but picked up her pace when asked in the stretch. She wasn’t able to make up too much ground however, as she came home to finish seventh, setting a speed figure of one hundred and four. Her most recent win was in May in listed company here in California over six and a half furlongs. Again, she trailed the field early in the race, made her move earlier in the race at the halfway point, going on to win the race by a head at the wire. 

Flrancho’s Picks: 

Win: Movant 

Place: Set Of Skills 

Show:  Eve Of War