2YO Champion Turf Filly Mumbai Heads The G2 Roberto Clemente Handicap In California

2YO Champion Turf Filly Mumbai Heads The G2 Roberto Clemente Handicap In California

In a week were several of the world’s top runners will make an appearance, some of the finest 3 year old turf fillies have descended upon Del Mar, California to run in the G2 Roberto Clemente Handicap at 8 furlongs. As usual in California, the turf is firm and the weather looks to be outstanding for the feature event. A surprisingly deep field of nine fillies goes to the gate as 2 year old champion turf filly and 2005’s 1000 Guineas winner, Mumbai, is listed as the morning line 4^th choice at 6/1.

Spinning West breaks from the rail post for trainer jace182. Jockey R Simcox (13.1%) takes the mount and is currently sitting 4^th in the jockey standings at California this year with 38 wins. It doesn’t look like there’s much speed signed up here and Spinning West will most likely get pushed from the gate and find herself on the lead early. She’ll have to getaway with slow fractions if she hopes to hold on as her route record of 6 (0-0-1) clearly shows she’s better going less than a mile.

Sly Go Lightly(IRE) is the 5/2 favorite and will break from post 2 for trainer Oberon. This immensely talented filly has already racked up 10 wins in her short 14 race career and is the 12^th ranked filly in the 3 year old turf classic division. She likes to stalk the pace and pounce turning for home. Having run speed figures of 100 or more in 5 of her last 6 races, this gal will be tough to beat. Number 3 jockey, M Staples (16.3%) takes the mount.

Sotto Voce will go from gate 3 for trainer sgtbones at odds of 3/1. This filly has really turned it on lately, finishing in the exacta in 5 straight stakes races. Last time out she missed winning her second consecutive G2 by a nose. 7^th ranked jock, O Brim will be in the irons. She’s dangerous, but will have to get the jump on the filly to her inside.

Mumbai will start in slot 4 for trainer chilcoat. After running a lifetime top of 101 in her sensational effort to take the 2005 1000 Guineas, Mumbai was asked to do something she conceivably could’ve loved doing, go real long on the turf. Being a daughter of the great Sadler’s Wells out of a Kingmambo mare let many to believe she would excel in the G1 Oaks de English. The distance turned out to be too much for her though and she faded badly, finishing 9^th, 31 ¼ lengths behind the winner. In her last she moved back down to 9 furlongs and rallied just a tad late finishing 3^rd while earning a speed figure of 98. The drop back to an even mile should do wonders for this filly and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one getting her picture taken again. The number 1 ranked jockey, F Gossett (18.8%) gets the mount

Buck Wild from the barn of lenny11 breaks from post 5 and veteran E Donahue (12.5%) will ride. This gal was really something in her last start where she won going a mile impressively with a speed figure of 103. She stopped the clock in an even 1:35 which is faster than any other filly in this race has ever run. It was however just an allowance race and the quality of that field is suspect. Regardless, she should be a factor here as she will probably be forwardly placed and a serious part of the early pace of this race. The question here is not with talent, but with class, and that question won’t be answered until this race is done.

VTS WTA Turf Event breaks from post 6 for trainer david77777. This grand daughter of Seattle Slew is going to have to step up her game a notch or two to compete with some of the other fillies here. You cannot dismiss her current form though, and while a win against this field seems unlikely, she has a good chance of collecting a nice check. C Mecklenberg (9.0%) is in the irons.

All I Have(FR) starts from the 7 post for trainer hardhead2. Short of a miracle, this filly had no shot in here. She has only raced over the lawn one time in her career and that was in her last outing where she beat just one horse while receiving a speed figure of 78. It is hard to envision any scenario with this gal finishing anywhere but near the back of the pack. F Ford (6.0%) takes the call.

Analyze This(IRE) hails form the barn of overbrooks and will start from post 8. This Swain filly is a nice runner but probably isn’t graded stakes caliber at this point in time. In her only other attempt at the graded level, she finished a well beaten 7^th, 10 ¾ lengths from the winner. A similar finish has to be expected here considering the quality of the other fillies she’s up against. K Evans (10.4%) will ride.

Button(AUS) will break from the outside post for trainer kaif012. This gal had been running exclusively on the main track until her last race. In that race, an ungraded stakes going a mile and a sixteenth, she broke on top and never looked back romping to a 2 length win in her turf debut. She also earned a nice speed figure of 98 for that effort. This gal rates an upset chance here if she can step forward off her awesome turf debut. She has the back class to be right with these. H D Hicks (11.0%) will guide her around the mile oval.

Good Luck to everyone!