The regular stakes race in Pennsylvania this week is the Senorita Pegasus Stakes. A seven and a half furlong event for older female turfers, it will be run on a firm track. Although only half a dozen entries have accepted for the race, it is sure to be a closely contested affair with most of the runners having a chance of collecting the major share of the $35,000 on offer.
The race is named after Senorita Pegasus, a multiple stakes winning daughter of Fu Peg / Holy Bull / Baldski. She raced 22 times for freeky, winning six races and $231,000. She’s since gone on to produce three youngsters, including stakeswinner Senor Sigh by Dixieland Band who is also raced by freeky.
The early market is:
2/1 – Slewska, Point Out
3/1 – Run the Rock
4/1 – Otto Capital
5/1 – Barb’s Hilary
20/1 – April Showers
Looking through the field in betting order:
2/1 – # 5 – Slewska – A four year old scratchbred filly raced and trained by her breeder, cobleskill, this daughter of Distorted Humor / Slewacide / Little Current is both versatile and capable. She’s finished on the board in eighteen of her twenty two starts, winning seven of them and collecting more than a quarter of a million dollars along the way. She’s been victorious in both sprints and routes and has won on both surfaces. She recorded a stakes victory over seven furlongs on the grass as a three year old and registered her first triple digit speed figure in her most recent race, when second in Upper New York’s Baby River Memorial five weeks ago. Top jockey J. Piotrowski will settle her back in the field and save her for a late surge.
2/1 – # 6 – Point Out – Another four year old scratchbred filly raced and trained by her breeder, tcrowell. A well bred daughter of Singspeil / Be My Guest / Green Dancer, she’s won four of nineteen, all turf sprints and has banked more than $100,000. A winner on debut at two, Point Out then raced solidly, but without victory, regularly taking home pay checks in stakes races, until midway through her three year old season when she switched back to allowance racing. The allowance wins came quickly, with three wins in five starts. She’s now back in the black type division, once again running good races but that stakes win has proved elusive. She’ll be well ridden by Q. Miller this weekend and looks a really strong chance to finally end that black type drought.
3/1 – # 4 – Run the Rock – Why would anybody put a regally bred, female winner of four stakes races into a claimer? I have no idea, but I’m sure duchess is more than happy to be the beneficiary of the original owner’s generosity. Run the Rock is a four year old daughter of Rock of Gibraltar, from the gender altered Ceilo Fly (Conquistador Ceilo / Deputy Minister). A winner of seven from twenty seven, and nearly a quarter of a million dollars, her current form has slipped from her sensational career start when she was a winner of a maiden and four stakes races from her first six runs. This is only her third start for duchess, who has nothing to lose and everything to gain by keeping her at this level, and win, lose or draw, the new stable has acquired a most valuable future broodmare for a song.
4/1 – # 3 – Otto Capital – I can’t help but think the bookies have got it wrong in framing the market for this race. How can a horse with such an impressive turf record be sent out fourth favorite in a field of six? The only question mark could be her ability to handle the class rise, but there’s no doubt followers of the nocalbred stable will be rushing to put their money onto this four year old scratchbred daughter of Empire Maker / Ela –Mana-Mou / Riverman. She’s only had five career starts, and as the first two ordinary runs were on the dirt, they can be dismissed from calculations here. Since switching to the grass, Otto Capital has had three runs, two over further than this, and has led for all but the last stride in all but her most recent. She’s unlikely to be challenged for the early lead here, and capable rider U.Douglass could well set up a margin which cannot be closed.
5/1 – # 1 – Barb’s Hilary – Although unable to post a victory in a dozen starts since joining the jockfan5 barn, Barb’s Hilary has justified her claiming price with a second, two thirds and two fourths at black type level, and a third in her sole allowance appearance for her newest owner. Cheaply bred by sending dual winner Justatraceofmagic (Geri / Fairy King) to Say Florida Sandy, her original owner let her go in a 2k claimer early in her three year old year, despite being twice stakes placed at two. Her next owner ran her through her starter entitlement, before surrendering her, albeit at a handsome profit. jockfan5 has achieved solid results since that claim, and could well add to those achievements in this event
20/1 – # 2 – April Showers – A recent addition to the ernieman stables, this five year old scratchbred daughter of Commemorate / Obligato / Bold Reason has neither the breeding nor the formline to suggest she’ll be a serious threat in this event. Although turf sprinting is her strong suit, her two wins from 21 came in much lower quality races than this, and it would be fair to say that she would be far better suited in something less ambitious.
Summary: If Otto Capital can handle the class rise, I think she should be able to hold out the closers. Slewska is as honest as the day is long and reads to me as the strongest danger. Point Out will be in the mix, looking to establish winning black-type form, while Run the Rock and Barb’s Hilary are both genuine chances if the breaks go their way. A win by April Showers will have me groveling in apology in my recap, after I recover from the shock