Derby, Oaks or Bust
Time to get you updated on a couple of runners we are following in the
# 115619 Matuta Mater trained by Deltatiger from the teaco stable. She made her come back a few weeks back in a stakes race 2944.7710 at 7.5 furlongs with 4 horse field. Since it was a small
field, I was half expecting a win, and would have been seriously disappointed with
anything less than second. She tracked in third early was 5 lengths back at the second call, and made a rally in the stretch. She finished second, beaten a little over a length, and earned a speed figure of 78. I’m a little disappointed that she didn’t win, but she did enough to keep her on
the schedule I’d set for her.
So she’s still on track for her next start, which will be at 9 furlongs. At this point,
I’m looking at the Alicenwonderland Bonanza at Ontario in week 3000, or possibly the
grade 2 Walnut Tree, though I’m reluctant to make her first route race a graded stakes
after her fiasco last time I tried her in a graded race.
# 115627 Drained trained by Knightmare from the knightcat stable. This week she makes her third career start. Where to place her was a tough decision. I wanted to test her at the stakes level again but there was only one stakes for fillies in the states. There were several for colts though so I kept my options open. As the deadline for entries neared I felt like the competition was a little stronger running with the colts although not by much. The filly stakes race though was going to have more runners than the colt race.
In the end I chose to run her against colts. I hope to take advantage of what some my term a loop hole with earning stakes points. A win against the boys in a listed stakes earns you the exact same number of stakes points as a G3 win in a filly race, a second in a G2 filly race or a third in a G1 filly race. With a win Drained will jump into the top ten maybe even the top five of the two year old fillies in the dirt route division. That would all but assure her a starting position at the Breeder’s Bowl.
She is the second choice on the morning line in race 2965.3210. She has made the lead in both of her career starts with start speed figures of .86 and .79. There are solid speed horses in this race. I suspect she will not get the early lead and will stalk one maybe two runners this week. She has had five weeks since her last start and I hope she gives a good account of her self against the boys.