Movieland Starlet A Wide Open Affair
Saturday’s feature in California is the Grade One Movieland Starlet for two year old fillies going a mile and one sixteenth on a fast dirt course. The race will be run for a purse of $750,000 and drew a field of fourteen. The race became substantially more competitive when division leader Swapsco Kitty opted to take on the boys in the male counterpart to this race, the Movieland Futurity on Sunday. That opened things up to a number of strong fillies in this spot, none of whom have won a grade one race up to this point in their careers (Swapsco Kitty has been dominating most of those wins this year). Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Malibu Moon’s Lady 7/1
Malibu Moon’s Lady is a scratchbred Malibu Moon x Deputy Minister x Alydar. She has four wins from seven starts including her most recent race which came over this track. That race was a one mile listed on November 1st which she won with ease with a 96 speed. It was a good return to form for the filly who had been off the board in two straight grade one efforts. Prior to that she was a winner of the six and one half furlong Grade Two Lean Machine Stakes in July. She’s a solid closer who should be running late.
#2 Beautiful Diamond 7/1
Beautiful Diamond is a daughter of Awesome Again out of the Eclipse Champion Sprinter Tolleson (Unbridled’s Song x Danzig). Tolleson won three grade one races during her career including the one mile Frickazee as a two year old even though she ultimately had the most success sprinting. Her first foal is Bellemont, a Ghostzapper filly who recently won the one mile Grade Two Gowader Stakes. Beautiful Diamond has three wins from four starts. Her only off the board finish was in her second start, a grade three back in August. Her most recent race was a listed stakes going one mile on a sloppy dirt course which she won with a 98 speed after contesting the pace early.
#3 Bronzegate 8/1
Bronzegate is a daughter of Lawman out of the Forty Niner x Northern Dancer mare Freaking Sweet. This is her fourth foal and second stakes winner after the 2013 model by Warrior’s Reward named Freaking Evil. Bronzegate has five wins from eight starts this year including three wins from five starts on the turf. She switched to the dirt in August and won a local-bred allowance going one mile with an 88 speed. She followed that up with a head loss in the Grade Three Chicago-DC Lassie at the same distance and then broke through and won a listed going a mile and one sixteenth in her most recent start. She ran a 96 speed that day and came from well off the pace to win going away.
#4 K’s Final Rumors 10/1
K’s Final Rumors is a daughter of Giant’s Causeway based on the grade three winning Kingmambo x Sadler’s Wells hemare K’s Final Episode. K’s Final Episode did his best running on turf going a mile and one half but he was based on the grade one winning K’s Rumor Has It who was a dirt grade one winner at one mile as a four year old but also a grade two winner going a mile and one sixteenth as a two year old. K’s Final Rumors has won four of six starts with one second and one third. She enters off three straight allowance victories which started when she was switched from turf to dirt. Her last two wins were routes, the first going a mile with a 91 speed and the second going this distance with a 93 speed. She comes from the clouds but this will be a big class check for her.
#5 Sophia Loren 13/1
Sophia Loren is a daughter of Ghostzapper out of the Bernardini x Street Cry mare Ava Gardner. This is Ava Gardner’s first foal and though she was just an allowance winner her dam was Lana Turner, the Bluegrass Oaks winner of 2011. Sophia Loren has two wins from seven career starts with three seconds and a third. She enters off the only off the board race of her career, the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Filly. Prior to that she was second in the Grade One Darley at this distance with a 90 speed. She also has a one mile allowance victory from back in August so distance should not be a problem. She has tactical speed and should be able to get good position from the start.
#6 Cape Road 13/1
Cape Road is a daughter of Cape Blanco out of the stakes winning Quality Road x Storm Cat mare Quality Cat. Quality Cat won five stakes races during her career, three going very short but also two at one mile, all on turf. Cape Road’s first six starts were on the grass in sprints where she had only one victory. She’s made her last two starts on the dirt going a mile and one sixteenth. The first start resulted in a win in the Grade Two Camlaw Stakes by three quarters of a length with an 88 speed. The second was a solid run when sixth in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Filly where she ran a 93 speed. In the Camlaw she sat in the catbird’s seat, fourth behind the pacesetters before swooping to the front. She didn’t get a perfect trip in the Breeders’ Bowl but with a better trip she could factor here.
#7 Street Alliance 13/1
Street Alliance is a daughter of Street Sense out of the stakes placed A.P. Indy x Spectacular Bid mare Sultry Content. This is her third stakes winners from eleven foals to race. Street Alliance has an overall record of four wins one second and two thirds from nine starts but she has won two of three route races and really became a different filly when stretched out to a mile and beyond. IN August she won an allowance at one mile with an 86 speed. She ran into Cape Road in her next start, the Grade Two Camlaw where she finished fourth. Street Alliance made her most recent start a winning one in the Grade Three Mistaken Soda Identity Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth with a 95 speed. She does her best running on the front end.
#8 Dark Oxbow 34/1
Dark Oxbow is a daughter of Oxbow out of the Lookin At Lucky x Invasor mare Lucky Cobra. This is the first foal for the allowance winner. Dark Oxbow has never routed before but she does have two wins from six starts in sprints. That includes the Grade Three Schoolerville back in August. That race was six furlongs and she won with an 84 speed. She matched that speed in her next start, the Grade Two Motherly Love at seven furlongs but could only finish fifth in that start. Most recently she was ninth in a listed stakes at six and one half furlongs with a 78 speed. She will be towards the back of the pack early.
#9 Kepler Tvehugg 7/1
Kepler Tvehugg is a daughter of Giant’s Causeway out of the stakes winning Mr. Prospector x Seattle Slew mare Sea Project. Sea Project has produced thirteen foals of which three are graded winners and two others (including Kepler Tvehugg) are stakes winners. The three graded winners all did their best running on the turf and all have since been retired and produced graded winners, including Kepler Plastic by Red Ransom who produced a grade two winner when bred to Giant’s Causeway. Kepler Tvehugg made her first four starts on the turf and won three of them but she has been very good since switching to the dirt. In her first dirt start she was second in a listed at seven and one half furlongs in September. She dropped back to five furlongs to win a listed in October and stretched out to a mile and one sixteenth last time out to win another listed with a 95 speed. She has a ton of early speed and should be battling on the front end early.
#10 Half A Lord 11/1
Half A Lord is a daughter of Half Ours out of the grade three winning Scoripion x Lord Carson mare Sting Yea. From eleven foals Sting Yea has yet to reproduce herself with only one other stakes placed runner to her credit. Sting Yea’s graded wins came sprinting on the dirt as a two year old. Half A Lord has the most starts of any runner in the field with ten already this year of which she’s won two. The Louisiana-bred filly’s two wins were in local-bred races. She has performed well in graded stakes with a second in the Grade Two Iron Deck in August at six and one half furlongs and most recently she was third – beaten less than a length – in the Grade Two Golden Red Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth. She ran a career best 94 speed in that spot. Half A Lord does not need the lead but should be a pace factor early either pressing the leaders or sitting just off them.
#11 The Bulb Factor 9/1
The Bulb Factor is a daughter of Distorted Humor out of the grade one winning Street Cry x Storm Cat mare Holy Bulb. Holy Bulb was actually fifth in this race in 2013. She earned that grade one badge in her next start, a one mile Equinics race. This is her first foal. The Bulb Factor has three wins and three seconds from seven career starts. Her only off the board finish came in her stakes debut, the Grade One Walnut Tree Stakes run over this track at this distance back in September. She followed that up with a second place finish in the Grade Three Mistaken Soda Identity Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth with a 93 speed. In that race she sat just off the early pace.
#12 Sea Mutation 6/1
Sea Mutation is a daughter of Fuji Kiseki out of the grade one winning Seattle Slew x Mr. Prospector mare Jennifer’s Seas. From twelve foals Jennifer’s Seas produced one other graded winner and another stakes winner. Jennifer’s Seas did her best running on the turf over a mile. Sea Mutation has four wins from eight starts to her credit. That includes a listed at seven furlongs and the Grade Three Dr. Shut-Yer-Lips Juvenile at seven and one half furlongs. In her two starts over a mile she was fourth in the Grade One Walnut Tree before running a massive 101 speed when second in the Grade Three Adam’s Apple at one mile. She lost that race by less than a length after closing from way back early.
#13 Five Aegons 13/1
Five Aegons is a daughter of City Zip out of the stakes winning Empire Maker x Damascus mare Alley Justice. Alley Justice did her best running on dirt around a mile where she was also graded placed. This is her fourth foal and first stakes winner, although her three year old by Preachinatthebar is stakes placed. Five Aegons has four wins and a second from five career starts. She made her stakes debut in her last start going a mile and one sixteenth to win a residency restricted stakes with a 95 speed. Overall she is three for three in routes and those just happen to be her last three starts. She should sit a couple of lengths off the early pace here before making her move around the turn.
#14 R D Ornette C 13/1
R D Ornette C is a daughter of Elusive Quality out of the graded placed Street Sense x Unbridled’s Song mare Song Sense. This is the first foal for the mare who traces back to stakes winner Tempestuous Claws. R D Ornette C has the most experience routing for any filly in the field. She’s got five route starts with only one win but one second and two thirds to her credit. R D Ornette C made her stakes debut in her most recent start, a listed going a mile and one sixteenth. She ran second after leading early on while running an 89 speed.
Good luck to all!