Short Field For Buckeye Debutante

The fifteenth race on the card this week in Ohio is the Grade III Buckeye Debutante. The race is held over six furlongs on the dirt and is open to two year old fillies. A total of eight horses have drawn into this years running of the race. Despite some light showers earlier in the week, the forecast is for the showers to lighten up by the time of this weekends raceday, look for the track to probably be listed as fast. Lets have a look at the competition for this years Buckeye Debutante.

Breaking from the rail will be favorite La Gran Verduga (Giant’s Causeway (IRE) x Seeking The Gold x El Gran Senor) is owned by verdugos, owner of Verdugos Stables. The Kentucky-bred bay filly has a total of three lifetime starts, two of which have been wins. The fillies first start came in a maiden special over 4.5 furlongs in North Florida where the filly set out second but quickly took over the lead and won the race by one length. Her second start came in the Grade III Baby’s First Stakes in North California where she finished third. Her most recent start came in Idaho during an allowance caliber start over six furlongs where she hung back in second and made her move in the stretch, going on to emerge victorious by one and three-fourth lengths, setting a speed figure of eighty.

In the second slot is Ballad (Elusive Quality x Saint Ballado x Mr. Prospector), out of the dam Barely Throw, is owned by super29, owner of More Evil Than The Evil Empire! This promising chestnut fily has had four lifetime starts with one win and one place to date. Her most recent start came in the Grade I six and a half furlong Hoserhead Juvenile Fillies in British Columbia where the filly broke second but faded as the race went on, finishing sixth with a speed set of eighty-two under jockey H. McCarthy. Her most recent win came in her debut maiden special race, a five and a half furlong sprint in Eastern Kentucky, which she by a nose going wire to wire.

Longshot Sadler’s Creek (JPN) (Strodes Creek x Sadler’s Wells x Strike The Gold), out of the dam Sadler’s Strike, is owned and trained by cylla, owner of Cylla Stables is next in the field. The striking light gray filly has had a total of six career starts, with two of these starts being wins. The fillies most recent start came over the five and a half furlong ungraded Doctor Jo Ann Special in Vermont, where she stalked behind front runners in third and moved up to cross the wire in second. Her most recent win came in early June during an allowance caliber race over the turf, where again she set out of the gate in third but dug in pre-stretch and went on to win by a fourth of a length. Her highest recorded speed figure, a seventy-five, and also her only other win, also came on the turf. But on Saturday, the filly will make her first graded stakes start, and her third start on the dirt.

Next is Succubus Club (Aptitude x Saratoga Six x Nijinsky II), out of the race-winning dam Six Nijinsky, is trained and owned by waremblem2, owner of Winterfell Racing. The bay filly has been lightly raced with only two starts. One of these starts resulted in a win, the other in a second. One interesting thing of note, the filly has never ran on a fast dirt track, all of her previous starts came on off dirt tracks. Her first start came in her maiden debut race where she finished a quickly closing second in Ontario under jockey T. King. Her second, and most recent start, came in Florida during a six and a half furlong maiden special where she came out of the gate in second but held that position only briefly and was off like a shot to the lead, winning the race by an impressive three lengths. During this start she posted a lifetime best speed figure of seventy-three. This Saturday, the filly makes her way to her first stakes appearance.

Following will be Hot Sand (Bring The Heat x Sand Prospector x Lyphard’s Wish (FR)), is trained and owned by bryanj79, owner of Bryanj79 Stables. The chestnut filly has had a total of three lifetime starts. To date the filly has never finished off the board in any of her three starts. The filly began her racing career in the claiming ranks, where she won her first start back in the first week of May. Perhaps exceeding her owners expectations in her debut race she was moved up in class to an allowance caliber start, where she finished third. Undeterred, she was entered in another allowance race, this time to set back just off the pace in second and to take a slight lead in the stretch to win by a fourth of a length, while setting a lifetime best speed figure of eighty-one. This Saturday, the filly makes her first attempt at any form of stakes company.

At odds of 4/1 is Wiki Waki Woo (Johannesburg x Miswaki x Sunday Silence) is owned and trained by zooomr3, owner of Zooomr Stables. The bay filly has had four lifetime starts and has won half of those, in addition to one second place finish. The fillies most recent race came in the five and a half furlong Euan’s Peg Stakes, an ungraded stakes held in Pennsylvania, where the filly took off stalking the two front-runners in third, then took control of the pace just before the stretch and went on to win the start by one length while setting a speed figure of seventy-four under jockey J. Piotrowski.

Next is Hennylands (Brooklands x Hennessy x Event Of The Year), out of the stakes-winning dam Aloha, and is trained by kinghorse, owner of Fortune500. The bay filly has had a total of six career starts with a total of two wins, one place and one show so far in her short racing career. Her most recent start came overseas in Newmarket during the five and a half furlong listed Bearly Kick Challenge where she set out of the gate in fourth, but didn’t fire in the stretch, crossing the gate fourth, five lengths back with a speed figure of sixty-five. Her most recent win was just the start before, on the sloppy dirt track of the ungraded Apple Laughing Memorial, where she sat just a nose behind the front runner until the very end of the race, where she surged forward to take the lead by one-fourth of a length and earning her a lifetime best speed figure of sixty-nine. This Saturday will be the fillies first attempt at graded stakes competition.

Drawing the far outside is Gulch Quay Ets (Thunder Gulch x Belong To Me x Shadeed), is trained by simcup07, owner of Theo Stables Inc.The chestnut filly has had a total of five lifetime starts including three wins. The fillies most recent start came in a seven furlong allowance caliber start held in North Dakota where she won going wire to wire in the race, winning by a length and a half with a speed figure of seventy-nine. The fillies most recent graded start came in Utah during the Stoker Handicap (G2) where she finished tenth.