JUVENILE FILLIES ROUTE IN CALIFORNIA GRADE I CO-FEATURE
The 2 year old crop of horses are featured at California this week with a pair of Grade I events. The 2 year old fillies division will run in The Grade I Movieland Starlet which will be the 14th race on this Saturday’s 16 race card. A field of 11 have entered and will run 8.5 furlongs on the dirt chasing the top share of the $450,000 purse.
Let’s take a look at today’s field:
1)BANJO ATTACK(KY)—11/1—simond4 sends this filly out of BLUEGRASS CAT with a record of 5-3-0-1 and lifetime earnings of $71,840. She is out of the mare WILD KID who was 3/33 at the track and who has 5 foals on record, all winners including 2 stakes winners. This 19th divisional ranked filly races for the Hornedfrog stables based over in Kentucky. This filly’s sire has a 44.3% winners rate with a 5.7% stakes winners rate and a 2.3% Graded stakes winners rate in this his first year standings at stud. This filly has been a perfect 3/3 on fast tracks so far with her only 2 losses coming on off tracks. She posted her lifetime best 87 speed rating last time out while winning The Sneaking The Phar Bonanza stakes in Finland over 8 furlongs on the dirt. She had a 3rd place finish in a Grade II in the race previous. She has shown an excellent closing ability and sits at the back of the field early. The rider for today’s race will be Staples (17.2%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—84.
2)LET’S GET ROCKED(KY)—15/1—greeny sends this filly out of ROCK HARD TEN with a record of 4-2-0-0 and lifetime earnings of $56,940. She is out of the mare BEAUTIFUL KY who was 4/21 at the track and who has 3 foals on record, all winners. This 245th divisional ranked filly races for Davarto’s unafilliated Buronga Downs stables. This filly’s sire has a 64% winners rate with a 8.1% stakes winners rate and a 2.4% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 41.3% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly won her lifetime debut race and then finished midpack in a Grade I 7 furlong sprint in NY. She came back and posted her lifetime best 87 speed rating after that in a NW2L allowance in Eastern Kentucky before seeming to breakdown in her last start. It appears it was not as serious as originally thought as she is returning to the races today after only 5 weeks off. She runs best when pressing the pace and we will have to see how she runs coming off that last race. The rider for today’s race will be Ball (6.8%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—84.
3)DESERT LEGEND(KY)—13/1—kjracing sends this filly out of VINDICATION with a record of 6-2-1-1 and lifetime earnings of $58,060. She is out of the he-mare THE PHOENIX AGAIN who was 9/44 at the track. This 90th divisional ranked filly races for the GR Simsters division of the Topicount stables. This filly’s sire has a 78.2% winners rate with a 10.5% stakes winners rate and a 2% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 48.9% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly won her debut race and also won 2 starts back in a dirt allowance mile where she posted her lifetime best 84 speed rating. She has a 2nd and 5th place finish in 2 dirt stakes starts and ran in her only Graded stakes start on the turf where she was never a factor. This filly has shown diversity in her running styles which could help her as the race develops but she has been most succesfull when laying of the early pace and saving her best strides for the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Lannoo (13.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—84.
4)SAGE ROYALE(MD)—7/1—the village sends this filly out of LION HEARTED with a record of 8-3-3-1 and lifetime earnings of $332,720. She is out of the mare SILVER TREE who was 6/34 at the track and who has 2 foals on record, both winners including this filly who is a Graded stakes winner. This 10th divisional ranked filly races for the Spinround stables based in Ireland. This filly’s sire has a 53.8% winners rate with a 8.5% stakes winners rate and a 2.8% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 31.8% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly won her lifetime debut start and then had a nice 2 race win streak this past summer hilited by a win in The Grade III Dr. Shut-Yer-Lips Juvenile stakes in Missouri. She comes into this race off a 3rd place finish and lifetime best 91 speed rating posted in The Grade I BB Juvenile Filly where she made a bid at the top of the stretch but could not sustain it in the stretch drive. She has a tendency to lose ground in the stretch and will need to reverse that trend to be succesfull in this route race today. The rider for today’s race will be Evans (9.3%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88.
5)DEMONIC PRESENCE(KY)—7/1—taicheska sends this filly out of VICTORY GALLOP with a record of 8-3-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $352,230. She is out of the mare SINISTER SIMSTER who was 7/34 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 2nd divisional ranked filly races for the Shamran stables based over at the EAAA racing residency. This filly’s sire has a 73.5% winners rate with a 6% stakes winners rate and a 1.3% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 39.7% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly won her debut race and after a pair of 2nd place finishes tried a Grade III event with disappointing results. She would recover from that outing with another allowance win and after a 2nd place overnite stakes finish would run a huge race in winning the restricted Grade I World Cup Juvenile Filly Mile where she sat back early and made a huge move around the far turn to win by 3 lengths and post a lifebest 91 speed rating. She found the going a bit tougher last time out in The BB Juvenile Filly and will hope to make amends today. The rider for today’s race will be Gossett (24.5%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—85.
6)DREAMY CAT(KY)—7/1—elzid sends this filly out of BLUEGRASS CAT with a record of 8-2-1-3 and lifetime earnings of $656,804. This 9th divisional ranked filly races for the Baggio stables based over at Minnesota Downs. This filly’s sire has a 44.3% winners rate with a 5.7% stakes winners rate and a 2.3% Graded stakes winners rate in this his first year standings at stud. This filly started her career on the turf but was switched to the dirt in her second start and has shown a preference for that surface since. She won back to back races earlier this year while winning her MSW race in her 3rd dirt start and then coming right back to win The Grade III Lean Machine Stakes in Wisconsin. She closed well in her Grade I debut in The Getaway stakes finishing in 3rd but did not fire when coming back 3 weeks later in the World Cup. She made amends for that race with another closing effort, rallying to finish 2nd in The BB Juvenile Filly. While this girl showed speed in her earlier starts she is starting to show a big late move now and will be expected to be charging hard down the stretch drive here today. The rider for today’s race will be Jones (7.2%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—85.
7)ALBERTA STORM(KY)—4/1—bertaal3 sends this filly out of STORM CAT with a record of 3-2-1-0 and lifetime earnings of $80,600. She is out of the mare ALBERTA FORTY who was 3/19 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 35th divisional ranked filly races for the Bertaal stables based at the CR Racers. This filly’s sire has a 90.5% winners rate with a 19.9% stakes winners rate and a 5.8% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 64.8% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly broke her maiden in her lifetime debut and came back in an overnite stake for her 2nd start where she pressed the lead but had to settle for a second place finish on an off track. She came back last time to win The Creepy Prospector(FR) Special Stakes where she wired a 5 horse field in Tennessee over 8 furlongs on the dirt and posted a lifebest 91 speed rating. She is expected to be one of those cutting the early fractions today. The rider for today’s race will be Billig (13.6%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88.
8)BLACK FLAG FLYING(KY)—9/2—simsters1 sends this filly out of A.P. INDY with a record of 3-2-1-0 and lifetime earnings of $57,030. She is out of the he-mare BURNING FLAG who was 5/19 at the track. This 26th divisional ranked filly races for Lenny’s Evil Empire stables based over at the GR Simsters. This filly’s sire has a 88.1% winners rate with a 17.9% stakes winners rate and a 4.1% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 55.6% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly broker her maiden in her 2nd lifetime start and then came back last time out to win The Rapid Ruckus Challenge in Utah over 8 furlongs on a dirt track listed as good, posting a lifetime best 94 speed rating. She has shown a nice closing ability sitting midpack early and has substancially improved on her speed ratings with every start. The rider for today’s race will be Simcox (11.8%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88.
9)OLIGARCHY(KY)—8/1—ovidius sends this filly out of SPEIGHTSTOWN with a record of 6-2-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $87,530. This 162nd divisional ranked filly races for an independent and unafilliated stable. This filly’s sire has a 73.6% winners rate with a 11.6% stakes winners rate and a 1.2% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 46% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. This filly has finished 1st or 2nd in 5 of 6 starts and broke her maiden in her lifetime debut race. Her other win came in The Stupidly Light Challenge Stakes where she wired a 4 horse field over 7 furlongs on the dirt in Idaho. She posted a big spike in speed rating last time out when she posted a 95 speed rating while finishing 2nd in a 7.5 furlong dirt overnite stakes race in Louisiana. She will be making her Graded stakes debut today along with her debut in route racing. She has been a speed horse and may go to the front today but does usually lose ground in the stretch and will have to correct that situation to handle the exra distance in today’s race. The rider for today’s race will be Nardone (11.8%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—85.
10)REWARD NINER(KY)—10/1—lawyerron sends this filly out of GOOD REWARD with a record of 8-2-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $111,225. This 338th divisional ranked filly races for the unafilliated Right At Home Stables. This filly’s sire has a 47% winners rate with a 4.5% stakes winners rate in this his first season standings at stud. This filly started her career on the turf and broker her maiden on that surface. She made her Graded stakes debut on the dirt in The Grade II Vermont BB Juvenile Filly where she ran an even 6th. She did win an allowance race on the dirt 2 starts back where she posted a lifetime best 88 speed rating over the 6.5 furlong race but in her route debut last time out in an open allowance second place finish her rating went way down but that may have been on account of the minimum 4 horse starting field. Still she did not win that race and today’s field is expected to be a much better bunch so she will have her work cut out for her today. The rider for today’s race will be Straw (7.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—82.
11)STREET ACTION(ENG)—9/1—randwick1 sends this filly out of MOTIVATOR(GB) with a record of 7-3-3-1 and lifetime earnings of $122,431. She is out of the mare CYRRIUS STREET(IRE) who was 1/27 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 44th divisional ranked filly races for the unafilliated Bmr005 stables. This filly’s sire has a 56.2% winners rate with a 5.1% stakes winners rate and a 1.1% Graded stakes winners rate. This year 41.1% of his 2 year old starters have found the winners circle. After knocking at the door in her first 4 starts including a start on the turf she has come on to win 3 in a row entering this race today. Included in that streak was her last start, a win in The Cryptoskeleton Stakes in N California where she posted an 86 speed rating over the 8 furlong dirt race. While usually running a closing style she did sit closer to the pace last time out but that may have been due to the short field in that race. Her strength in the last stretch suggests she will have no problem with the extra ground today. The rider for today’s race will be Bates (10.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—85.
It is alway’s tough to pick 2 year old races as at anytime they can put up a big race at this stage in their career but I am going to take a shot at #6 DREAMY CAT to win today as she adapted well to the 8.5 furlong distance and put the World Cup race behind her and offers a little better value than the two morning line favorites here today.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO