Nine To Post in G-2 Encino Man
California’s carding five stakes races on Saturday, culminating with the G-2 Encino Man Stakes. A $150,000 race for four year old fillies at a mile and a sixteenth, the race pits nine solid fillies against one another. We have a mix of proven class and talented up and comers in the field, let’s get to them.
#1 – Black Piranha (6/1) thepontif stables O Brim rides. This Street Sense filly is the first foal out of the g-grade Sky Mesa mare Skyhigh Admiral. Second dam Rear Admiral by Danzig has produced two graded winners. Black Piranha sports a 10-6-2-1 record. She didn’t begin her racing career until June of last year when she easily won a maiden first time out and steadily climbed through her conditions, winning her first six races. This included a stakes win in the Pro That Baby Memorial Stakes at today’s 8.5 furlong distance, recording a 100 sp. After winning three straight routes, Black Piranha returned to sprinting, finishing 3rd and 5th in two starts under a mile. Her last two runs have been at nine furlongs, most recently finishing 2nd by a head in the owner-restricted Comedy Central Distaff where she earned her career best 108 sp.
#2 – Moldavia (5/1) futurestar stables F Gossett rides. Moldavia is a G-1 winner on dirt and a G-2 winner on turf, with an overall record of 15-7-3-1 and over a million dollars in the bank. Moldavia began her career as a two year old where the highlight of her season was the finale – a win in the G-2 Sell The Queen Stakes. She followed the path to the Classics early last year, winning the G-2 Miss Bonnie against the fillies and the G-1 Wooden Indian Derby against colts before finishing unplaced in the Bluegrass Derby. Switched to turf midseason she scored two more wins. She was last season on the track in the Breeder’s Bowl Distaff where she finished a disappointing 12th. Moldavia is a Ghostzapper filly out of a-grade Kingmambo mare Dangerous Reward. She is the third graded winner that marvelous mare has produced.
#3 – Smarty Joan (20/1) crandyiii stables A Lewis rides. Smarty Joan is a scratch bred Smarty Jones x Seattle Slew x Danzig filly. She sports a 19-5-3-2 record. Smarty Joan ran eight times as a two year old, beginning in February of that year, with what would be her only stakes placing of the year, a third in the NWRC Juvenile Fillies Preview on Dirt. She began her three year old season the right way, winning the G-3 Santa Jezebel Stakes, what would be her only graded score of the year. She did win two owner restricted stakes in May but has since failed to hit the board in her last five starts.
#4 – Guidecca (11/1) martialis stables E Donahue rides. Guidecca, by Distorted Humor, is the first foal out of d-grade Unbridled’s Song mare Venezia. Venezia has the genetics to be an excellent broodmare, as she is one of six stakes winners (two graded) from eight foals out of the g-grade Storm Cat mare Adam’s Cat. Guidecca had one start as a two year old, a facile MSW score. She took an allowance second time out, then finished up the track in two stakes races. Switched to the turf she took an allowance and finished unplaced in a second. Back on the dirt she finshed second twice in two outings, then took two consecutive stakes in September and October. She fnished third and fourth in her last two starts of 2010. Interestingly she hasn’t routed since her third career start.
#5 – Chicken Dinner (8/1) e2912 stables F Griffen rides. The lightest raced filly in the field, Chicken Dinner in unbeaten in four starts. She only began her career in August of last year winning a MSW at seven furlongs then progressing through three allowance races all at a mile. Each of her last three starts has resulted in a triple digit sp. Chicken Dinner is a scratch bred Gone West x Saddler’s Wells x A. P. Indy.
#6 – Storm Door (2/1) laserbarn stables M Staples rides. Our favorite is a daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus and is the fourth stakes winner (first graded) out of the f-grade Storm Cat mare Lovely Rita. Storm Door owns the two highest sps in the field, having run a 114 twice, including in her last start. That race, run over today’s 8.5 furlong distance resulted in a second in the Desfly’s Giant Special Stakes. Storm Door ran nine times as a two year old and was graded-placed twice, before finally breaking through with a win in the G-3 Adam’s Apple. Following a fifth in the G-3 Reflection Futurity she won her three year old debut, the G-3 Silverbulletbeer Stakes. She had mixed results the rest of the year, winning the G-2 Long Price Quarter Stakes along with the G-3 Little Evil Sophmore Stakes (earning the other 114 sp at 8.5 furlongs) and one other stakes. She also had some hiccups, finishing off the board four times.
#7 – Play Dead Er (9/2) erracing stables T Bates rides. The second fastest filly in today’s field is this Giant’s Causeway out of the c-grade A.P. Indy mare Susie Er. Play Dead Er has been on a recent off-track tear winning three races and placing in another. Overall this mare is 6-5-1-0 on off-tracks, compared to an overall record of 12-6-1-2. Her last race saw her record a 112 sp while winning the owner-restricted Minnesota Oaks. She began her career in January of last year and also sports an allowance win going today’s distance two races back.
#8 – A Bite of Love (11/1) bobcat stables R Simcox rides. This filly has eleven starts to her credit, with seven wins and one each second and third place finish. She began her career as a late two year old on the turf running four solid but not brilliant races. Switched to the dirt she immediately improved 16 sp points with an allowance win. An allowance third was followed by five consecutive wins in her last five outings. This includes stakes wins in her last two starts, the Consolidate Special Stakes at seven furlongs where she earned a 110 sp and the restricted Lady Gazelle Stakes at nine furlongs where she earned a 98 sp.
#9 – Wheldon (5/1) kate3 stables V Feller rides. Wheldon seeks her first stakes win in this ambitious spot, after finishing a solid second in the G-2 Barbacoa Handicap in her 2010 finale. She earned a 107 sp in that effort at today’s distance, which followed a 110 sp earned going a mile in an allowance in the start previous. Wheldon won her only start at age two, taking a muddy MSW in December. Four starts and two wins later she made her stakes debut finishing fourth in the G-3 Timber Stakes. Back in allowance company she finished fourth then scored another win, followed by a sixth place finish in another stakes. Her last four races have been her best, winning once and running second four times. Wheldon is by Hard Spun out of the grade-e stakes producing A.P. Indy mare Orange Poet.
Good luck to all of today’s starters!