Star-Studded Distaff Event At California
The $300k Grade 1 Original Margarita Invitational, the 14th race at California this Saturday, promises to be one for the ages! Last year’s champion 3yo dirt filly, YOU SEE LA, heads a star-studded field of older distaffers in this 9-furlong test that together has amassed over 20 graded-stakes wins.
MARTY AND ROME comes into this race in the best form of her life, owning a current 3-race win streak that includes a Sunny Millions race and a Grade 3 trophy. She comes across country here to face the strongest field she’s seen since she ran 4th in a major Derby prep last year. Ranked #43 in the division, the drbydude trainee is spotted at 6/1 by the CPU oddsmaker and the Smarty Jones filly is not without a shot despite the tough company.
ENCOSTA COLAC made his first dozen career starts on turf and did fairly well, running strongly in a few stakes but only managing to win once. Then, tooldtorun decided to try his Encasta De Lago filly on the dirt. This has proven very successful, getting 4 wins, one of ’em in graded-stakes company. Today’s group is a bit tougher than what she’s beaten, but she may be worth a look at 11/1.
UNION JACK FLYER has taken all comers in her short 12-race career, having faced top-level graded foes in last eight starts. She has two wins, two 2nd’s and 2 3rd’s in those runs, and is rated at #7 in this division. High-percentage trainer poowillck gets 7/1 odds on his 4yo A. P. Indy filly.
Top-ranked YOU SEE LA is a true superstar, having won five graded stakes during her career. This spectacular 4yo Special Week filly gave a memorable performance in the 2010 Triple Crown series against the boys in which she won the Middle Jewel, was 2nd in the Bluegrass, and 3rd in the New Yorker. Then, she was a strong 3rd in the Traveler’s Stakes. It’s understandable that pineriver’s great runner faded some through the end of 2010, but she came right back after a well-deserved 10-week freshening to win a Grade 2 at this track last time out. Despite the high quality of this field, she should be a tough beat here as the 5/1 CPU choice.
ULTIMATE DIAMOND has won 3 of her last 4, including a Grade 3 win at this track. The top earner in here, this 5yo A. P. Indy mare has enough early speed to make the pace honest and is dangerous if left alone on the lead. However, the korn trainee has some equally speedy company here to contend with. 9/1 on the field’s top earner… Hmm.
SQUIRREL’S GIFT is one of those other speedy runners. At 20/1, the CPU thinks this one is the mostly like pace casualty here. The 5yo Toccet mare should make things interesting early on, however. Trainer squirrel7 is part of a huge empire, but this mare is the only one here without a CPU rating of 1000 and has a tough task ahead.
STREET STREAKER was a closeup 2nd to today’s favorite while stretching out to 9 furlongs last time out, and is not without a shot to duplicate that effort here. At 8/1, the 96th-ranked runner in this division looks to be just now coming into top form for trainer fallridge and loves this track.
CLEVER HAACK was a fairly distant 4th to today’s favorite last time out and goes off at 15/1 for trainer castillo, who knows what winning races is all about. This 4yo Ghostzapper filly is yet another in here who is running at his lifetime-best form, and could very well outrun her odds.
MOONSHINE MAMA is a bit of a mystery horse, not showing a whole lot of experience versus quality stock but running some impressive numbers while completely having her way in the early-pace parts of her races. What will she do when she gets some real competition for the lead? Will the Street Cry filly run like a champ, or will she jump the fence or something? The jetforhome trainee has a lot to prove at 10/1.
EMPIRE HAACK is co-2nd choice at 6/1 for trainer marisol, and has been close up in a lot of graded-stakes races without getting a win in any of them since her impressive 3-in-a-row run early in 2010. The 5yo Empire Maker mare figures to be in the hunt yet again, but this powerful field will probably prevent for getting her picture taken yet again.
THIS COLD BLACK is a 5yo mare who was moving along with a sort-of-nice career when she suddenly figured out what to do last spring and began reeling off one excellent run after another. The Unbridled’s Song daughter ran so strongly that she took home a Grade 1 trophy and even delivered a hard-driving 2nd in the Breeder’s Bowl Distaff. She ran once more last year, a fast-closing 4th in a Grade 1, but hasn’t been seen in the afternoon since. Can she come up strong here after an 11-week layoff? The sdmf5 trainee can’t be counted out as the 5/1 favorite.
WHELDON has made California her home recently, finishing off a nice trio of races here with a solid Grade 1 win last month. The 4yo kate3 trainee, a daughter of Hard Spun, could pull a nice 10/1 upset here with a repeat of that performance.
Let’s see… The crystal ball got thrown off a cliff after its last “handicapping” effort (How come it didn’t see THAT coming?), and the palm reader quit last week before I even had one reading… (She must have seen what happened to the crystal ball!) Well, let’s roll the dice and see what happens…
YOU SEE LA is ranked #1 for a reason, and she is likely to run even better than she did last time with more recent activity.
MARTY AND ROME is on a super-hot streak (for one of my stables, no less!) and is a real threat.
STREET STREAKER is also at her lifetime best and could pull it off.
This one’s a must-watch race… Good luck to all!