Saturday Previews
INFINITE PATIENCE continues her remarkable story by taking on all-comers in the $50k Delta Colleen, while the best of the boys clash in the $50k S. W. Randall Plate on a sensational Saturday card
JUST JIMMY’s most recent run saw him go down bravely to Apprehend, who then boosted the form by winning an Allowance contest at Century Mile on Derby Day. He continues to worry the geese with some rapid morning workouts and is the one to beat here. There looks to be plenty of early speed among the field, which should suit Just Jimmy’s barn-mate, PURSUE. He’s run into the money on each of his four outings this term and had rival NEIGHBOR behind when wining over today’s distance back in July. Fellow closers GUNFIGHTER and BIG UNION may also benefit from a strong pace and both are serious threats on their day.
THIS looks to be a good spot for INDYETTA who has been knocking on the door of late against tougher opposition than she meets here. Stablemate CARLA’S HONOR had TEXAS HUMOR just behind when second to Ice Breaker last time and both should be in the shake-up again if repeating that level of performance. ANOTHERSUNNYDAY returns to sprinting after an excellent second over the long course last time. She’s another consistent sort who needs to be on the shortlist.
THIS should, on paper at least, be a slightly less daunting prospect for the speedy CASCADE BILLY, who has only run twice this season but bumped into the magnificent Bold Arch on both occasions. Similarly, SET TO SHINE has been up against some of the fastest horses on the grounds this year and the marginal drop in class should put him firmly in the firing line. TIME TICKER beat the useful Curlin Rocks last time and has failed to hit the board just once in five starts this term, while PAY MY WAY was previously beaten less than two lengths when fifth behind Cerebro and co over today’s distance. A repeat of that would bring him very much into contention.
ALTHOUGH faintly laughable that nine-furlong races at Hastings are referred to as ‘marathons’, this event traditionally favours horses who are only just getting going when the normal mile-and-sixteenth ‘long’ races are run. Chief among them should be ERLICH, who won on his comeback race in July before running well enough when stepped-up in class last time over the 8½-furlongs. Look for him to arrive late. Also arriving fashionably late on the scene should be the remarkable QUEEN OF ATTITUDE. While untested at this distance, she lines-up here in search of her fifth consecutive win of the season and wasn’t stopping when beating Miss the Hype and today’s rival ARTISTIC JEWLER over the long course in June. BROKE AN BROKEN was just pipped by Erlich in this race last season and he looked like he could have gone around again when sneakily defeating Parker Point and FRANKIE MACHINE last month. He gets the tentative nod in a fascinating heat.
WITH BUNNY, Air Force and DAPHNE all feasibly able to make the running, it’s probably as well that INFINITE PATIENCE is equally ruthless sitting off the pace. She was quite brilliant when winning her fourth Northlands Distaff at Century Mile two weeks ago and a repeat of that effort will make her extremely hard to stop here. AIR FORCE made light work of the monsoon conditions to win the CTHS Sales Stakes on her most recent start and, while she probably won’t have things as much her own way today, she remains a top-class filly who will certainly exploit any weakness in the favourite. MATSQUI did well in the slop when second to Air Force behind a wholly unsuitable pace. She beat Infinite Patience earlier in the year and, along with ABOVE AVERAGE, may be the major beneficiary if the leaders get carried away early.
THE classy SUNBIRD was full of running when driven into a cul-de-sac on the home turn, doing well to re-rally and finish second to SPACE in last month’s BC Cup Classic. He’s been an unlucky horse all season and can find some useful consolation here with a clear run. Typically, AT ATTENTION was doing his best work late when a neck behind Sunbird in the ‘Classic’ and flattened out only very late when going down by less than two lengths in the Speed to Spare Championship at Century Mile two weeks ago. Like Sunbird, he’ll need some racing luck, but never gives anything less than everything and won’t be too far away. APPREHEND capped quite a day for connections when landing the valuable Allowance ‘night cap’ at Century Mile on Derby Day and he's beginning to look like the horse who finished second in the Zia Park Derby two years ago before missing the whole of the 2023 campaign. The son of Arrogate is a class act and a clear and present danger. LUCKY FORCE rarely puts a hoof wrong and lines-up here on the back of an excellent win in the recent CTHS Sales Stakes. He’ll need to step up again to land this but he’s won four times already this term and has missed the board just three times in 14 lifetime starts. PHANTOM RIDE began his year in Arkansas and, following racing stops in Texas, Kentucky and Washington State, he makes his Hastings debut on the back of a solid effort in last month’s Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.
IT may be a case of “if not now, then when” for FOREIGN PROTOCOL, who drops onto the bottom rung of the class ladder in a bid to notch his first win for a couple of years after plying his trade in marginally deeper waters than he encounters this afternoon. He was in contention for much of the way before fading late behind Ave’s in Command and co in July and a repeat of that might just be good enough here. SLEW’S DA BOSS is a consistent performer who has hit the board in four of his seven outings this year. He had BARNEY GOOGLE behind him the last time they met, although there’s little between them and both have solid place claims again. The same also applies to EYE BE SEEING YOU, who will no doubt look to arrive late on the scene and will take some stopping if he can generate enough steam from the engine room.
Lisa & Mike’s Saturday Selections
CTHS Alberta Yearling & Thoroughbred Sale
By: CTHS Alberta | September 6, 2024
The 2024 CTHS Alberta Yearling & Thoroughbred Sale will be held on Friday, September 20th at Westerner Park in Red Deer. A total of 71 quality Thoroughbred yearlings are consigned to the main catalogue by a variety of quality stallions.
Local sires represented include Absolutely Stylish, Bench the Judge, Big Lightning, Boisterous, Fed Biz, Firespike, Heavenly Chorus, Mr O’Prado, O’Prado Again, Ready Intaglio, Rojano Time, Schramsberg, Tap Master and Tour de Force.
There are also yearlings sired by the finest stallions in the industry including Accelerate, Army Mule, Atta Boy Roy, Basin, Big Brown, Cairo Prince, Catalina Cruiser, Cross Traffic, Cupid, Frosted, Higher Power, It’s a Danzig, Keen Ice, Known Agenda, Medallist, Mor Spirit, Second in Command, Sharp Azteca, Solomini, Street Boss, Sungold, Tapiture, Thousand Words and Unbridled Power.
A sales preview can be found here
You can find links to indexes and the catalogue here.
Nooni Odds-On in Del Mar Debutante; Two Other Stakes on Saturday Card
By Del Mar Press
The 74th edition of the Grade I FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutant will be up for grabs Saturday, headlining an 11-race card that features a trio of stakes on the next-to-last day of summer sport at the seaside oval known as Del Mar.
Not surprisingly, trainer Bob Baffert has the favorite for the $300,000 seven-panel headliner that annually crowns the summer meet’s juvenile filly champ. Hall of Famer Baffert, you see, has already won the Deb on 10 occasions and has the morning-line, odds-on favorite in his latest lass – Zedan Racing Stables’ Nooni – at 4/5 as she tackles six rivals in the dash.
The Debutante has some serious credentials when it comes to shining a first light on potential champions. Nine winners of the race have gone on to be voted an Eclipse Award as 2-year-old filly champion later in the year.
Two others in the lineup that drew respect on the morning line are Medallion Racing, Aldabbagh or Strauss’ Vodka With a Twist at 7/2 and Baoma Corp’s Tenma (also trained by Baffert) at 4-1.
The second-billed stakes on the program is the 67th running of the John C. Mabee Stakes, a nine-furlong turf test the carries a $250,000 purse and Grade II status. It is headed by a pair of terrific distaffers – the eastern invader Didia, who races for Merriebelle Stables or Resolute Racing, and the local star Anisette, who carries the silks of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.
The former, a 6-year-old Argentinian-bred who has a bankroll that has gone past the $1.5-million mark, has been running in Grade I company in New York, including a tally in the New York Stakes at Saratoga on June 7. The latter, a British-bred 4-year-old, is riding a three-race win streak that includes a pair of Grade Is in the west and most recently a tally in the Grade II Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar on August 10. Should Anisette win the Mabee, she’d go past the $1-million mark in earnings, too.
Hector I. Berrios has gotten the call on Didia and they’ve been hung the 4/5 favorite in the turfer, while Anisette gets her usual partner in Umberto Rispoli and a 7/5 rating in the line. Seven horses in all are set for the testing.
The final black-type affair on the Saturday card is the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, which runs on the lawn, of course, at a mile and has drawn 12 likely starters. This will be the 13th running of the 2-year-old stakes and its likely favorite is Madaket Stables and Little Red Feather Racing’s Thought Process, who’ll have Berrios in the irons and 9/5 on the tote board in front on the run.
The Del Mar Debutante goes at Race 4, the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf will be Race 5 and the John C. Mabee is Race 9.
Bloodhorse Daily Headlines — Saturday, September 7
