Saturday's Preview

Weekend set fair with seven competitive races and some sensational sunshine in the forecast — perfect for a day at the races!

May 13, 2023

BELCARRA PARK (Amadeo Perez) takes on top-quality opposition in Saturday’s feature event — photo Michael Bye

THERE GOES MY HERO has the advantage of a previous run and should hold a small fitness advantage. Whether it is enough, however, is another question as he trailed home on his racetrack debut on opening day. SHOWMAN was claimed after being dropped to the same level he encounters today and is looking to finally break his maiden at the 13^th time of asking. THREE DAY BENDER, meanwhile, drops to this level for the first time and he looks to be an obvious contender.

COCORITA has had a winter campaign and lines up here after a second-place finish in similar company at Turf Paradise in January. MISS THE HYPE steps up a rung on the ladder after winning on opening weekend and should give another good account of herself, while SILK STILETTOS won on her debut last season before going on to show solid form in deeper waters than she faces today.

The lightly-raced KAY’S KITCHEN didn’t put a foot wrong last season, stepping up on a promising debut to win her next two starts comfortably. She has been off the track since last July, however. SHAMRA’s win in last season’s River Rock Casino Stakes gives her an obvious chance here if she can recapture that form, while TAM TRICKY has the benefit of a winter campaign in Arizona and should have few fitness concerns. AMANDA finished outside the first two just twice all last season and is another for the shortlist.

REMEMBERTHEALAMO (Efrain Hernandez) seen winning last season. He makes his seasonal reappearance Saturday under Scott Williams for the in-form Condilenios barn — *photo Michael Bye*

FILLY FATALE got WYN Racing and trainer Larry Grieve off to the perfect start on opening weekend. This represents a step up in class over her seasonal debut, although she has ran well enough in Stakes company last term to suggest she should not be out of her depth. STOPSHOPPINGSHELLEY could not have been more impressive on her debut last year and was a close-up fifth in the BC Cup Debutante Stakes on her second and final run of the 2022 campaign. A repeat of either of last season’s outings puts her in the frame, although she has been off since last August. Trainer Dino Condilenios is in sizzling form already this year and he saddles REMEMBERTHEALAMO, who beat Filly Fatale last summer before mixing it with some of the best juveniles in town.

SOLARITY, winner of last season’s Emerald Downs Stakes, finds respite here from stablemate Infinite Patience, who she dutifully chased home in five of her eight races last term. This will be no gimme however, with last year’s CTHS Sales Stakes winner WE B THREE and RUN LOLA RUN, who was twice Stakes-placed at Century Mile towards the end of last season, perfectly capable of landing this contest. BELCARRA PARK won on her debut (over today’s distance) last season and, along with her second-place finish in last season’s Supernaturel Stakes, make her a serious danger.

DRILL BABY DRILL and BEST ONE YET renew rivalry after finishing second and third respectively on opening weekend and both should be present at the business end again today. JUST MISTY has been working well in the mornings and, although she will need to improve on her three runs last year, this does represent an easier opportunity to notch that all-important first win.

STAR FINALITY has five runs under her girth already this year after a winter campaign in Arizona and has demonstrated her well-being in the mornings. LENT ME TWENTY ran just the once last season but wasn’t beaten far when finishing in the scrum behind the useful Buck in Command. That was in June, however, and she’s entitled to need the race after the time out. ISLAND LIVING, meanwhile, bumped into some talented opposition in all four of her 2yo starts and connections may have found the perfect slot to get her off the mark.