Saturday's Previews
There's plenty of exciting racing action in store for Hastings this weekend as we move into the final few weeks of the season
FOREIGN PROTOCOL, who had all of these behind him when going down by just a neck to Self Serving earlier this month, looks the obvious choice here. The form was franked when the winner that day won again last weekend and a repeat of virtually any of his outings this season will make him a tough nut to crack. FOOT SOLDIER only returned to the fray in August and quickly showed he’d lost little from the lay-off with two solid third-place finishes. He should be totally ‘match fit’ now and should be thereabouts again if not too inconvenienced by the outside gate. EYE BE SEEING YOU has hit the board in four of his seven runs this term and should have enough pace to run at here. Look for him late.
Unbeaten in four outings this term, and following a two-month break, the remarkable ARIKARA returns to the fray in search of her sixth consecutive victory. She posted a bullet workout last week and will presumably be taking no prisoners on the front end throughout. Fellow front-runner NINE OCLOCK CEASER just held off the late flourish of WANDALITA last time in a tight finish that also saw QUALITY COMMAND run-on well to grab third after twice needing to be steadied in traffic. All three should again make their presence felt.
KRIS’S GOLD made quite the impression on his racing debut, comfortably hanging with his rivals in the Jack Diamond Futurity Stakes to finish a third behind the two best juveniles seen in western Canada so far this season. He had COUNTER CAT, WHO IS and RONDELITO well behind that day and, with the single caveat that his effort came on a sloppy track, any normal progress would make him the one they have to beat. I’M IN CONTROL wasn’t asked any serious questions once her debut effort petered out in the Sadie Diamond Stakes and she should be a much bigger threat today.
KITTEN KANDY showed some promise when hustled along to finish fourth on her debut (with KIKIS GOLDEN TOUCH just behind) and she should be a big threat here if progressing even a little on that first start. The speedily-bred MINA MARINA has the dreaded inside draw to overcome, but has been showing up well in the mornings and can make an impact, while BRODYS SOUVENIR is a sibling to a half-a-dozen winners, including multiple stakes winner, Populist Politics who, interestingly, won on his debut. Barn-mate BOONESBAKKENTOWN is the only ‘boy’ in the race but will need to navigate a path from out wide.
ASKMENOQUESTIONS left no doubt as to his superiority when winning at this level and over this distance earlier in the month. And that effort was a carbon copy of his emphatic victory in July. He’s a bold frontrunner and may take some stopping again here. There’s little left to say about the remarkable KNOPFLER, who goes for his fourth win of the season in a campaign that has seen him light the board in every one of his eight starts. TIZ VICIOUS drops to the bottom rung for the first time and, now back with the team who brought him north, makes his second start since being reclaimed. He looks a big danger at this level.
BLUEBIRD CAFE did all the hard work in both her most recent starts, attempting to go gate-to-wire, and succumbed only late on both occasions, going down by a head and a neck, respectively. She makes her first start for new connections since being claimed and can go one better here if rationing her effort. Although a ‘winner’ only through disqualification of a rival, WEEKENDINDELMAR has a good opportunity to finally get her head in front after a campaign that has seen her hit the board in four of her six outings and shouldn’t be too far away, while FLYING MISS was rallying well when third behind Bluebird Cafe last time and should be in the mix again this afternoon. STILETTOS ONLY dealt superbly with the monsoon-like conditions to win last time and represents the in-form John Snow barn.
Lisa & Mike’s Saturday Selections
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Ontario-Bred Shifty Tries for a Win and You’re In in NY
The two-year-old filly by Medaglia D'Oro won Woodbine's Catch a Glimpse Stakes and goes for the Miss Grillo Stakes.
By: NYRA media office | September 27, 2024
Two Woodbine-based fillies are in the 12-horse field for the $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct on Sunday, September 29. The 1 1/16 mile turf race is a ‘Win and You’re In’ event that offers the winner a free berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar in November.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out D.J. Stable’s stakes-winner Shifty [post 7, Jose Ortiz] off a dominant pacesetting win to graduate at second asking in the Catch a Glimpse on August 23 at Woodbine.
“She ran to the way she trained,” Casse said. “We thought she was one our better fillies and that’s why we ran her as a maiden in the stake.”
The Ontario-bred Medaglia d’Oro bay was never in doubt in the 6 1/2-furlong Catch a Glimpse, taking a two-length advantage early and easily turning back a brief challenge from Bound to Be True. She drew off strongly in the lane to complete the course in 1:15.68 and earned a field-best 85 Beyer for the win. The filly was bred by Anderson Farms Ontario Ltd.
Casse said he had considered running the talented filly in the Grade 1 Natalma on September 14 at Woodbine [Casse won with And One More Time], but opted to skip it to keep her separate from other horses for the same ownership.
“We gave her a little more time. I already had two horses in the Natalma for D.J. Stable with Vixen [2nd] and Nitrogen [3rd] and we didn’t want to run all three together,” Casse explained. “We decided to give her a little bit more time and go to the Miss Grillo. Of all our two-year-old fillies, she’s been as impressive as anybody.”
Shifty has worked at Saratoga twice since her win, including a sizzling bullet in 46.60 seconds over the Oklahoma training turf on Friday.
“She got excited and took off,” Casse said. “I was telling him [the rider] to slow down, slow down, but that’s just the way she does things. She’s pretty impressive. She did that even with saying, ‘hold on, slow down, slow up’ after about a quarter-mile. She got away pretty quick and he was just sitting on her the entire way.”
Shifty was a $350,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale and is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and stallion Big Runner. She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Elusive Luci, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Stormy Lucy.
Trainer Kevin Attard has entered Salt, a Kentucky-bred Tapit filly, for Lanni Bloodstock and Madaket Stables. Salt won her maiden in her second start on the Woodbine grass and then finished fifth behind Shifty in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes
Innaugural California Crown Weekend
It’s been a year to remember for trainer Todd Fincher, Peacock Family Racing Stable and all those associated with veteran campaigner Senor Buscador, who returns to action in Saturday’s Grade I, $1 million California Crown presented by SirDavis American Whisky at Santa Anita.
In four starts this year, Senor Buscador has racked up more than $11.7 million in earnings. He won the world’s richest horse race in February, the $20 million Saudi Cup; was third in the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March; and second by just a neck to California Crown rival National Treasure in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park. “It’s been fun,” Fincher said by phone Wednesday afternoon.
Connections hope the fun times will continue through two more starts this year, starting with Saturday’s California Crown and ending with the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
Senor Buscador was one of seven horses entered Monday for the first-ever California Crown, which is contested at 1 1/8 miles on dirt. The field will be reduced by at least one, however. Trainer John Sadler Thursday morning confirmed Indispensable has shipped to Remington Park where he will compete instead in the GIII, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.
After Senor Buscador’s trip to the Middle East, he received a nearly five-month vacation before resurfacing at Del Mar in the GII Pat O’Brien sprinting seven furlongs Aug. 24. He would finish fourth that day, behind winner Raging Torrent, in what Fincher described as a “great” comeback effort.
“He ran against some very fast horses,” Fincher said. "It might not look like it on paper, but he ran a very good race.” Senor Buscador now gets to stretch-out around two turns where he has been his most effective. That’s the good news. The concern for Fincher is the likely pace scenario he faces in the California Crown. Three of the runners—National Treasure, Muth and Newgate—are all trained by Bob Baffert. Fincher thinks that will pose a problem for jockey Joe Talamo and Senor Buscador, whose preferred running style is to lag behind early and come running late.
“That’s not conducive for us. I just don’t think the race is going to set up,” Fincher said. “I know he’ll run a good race, but I’m probably going to be on the losing end. Still, this should set him up great for the Breeders’ Cup, which will likely be loaded with a lot more speed.”