Juniper Pass edges Dahoud in off-the-turf San Luis Rey

Juniper Pass just outdueled Dahoud late (Benoit Photos) When Sunday’s $150,000 San Luis Rey S. (G3) was rained off the Santa Anita turf, Betty and Robert G. Irvin’s JUNIPER PASS (Lemon Drop Kid) and Dahoud (NZ) (Scaredee Cat) turned the 1 1/2-mile test into a virtual match race in the slop. The stalking Juniper Pass, racing for the first time on a surface other than turf, and without blinkers, ultimately subdued the longtime leader Dahoud by a hard-fought half-length. Because of the surface switch, the San Luis Rey was automatically downgraded from its original Grade 2 status, pending review by the American Graded Stakes Committee. Dahoud, who had likewise competed exclusively on grass prior to Sunday, adapted comfortably to the alien conditions. Splashing right to the front with his typical early foot, he posted fractions of :25 1/5, :51 1/5, 1:17 4/5 and 1:43 2/5. Juniper Pass, usually well back early, secured a good position in second for new rider Rafael Bejarano. The top two strode along in that fashion nearly the whole way, and pulled clear of the rest of the field swinging into the stretch for the last time. Juniper Pass had already engaged Dahoud on the final turn, but the front runner repelled his initial challenges while reaching 1 1/4 miles in 2:07 4/5. As Dahoud grimly clung to the lead down the lane, Juniper Pass was game for a fight, and he drew alongside again to battle eyeball-to-eyeball. In deep stretch, Juniper Pass found a bit more to overtake Dahoud and earn his first stakes score, stopping the teletimer in 2:32 3/5 on the sloppy surface.

Leaving the gate as the 9-2 third choice in the six-horse field, Juniper Pass
furnished payouts of $11.20, $4.20 and $3.20.

“My horse ran really well for his first time on the dirt,” Bejarano said. “He
surprised everybody. I knew the number 8 (Dahoud) was going to go to the lead
and try and slow the pace. My only chance was to put my horse right behind the
speed the whole way around. I’m glad it worked out. My horse showed me a big
kick in the stretch. The other horse (Dahoud) came running, but my horse was
very strong.”

“I left it up to the jock, and thank God I did,” winning trainer Thomas Bell
II said of the tactics. “He knew what kind of pace they were going. I told the
jock to just play it by ear. We knew that (Dahoud would be on the lead). That
was the only thing we knew. I kind of left it up to Rafael. I told him he could
be laying second. He’s got a little bit of speed. It all worked out well, so
we’re happy.”

Dahoud, the 9-5 second choice, was 4 1/2 lengths ahead of the remainder of
the strung-out field. Imponente Purse (Brz) (Public Purse) held third by 7 1/2
lengths from 8-5 favorite Haimish Hy (Ecton Park), who was trailed by Romp (Arg)
(Incurable Optimist) and Falcon Rock (Ire) (Hawk Wing). Buenos Dias (Ire) (Peintre
Celebre) and Restless Soul (GB) (Singspiel [Ire]) were both scratched after the
transfer to the main track.

Juniper Pass boosted his bankroll to $194,380 from his 11-3-1-2 record. A
close third in the November 28 Hollywood Derby (G1) in his stakes debut, the
four-year-old was most recently fifth in the February 19 San Luis Obispo (G2).

Bred by Brookdale Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, the bay brought $92,000 as a
Keeneland September yearling and $170,000 as a Barretts March two-year-old. He
is out of the unraced Coronado’s Quest mare Child Bride, whose latest foal is an
unnamed juvenile filly by War Chant. Juniper Pass’s second dam is multiple Grade
2 heroine Chapel of Dreams (Northern Dancer), a three-quarter sister to
supersire Storm Cat. Also in the family are multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire
Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]), Group 1 scorer Crowded House (GB)
(Rainbow Quest), Grade 2 victor Postponed (Summer Squall), and further back,
Irish highweight, Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) star and noted sire Royal Academy
(Nijinsky II).