Halo Dolly bids to defend Yellow Ribbon title

Halo Dolly has won half of her 32 career starts, including four of five over the Del Mar turf (Benoit Photos) Redoubtable California-bred mare Halo Dolly, who just scored an historic three-peat in the August 18 Solana Beach Handicap at Del Mar, will go for another title defense at the seaside in Monday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap. Co-owned by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, the 123-pound highweight will try to fend off such challengers as Egg Drop, My Gi Gi, Customer Base, Closing Range, In the Stars and Quiet Oasis. Halo Dolly overcame traffic trouble to prevail in the Solana Beach, joining such luminaries as Native Diver, Flawlessly, Track Gal and Zenyatta as three-time winners of a stakes at Del Mar. That victory also advanced her mark over the Jimmy Durante turf to 5-4-0-1, with her only loss being a close third in last summer’s Osunitas Stakes. Halo Dolly’s first graded coup came in the 2012 Yellow Ribbon, and she added another to her line in the April 28 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood. Subsequently fourth in the Gamely on Memorial Day, Halo Dolly returned two months later to miss by a neck when third in the Luther Burbank Handicap at Santa Rosa, which set her up for the Solana Beach. Rafael Bejarano will be back in the saddle as the five-year-old, who has won 16 of 32 lifetime starts, breaks from post 7. Egg Drop comes off a rallying second to Schiaparelli in the July 6 Royal Heroine Mile at Hollywood, and the daughter of Alphabet Soup ought to enjoy the extra ground in the 1 1/16-mile Yellow Ribbon. Although a winner on both dirt and Polytrack, the Mike Mitchell trainee appears to have found her true home on turf. She captured a turf sprint in her first try on the surface prior to the Royal Heroine.

My Gi Gi, a distant third in the Royal Heroine, exits another third in the
August 11 John C. Mabee going nine furlongs over the course. Winless since
scraping home in a photo in the 2012 Honeymoon Handicap, the Peter Eurton pupil
has often earned a check, but must step up her game here.

The Tom Proctor-trained Customer Base was outkicked when fourth in the Mabee,
not terribly surprising since she had captured the 1 1/4-mile Lucie Manet at
Hollywood in her previous outing. But the Glen Hill Farm colorbearer has placed
in a trio of stakes from six furlongs to a mile, and the consistent performer
promises to do her best work late.

Keeneland shipper Closing Range got up in time in the July 20 Osunitas over
this course and distance, springing a 16-1 upset on the heels of three straight
unplaced efforts. The Phil Oliver filly had wired a pair of turf stakes during
her sophomore campaign of 2012, the 1 1/8-mile Twin Lights at Monmouth and the 1
1/2-mile La Prevoyante at Calder, but has now adapted to an off-the-pace style.

Egg Drop ran a strong race in defeat in the Royal Heroine Mile (Benoit Photos) In the Stars returns from a nearly five-month holiday for Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. Four times Group 1-placed in her native Brazil, the Romarin mare has still to win a stakes, but she was best of the rest behind Mizdirection in the Buena Vista back in February. In the Stars failed to run up to that level when only fourth in the April 7 American Beauty at Santa Anita, but she keeps Hall of Famer Gary Stevens aboard for her comeback. Quiet Oasis would be a prime contender if anywhere near her best. Trained by Ben Cecil for Reddam Racing, the daughter of Oasis Dream captured last year’s Royal Heroine and Wilshire and just missed in the 2012 Gamely. Quiet Oasis was an encouraging third off a lengthy layoff in the March 24 Santa Ana, but she has been well beaten in her two ensuing starts, the April 13 Jenny Wiley on the Keeneland turf and the August 3 Clement L. Hirsch on Del Mar’s Polytrack. The three remaining entrants are literally and figuratively outsiders. Appealing and A Jealous Woman wound up fourth and eighth, respectively, in the Osunitas. Seven-year-old A Jealous Woman has since come back to finish second in an allowance, and could serve as the pacesetter here. Irish Group 3-placed Royal Empress, third in her American debut for Patrick Biancone, gets in as the lightweight at 108 pounds. The Labor Day card also features a pair of juvenile stakes. Smashing debut winner Aotearoa lines up in the $150,000 I’m Smokin, a six-furlong dash on Polytrack that has attracted eight California-breds. The gelded son of Good Journey swept to a 4 3/4-length conquest here on August 4, and a similar performance would make the Leonard Powell charge tough to beat.

Three of his opponents were last seen in the July 31 Graduation Stakes.
Gangnam Guy adds blinkers after his third to Del Mar Futurity-bound California
Chrome, and the fourth and fifth, Better Bet and Solid Wager, likewise aim to do
better. Solid Wager has decent form to his credit, having finished third in the
Willard Proctor Memorial and fourth in a blanket finish in the Hollywood
Juvenile Championship.

The only two-time winner is Jedi Mind Trick. After taking a maiden claimer at
Sacramento by 7 1/4 lengths, the gray gelding was acquired by Doubledown Stables
and transferred to John Sadler. Jedi Mind Trick made a winning debut for the new
barn in a starter/optional claimer at Del Mar August 4, and seeks a hat trick on
the class hike. Rounding out the field are Ashleyluvssugar, who was awarded a
state-bred maiden via disqualification, and maiden claiming winners Mondai
Mondai and Easy Topper.

Next up is the $100,000

Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf, and trainer Doug O’Neill has two major
chances with Clenor and Perched. Irish import Clenor ran well in all three
starts at home, including a third in the Balanchine to the Aidan O’Brien-trained
Bye Bye Birdie. In her American bow for O’Neill, the Oratorio filly recovered
from a poor start to break her maiden in style at this course and one-mile trip
August 7.

Perched, although still a maiden, is much better than that record implies.
She began her career in stakes, finishing fourth versus males in the Lost in the
Fog at Golden Gate and fourth in the Landaluce at Hollywood. When finally
contesting a maiden on August 4, Perched ran into a buzzsaw in Awesome Baby, the
morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Del Mar Debutante, and settled for second.
Coming out of that same maiden is fourth-placer Venetian from the Carla
Gaines/Jerry Quinn barn, a More Than Ready filly eligible to move up on the
grass.

Landaluce runner-up E Equalsmcsquared was a disappointing fourth in the
August 7 Sorrento, prompting trainer Eric Kruljac to make a surface switch and
add blinkers. From the first crop of triple-surface threat Einstein, the
aptly-named filly should thrive on turf, and the stretch-out.

Sensational Nikki and Pleasant Miss were separated by just a neck when
running one-two in a starter/optional claimer on the Polytrack August 15, where
One More Wild Ride was a distant fourth. Nesso, claimed out of her six-length
maiden score at Calder, will debut for Vann Belvoir, while maiden claiming
winner Stunning Drama reverts to Julio Canani after flopping in the Mountaineer
Juvenile Fillies.

The well-bred Tiz the Key is an intriguing entrant for Mandella. Fourth to
Debutante entrant Secret Compass in a July 28 Polytrack sprint, the daughter of
Tiznow should prosper going a route second time out, and picks up Stevens. But
note that Tiz the Key, a half-sister to one-time Derby hopeful War Academy, is
cross-entered to Sunday’s 7TH race at a mile on Polytrack.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com