Two T’s At Two B and Candy Coded Kisses, respective winners of the Dr. Fager
and Desert Vixen divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes, will bid for
second-leg Stallion Stakes victories at Calder on Saturday when starting in the
$125,000 Affirmed and Susan’s Girl divisions, part of the 10th annual Juvenile
Showcase program, a rich day of racing dedicated entirely to two-year-olds with
an estimated $550,000 in stakes purses to be awarded.
Trained by Kathleen O’Connell, Two T’s At Two B is the most accomplished
runner on the 12-race Juvenile Showcase program, having visited the winner’s
circle three times during his unbeaten career. The bay son of Untuttable added a
7 1/4-length maiden triumph and a 5 1/4-length victory in the Frank Gomez
Memorial to his 3 3/4-length win in the Dr. Fager.
Two T’s At Two B, to be ridden by jockey Eduardo Nunez, has drawn post 6 in
the seven-horse Affirmed where he will meet a field of familiar foes that
includes Dixie High and Billos Boy, the respective second and third-place
finishers from the Dr. Fager.
After finishing third in her career debut, the Easton DeSouza-trained Candy
Coded Kisses has returned to post two straight victories, breaking her maiden
against male rivals in her second start before springing a 24-1 upset when four
lengths the best in the Desert Vixen.
The daughter of Omega Code will chase her third consecutive win, and her
second successive stakes score, when starting from post 6 under Cecilio Penalba
in the Susan’s Girl, which drew a field of nine, including Desert Vixen
runner-up Putyourdreamsaway and So Blessed, that race’s third-place finisher.
Newcomers of note in the Susan’s Girl include Jewel in the Sky, a 6
3/4-length allowance winner two weeks ago, and Nasty Cat, who overcame a poor
start to post a 2 1/4-length maiden-breaking victory in her career debut on July
20.
While the Florida Stallions Stakes are the most prestigious events on the
Juvenile Showcase program, perhaps the most intriguing stake of the day is the
$75,000 Seacliff Stakes, a one-mile main-track event that drew a competitive
field of eight headlined by unbeaten Sr. Quisqueyano.
Trained by Luis Olivares, Sr. Quisqueyano showed great promise when winning
his career debut by 2 3/4 lengths in mid-April, but the colt put his brilliance
on full display in an August 11 allowance race in which he bested his nearest
pursuer by 12 1/4 lengths. The son of Exclusive Quality starts from post 7 in
the Seacliff and will be ridden by Jozbin Santana.
The dominance of Sr. Quisqueyano is expected to be challenged in Saturday’s
race by a pair of recent open-length maiden winners in Mayberry Madness and
Singanothersong. Trained by Kathleen O’Connell, Mayberry Madness was never doing
much of anything when seventh in his career debut but has since returned with a
15 3/4-length romp in an August 10 maiden race.
The Ron Pellegrini-trained Singanothersong enters the Seacliff Stakes off a
rousing maiden win on July 22, a race in which he was never presented with a
challenge en route to a 6 1/2-length victory. Prior to that performance, the son
of Songandaprayer was a troubled second to recent Grade 2 Sanford Stakes
fourth-place finisher Brave Dave in his career debut.
There was no lack of interest in the $75,000 Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash, which
attracted a full field of 12 runners that includes a trio of turf-experienced
horses shipping to Calder from parts elsewhere to participate in the
five-furlong sprint.
Trainer Wesley Ward’s Rip Roarin Ritchie is the lone two-time winner in the
field, piecing together an August 5 victory in the Tyro Stakes over the Monmouth
Park grass course with a June 15 maiden win on the Churchill Downs turf. The
speedy homebred son of Bring the Heat will start from post 8 in the Fasig-Tipton
Turf Dash and will be ridden by Jesus Rios.
Itsmyluckyday, beaten less than a length by Rip Roarin Ritchie in the Tyro,
will look to exact revenge on that rival when starting from post 2 under jockey
Manoel Cruz in Saturday’s turf tilt. A maiden winner on the main track, the
Eddie Plesa trainee was also entered in the Seacliff Stakes, but appears more
likely to contest Saturday’s turf sprint.
Law Dog, last seen finishing fifth as the favorite in the Graduation Stakes
on Del Mar’s Polytrack, has crossed the continent in search of his first stakes
win and will start from post 6 in Saturday’s Turf Dash. Trained by Tevis
McCauley, and to be ridden by Sarah Rook, the well-traveled Law Dog broke his
maiden in a five-furlong turf sprint at Indiana Downs in early July. Prior to
that performance, the son of Unusual Heat finished a close fourth in a maiden
race on the Churchill turf and was third when unveiled on the Tapeta track at
Presque Isle Downs.
“I don’t know what happened in (the Graduation), I really don’t,” McCauley
said. “Maybe the jock didn’t feel he was handling the surface or something like
that. He broke sharp, but so sharp that he stumbled. And then he stumbled a
couple more steps, but he still ended up making the lead. But then the rider
snatched him up and was choking him down a little and let the horse that was on
the inside go to the lead. You can’t do that with him, if you watch his replays,
you just have to let him run.
“When he got back to the barn, he didn’t move the water level at all, he
wasn’t blowing, and he wasn’t a bit tired. It was like he never ran. We worked
him four days after the race with a real nice Lion Heart colt, and he beat him
home by six lengths.
“So I’m as puzzled about that race as anyone else. But when you’re the
favorite in a $100,000 race, you expect more. Maybe he is just a grass horse. I
just don’t know. Whatever the case, I think you put a line right through that
one.
“I think this race is much tougher than the one at Del Mar,” McCauley
concluded. “(Rip Roarin) Ritchie beat us in the maiden race at Churchill, and
then he came right back to win that stake (Tyro) at Monmouth. And then you’ve
got Plesa’s horse (Itsmyluckyday) who was beat less than a length to Ritchie in
that same stake. So it’s a tough race, and my horse is going to have to step it
up a little to win, but I definitely think he’s good enough.”
The $75,000 Catcharisingstar, the filly companion race to the Fasig-Tipton
Turf Dash, drew a field of 10, and a McCauley-trained runner figures to play a
prominent role in the outcome of that race as fellow homebred Zip Cash Back
invades off consecutive turf-sprint victories, most recently the Tippett Stakes
at Colonial Downs.
“We added the blinkers the day she broke her maiden and she’s a completely
different filly now,” McCauley said. “She’s all business now; she breaks sharp
and goes right to the front, which is perfect for five-eighths because when
you’re in front, you don’t have to worry about getting blocked or having another
horse getting in your way. You can just go, and see if someone wants to go with
you.
“Some can handle it and some can’t,” McCauley added, speaking of his
juveniles’ heavy travel schedule. “These two are a couple of tough homebreds
that are very mature for their age. I feel like they’ve got everything figured
out, and they have seen it all.”
Zip Cash Back is the lone starter in the Catcharisingstar field with any turf
experience, and the City Zip chestnut starts from post 7 and will be ridden by
Rook.
“I was very surprised to see that, especially since we’re almost to September
now,” McCauley said. “That probably works in our favor, but for a $75,000 stake
at the end of August, I found it very interesting. And obviously it makes me
feel good about our chances.”
The $75,000 Lindsay Frolic Stakes, run at one mile on the main track,
presents an anomaly of sorts as seven of the eight entrants are maidens looking
for their first career victory, with Street Magic the lone winner among the
field. Trained by Dave Vivian, Street Magic was a powerful 5 1/4-length maiden
winner in her April 22 career debut, but could do no better than a distant
fourth when stepping up to meet allowance rivals on August 12. The homebred
daughter of Street Hero drew post 8 for the Lindsay Frolic and will be ridden by
Luca Panici.
Of the remaining seven maidens in the field, perhaps Caraquista is the most
imposing as she exits a second-place finish in a July 29 maiden race where she
was beaten less than a length when giving up the lead in the shadow of the wire.
The Jose Garoffalo-trained daughter of Ghostzapper starts from post 3 in the
Lindsay Frolic and will be ridden by Joe Rodriguez.
In addition to the six-pack of stakes, Juvenile Showcase will present six
additional races restricted to 2-year-olds, including the first two juvenile
turf races of the meet, both of which drew overflow fields, a pair of main-track
maiden special weight events that each attracted 12 runners, a $25,000 maiden
claiming event that opens the day with a fill field of 12, and a starter
allowance for winners that have run for $25,000 or less.
First-race post time on Juvenile Showcase day is 12:55 p.m. (EDT) with the
stakes portion of the program to commence with the Seacliff Stakes, as the 7TH
race, at approximately 3:45 p.m.
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com