Three winners from Del MarThe cards of September 5 make up half the field for Starlet 1 1/16 mile (G1) bets at Los Alamitos . Racecourse December 4th. Grace Adler scored in the biggest event of the day for the 2-year-old, TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1), while Benedict Canyon and Cairo Memories are maiden winners.
Now they all meet in a top-level stake, with Benedict Canyon facing such company for the first time and Cairo Memories racing in her first 1st grade.
Bob Baffert, who has won four previous Starlets and seven finalists, coaches Grace Adler and Benedict Canyon, as well as Eda , Debutante’s favorite, who finished in fifth after vying for an early lead amid the quick fractions scene. Eda is responsible for the half-mile portion of: 44.37 in the seven-feathered Debutante.
“I’m not happy with her position early on because they’re going too fast up front,” Baffert said after Debutante.
While Baffert added that Debutante set up Grace Adler coming in from behind, it was an impressive performance regardless of tactics. Grace Adler won Debutante by 11 1/4 lengths.
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Michael Lund Petersen purchased Grace Adler for $700,000 from breeder Blue Heaven Farm’s shipment to the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings 2020 Show. He now co-owns her with Willow Grace Farm. Daughter of Curlin past her maidenhood in her racing debut and most recently finished fifth in Chandelier Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita . Park in her first route.
Flavien Prat has been on board the Grace Adler for all three of her outings, and he’s back in Starlet from lesson 2. He’s also been riding Eda recently.
Charlie and Susan Chu’s Baoma Group owns Eda, a 2-year-old $550,000 purchase by blood-agent Donato Lannie from Eddie Woods’ shipment at Ocala Breeders’ March Sales 2-year-old baby sale in training practice this year. After two seconds and then her fifth Debutante, daughter of Munnings won consecutive shares, Anoakia Shares on October 24 in Santa Anita and Desi Arnaz Shares on November 13 at Del Mar.
Prat rode her horse in both of those victories, and Juan Hernandez took over Starlet, attracting outsiders. Eda seems to be Starlet’s speed control.
Four races ahead of Debutante on the September 5 card, Benedict Canyon broke his daughter’s nose in his second start. In her debut, she placed third after Not easy , who won the Chandelier. Benedict Canyon finished third in Anoakia for owner Little Red Feather Racing. Benedict Canyon is the daughter of Midnight Lute , champion sprinter and two-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) also trained by Baffert.
Little Red Feather founder and managing partner Billy Koch said: “We always had high hopes for her, and it was clear in her debut that she lost to a very good horse in Ain. ‘t Easy”. “We really wanted to stretch her, and Bob always said he thought she was a lap. We just haven’t had a chance.”
Benedict Canyon is named for one of the Los Angeles streets on which the Little Red Feather principals grew up. Koch says that Baffert has nicknamed her Eggs, as in Eggs Benedict. The dirty guy has kept a luxury company in the Baffert warehouse. Koch says she’s been working recently with undefeated Press three times , a 3-year-old half-brother with American pharoah via Tapit , And after that Newgrange , who broke her maiden debut in her Del Mar debut on November 28.
Baffert named Edwin Maldonado on Benedict Canyon, who painted Lesson 3.
Starlet offers Churchill Downs Road to Kentucky Oaks qualifying scores on a 10-4-2-1 scale for the top four finishers, although chain regulations stipulate that any horse trained Trained by an individual suspended by Churchill Downs will not earn points.
As a property owner, Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert through the Spring 2023 meeting at Churchill Downs after his runner-up, Zedan Racing Stables’ Medina Spirit , tested positive for betamethasone after winning the May 1 Kentucky Derby presented there by Woodford Reserve (G1). The management hearing regarding the Derby has yet to take place while the follow-up checks are complete.
Cairo Memories, coached by Bob Hess Jr. for owners David A. Bernsen and Schroeder Farms, made her race debut on that Debutante card. Defeated at 16-1 in the first mile-long grass-court race, she scored 4 and a half. Cairo Memories returned to Santa Anita to win the October 3 Surfer Girl Stakes and then had a rough ride in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) in Del Mar, finishing ninth.
Starlet will be Cairo Memories’ first land race. Kent Desormeaux has ridden her own and will return to the ship from lesson 4.
Tonito’s , second in Desi Arnaz after Eda, drew the railroad and will feature Mario Gutierrez. Doug O’Neill coaches Tonito’s to owners Anderson Farms, ERJ Racing, Reddam Racing, John Fielding and Ryan Lloyd.
Desert dawn is the only Starlet species not bred in Kentucky. Elena Crim spawned in Arizona as H&E Ranch, the company that also owns her. Phil D’Amato coaches Desert Dawn, who in four starts broke her maidenhood, finishing third in Chandelier, and finishing sixth in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Mike Smith will go from lesson 5.
Item: Starlet S. (G1)
LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, Saturday, December 4, 2021, Race 8
- Level I
- 1 1/16m
- Dust
- 300,000 dollars
- 2 yo Fillies
- 4:00pm (local)
