By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman
The road to the Kentucky Oaks continued on Saturday with the $300,000 Starlet S. (G1) at Los Alamitos, a race in the past won by accomplished runners like Serena’s Song (1994) ), Blind Fortune (2009) and Abel Tasman (2016).
If recent history is any indication, Starlet is ripe for conquest by Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer has won the Starlet eight times, equaling the overall record, including the five most recent releases.
Seven fillings participated in Starlet 2022, and Baffert coached three of them. Leading the Baffert brigade was #3 Faiza, light lines 7-5 are favorites. The hot young prince’s daughter Girvin impressed in the six-feather women’s special weight class at Del Mar last month, dueling for the top through quick fractions of: 21.92 and :44.76 before going ahead to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
Faiza’s flashy debut form was flattered when runner-up Lily Poo returned to win her next match against the same opponent at Del Mar. a potential question mark. Only one out of eight Baffert Starlet winners (Streaming 2013) uses this strategy; the rest all bring staking experience (and majority staking experience) into their successful Starlet bids.
Only one of Baffert’s Starlet 2022 participants had previously disputed the bet, which is #4 Quick and shiny, the first winner of the five-long sprint at Del Mar during the summer. Taking that opportunity, Fast and Shiny defeated the stable friend #1 Doinithehardway 1 1/2 the length.
But Fast and Shiny has struggled on three starts since then. She was defeated in fifth place after dueling for an early lead in Del Mar Debutante (G1), then moved to grass and finished fourth in Surfer Girl S. (G3) and sixth in the $80,000 option grant. Preakness winner S. (G1) Bernardini’s daughter qualifies to return with a stronger run while returning to dirt, but Beyer and Brisnet’s speed metrics show Fast and Shiny ranking ranked below some of the other Starlet participants.
The final Baffert participant was the aforementioned Doinitthehardway. Since coming second in her debut after Fast and Shiny, Doinitthehardway has finished third in the women’s special weight class 6 1/2 furlong at Del Mar and second in the women’s special weight class in the one-mile long. same race track.
Doinitthehardway may be a teenager, but her route debut is solid, as she deftly chases down the 1st ranked 2-5 favorite Ice Dancing to the finish line just a few steps away. win a long way. Doinitthehardway trailed the third-place finisher 13 1/2 distances and secured speed numbers of 75 (Beyer) and 92 (Brisnet), faster than Faiza achieved in the win. her first. Doinitthehardway may have been the least successful of Baffert’s interns, but she couldn’t be left out of the consideration list.
It’s worth mentioning, however, that Baffert doesn’t seem to have any championship fillings included in Starlet. That’s why I want to support #7 Lucky toucha Tim Yakteen trainee with some promising activities.
Bless Touch got off to a bad start in her first 6 1/2 sprint at Del Mar and was never challenged to rally after that, rallying late to finish fifth in a field with Lily Poo and Doinitthehardway. But she ran much better in the women’s special weight class next six at Santa Anita, taking the lead and setting fractions of : 21.85 and : 44.56 en route to the win. wins with 8 3/4 lengths.
This powerful performance produced flashy speed numbers of 90 (Beyer) and 98 (Brisnet), and Bless Touch reasserted its talent with a strong runner-up in Desi Arnaz. Del Mar’s seven-foot long S. last month. After solving the gap behind the fractions : 22.04 and : 45.05, Bless Touch took the lead in hometretch, only to be run down by the delightful Justique.
Bless Touch ran strong in defeat, finishing 1/4 of the distance behind Justique 2 while trailing the third-place finisher 6 1/2 of the way. Desi Arnaz has produced four of the last seven Starlet winners, so Bless Touch can use her good performance in this crucial prep race as a springboard to success at Los Alamitos .
Option
1st time: Lucky touch
Monday: Faiza
Tuesday: Doinitthehardway
Now it’s your turn! Who do you like in Starlet?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, disabled athlete, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers Zenyatta his all-time favorite.
