Fresh off an authoritative one-mile turf stakes win and unbeaten in two Southern California starts, the Phil D'Amato-trained Comanche Country should be plenty tough among a field of 10 juvenile fillies in the $200,000 Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) which will be contested at a flat mile Oct. 9 over the Santa Anita Park turf.
The 9-5 favorite in her U.S. debut, a one-mile turf maiden special weight at Del Mar July 30, Comanche Country rallied nicely through the lane to win going away by three-quarters of a length. Subsequently off at 2-1 among a field of 11 in the ungraded Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Sept. 10, Comanche Country was all business turning for home en route to a 1 1/4-length win.
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Second, beaten a nose in her six-furlong turf debut April 25 in Ireland, she was never a factor in her final Irish start, a seventh-place run in a group 3 stakes going six panels on turf May 15.
Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, the 2-year-old daughter of Highland Reel is 2-1-0 in four starts and will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Umberto Rispoli.
A first-out five-furlong maiden turf winner in open company June 10, the Brian Koriner-trained Sell the Dream, a California-bred filly by Munnings out of the Run Away and Hide mare Enayat Alsalam, came back to be third versus state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt in the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes Aug. 7 and in her most recent start, she rebounded with a vastly improved effort at one mile on turf, running second to the top pick in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Sell the Dream races for the second time at one mile on grass. Owned by Edward Brown, Alan Klein, and Phil Lebherz, Sell the Dream will be ridden for the fourth time by Abel Cedillo.
A first-out maiden winner going five furlongs on dirt and most recently a well-beaten fifth going seven furlongs in the TVG Del Mar Debutante (G1T), the Bob Baffert-trained Fast and Shiny has been supplemented to the Surfer Girl, trying turf and two turns for the first time. She races with blinkers off.
Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Fast and Shiny, a Kentucky-bred filly by Bernardini out of the Lion Hearted mare Spotted Heart, will be handled for the first time by veteran Joe Bravo in her third career start.
Dandy Man Shines Needs Better Racing Luck in Zuma Beach
A much-troubled fourth as the favorite in his U.S. debut, Irish-bred Dandy Man Shines will hope for clear sailing among a field of 11 juveniles going one mile on turf in the $200,000 Zuma Beach Stakes (G3T) later on the Sunday card.
Trained by Jeff Mullins and owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dandy Man Shines, who was off at 4-1 in the 14-horse Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (G3T) Sept. 11, was off slowly in heavy traffic around the far turn and was ping-ponged between horses a sixteenth of a mile from home when beaten 5 1/4 lengths by stablemate Packs a Wahlop, who he'll face again on Sunday. Following a stewards inquiry, Dandy Man Shines was moved up to third as the original second-place finisher was disqualified.
Winless in two English starts, the most recent a fourth-place finish in a group 2 stakes going seven furlongs on turf July 26, Dandy Man Shines will be ridden again by Rispoli.
Mullins and the ownership of Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal are obviously holding a very strong two-card hand, as Packs a Wahlop made no mistakes in his first try around two turns, winning the Del Mar Juvenile Turf by 4 1/4 lengths while well clear of the trouble behind him.
A 1 1/2-length maiden winner going five furlongs on turf two starts back on Aug. 5, Packs a Wahlop laid close to the early pace in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf and came away from his competition nicely.
With Mike Smith staying on Packs a Wahlop, Peter Eurton's Gas Me Up, an impressive 1 1/2-length one-mile turf maiden winner Sept. 11, will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez in what will be his fourth overall start.
Owned by Exline-Border Racing, Michael Jawl, and Aaron Kennedy, Gas Me Up is an Ontario-bred colt by Hard Spun out of the Smart Strike mare Chic Thrill.
Though neither the Surfer Girl nor the Zuma Beach are official "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup qualifiers, one or both of the races could propel horses toward races on the first Breeders' Cup Day, the Nov. 4 Future Stars Friday program, at Keeneland.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 9, 2022, Race 5Entries: Surfer Girl S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Bolts Babe (KY) Kyle Frey 120 Shelbe Ruis 15/1 2 2Sell the Dream (CA) Abel Cedillo 120 Brian J. Koriner 4/1 3 3Comanche Country (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 124 Philip D'Amato 8/5 4 4Bolt's Broad (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 122 Shelbe Ruis 20/1 5 5Court Snort (CA) Mario Gutierrez 122 Sergio Morfin 20/1 6 6Fast and Shiny (KY) Joe Bravo 120 Bob Baffert 6/1 7 7Queenzy (KY) Mike E. Smith 122 Jeff Mullins 15/1 8 8Excelia (IRE) Ramon A. Vazquez 120 Philip D'Amato 4/1 9 9Havana Angel (IRE) Ryan Curatolo 120 Leonard Powell 10/1 10 10Cast Member (CA) Hector Isaac Berrios 120 Tim Yakteen 12/1
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 9, 2022, Race 10Entries: Zuma Beach S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Malibu Coast (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 122 Michael W. McCarthy 8/1 2 2Gas Me Up (ON) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Peter Eurton 10/1 3 3Castleknock (KY) Edwin A. Maldonado 122 Peter Miller 30/1 4 4Dandy Man Shines (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 120 Jeff Mullins 4/1 5 5Packs a Wahlop (KY) Mike E. Smith 124 Jeff Mullins 5/2 6 6Valiancer (KY) Kyle Frey 120 Jeff Mullins 20/1 7 7Suburban Prince (VA) Victor Espinoza 122 Doug F. O'Neill 30/1 8 8Giver Not a Taker (CA) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 120 Peter Miller 6/1 9 9Ah Jeez (KY) Abel Cedillo 120 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1 10 10For A Laugh (IRE) Joe Bravo 122 Simon Callaghan 4/1 11 11De la Luna (KY) Ryan Curatolo 120 Quinn Howey 30/1 12 12Russells Hustle (KY) Ash Morgan 120 George Papaprodromou 30/1 13 13Reincarnate (KY) Umberto Rispoli 120 Bob Baffert 6/1
