MARTY'S RACE-A-DAY

RACE 4—SANTA ANITA—OCT. 10, 2015

Allowance purse: $53,000 (plus up to $15,900 to Cal-bred winners) for fillies and mares three years old and upward which have never won $10,000 other than maiden, claiming or starter or which have never won two races. Three-year-olds, 122 Lbs; Older, 124 Lbs; Non-winners of a race other than Maiden, Claiming or Starter Allowed 2 Lbs. A race other than Claiming or Starter Allowed 4 Lbs. Six And One Half Furlongs. 

Note: Horses are ranked in ascending order of Morning Line odds. Asterisk indicates predicted winner.  

*Pleasant as Pie--When this Florida-bred, Ron Ellis-trained 4-year-old went off at 33-1 at Del Mar on Sept. 6, who imagined she would unassumingly settle into the middle of an 11-horse field, then suddenly make a sharp outside move with a quarter of a mile to go, and then pour it on for a convincing win with a big $68.80/$24/$12.80 payoff? Same identical kind of  race awaits here, only jockey Joe Talamo takes over from Drayden Van Dyke. PAP is a bit of a mystery, purchased for $125K as a yearling, with no other races on the resume. But somebody up there likes her to repeat that maiden effort: the early line is 9-5.  

Radiant Journey--This 4-year old, Cal-bred D’Amato trainee returns after an 8-month layoff. Her four races around the turn of the new year were strong efforts (2 wins, 2 places), showcasing an aggressive, tireless runner (foxish-rabbit) perfectly suited for sprints on dirt. Martin Garcia was the jock on all of those races; Tyler Baze jumps into the saddle this time, and he will pull a #1 post position, which actually seemed to help Radiant Journey in three of her four previous races. The early line is 3-1. 

Daddy’s Duo--For the past year and some change, 3-year old Daddy’s Duo has been shepherded by the Desormeaux clan. The KY-bred filly is a versatile  runner, with a few turf races under her cinch, but she runs best as a sprinter on dirt, sporting an aggressive style not unlike today’s likely challenger Radiant Journey. The horse has recently been moved into the John Sadler barn, and there’s a new rider: Martin Garcia. This race suits her, though, and she might get into the mix nicely from the outside #7 PP. The early line is 4-1.

Moyo Honey--This Patrick Gallagher filly’s been racing at longer lengths and on turf of late, but clearly her best efforts, both earlier this year, were sprints on dirt (a place in May, a win in June). Drayden Van Dyke had been her exclusive jockey, but James Graham will give it a go with the KY-bred 3-year-old. Early line: 5-1.

Fashioned Gem--Not much data to compute on this 3-year-old Florida filly, with trainer Mark Glatt seeming to be experimenting so far with her on surfaces and distances. But Fashioned Gem’s Aug. 5 win on dirt at 6-and-a-half furlongs at Del Mar was an eye-opener. As soon as Trevor Denman’s call had all but written the horse off, she stormed back on the outside to blow past the field of 12 to pay off handsomely as a 21-1 shot. Still a pretty unknown quantity at 6-1; all-star jockey Rafael Bejarano takes over for Flavien Prat.  

Bennett Jean--An 8-month layoff and a new trainer, Peter Eurton. This 3-year-old KY-bred has done little of distinction since June 2014, and it’s been a year since her only win. Mario Gutierrez rides, taking over from Aaron Gryder, who tried to establish some consistency with the filly over her last four races. 8-1 on the early line. 

Call to Congrats--Once upon a time—Aug. 2014, to be precise—this KY-bred filly looked promising as a sprinter on dirt. Since a trainer switch—Sadler to Gary Mandella—the 3-year-old has only raced once, an unimpressive 7th place finish in a turf sprint at Santa Anita on 6/28. Just trying to round back into form, it appears, and doing so with Mike Smith in the irons. The early line is 12-1.