The fleet of foot sprinters will be in the spotlight in the $35,000 City of Phoenix Handicap and the $35,000 Luke Kruytbosch Saturday at Turf Paradise.
The City of Phoenix drew a field of eight fillies and mares while the Luke Kruytbosch attracted a full field of 12 colts and geldings. Both races will be run at 6-furlongs, with the Phoenix going as the 7th race and the Kruytbosch the 8th on an eight-race card. Post time will be 12:55 pm.
What the two stakes have in common is both races are loaded with talent.
The City of Phoenix
Five up and coming fillies and three accomplished mares make this race an interesting betting proposition.
Leading trainer Robertino Diodoro has entered one of each: the 4-year-old filly Freakin Amazing and the 6-year-old mare Always a Chance.
Freakin Amazing, a winner of three of 10 efforts, including the Arizona Juvenile fillies, has been idle since an allowance win at Canterbury Aug. 20. The daughter of Zensational is blazingly fast and her Nov. 7 four-furlong work of :47.4 at Santa Anita may give an indication of her readiness, Always a Chance is a mid-pack racer who encountered racing difficulty in her last start, the Princess of Palms, here locally on October 24. She brings a previously competitive southern California form.
The Molly Pearson-trained Winning Vision brings her tracking the pace victory as the favorite in the Princess of Palms Stakes right back at her favorite 6-furlong distance. The 4-year-old daughter of up and coming sire Pollard’s Vision has won three of five efforts locally.
Camille, an ultra-fast daughter of Rocky Bar, will dare her rivals to catch her if they can. The 5-year-old mare has been off since Aug. 7. Be Proud, who closed stoutly to be second best in the Princess of Palms, will be sent forth by Dan McFarlane, who won this race in 2014 with Maker or Breaker.
The Luke Kruytbosch
Named after Turf Paradise and Churchill Down’s late announcer, who passed away in 2008, the Kruytbosch attracted last year’s winner Omar and Bienvenidos winner Absolutely Cool, as well as 10 other quality sprinters.
The Diodoro (who’s won this race four times)-trained Omar ran flat in the Bienvenidos, finishing sixth in the eight-horse field. But the son of Bertrando, who’s won 11 of 31 lifetime races including four locally, was coming off a 2-month layoff and was perhaps in need of a tightner.
Bienvenidos winner Absolutely Cool, trained by Valorie Lund, has won 7 of 25 starts at Turf, including this year’s Phoenix Gold Cup. The 8-year-old gelding is a confirmed closer and will surely have a pace to run at given a few of the confirmed front-runners.
Back to test Absolutely Cool again is Bienvenidos pace-setter Bourbon Sense who gave way in the final sixteenth of a mile to the victorious Absolutely Cool.
Then there is the speedy Rockin Home, the multiple stakes winning son of Rocky Bar who has five of 10 races locally.
Plus another speed ball, Canadian ship-in Swiss Idol, conditioned by Rick Wise, who’s working on his third consecutive win, while sporting 11 wins from 29 efforts.
Another Rocky Bar progeny is JP Rocker (local record 13-5-4-1) who finished fifth in this last race to the highly regarded Twelve Tribes.
The City of Phoenix drew a field of eight fillies and mares while the Luke Kruytbosch attracted a full field of 12 colts and geldings. Both races will be run at 6-furlongs, with the Phoenix going as the 7th race and the Kruytbosch the 8th on an eight-race card. Post time will be 12:55 pm.
What the two stakes have in common is both races are loaded with talent.
The City of Phoenix
Five up and coming fillies and three accomplished mares make this race an interesting betting proposition.
Leading trainer Robertino Diodoro has entered one of each: the 4-year-old filly Freakin Amazing and the 6-year-old mare Always a Chance.
Freakin Amazing, a winner of three of 10 efforts, including the Arizona Juvenile fillies, has been idle since an allowance win at Canterbury Aug. 20. The daughter of Zensational is blazingly fast and her Nov. 7 four-furlong work of :47.4 at Santa Anita may give an indication of her readiness, Always a Chance is a mid-pack racer who encountered racing difficulty in her last start, the Princess of Palms, here locally on October 24. She brings a previously competitive southern California form.
The Molly Pearson-trained Winning Vision brings her tracking the pace victory as the favorite in the Princess of Palms Stakes right back at her favorite 6-furlong distance. The 4-year-old daughter of up and coming sire Pollard’s Vision has won three of five efforts locally.
Camille, an ultra-fast daughter of Rocky Bar, will dare her rivals to catch her if they can. The 5-year-old mare has been off since Aug. 7. Be Proud, who closed stoutly to be second best in the Princess of Palms, will be sent forth by Dan McFarlane, who won this race in 2014 with Maker or Breaker.
The Luke Kruytbosch
Named after Turf Paradise and Churchill Down’s late announcer, who passed away in 2008, the Kruytbosch attracted last year’s winner Omar and Bienvenidos winner Absolutely Cool, as well as 10 other quality sprinters.
The Diodoro (who’s won this race four times)-trained Omar ran flat in the Bienvenidos, finishing sixth in the eight-horse field. But the son of Bertrando, who’s won 11 of 31 lifetime races including four locally, was coming off a 2-month layoff and was perhaps in need of a tightner.
Bienvenidos winner Absolutely Cool, trained by Valorie Lund, has won 7 of 25 starts at Turf, including this year’s Phoenix Gold Cup. The 8-year-old gelding is a confirmed closer and will surely have a pace to run at given a few of the confirmed front-runners.
Back to test Absolutely Cool again is Bienvenidos pace-setter Bourbon Sense who gave way in the final sixteenth of a mile to the victorious Absolutely Cool.
Then there is the speedy Rockin Home, the multiple stakes winning son of Rocky Bar who has five of 10 races locally.
Plus another speed ball, Canadian ship-in Swiss Idol, conditioned by Rick Wise, who’s working on his third consecutive win, while sporting 11 wins from 29 efforts.
Another Rocky Bar progeny is JP Rocker (local record 13-5-4-1) who finished fifth in this last race to the highly regarded Twelve Tribes.
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