3-year-olds get turf opportunities in Startac, Coady stakes

PHOENIX – Grass is the name of the game Saturday at Turf Paradise with the Startac Stakes for 3-year-olds and the Jeff & Jack Coady Sr. for 3-year-old fillies. Each race is worth $25,000 and will be run at 7 1/2 furlongs on grass.

The Startac (race 8) drew a field of 10, and the Jeff & Jack Coady Sr. (race 5) has a field of nine, headed by local turf winners Stormy Music and Free My Soul.

Only three of the 10 in the Startac have turf experience. It’s a Boy, Tequila Cowboy, and Parking Permit each won a maiden race on turf and now face some proven stakes runners, including Call Waiting, Prince Pierce, Keyson, and Senor Friday.

Call Waiting was beaten a nose in the Lost in the Fog Juvenile here Dec. 29 and won a sprint stakes here in spring. Prince Pierce was third in the Lost in the Fog, a nose behind Call Waiting, and Keyson was fourth, another neck farther back. Keyson won the Arizona Breeders’ Futurity two starts back on Dec. 8.

Senor Friday finished fifth in the Lost in the Fog and has some appeal in the Startac, his first race on turf. Owned by Charles Garvey and trained by Robertino Diodoro, Senor Friday is a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, who was Grade 1-placed on turf. Senor Friday whipped maidens going a mile here Oct. 29, then romped by five lengths in an allowance sprint here Dec. 5. In the Lost in the Fog, he got bumped early to be well back, pitched very wide into the lane, and finished well to be beaten 1 1/2 lengths. This longer trip and the surface switch may play well for him.

Stormy Music back on grass

In the Jeff & Jack Coady Sr., Stormy Music may be the one to beat as she returns to turf following a fourth-place finish sprinting on dirt in the Arizona Juvenile Filly Stakes. Owned by Barro Racing and trained by Dan McFarlane, Stormy Music lagged back early in her only turf start, a maiden race on this course at this trip Dec. 11, and blasted home to win in by 4 3/4 lengths under a hand ride.

Free My Soul won a maiden race on this course at this trip Nov. 23. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 51, compared to the 45 earned by Stormy Music. Free My Soul ran third in the Arizona Juvenile Filly, finishing five lengths ahead of Stormy Music.

Let Me Fly tries turf after running second in two dirt sprint stakes here. Bev’s Humor, a $210,000 maiden daughter of Distorted Humor, invades from Southern California.