Baltas has strong pair for Red Carpet

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Richard Baltas is hoping to take a victory walk down the Red Carpet on Saturday at Del Mar. He’ll send out two in the 1 3/8-mile grass race for fillies and mares, and their contrasting styles give him two strong chances.

Lostintranzlation will be on the lead, Strike At Dawn will be running late. Both had compromised trips last time, and both appear to have decent chances in a race where Siberian Iris, runner-up in this race last year and a specialist at the distance, figures to go favored.

The Red Carpet – a Grade 3, $100,000 race that will be race 4 on a 10-race card – originally was scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed owing to cancellation of racing here Thanksgiving Day. The race was redrawn, and ended up with a field of eight after two original entrants were not entered back.

The postponement also impacted riding assignments. Flavien Prat was originally scheduled to ride Candy Store, but she was one of the two not entered back, and as a result Prat wound up on Lostintranzlation, on whom Brice Blanc had been named in the abandoned Thursday edition.

Lostintranzlation most recently was part of a white-hot pace going a mile in the opening-day Kathryn Crosby. She eventually faded to fifth, but the effort was better than looked. She stretches out to 1 3/8 miles, a trip over which she won in allowance company during the summer meeting before getting carved up on a strong pace in a stakes race going 11 furlongs next time out.

“If she can get a breather, she’ll be tough,” Baltas said. “Last time she wasn’t too rank. They just went too fast.”

Strike At Dawn was sixth of 12 most recently in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss going a mile at Santa Anita. This will be her first time beyond 1 1/16 miles, a distance at which she won here against allowance company in July.

“She’s a lighter-made filly, a long-striding filly,” Baltas said. “She likes to be covered up. Last time, against a good field, she didn’t get the right trip.”

Siberian Iris is the clear favorite. She was second in this race last year, and won the CTT and TOC Stakes during the summer meeting, also at 1 3/8 miles. She was fourth most recently in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive.

“She likes the distance. She’s doing real well,” said her trainer, Richard Mandella.

Keeper Ofthe Stars comes off a victory in the Autumn Miss. Previously one who raced on or near the lead, last time she was rated off a hot pace and then produced late. Similar tactics could benefit Lostintranzlation. If pace-pressing tactics are re-employed, both could be compromised.

Vibrance ran on well against allowance company following a poor start last time. Tiny Tina is making her third start following a freshening. Zuzanna, a one-time $8,000 claim, has won twice on this course. Curlin’s Journey was a close fourth in the Kathryn Crosby.