Blingismything will rely on late kick in Royal Heroine
ARCADIA, Calif. – The field for the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes for fillies and mares can go as quickly as it wants in the first half of the one-mile turf race Saturday at Santa Anita. Blingismything will be toward the back, ready to make a late move in the stretch, trainer Eric Kruljac insisted.
“She’s not very big,” he said Thursday. “She doesn’t need much of a hole to get through.”
Blingismything rallied through traffic to win the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at a mile on turf April 26, her first stakes win. She was closer to the pace in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf May 25 and finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length.
The Grade 2 Royal Heroine may be similar to the Wilshire in regard to tactics.
“There is quite a bit of speed in there,” Kruljac said.
The Royal Heroine is one of two one-mile turf stakes for females on Saturday’s 10-race program. Earlier on the program, there are nine 3-year-old fillies in the $100,000 Senorita Stakes.
Royal Heroine Stakes
The Royal Heroine field features seven stakes winners, including Fanticola, who was second by a neck in the Gamely; Birdlover, who won the Mizdirection Stakes on the hillside turf course May 22; and Stormy Lucy, unraced since a fourth in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Del Mar last September.
Fanticola and Birdlover have ample speed. Fanticola won the Megahertz Stakes at a mile on turf in January, her lone stakes win in 16 starts.
Birdlover has won three stakes since the start of 2013. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Birdlover was third in the Wilshire, losing by a head to Blingismything. Birdlover will be ridden by Mike Smith, who will have the option of sending the 5-year-old mare to the front or racing from a stalking position.
“We can leave it up to Mike,” said Steve Rothblum, O’Neill’s assistant. “She’s pretty versatile.”
Birdlover has been effective in sprints at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course and at a mile. Rothblum said Birdlover’s best distance is “probably seven furlongs.”
Famous Alice is a closer who will benefit from a quick pace. The 4-year-old filly is owned by George Krikorian and was transferred from Tom Proctor to trainer Tim Yakteen this month.
Senorita Stakes
Curlin’s Fox will be favored to win her first stakes in the Grade 3 Senorita. Trained by Carla Gaines for Warren Williamson, Curlin’s Fox won an optional claimer on the hillside turf course by 4 1/4 lengths May 25, the sharpest performance of her four-race career.
Earlier this year, Curlin’s Fox was plagued by a bleeding issue, which Gaines said has not been a concern of late.
Curlin’s Fox faces three stakes winners – Avenge, Long Hot Summer, and Lutine Belle.
Avenge has won her last three starts, all on the hillside turf course. The Senorita will be her first start at a mile. Long Hot Summer won an optional claimer on the hillside turf course June 12.