Brooklyn Blonde makes debut after bullet work
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Last Saturday morning at Del Mar, Brooklyn Blonde flew through a half-mile from the gate in 46.80 seconds to record the fastest workout of 105 times at the distance.
On Saturday this weekend, Brooklyn Blonde may put that speed to work when she starts for the first time in a maiden race for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Brooklyn Blonde, who is by Gun Runner, races for the partnership of Sun-Kissed Stable and Bobby Flay and is trained by Michael McCarthy. On Friday, McCarthy spoke highly of Brooklyn Blonde.
“It’s a nice race to get her started,” McCarthy said. “She’s trained forwardly.”
Brooklyn Blonde drew post 3 in a field of seven. McCarthy suggests the post position will require Brooklyn Blonde to be quick away from the gate. Kazushi Kimura has the mount.
“We’ll probably have to run away from there a little bit,” he said.
Brooklyn Blonde is out of Shenandoah Queen, the winner of the restricted Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar in 2017 and 2018. Shenandoah Queen was later third in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in 2018.
The race favorite is expected to be Bottle of Rouge, who was second by six lengths in her first start in a maiden race at five furlongs at Santa Anita on June 12. Bottle of Rouge, trained by Bob Baffert, was beaten by stablemate Himika, who will be favored to win Sunday’s Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
The field for Saturday’s maiden race includes Bad Manners, a cleverly-named first-time runner by Into Mischief who is out of I’m a Chatterbox, a multiple Grade 1 winner who was a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding 3-year-old filly of 2015.
Trained by Richard Mandella, Bad Manners worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds at Del Mar last Saturday.
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