California Cup Juvenile Fillies: Tilde stretches out in search of three in a row

ARCADIA, Calif. – Tilde had a perfect season at Del Mar over the summer, going unbeaten in two sprint stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies. The winning streak has every chance to continue in the $250,000 California Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Saturday, trainer Mike Harrington said.

The Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies, for statebreds over 1 1/16 miles on the main track, will be Tilde’s first start beyond six furlongs. That is not a major concern for Harrington.

“She’s happy and healthy, and we’re ready to go,” Harrington said.

“She’s trained like she’ll go farther. In either of her [stakes] races, she wasn’t all out.”

Bred by Harrington, Tilde is by Swiss Yodeler, whose best results have come with sprinters. Tilde has won three of four starts and $195,060. At Del Mar, she won the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs on July 20 and the Generous Portion Stakes over six furlongs on Aug. 29.

[bc_video_id:265391:]Tilde can race on or near the lead. She starts from post 9 in a field of 10. Jockey Rafael Bejarano, who has been aboard Tilde for all four of her starts, keeps the mount.

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“Having Bejarano will help,” Harrington said.

In recent weeks, Tilde has had mixed results in workouts at Betfair Hollywood Park, Harrington said. She worked seven furlongs in 1:28.80 on Oct. 1 and five furlongs in 1:02.80 last Sunday.

“The last five-eighths [work] was a little slower than I would have liked,” Harrington said. “My rider kind of went to sleep on me. The seven-eighths was a good workout.”

Tilde is the lone stakes winner in the field but will be challenged by two promising fillies who placed in stakes. The field includes the well regarded maiden race winner Sacred Delight.

Cotton’s Point, a maiden after four races, was second in the CTBA Stakes. Qiaona also is a maiden after four races and was second in the Barretts Debutante Stakes at Fairplex Park on Sept. 15.

One filly already has a win over the track at this meeting. Warren’s Sugarbuzz won a starter allowance at 55-1 here Oct. 5, her second consecutive win. She won a $32,000 claiming race for maidens at Fairplex Park on Sept. 13 and is making her stakes debut in the Cal Cup Juvenile.

Sacred Delight finished a nose in front of Graduator in a maiden race for California-bred 2-year-old fillies over seven furlongs at Del Mar on Sept. 5. Graduator also is part of the Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Sacred Delight, who is by Mutakddim, is owned by breeders Al and Sandee Kirkwood and trained by Eric Kruljac. The trainer is enthused about Sacred Delight’s chances after her hard-fought maiden race win in her second career start.

“I think her pedigree and her winning at seven furlongs might make her a legitimate contender,” Kruljac said. “She’s certainly training good. She handled seven furlongs, and her gallop out was pretty good. She hung in there and got the bob.”