Cape Cod Bay in tough spot for turf route

Cape Cod Bay has been unspectacular but steady in her 22-race career, a reason Jeff Thornbury would like to keep the filly in his stable for a while.

It's also a reason Cape Cod Bay "probably will get through this second condition at some point," said Thornbury, although he, like most Arlington Park handicappers, is wondering whether Friday will be the day.

"She's very hard-knocking, although numbers-wise, she may be in a little tough Friday," said Thornbury, the 56-year-old lifelong horseman. "I think she might even be capable of black type, but that's a matter of where and when, too."

Cape Cod Bay was bred and is owned by Overbrook Farm, the world-renowned Lexington, Ky., establishment that announced in June it intends to disperse the vast majority of its Thoroughbred holdings, beginning next month. Thornbury said this week from Arlington in Arlington Heights, Ill., that Chris Young, the grandson of the late Overbrook founder, W.T. Young, has indicated he will maintain a small racing stable consisting of a few holdovers.

"This filly could be part of that, which would be good because I really like her," Thornbury said.

Cape Cod Bay, with Jermaine Bridgmohan to ride, will break from post 6 in the Friday co-feature at Arlington, a $44,200 allowance scheduled for about 1 1/16 miles on the turf. After taking 20 tries to win so much as a maiden race, Cape Cod Bay also captured her 21st start, an entry-level Arlington allowance, with both triumphs coming in turf routes.

Cape Cod Bay will face eight other fillies and mares in the eighth of nine Friday races, with Always In My Heart and Cavan Thunder, both exiting stakes, also rating high mention.

The preceding race also is a $44,200 route governed by a second-level allowance condition (plus a $40,000 claiming option), although it is for older males on the Polytrack. Only six are entered in that one, with trainer Hugh Robertson holding the strongest hand. Robertson will send out the uncoupled entry of Curly, who will be returning from a layoff of nearly eight months after knocking out his first allowance condition at Hawthorne in early January, and He's Bonafide, a 3-year-old in sharp form after narrowly missing at this same level in his latest start Aug. 7.

Twilight first post Friday at Arlington is 2:30 p.m. Central.