Caribou Club, Ax Man invade for Turf Paradise Turf Stakes
PHOENIX – The focus is on grass at Turf Paradise on Friday with a pair of stakes that not only brought out some of the best local grass runners, but some scary California invaders.
The $60,000 Turf Paradise Turf (race 5) for 4-year-olds and up drew a field of 10, headed by top local Tiger Dad and Southern California raiders Caribou Club and Ax Man. The $60,000 Glendale (race 8) lured a field of 12 fillies and mares headed by raiders Norma Jean B., Global Brand, and Shore Break, with Cover Version the top local hope. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles on the grass.
Caribou Club, an 8-year-old gelded son of City Zip owned by the Glen Hill Farm and trained by Michael McCarthy, may go favored as a multiple graded stakes winner. He may not be that caliber any longer, but he comes off a fourth in a tough turf allowance sprint Jan. 2 at Santa Anita. Ax Man, a 7-year-old gelded son of Misremembered owned by Hal and Patti Earnhardt and trained by Dan McFarlane, finished fourth (moved up to third) in his only turf start, a sprint stakes at Santa Anita in January 2020. While he’s a bit of a question mark on turf, he’s knocked heads with some top company on dirt in Southern California.
Tiger Dad, a 6-year-old gelded son of Smiling Tiger, can be considered a local now. Owned by Rosette Racing LLC and trained by Robertino Diodoro, he was claimed off a dirt win Nov. 12 at Del Mar for $50,000. He came here and won the Luke Kruytbosch at a mile on dirt Nov. 26 and was then second in the Walter R. Cluer Memorial on turf here Jan. 14.
Giant Payday, Kennebec, My Indy, and Noble Pursuit all have sharp local form for the Turf Paradise Turf, though they’re all stepping up in class.
In the Glendale, Norma Jean B. looms a solid favorite as the 5-year-old daughter of Tapiture invades from Southern California in excellent form. Owned by the Thelma & Louise Stable LLC and trained by Vladimir Cerin, she comes off a string of good efforts, including second in a stakes on Santa Anita turf Oct. 9 and a win in a strong allowance race Nov. 25 at Del Mar.
Global Brand, a 5-year-old daughter of War Front owned by Glen Hill Farm and trained by Michael McCarthy, rallied strongly to be a good second to Norma Jean B. in that Nov. 25 race. She then ran fifth in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel on Jan. 1 at Santa Anita.
Shore Break, a 4-year-old daughter of Footstepsinthesand owned by Edward Hudson Jr. and Lynne Hudson and trained by Neil Drysdale, is another California raider. She comes off a sixth, beaten two lengths, in a strong allowance turf sprint Jan. 28 at Santa Anita.
Cover Version, a 7-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro trained by Reed Saldana, looks like the best local hope as she comes off four straight good efforts on this course, including a rallying second in the Queen of the Green to Southern California raider and South American Grade 1 winner Brooke here Jan. 14.