Coco Bee changes things up for Camilla Urso Stakes

The 5-year-old Coco Bee has won 5 of her 10 starts, always racing in sprints on the synthetic main track at Golden Gate Fields. She will have what trainer Blaine Wright calls an overdue switch to turf in the $75,000 Camilla Urso Stakes for fillies and mares at five furlongs on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

The Camilla Urso also will be Coco Bee’s first start in a stakes and with blinkers.

“We’re excited about giving her a shot on turf,” Wright said. “We probably should have done it before this time.”

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Wright is optimistic that Coco Bee can make a successful transition to turf and hopes the blinkers will help her. Coco Bee finished a troubled third by a half-length in an allowance race at six furlongs March 1 and was later promoted to second. She was third in a similar race March 22. Jockey Juan Hernandez was aboard for those races and has the mount Saturday.

“Two races back, she got bumped around really badly,” Wright said. “Last race, Juan said she hesitated going by those mares, so we decided to put a little blinker on her. It’s us trying something.”

Coco Bee, who typically runs as a stalker, is part of a competitive field in the Camillo Urso, the eighth race on a nine-race program that begins at 12:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The race drew 14, with four on the also-eligible list. There are three stakes winners in the main body of the field – Ima Happy Cat, who won the Hastings Stakes at Emerald Downs last May; Tomlin, who won the 2018 Golden Gate Debutante; and Princess Vivian, winner of the Bear Fan Stakes at Golden Gate Fields last December.

None of the three has won on turf.

Mother of Dragons, who is on the also-eligible list, won the 2018 Camilla Urso. Mucho Amor, another runner on the also-eligible list, won the Seattle Stakes last May for Wright. Mucho Amor, a 4-year-old filly, was sixth in the same race as Coco Bee on March 22 in her first start of 2020. She has yet to start on turf.

“She’s in the transformation from 3 to 4, and we need to see if she fits,” Wright said.

Three of the entrants had their last start at Santa Anita, including Fantasy Heat. Trained by Mark Glatt, Fantasy Heat has not raced since she finished last of 10 in the Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in September.

Fantasy Heat has worked well recently, including a half-mile in 47.20 seconds from the gate last Saturday at Santa Anita. Glatt has won with 6 of his last 20 starters through Wednesday.