Coyote Moon skips maiden for stakes

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Eight 2-year-olds will be seeking their first stakes victory in Sunday's $50,000-added Cavonnier Juvenile at the Sonoma County Fair.

Four of the runners enter the race off a maiden victory, three enter off a stakes try, and one, Coyote Moon, will be making his career debut.

Coyote Moon was originally entered in a maiden race Saturday, but trainer Steve Specht decided to run him in the Cavonnier Juvenile instead because he wanted to avoid Vicarino, a Greg Gilchrist-trained colt. Specht said he thinks the Cavonnier Juvenile may be easier than the Saturday maiden race.

Coyote Moon completed his work for the race with a five-furlong bullet in 1:00.40 here July 29, the fastest of eight works on the day. Specht said Coyote Moon is a "gutty little horse" who has trained well for his debut. Coyote Moon will break from post 7.

The most dangerous runner in the field may be Super Image, who just scored a six-length win in a straight maiden race at Solano. A son of To B. Super, a multiple stakes winner of $265,690, Super Image ran fourth, beaten 11 lengths by Direct Exposure, in his debut at Pleasanton. Trainer Lloyd Mason said he was impressed, nonetheless.

"He didn't like dirt in his face, but that was an awfully fast race," Mason said. "The colt that won is very nice, and I had another colt that ran second in the race. But he looked good even if he ran fourth."

Super Image didn't get any dirt in his face in his next start, when he went wire to wire. He can expect a similar trip Sunday.

Although this will be Super Image's third race in barely more than a month, Mason said he was satisfied with the timing. He said the victory took little out of Super Image, who came back with an easy half-mile work that convinced Mason he could handle Sunday's race.

Others in the field include Quintons Shocker, second in the ATBA Sales Stakes at Turf Paradise in his last start; Palacio de Secreto, third in the Everett Nevin/Alameda County Futurity; and Love that Gin, who finished fourth in the Malcolm Anderson at Bay Meadows and has the highest Beyer in the field, a 76.

Trainer Bob Hess will send Gary John, the first runner sired by Tannersmyman, who won the Lyttle Stakes here at age 3.