French import Maibaby takes on the boys
The French import Maibaby will face males for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes on turf at Del Mar.
For trainer Neil Drysdale, the Let It Ride was more attractive for Maibaby than Friday’s $75,000 Kathryn Crosby Stakes for fillies and mares.
“We felt this might be an easier option,” he said.
The Crosby drew stakes winners Kitten’s Point, Oscar Party, Warren’s Veneda, and Wishing Gate. The only stakes winners in the Let It Ride Stakes are Awesome Return, who has not raced since the summer, and Forever Juanito, winless in his last five starts.
The Let It Ride Stakes is run over a mile on turf for horses who have not won a first-place purse of $50,000 in a stakes at a mile or longer since April 1, other than statebred races.
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KEY CONTENDERS
Maibaby
◗ Maibaby won 2 of 6 starts in France, including an allowance race over a mile on turf against 3-year-old fillies at Chantilly in June, her most recent start.
◗ The Let It Ride will be the stakes debut for Maibaby, who is by Hurricane Run and is owned by Dave Heerensperger.
◗ Drysdale considers Maibaby to be a graded stakes prospect this winter.
◗ In her French races, she raced on or near the front.
◗ In her debut, she won on the synthetic track at Deauville last December.
Awesome Return (Last 3 Beyers: 85-87-85)
◗ Trained by Mike Puype, Awesome Return won the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes at Hollywood Park in April and the $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in June. Those races were against California-bred 3-year-olds and do not affect Awesome Return’s eligibility for the Let It Ride Stakes.
◗ Awesome Return was third in a productive optional claimer on turf at Del Mar in July. Race winner Sawyer’s Hill was later second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.
◗ Awesome Return was given a 30-day rest following the July race.
“He’s been training well and working well,” Puype said.
Forever Juanito (Last 3 Beyers: 91-84-87)
◗ Forever Juanito won the Desert Code Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in May.
◗ Trained by Juan Garcia, Forever Juanito was seventh in the Oceanside Stakes over a mile on turf at Del Mar in July and second in the Uniformity Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Oct. 19.
Home School (Last 3 Beyers: 85-80-89)
◗ Home School is winless in 10 starts since arriving from Ireland in the summer of 2013 but has been second or third in six of those races.
◗ During the summer, Home School was third in the Oceanside Stakes and second in an optional claimer at Del Mar.
◗ While it is difficult to see him winning, the colt will play a role in the Let It Ride Stakes as a front-runner.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Cabral. Trainer Leonard Powell is 4-2-0-0 with a $12.95 ROI over the past two years in turf routes with horses getting Lasix for the first time. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Final Step. Trainer Peter Miller is 50-3-3-4 with a $0.96 ROI over the past five years on turf with horses going a route of ground for the first time. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan