Gloryzapper will have 'her race of the year,' says trainer D'Amato

ARCADIA, Calif. – On paper, Gloryzapper probably wasn’t supposed to make the early lead at Santa Anita in the Oct. 9 LA Woman Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong race that the 4-year-old filly wound up winning to stamp her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Gloryzapper was exiting the John Mabee, a 1 1/8-mile turf race.

“She’s a jack of all trades, I’m telling you,” said Phil D’Amato, who trains Gloryzapper for the partnership of Hebert Bloodstock, Richard Leggio, and Peter Peluso. “She’s got a lot of versatility.”

Funny, but the $1 million Filly-Mare Sprint also has a similar look, at least in this key respect: There isn’t an obvious pacesetter in the seven-furlong race despite the likelihood of a full field of 14. D’Amato isn’t saying she'll be sent to the lead by veteran jockey Stewart Elliott, but it would be no surprise if she’s part of a scramble.

“Obviously she’ll have to step up to win this,” said D’Amato, the leading trainer at the 2016 Del Mar meet. “But she is training like she’s going to take a giant step up. The seven-eighths should be her sweet spot. I honestly couldn’t be any happier with how she’s coming into this. It’s going to be her race of the year. She’s ready to go.”

Meanwhile, Carina Mia had her final breeze for Saturday’s 10th running of the Filly-Mare Sprint when going a half-mile in 47.91 seconds Sunday over a fast Santa Anita surface for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Going immediately after the third of four harrow breaks during the 15-minute period reserved exclusively for Breeders’ Cup runners, Carina Mia went “super easy,” according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch, who caught her opening half-mile in 24.63 seconds.

Carina Mia, owned by Three Chimneys Farm, will have Julien Leparoux back aboard in a wide-open renewal of the Filly-Mare Sprint and could be vying for favoritism with Haveyougoneaway, winner of the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga in her last start for trainer Tom Morley. Carina Mia was third as the even-money favorite in the Ballerina and most recently was second to Songbird in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion on Sept. 24. Following the Cotillion, the 3-year-old Malibu Moon filly trained at Saratoga before being sent here last week.

On Saturday, another California filly, Tara’s Tango, had her final breeze for the Filly-Mare Sprint when going five furlongs in 59.80 seconds for Stonestreet Stables and Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Tara’s Tango, a gray 4-year-old, is the prototype of a turn-back horse, having spent much of her season in longer races.

“I do think she’s better around one turn,” Hollendorfer said. “We were trying to decide which race to run her in, and the seven-eighths made more sense than trying to run in the Distaff. Plus Stonestreet already had Cavorting (since retired) for the Distaff, so that was part of the decision. The filly has filled out a lot and is really doing well.”

At Belmont Park, the Chad Brown duo of Wavell Avenue (47 seconds) and Irish Jasper (49 seconds) were sent through separate half-mile breezes Saturday in making final preparations before their cross-country flight.

By the Moon, sent here early in the month from New York by owner Samantha Siegel, is scheduled to have her fourth and final work over the Santa Anita strip Monday. By the Moon is trained by Michelle Nevin, who also has Paulassilverlining for owner-breeder Vince Scuderi for this race.

From Churchill Downs, Spelling Again had her final pre-race breeze Saturday morning when going a half-mile in 48 seconds. Trainer Brad Cox concedes the former claimer will be a huge price but didn’t want to waste the “Win and You’re In” ticket she earned in winning the Princess Rooney in July.

With Curalina apparently all set for the Distaff on Friday after also having been pre-entered as a would-be favorite in this race, the 14th and final slot in the Filly-Mare Sprint has opened up for Wonder Gal, with trainer Leah Gyarmati making arrangements to have the New York-bred filly flown here for the race. Living the Life and Paid Up Subscriber were earlier defections from an original roster of 17 for the Filly-Mare Sprint.

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