Golden Gate Fields: Pike Place Dancer a pivotal race for all seven juvenile fillies

Ryan Kenny voices a sentiment that the trainers of all seven runners in Saturday’s $100,000 Pike Place Dancer at Golden Gate Fields probably share.

The trainer of stakes-placed Purims Faith, Kenny said, “We’ll see if she’s ready to make the next step.”

None of the 2-year-old fillies in the one-mile turf race has won a stakes or won on turf, and four of them will be running on grass for the first time.

Miss Machiavelli, trained by Keith Desormeaux, and Pleasant Miss, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, could be favored off fifth- and sixth-place finishes in the $100,000 Surfer Girl on the Santa Anita turf earlier this month. But trainer Bill Delia thinks he has an upset shot with French Tart, a maiden who comes off a second Sept. 13 in a one-mile special weight at Golden Gate Fields in her turf debut.

“I think it’s her spot,” Delia said. “With 2-year-olds, you never know exactly how it will go. They improve every start.”

Delia believes French Tart enters Saturday’s race with a number of pluses. Among them is that the filly who beat her last time, Miss Lafayette, came back to run fourth in the Surfer Girl, finishing in front of Pleasant Miss and Miss Machiavelli. Delia said that second-place finish proves French Tart likes the turf and the Pike Place Dancer distance.

“She’s had a race over this course and this distance, and I think that makes a lot of difference,” Delia said. “Her whole family have won going long on the turf.”

French Tart, a Patricia Ford homebred, showed good speed early in training but never changed leads while running inconsistently on the main track. Delia said she changed leads in the maiden race last month and has been doing it in training since.

Purims Faith will be making her first start since running third in the 5 1/2-furlong Juan Gonzalez on dirt July 6 at Pleasanton. She won a four-furlong maiden race over the Golden Gate Tapeta in May.

Purims Faith has never run on turf, but Kenny notes that her sire, Purim, was a Grade 1 winner on turf and her dam, Secret Humor, scored her lone victory on turf.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong, and I think she has a shot,” he said. “She’s ready, but the main thing is to get 2-year-olds to run the course. I just know she’s run better on synthetics and is always the fastest past the wire.

“We’ll see, but we’re excited.”