Her Emmynency well prepared for Surfer Girl
ARCADIA, Calif. – To prepare Her Emmynency for her turf debut in Sunday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita, trainer Mike Stidham found an ideal sparring partner. Istanford, the winner of two turf stakes at Del Mar during the summer, worked with Her Emmynency twice in late September.
For Istanford, the works were a tune-up for the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland this Saturday. For Her Emmynency, the turf works were a chance to become familiar with the surface before the Surfer Girl.
“In both works, she was comfortable on the grass and finished up well,” Stidham said.
The Surfer Girl Stakes is for 2-year-old fillies and is one of two one-mile turf stakes for juveniles on Sunday’s card. The other is the $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes, which is open to all 2-year-olds. The races are likely to produce starters for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf here Oct. 31.
The Surfer Girl Stakes has drawn one stakes winner in She’s Complete and four stakes-placed runners in a field of 12, plus one also-eligible. The 10 runners in the Zuma Beach Stakes include the stakes winner Highway Boss and two stakes-placed runners.
SURFER GIRL, race 8
Key contenders
Her Emmynency (Beyers: 82-78)
◗ After beating maidens in her debut, Her Emmynency finished a neck behind Sunset Glow in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante over seven furlongs Aug. 30.
◗ In her turf workouts, she ran a half-mile in 47.80 seconds Sept. 20 and five furlongs in 1:01 on Sept. 28.
“We couldn’t be happier with the way she’s training up to the race,” Stidham said.
◗ Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, Her Emmynency is a candidate for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf with a good race Sunday.
“We feel we could have a home-course advantage by staying at Santa Anita,” Stidham said.
She’s Complete (Beyers: 81-67)
◗ She’s Complete was fourth and second in maiden races in Ireland before finishing second in a maiden race in her U.S. debut Aug. 13.
◗ Despite those losses, she was favored in the Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Sept. 1 and closed from sixth to win by a half-length in the one-mile race.
◗ Trained by Doug O’Neill, She’s Complete is a threat from off the pace.
Sea Mona (Last 3 Beyers: 80-45-42)
◗ Sea Mona set the pace in the Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf, leading by 2 1/2 lengths in the stretch and finishing second.
◗ The race was her first start beyond 5 1/2 furlongs.
◗ In the Surfer Girl, she could face early pressure from Into Oblivion and Heart of Paradise, who was second in the Cinderella Stakes over six furlongs at Los Alamitos in July.
ZUMA BEACH, race 6
Key contenders
Rowdy Dylan (Last 3 Beyers: 62-72-69)
◗ Rowdy Dylan had an undescended testicle removed following a second-place finish in the Barretts Juvenile at Los Alamitos on Sept. 14. That could have caused discomfort, trainer Peter Miller said.
“We’re hoping that was the problem,” he said.
◗ By Sky Mesa, Rowdy Dylan has never run on turf but worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 on the surface Sept. 28.
Dallas Skyline (Beyers: 75-65)
◗ Dallas Skyline has raced exclusively on turf, winning a maiden race over a mile July 30 and finishing fourth as the 2-1 favorite in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf on Sept. 3.
◗ Kent Desormeaux was aboard for those races but is out after being kicked in a post parade Sept. 28. Mike Smith takes the mount.
Red Button (Last 3 Beyers: 64-67-44)
◗ Red Button was sixth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity behind American Pharoah and was entered against that runner in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes last weekend.
◗Trainer Mark Glatt opted to scratch in favor of this, hoping that a quick pace will help Red Button’s closing kick.