Hybrid Eclipse may get right pace setup in Timonium Distaff

With Hybrid Eclipse and Factor In, trainer Brittany Russell bookends the field from a post position perspective in Saturday’s $75,000 Timonium Distaff at 1 1/16 miles.

The Timonium Distaff is the lone stakes carded for the seven-day Timonium race meet, which runs through Sept. 5 at the Maryland State Fair.

It will provide a stern test for horses unaccustomed to the tight turns of the five-furlong main track.

“A race like this, it’s really how do they handle it, and do they get a good trip? It’s a small racetrack,” Russell said.

“Hybrid Eclipse is a smaller-type, handy filly,” Russell added. “It looks like there’s plenty of speed in there.”

Hybrid Eclipse breaks from the far outside post under Jevian Toledo.

The Paynter filly finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Battle Bling when third in the Obeah at Delaware Park on June 8 in her first start for Russell. She then captured Laurel’s Park Caesar’s Wish around a one-turn mile on July 2.

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She received an 83 Beyer in that race, a number that qualifies as the Timonium Distaff’s best last speed figure.

Nine days after the Casear’s Wish, Hybrid Eclipse was purchased for $107,000 at Fasig-Tipton by Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group and quickly returned to Russell’s shed row.

“I let them know that I liked the filly,” Russell said. “She’s been good to us. She won the stake and might be on the improve.”

Rail-drawn Factor In has won four of five dirt starts since being moved to the Russell barn and has three consecutive victories. She has excellent tactical speed and projects to find a nice pace-tracking, ground-saving position behind expected front-runners Let’s Cruise, Malibu Beauty, and Music Amore.

“She’s a filly that’s done nothing wrong since we’ve had her, and the plan is just to try and get her to hit the board somewhere,” Russell said.

Fool Yourself is the lone entrant with experience at Timonium, having won a first-level allowance here last summer. Beaten a nose by Factor In in a second-level allowance at Monmouth Park on July 17, she returned at Laurel to wallop a group of off-turf performers at odds-on Aug. 6.

For most of her career, Malibu Beauty has sprinted, but her facile win in the off-turf Peach Blossom at Delaware on July 6 gives trainer Gary Capuano hope she’ll last 1 1/16 miles.

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“She ran long really good two races back,” Capuano said. “We’ll find out whether she likes the turns, but she’s pretty versatile.”

Malibu Beauty finished a close second sprinting in a Delaware allowance on Aug. 13.

“As a 3-year-old, we ran her a mile a couple of times, and it didn’t look like she liked the one-turn mile at Laurel,” said Capuano. “We always thought she would go two turns.”

In many ways, Let’s Cruise is the key to the race. Overmatched when sixth in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap at 1 1/4 miles, she’ll receive class and distance relief. She earned a 92 Beyer three back when wiring an off-turf, second-level allowance at Hawthorne, and might have the best early zip.

Breviary has won two of her last three starts and would benefit from a strong pace up front; Sweet Willemina ships down from Saratoga after facing 96-Beyer winner Betsy Blue; Music Amore was a pace-pressing winner of the off-turf Searching Stakes at Laurel on Aug. 6 and has won four of her last six starts. Jades Gelly completes the field.

Battle Bling would have been a strong contender, but trainer Rob Atras said Thursday he is “95 percent likely to scratch” and await an upcoming stake at Colonial Downs.