Jakaby Jade likely to ride Surfer Girl into Breeders’ Cup
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jakaby Jade arrived at Del Mar in August as the winner of a maiden race in England. She left Del Mar a stakes winner, courtesy of a victory in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 7.
Jakaby Jade will start in Saturday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita as the likely favorite in a race expected to propel her toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 30. In Kentucky, Jakaby Jade will face the typical array of top-class contenders from Europe and other parts of the United States. The Surfer Girl Stakes for 2-year-olds fillies at a mile on turf will be an adequate test for the Breeders’ Cup.
Jakaby Jade is part of a field of 11 that includes One Last Shot, who was second in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf; the Del Mar maiden-race winner Lucky Folie; and the well-regarded English import Mirage.
The Surfer Girl Stakes is the seventh race on a 10-race program that includes the $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf. The Surfer Girl Stakes has drawn a deeper field than the Zuma Beach, which does not include a stakes winner and has four maidens in a field of 10.
Jakaby Jade beat maidens by four lengths in a five-furlong turf race at Lingfield Racecourse in England on July 25. In the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, she closed from ninth of 11 to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Flavien Prat rode Jakaby Jade in that race but is sidelined with injury and will be replaced by Rafael Bejarano.
Jakaby Jade, by Royal Applause, races for trainer Doug O’Neill and is owned by the Slam Dunk Racing partnership and Steve Keh.
Bejarano will have his eye on Lucky Folie, a stylish maiden-race winner at 5 1/2 furlongs in her debut Sept. 6. Lucky Folie, by Distorted Humor, was considered for the $300,000 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on dirt for 2-year-old fillies on Sept. 26, but trainer Richard Mandella didn’t think she had enough experience.
“She’d run once, and I didn’t have time to school her and prepare to go longer,” Mandella said. “Now, I’ve had that. If she does it, I know she can go longer. If not, I’ll go back to sprints. She’s a talented filly and pretty sensible. I think she’s responded well to schooling, and I think she’s ready to give it a big try.”
Lucky Folie will be ridden by Gary Stevens and is likely to race near the front.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has two runners in the Surfer Girl – Imflatoutsweet, who was fifth in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Stays in Vegas, who was fifth in the Del Mar Debutante. Imflatoutsweet will be fitted with blinkers.
“She worked well with blinkers,” said Dan Ward, Hollendorfer’s assistant. “It will keep her more focused.”
Zuma Beach Stakes
Hollendorfer sends out I’malreadythere in the Zuma Beach. I’malreadythere was third behind Hollywood Don and Hot Ore as the 4-1 favorite in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile Sept. 5. For the Zuma Beach, I’malreadythere will be fitted with blinkers for the first time.
“Those are two good horses that beat him, and they’re not here,” Ward said.
I’malreadythere made his debut for Hollendorfer in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf after previously being trained in Florida by Michael Yates. I’malreadythere won a maiden race at a mile on turf at Gulfstream Park on Aug. 8 in his second start.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 I’malreadythere. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is 20-1-1-4 with a $0.27 ROI over the past five years in turf routes on the Southern California circuit when adding blinkers. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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The Zuma Beach field includes Getoffmyback, who was fifth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf. Trained by Peter Miller, Getoffmyback has been gelded since that race.
Go Long has stakes experience. He was sixth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf and returned to finish seventh as a 79-1 outsider in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes on dirt Sept. 26.