Lady de Berry has right style for Jimmy Durante Stakes

Although the Jimmy Durante Stakes for juvenile fillies at Del Mar is designated as a Grade 3, the reality is the turf mile more closely resembles an entry-level allowance than a graded stakes.

Six of the nine editions of the Jimmy Durante were won by last-out maiden winners, a pattern that will be tested Saturday when the $100,000 stakes race is run for the 10th time. More than half the field is moving up in class from maiden races, including top contender Lady de Berry.

“We’ve had luck taking lightly raced, late-developing 2-year-old fillies and running in this race,” trainer Chad Brown said. His filly Liguria did it a year ago, winning the Jimmy Durante in her third start after a second-start maiden win. Lady de Berry will try to do the same.

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“She’s really found a home on turf and has a really good turn of foot,” Brown said, referring to Lady de Berry’s second-start victory in a maiden turf mile at Keeneland. “I think she’d fit Del Mar well.”

Flavien Prat rides Lady de Berry.

Brown is right, of course. The turf profile does match his filly’s closing style. Two-thirds of turf miles this fall were won from the middle or back of the field. Del Mar plays like a true grass course in fall; the key handicapping considerations are finishing ability and speed figures.

While the 75 Beyer Speed Figure earned by Lady de Berry tops the field, her advantage is minimal. Feisty Mitole earned a 71 Beyer winning a Del Mar maiden turf mile; Circle of Trust earned a 70 Beyer crossing the wire first in a Santa Anita maiden race. She was disqualified and placed eighth.

While class and seasoning are secondary elements, they have value. Grade 1-placed Go With Gusto is the most accomplished in the field. Mark Casse trains the filly, whose first two starts at Woodbine included a maiden win and a third against males in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes. She was unlucky third time out in the Qatar Golden Mile at Santa Anita.

Go With Gusto was blocked on the far turn and into the lane, remained blocked until midstretch, then finished willingly on the inside. She switches riders Saturday to Tyler Gaffalione.

Mo Fox Givin, third in the Qatar Golden Mile, also had a bad trip. Leonard Powell trains the filly, who Powell said “went too fast, too hard early, and did very well to hang on for third.”

She ran super pressing a fast pace and battling to deep stretch. New jockey Hector Berrios will take her back Saturday.

“I’ve changed the bit, and she’s going to be a bit more comfortable for the jockey,” Powell said. He said Berrios “is known to relax horses very nicely, so she should run a big race.”

Ms Brightside and Antifona make their U.S. debuts. Ms Brightside won her only start in June in Ireland; Antifona won 2 of 7 in France. The Jimmy Durante has not been kind to imports – only one of nine foreign shippers hit the board.

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