Last-out winners square off
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Ten female sprinters signed up for Saturday's $60,000 Monterey Handicap at five furlongs on the turf at Bay Meadows.
Two of the fillies, Beezer and Fortunately, come off stakes victories, while two others, Sexy Helmsman and Storminbayoubabe, also won their last start.
made a strong rail rally to edge Yerevan Star, another of Saturday's entrants, by a neck in the July 16 Vacaville Handicap at the Solano County Fair to win her stakes debut. A 4-year-old filly, Beezer will be making her turf debut here.
Fortunately ran third to Storminbayoubabe in a turf sprint at Golden Gate Fields in June. She returned to her Southern California base, running second to Very Vegas in the Curious Clover at Hollywood Park before winning the Daisycutter at Del Mar on July 29. Both Yerevan Star and Very Vegas, who is also entered here, trailed her that day.
, who won back-to-back races at the spring meet here, came off a brief freshener to win a five-furlong turf allowance race at Del Mar on Aug. 22, running faster in her wire-to-wire effort than Fortunately ran in her stakes victory. Sexy Helmsman also set the pace before giving way late in her turf debut this spring at Hollywood Park.
Early in her career, she met the likes of Wildwood Flower, Heavenly Humor, Bending Strings, and Swingin' Notes as a maiden. She has turned in a series of strong efforts since graduating on the main track here and has a nice maintenance drill since her stakes victory.
, claimed for $50,000 in her last start, has won two straight since finishing fourth behind Beezer and Yerevan Star in a game try at Solano. Storminbayoubabe has a 3-for-3 career mark on grass.
Storminbayoubabe has plenty of speed, but she has the ability to sit close and pounce. She has won on turf by leading all the way or by stalking.
"She's a consistent mare," said her new trainer, Cliff DeLima. "She looks like she's running at her best."
DeLima said the consistency and sharpness were important when he laid out $50,000 for a claim. He said he knew what he was getting for that price - something that isn't always true with cheaper claims.
"She races good wherever she runs," he said.