Madame Cactus totes light load in Presque Isle Masters

The Grade 2 Masters at Presque Isle Downs on Monday evening will have a West Coast flavor, as three of the 12 runners entered in the 6 1/2-furlong synthetic-track sprint have been based at Del Mar this summer.

The Masters has been won the last two years by Groupie Doll, who won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in 2012-13 and was named champion female sprinter in each of those seasons.

Trainers Gary Mandella, Peter Eurton, and Robert Hess Jr. all have entrants in the $400,000 highlight of the Presque Isle season. Each of their runners has been training over the Del Mar Polytrack. Presque Isle has a Tapeta synthetic surface.

The most accomplished of the trio is Madame Cactus, trained by Eurton, who won the Grade 2 Raven Run over Polytrack at Keeneland last fall. Despite that win, Madame Cactus gets into the Masters at 112 pounds, as she has made only one start this year, a second to Judy the Beauty in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo on Aug. 17. Judy the Beauty, a winner of three of her four starts this season, has earned more than $1.1 million in her career.

Living the Life, who races for Mandella, was a synthetic-track specialist while racing in Britain, primarily at Wolverhampton and Lingfield. She won her North American debut in a second-level optional-claiming race at Del Mar on Aug. 7.

Master the Blues has raced twice for Hess after making her first 17 starts for Kathleen O’Connell at Presque Isle and Tampa Bay Downs. She has a Presque Isle record of 10-3-2-1. Master the Blues won the five-furlong Daisycutter at Del Mar on Aug. 8.

Kent Desormeaux will be in to ride Master the Blues from post 11 at 115 pounds, Mike Smith has the mount on Living the Life from post 7 at 121, and Joe Talamo will break from post 8 aboard Madame Cactus.

The co-highweights in the field at 123 are Ageless, a winner of five of her last six starts for trainer Arnaud Delacour, and My Option, the winner of the Grade 3 Chicago Handicap for trainer Chris Block.

The Masters will be the synthetic debut for Ageless, who has improved markedly since being switched to turf last fall. Ageless will break from post 10 under Julien Leparoux. She worked a bullet half-mile over the synthetic training track at Fair Hill on Monday.

My Option has the inside post. A rider was not named at entry time.

The other entrants are Youcan’tcatchme, Capella Dancer, Northern Passion, Disco Barbie, Sushi Empire, Significant Bling, and Cactus Kris.

Full gate for Presque Isle Mile

The $200,000 Presque Isle Mile on Sunday evening drew 13 entrants, including one also-eligible. Two of the more interesting horses are Admiral Perry and Mezzano.

Shug McGaughey sent Admiral Perry to Presque Isle for a third-level optional claimer July 3, and the 6-year-old stormed from off the pace to win by 2 1/2 lengths. He has trained steadily since that race at Belmont Park, Fair Hill, and Saratoga. McGaughey keeps Pablo Morales, the second-leading rider at Presque Isle, aboard. Admiral Perry drew post 5.

Mezzano ships in for trainer Alan Goldberg off a series of steadily climbing Beyer Speed Figures. In his two synthetic starts, he won a second-level optional claimer at Keeneland in April 2013 and was eighth in this race a year ago. Victor Carrasco gets the ride from post 6.