Meinertzhageni should relish return to Polytrack in Betty Grable
DEL MAR, Calif. – “Meinertzhageni” looks like what would appear on your Word document if you smashed your fist on the keyboard. Actually, it’s the name of a giant forest hog endemic to Africa, which makes it more appropriate for a placard at the San Diego Zoo than the moniker of a 3-year-old filly running at Del Mar on Sunday.
Meinertzhageni does love Del Mar though, with two wins and a second in three starts feeding at this trough. The opportunities for her to pig out on this surface are dwindling, however, for the synthetic Polytrack will be gone at month’s end.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Meinertzhageni. Trainer Jeff Bonde is 36-5-8-4 with a $1.16 ROI over the past five years going dirt to synthetic in sprints. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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So, Meinertzhageni will take a step up in class Sunday to compete in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for California-bred fillies and mares that replaces what was known as the Cat’s Cradle when it was run at Hollywood Park. Meinertzhageni drew the rail, so if the name is difficult to pronounce, she can at least be referred to as “the 1.”
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Her rivals include the graded stakes-class performer Tribal Gal, who figures to be the favorite, as well as Warren’s Veneda, who won the final running of the Cat’s Cradle one year ago.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Tribal Gal. Trainer Kory Owens is 10-4-0-0 with a $4.34 ROI over the past two years going dirt to synthetic in sprints. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Betty Grable, race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Meinertzhageni (Last 3 Beyers: 73-91-72)
◗ After a six-month layoff, she returned to beat a first-level allowance field here Aug. 30. In her only start since then, she did not perform well on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in the Unzip Me Stakes, causing trainer Jeff Bonde to await Del Mar.
“It seems like she’s far more effective there than at Santa Anita,” Bonde said. “She didn’t handle the grass last time.”
◗ Bonde was not thrilled about drawing the rail in the field of nine.
“No one goes looking for the 1 hole,” he said.
Tribal Gal (Last 3 Beyers: 82-77-87)
◗ With her sharp speed and favorable outside draw, she looms a formidable presence in this race, though she has been far more effective on dirt (6 for 12) than Polytrack (1 for 4) during a career in which she has won 8 of 20 starts.
Warren’s Veneda (Last 3 Beyers: 81-79-88)
◗ She is winless in seven starts since winning the Cat’s Cradle a year ago, but this will be the first time she has sprinted on a synthetic surface since that victory. She needs a hot pace to set up her late run, so the prospect of Tribal Gal and Sweet Marini hooking up early would boost her chances.
More Complexity (Last 3 Beyers: 84-83-84)
◗ She has won three of her last four starts, including a sprint here in August, and her victory last time on the hill at Santa Anita came against open company, so she benefits by moving into a race restricted to Cal-breds.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Sweet Marini. Trainer Bob Baffert is 15-1-1-1 with a $0.39 ROI over the past two years going dirt to synthetic in sprints at Del Mar. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan