Pinchin barn looking to take two

MIAMI - Trainer Jose Pinchin has to feel good about his position heading into Saturday's second leg of Calder's rich Florida Stallion series.

Pinchin will send out the odds-on favorite Big City Man in the $150,000 Affirmed Stakes. He may also have one of the fillies to beat in the $150,000 Susan's Girl if a pending sale for his undefeated Banga Ridge is not completed prior to the race.

The seven-furlong Affirmed and Susan's Girl stakes highlight Saturday's 13-race Juvenile Showcase program, which features six stakes races. They comprise a pick six wager that offers no guaranteed pool.

Big City Man is undefeated and virtually unchallenged in three starts since he launched his career with a second behind Brother Joey on May 27. Two of his three victories have come in stakes races, a 4 1/2-length triumph on a wet track in the Criterium and a come-from-behind 2o1/4-length score in the six-furlong Dr. Fager, the opening leg of the Stallion Stakes series.

"Inexperience probably got him beat the first time, but he's gotten better and better and bigger and badder with every start," said Pinchin, who trains Big City Man for the Mr T Stables. "Seven furlongs shouldn't be any problem for him.

"He fell further back than usual when getting shuffled after a horse cut in front of him in the Dr. Fager, but he's got a turn of foot so he shouldn't be too far back on Saturday. In fact he'll probably have to go a little earlier because of being drawn in post 2."

Wise Answer, who rallied to finish second in the Dr. Fager, may again prove the main challenger. He upset the well-regarded Mannington in winning his debut and finished second behind Honey Honey Honey in his other two starts.

Hey Byrn, an impressive maiden winner going 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug.o5, and Dynhocracy, still a maiden but fourth in the Dr. Fager, are among the other key contenders in a field that also includes Turnpike Tommy, Casino Gambler, Comic Romeo, Irish Speed, and Proudest Native.

Banga Ridge is perfect in two starts, winning her maiden by 1 1/2 lengths and a first-level allowance race by nearly seven lengths just 13 days later. Pinchin not only trains but also owns Banga Ridge, a daughter of Snow Ridge.

"She's in the process of being sold," Pinchin said on Thursday. "She's already passed the vet, and I'm just waiting for the money to be sent. If it doesn't come before Saturday she'll run for me in the Susan's Girl. I'm not sure what the new owner will do if the sale does go through, although it would probably make sense to run her in here anyway."

Elvis Trujillo, who will ride Big City Man and was Banga Ridge's regular jockey, has opted to take the call on Bond Princess in the Susan's Girl.

"Because of the uncertainty over the sale and whether Banga Ridge will even run in the race, Elvis decided to ride the other filly," Pinchin said.

If she starts, Banga Ridge must beat a field that includes the first three finishers in the Desert Vixen Stakes - Silk Ridge, Calico Bay, and Bond Princess.

Silk Ridge rallied to a 1 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong Desert Vixen at odds of 13-1, her second win in four starts. She will break from the tough inside post out of the seven-furlong chute on Saturday.

Calico Bay surprisingly dropped back to last in the run down the backstretch, swung wide, and finished best of all to be second in the Desert Vixen, suffering her first loss after registering an impressive debut win five weeks earlier.

Bond Princess turned in perhaps the most impressive maiden win of the meet, a 9 1/2-length triumph on July 15, but did not repeat that effort when finishing a troubled third as the 3-5 favorite in the Desert Vixen. Bond Princess will race in blinkers for the first time Saturday.

"I'm just throwing the last race out," said trainer Tim Ritvo. "I think the added distance should really help her. This is the one we were really pointing for all along."