Plans in flux for Saturday stakes winners

ARCADIA, Calif. – Race plans for the Saturday stakes winners Dressed in Hermes and Stays in Vegas were uncertain as of Sunday morning, while plans were more defined for Mirage, who finished a troubled second to Stays in Vegas in the $101,500 Surfer Girl Stakes on turf at Santa Anita.

Trainer Simon Callaghan said Mirage is likely to start Oct. 30 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland if she can gain a place in the field. Mirage finished third in the one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies but was promoted to second after Lucky Folie was disqualified from second and placed third for interfering with Mirage in the final furlong.

Lucky Folie drifted to the inside, forcing jockey Tyler Baze to check Mirage, who raced on the rail. Mirage recovered to finish third, beaten five lengths behind Stays in Vegas.

“She came out of the race good, not a cut or a blemish,” Callaghan said. “We’re very lucky. The fact she lost momentum and hung on for third was good.”

Callaghan said Mirage will be pointed for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf after discussing options with owner Fitri Hay. Callaghan said the concern now is whether Mirage will earn a spot in the race if more than 14 fillies are pre-entered.

“I don’t know if we’ll get in or not,” Callaghan said.

The Surfer Girl was the stakes debut for Mirage, who was imported from England in July.

Stays in Vegas won her second stakes in the Surfer Girl, having won the Wine Country Debutante on dirt at Santa Rosa in August. She was fifth Sept. 5 in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and had her first start on turf in the Surfer Girl.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said he would confer with the partners that own Stays in Vegas – Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, KMN Racing, and LNJ Foxwoods – before forming a plan. Aside from the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, another option is the $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at a mile on turf Nov. 28 at Del Mar if Stays in Vegas stays on grass.

“She looks good,” Hollendorfer said. “We haven’t made any definite plans yet. I would say the Breeders’ Cup is still on the table.”

Richard Mandella said Lucky Folie “ran just good enough to think about” the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“It would have been a lot easier if she’d won it,” he said.

Trainer Janet Armstrong was taking a patient approach with Dressed in Hermes, who won the $101,250 Zuma Beach Stakes at a mile on turf for 2-year-olds. Aside from the BC Juvenile Turf on Oct. 30, Dressed in Hermes could run in the $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile on turf Nov. 29 at Del Mar. Syd Belzberg owns Dressed in Hermes, who has had three starts.

“We’ll have to see where we want to point him,” Armstrong said. “He looks like he could go farther than a mile. He came out of it very well.”

The Zuma Beach was the first stakes win in California for Armstrong, who has a small stable at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County.