Poster Girl tries to keep it going in allowance

DEL MAR, Calif. – There’s no better time for a barn based in Southern California to shine than during Del Mar, when all eyes are watching, and that’s particularly true for small- to mid-sized stables, which are often overshadowed by the larger outfits. This is their time to make an impression, and trainer Matt Chew certainly has done his part this summer.

Chew, who has 16 runners, has won a pair of races this meet, finished in the money more than 50 percent of the time, and has been first or second with seven of his 15 starters. They’re firing.

“Del Mar is the pinnacle for our season,” Chew said. “Everybody comes down here ready to ramp up. You want to perform well.”

Chew’s biggest win came with Poster Girl, who won a second-level allowance July 29 and steps up in class seeking her second straight victory when she makes her third start of the meet in Thursday’s featured seventh race.

As on July 29, Poster Girl will be racing 1 1/16 miles on turf. But this will be her toughest test in a while, as several of her rivals are graded stakes-class runners who are dipping into an upper-level allowance in search of class relief.

Poster Girl is headed in the right direction. She was off for 14 months owing to a pair of minor but ill-timed injuries, came back in a turf sprint in which she had an adventurous trip, then was wheeled back 10 days later and scored a 17-1 upset.

“We didn’t plan on running her back so quickly – off 14 months, back in 10 days – but everything she did made us think, ‘Why not?’ ” Chew said. “She jogged good the day after the race, her weight was solid, and she trained well.”

Poster Girl first went to the sidelines with a hind ankle injury, then was set to run before bruising a knee. “So we had to turn her out again,” said Chew’s assistant, Daryl Bond.

“Fortunately, we had very patient owners,” said Chew, who trains Poster Girl for the Victor Racing partnership and Peter Jeong.

Eight are entered in the race, including Beau Recall, who won the Grade 2 Royal Heroine earlier this year and has made her last 10 starts in graded races.

KEY CONTENDERS

Poster Girl, by Excellent Art

Last 3 Beyers: 87-83-87

◗ She equaled her career-best Beyer Speed Figure in her last start, but likely will need to improve to prevail here.

“It’s a very evenly matched group,” Chew said. “This is her third race off a layoff. She should move forward, and if she does she’ll be very competitive.”

Beau Recall, by Sir Prancealot

Last 3 Beyers: 88-88-86

◗ She was eighth in the Yellow Ribbon over this course last time out. Last summer, she lost a heartbreaker in the Del Mar Oaks.

Barleysugar, by Kyllachy

Last 3 Beyers: 88-76-85

◗ Like Poster Girl, she is making her third start after an extended layoff.

◗ She owns two wins over this course.