Reagan's Flame looks to land another synthetic win in Presque Isle Masters
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When the 5-year-old mare Reagan’s Flame first entered Saffie Joseph Jr.‘s barn in the spring, the trainer immediately thought to cut her back to sprint distances on synthetic. She has won two graded stakes since and will go for her third in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes on Friday.
“Her one-turn races were pretty good, and she obviously ran well on the Tapeta going two turns, but she had never gone one turn on it,” Joseph said. “We’ve had the opportunities for graded stakes and we’ve been able to capitalize.”
In four Grade 3 starts at Woodbine since May, Reagan’s Flame has only finished out of the money once, when she switched to turf. She won the Grade 3 Whimsical in May and bounced back in August to win the Grade 3 Seaway.
The synthetic at Presque Isle is new to the mare, but the 6 1/2-furlong distance is ideal and she enters the field of nine fillies and mares with a clear class edge.
Joseph also entered Paradise City, a graded stakes-placed filly on turf who will try synthetic for the first time.
Les Reys, the winner of the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion last year, will ship to Presque Isle on six days’ rest after running an unlucky fourth in the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash at Laurel Park. Trainer Miguel Clement won the Grade 2 Nashville Derby with Caroline St. Beat on seven days’ rest earlier this month.
“The stable’s been fortunate enough to have been running horses back off short rest several times in the past two weeks successfully, most notably with Caroline St. Beat,” Clement said. “We’re at the end of the racing season, so let’s be ambitious and go for it.”
Pondering, who won the Grade 3 Bessarabian in November, will return from a nearly three-month layoff for Brendan Walsh.
Presque Isle Mile
Joseph will also take a chance on the Presque Isle undercard with Neoequos, who will make his synthetic debut in the $150,000 Presque Isle Downs Mile. The 4-year-old colt has already won stakes on dirt and turf.
In January, Neoequos made his first career start on grass and won the $75,000 Sunshine Turf for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park, demonstrating versatility between surfaces. He switched back to dirt in March and ran well in defeat in three Grade 3 starts.
Joseph said he was hoping for class relief in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s at Mountaineer last month, but the colt had no chance behind the 15-length winner Bracket Buster.
“He just ran into a horse too good off the layoff,” Joseph said. “Chasing him probably cost us second. But that’s why we’re backing up into a spot that could be a little bit easier.”
Neoequos will have an abundantly clear target ahead of him in the 1 1/16-mile race, as the Brad Cox-trained front-runner Encino will break from the rail as the likely favorite in the field of eight older males. The 5-year-old gelding has earned four stakes victories on synthetic and remains unbeaten in two starts at Presque Isle.
Presque Isle Debutante
Royal Companion will command respect in her first start on synthetic in the $100,000 Presque Isle Downs Debutante Stakes. The juvenile filly is the only stakes winner in a field of nine and should be prepared to stretch out to 6 1/2 furlongs.
Though she has not raced on synthetic, the Virginia-bred has had plenty of time to get used to the surface in training at Fair Hill for Michael Trombetta. She worked on it exclusively ahead of the $125,000 Dolley Madison at Colonial in August and pulled clear to win that 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint by 2 3/4 lengths.
Fitz Dixon Memorial Juvenile
Boyhood Dream tried all three surfaces in his first three starts for Nolan Ramsey and will now switch back to synthetic in the $100,000 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes.
“I think synthetic is probably his calling,” Ramsey said.
In June, the Florida-bred colt made his debut on synthetic at Gulfstream and surprised Ramsey with a photo-finish victory at five furlongs. He stretched out on dirt in August and secured a distant runner-up finish behind Sum of Success in the $100,000 In Summation.
After exceeding his expectations again, Ramsey took his shot on turf in the $750,000 Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs. He was simply overwhelmed and finished sixth, though the 6 1/2-furlong distance could prove right on synthetic at Presque Isle.
Power by Far
Shadow Factor and John Dutton will re-enter statebred company in search of their first stakes victories in the $75,000 Power by Far Stakes.
In the field of eight Pennsylvania-breds, several runners have the same local experience as the top pair, but none have been able to match their recent success. Shadow Factor enters the 6 1/2-furlong sprint on a two-race winning streak for Ron Potts Jr., while John Dutton improved to win a second-level allowance earlier this month.
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