Reid well-positioned with trio in Future Stars
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Butch Reid is predictably well-prepared for another juvenile stakes at Parx Racing on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania-based trainer has three colts entered in the $75,000 Future Stars male division, including Mailata, the likely favorite coming off a sharp victory in the $100,000 Pennsylvania Nursery.
“We were undecided on whether we wanted to come back at seven-eighths again, but this spot is right here in our backyard, so I think we’re going to go ahead and take advantage of it.” Reid said.
Reid noted that adding distance has been the name of the game for Mailata, who stretched out to a mile to earn his maiden victory at Parx on Oct. 29. The seven-furlong Pennsylvania Nursery in November was his first start against winners, and against statebred rivals. He improved to earn an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for his 3 1/2-length victory.
“He’s a horse who we’ve always been pretty high on, and I think as the distances get longer, it’ll certainly be better for him,” Reid said.
Reid’s trio drew the three inside post positions, with Tough Guy Tony and Connor’s Crew lining up outside of Mailata. Connor’s Crew, a last-out maiden winner, may not run, but Tough Guy Tony will give Reid a strong second chance. After a distant fourth in the $150,000 Nashua at Aqueduct, the colt landed in a much softer spot at Penn National on Nov. 26, winning the $50,000 South Mountain.
“He’s a real tough little guy, appropriately named,” Reid said. “[He] does everything well and handles what’s thrown at him. A horse crossed in front of him in the lane last time and he didn’t bat an eye and kept on going and drew away from him.”
Red Zone Runner, the 9-2 third choice on the morning line, is cross-entered in the $100,000 Gin Talking at Laurel Park on Dec. 27. If the Erin McClellan-trained colt, who finished third behind Mailata in the Pennsylvania Nursery, takes the trip to Maryland, Reid’s hand will get even stronger.
Future Stars Fillies
Jamie Ness needed several months to get Law School on the right track, but a breakthrough performance earlier this month is giving the trainer confidence ahead of her stakes debut. The 2-year-old filly is expected to be a key contender in the $75,000 Future Stars filly division on Tuesday.
“Obviously, at two turns, she really excelled,” Ness said. “This is cutting back to seven-eighths, but it’s getting kind of hard to find two-turn races for 2-year-old fillies. Cutting back, I don’t really want to do that, but that’s what we have and that’s the way the race is written.”
On Dec. 7, Law School turned heads at Laurel Park when she romped home to a 14 1/4-length allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles. It would be inaccurate to call her an overnight sensation, however, as bettors have never wavered despite the filly’s rocky juvenile campaign.
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Though she has won just two of six starts, she has never gone off at odds over 5-1, and it’s unlikely to occur in her stakes debut after that commanding win. Jockey Yedsit Hazlewood, the leading rider at Laurel who has worked well with Ness, will ride the filly for the first time.
Tap Into Grace, a filly trained by Brittany Russell, is expected to vie with Law School for favoritism after a runner-up finish in the $50,000 Blue Mountain at Penn National last month. A winner on dirt and turf this year, she will stretch out to seven furlongs for the first time on Tuesday.
Miss Behaviour Stakes
It is fairly clear that the field of eight in the $75,000 Miss Behaviour Stakes at Parx is not the strongest, but the absence of a standout contender has created an opportunity for local horsemen with Pennsylvania-bred juvenile fillies.
Guadalupe Preciado is one such trainer taking his shot with Eake, a homebred filly coming off a 5 1/4-length maiden victory against statebred fillies on Nov. 24. She will run six furlongs again Tuesday. Her half-sibling, the 10-year-old gelding Final Shot, is wrapping up a long career for Preciado, and he hopes that Eake can carry on the family name in his barn.
“In her first race, she ran a little green, but she just seemed more comfortable last time,” Preciado said. “All the babies from [the mare Last Shot] love sprinting, and I’m not thinking that the race is that tough.”
In a relatively inexperienced group, it is mildly surprising that Eake is the only last-out maiden winner. The field features four runners who have never won, including Smart Philly, who finished third in the Blue Mountain at Penn National last month. Presenceisapresent will make her debut in the six-furlong stakes for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero.
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