Rise Jim, Isadorable close out short Suffolk meet

A pair of six-furlong stakes races for Massachusetts-breds highlight Sunday’s card at Suffolk Downs, bringing the two-day meet to a close. Sunday’s first race is the $50,000 Rise Jim Stakes for 4-year-olds and up, and the ninth race is the $50,000 Isadorable Stakes for fillies and mares.

The imposing favorite in the field of five for the Rise Jim is Dr Blarney, a Dublin gelding who is undefeated in four starts at Suffolk Downs, including a sweep of last year’s African Prince, Last Dance, and John Kirby stakes.

Dr Blarney comes into the Rise Jim off a seven-length victory in a Finger Lakes allowance for Massachusetts-breds on June 19. He led at every point of call in the six-furlong race and was ridden out to a widening victory by Tammi Piermarini, who retains the mount.

The gelding races as a homebred for Joseph DiRico and is trained by Karl Grusmark.

Dr Blarney beat three of the four foes he will face Sunday in his most recent effort, but two of them beat Dr Blarney in his 2017 debut, a six-furlong Massachusetts-bred allowance on May 15 at Finger Lakes.

Winning that day was Worth the Worry, a Hook and Ladder gelding who prevailed by a neck over Grady. Grady finished second in last year’s Rise Jim Stakes and has frequently finished in the money in Finger Lakes’s Massachusetts-bred races.

Worth the Worry finished third to Dr Blarney on June 19, tracking the leader and getting nosed out for second. Regular rider Jose Baez has the mount for owner Theresa Horky and trainer Jonathan Buckley.

The Isadorable Stakes also drew a field of five. The rail-drawn Miss Wilby comes into the race with the most momentum, having won a May 16 allowance for Massachusetts-breds at Finger Lakes by 4 3/4 lengths as the heavy favorite.

The Imperialism mare spent the winter at Gulfstream Park, where she finished fourth two starts ago on Feb. 20 in the Queen Mother Stakes. She won the Queen Mother, a seven-furlong race, in 2016.

The Isadorable Stakes will be Miss Wilby’s second start for trainer Antonio Arriaga after previously being trained by Jonathan Sheppard. Piermarini will ride the mare for owners and breeders Langdon Wilby and Mary Beth Reis.

Angry Patty, the field’s lone stakes winner, will make her 2017 debut in the Isadorable after showing herself well against statebreds last year. The Freud filly won the Louise Kimball Stakes at Suffolk in 2016 and finished second to Dr Blarney in the African Prince. She finished her season with a 1 3/4-length score in a six-furlong Finger Lakes allowance for Massachusetts-breds.

Angry Patty has been working at Monmouth Park, most recently breezing five furlongs on June 30. David Amiss will once again have the mount for owner and breeder Timothy Ryan and trainer Derek Ryan.