Sam’s Sister finds good spot to regain good form
ARCADIA, Calif. – Back at home in an easier race, Sam’s Sister aims to reclaim her role as top female sprinter in California when she starts in the $75,000 Desert Stormer Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita.
Eleven fillies and mares will race six furlongs in the Desert Stormer, including stakes-winning speedballs Tesalina and Amaranth, graded-stakes-winning closers Harlington’s Rose and Living the Life, and a handful of allowance-caliber entrants.
Sam’s Sister was sharp during winter. She won the Grade 1 La Brea and Grade 2 Santa Monica prior to a road trip that sputtered. She finished fourth in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel, and fifth in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland.
“I don’t have any excuses,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said, adding that Sam’s Sister is “doing very well” for her first since early April. Rafael Bejarano rides Sam’s Sister, whose closing style should play well in a race likely to unfold at a contested pace.
Tesalina, 4 for 5 in Chile, makes her U.S. debut from the rail. A front-runner, she figures to be hounded by comeback front-runner Amaranth to her outside. With Wasted at Midnight and Winning Vision also in the field, the front end could be crowded. The pace should be fast.
The race sets up for Sam’s Sister, Harlington’s Rose, and Living The Life. Cast in Silver, cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Adoration Stakes, is expected to start in Sunday’s race.
Desert Stormer, Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Sam’s Sister (Last 3 Beyers: 76-92-88)
◗ Notwithstanding the “no-excuse” diplomacy for two road losses, Sam’s Sister had alibis. Racing in 30-degree temperatures at Laurel, she was squeezed early, made a middle move, and finished fourth. At Keeneland, she chased a hot pace and tired, as closers dominated.
◗ Sam’s Sister, 3 for 3 at Santa Anita, blew out from the gate Thursday. Hollendorfer said it was “just a quarter-mile to make sure she comes away from the gate.” Clockers credited her with a half-mile in 47.60 seconds.
◗ Rafael Bejarano rides Sam’s Sister for the first time. She breaks from post 8 of 11, and should get a good trip tucked right behind the speed.
Tesalina
◗ Neil Drysdale trains Tesalina, whose dappled coat and sharp works suggests she is ready to fire. She arrived in January. “She’s fast, she’s talented,” Drysdale said. Flavien Prat rides Tesalina.
◗ The only start by Tesalina against top company in Chile was an off-the-board finish in a Group 1. According to Drysdale, she was compromised by a foot issue while finishing last in that one-mile race. She won four other starts at shorter distances by a combined 32 lengths.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Tesalina. Trainer Neil Drysdale is 15-3-1-6 with a $3.18 ROI over the past five years at Santa Anita with foreign shippers in their first start following a barn switch. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Harlington’s Rose (Last 3 Beyers: 73-83-82)
◗ Winner of the Grade 3 Las Flores in March, Harlington’s Rose finished fifth in her recent comeback. The likely fast pace in the Desert Stormer provides her with an upset chance.
◗ The productive trainer-jockey team of Steve Knapp and Joe Talamo is 13 for 53 the past five years, a 25 percent win rate and a $3.35 return for each $2 win bet.
Cast in Silver (Last 3 Beyers: 83-74-86)
◗ A Northern California-based filly by City Zip, she has three wins and three seconds from six starts. She is a sibling to Palace Malice, the Belmont Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap winner.
◗ Hollendorfer cross-entered Cast in Silver in the Adoration Stakes on Saturday, which attracted two-time champion Beholder. “If it was a small field, we were probably going to run to try to get Grade 3-placed,” he said. “I really don’t want to run against Beholder. We’ll look at the [Desert Stormer]. She’s been sprinting.”