Smarty Deb vs. Made for Magic, once more
AUBURN, Wash. Smarty Deb and Made for Magic, the top two finishers in the six-furlong Angie C. Stakes on July 15, will be rematched in Sunday's $100,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at a mile.
Smarty Deb, a Gulch filly trained by Doris Harwood, and Made for Magic, a daughter of Cape Canaveral from the barn of trainer Frank Lucarelli, were both impressive winners of their debuts. Smarty Deb came out against males in the first maiden special weight race at the meeting on May 13 and was a game winner over stablemate Dat's Dream, timed in in 51 seconds for 4 1/2 furlongs.
Made for Magic debuted on June 3 against maiden special weight foes and drew away to win by 3 1/2 lengths, also in 51 seconds for 4 1/2 furlongs.
Off those efforts Smarty Deb went off as the even-money favorite in the Angie C. and Made for Magic was 2-1, and they finished in order of their odds. Smarty Deb broke slowly, but rallied from off the pace to beat Made for Magic by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:09.60.
Asked how his filly could make up the margin on Smarty Deb in the Shinpoch, Lucarelli was philosophical.
"It's a new race," he said. "It will probably unfold differently, and hopefully it will end up differently. You know, Smarty Deb broke slowly the last time they met, but that might have been a blessing in disguise. My filly dueled through fast fractions, and she paid the price. She has trained well since then, so we'll try again and see what happens."
Both Smarty Deb and Made for Magic could have their hands full with No Constraints, who has an advantage in both experience and recency. No Constraints, trained by Tim McCanna, has raced three times. She beat maiden special weight company in her second start, then came back to win the restricted Knights Choice Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths, going 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.40. No Constraints was ridden in both wins by leading rider Ricky Frazier, who has chosen to ride Smarty Deb in the Shinpoch. Kevin Radke will take over on No Constraints.
Also a threat is Jasmine's Melody, an Artax filly trained by Aubrey Villyard. Jasmine's Melody won her second start in maiden special weight company by 6 3/4 lengths on Aug. 18, when she ran the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.20 to earn a 68 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest in the field.