Solitude Dude leads cast of Joseph undercard invaders
:quality(75))
Much of the action at Charles Town on Friday will run through Saffie Joseph Jr., who has nine horses entered in stakes on the 13-race card. Solitude Dude will lead the trainer’s trio in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes.
All three of Solitude Dude’s defeats have come in graded stakes company, beginning with a game third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February, his first and only start beyond a mile. The seven-furlong, two-turn Hilton Memorial is restricted to 3-year-olds.
Solitude Dude is coming off a career-best effort in the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga last month, when he fought on valiantly to finish second by a head to Local Knowledge and earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
Solitude Dude is cross-entered in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at Saratoga on Saturday, but Joseph has decided to ship to West Virginia, per Daily Racing Form’s David Grening.
Joseph also entered Bravaro and Langvad, the same move he made in the $100,000 Petramolo Mile at Colonial Downs. The trainer said he never intended to run both that day, and while the last-out stakes winner Langvad was scratched, Bravaro dueled all the way and finished second by a neck.
Sculcos Folly, a three-time New York-bred stakes winner, could be the greatest threat to Joseph’s contingent, but Rick Dutrow cross-entered the colt in a Saratoga allowance on Saturday. Dutrow had not made a decision on where to run as of Wednesday afternoon.
Local trainer Jeff Runco has eight horses entered in stakes on Friday, but Ryan’s Run will be the only one stepping up to open company. The West Virginia-bred is unbeaten in four starts and stretched out to seven furlongs last month, winning a $75,000 statebred stakes by 10 1/2 lengths.
“He’s done everything right since he started,” Runco said. “He’s done it pretty handily every time. It’s a big step up, but we’re doing it on his home track. I felt this was a time to maybe give him a try.”
Tab At Zanzibar will also step up in class in the midst of a winning streak for Brad Cox. The 3-year-old gelding passed his first test against winners in July, kicking clear on the front end to win a first-level allowance at Saratoga.
Corona de Oro and Volendam finished first and second in an Ellis Park allowance last month and will be rematched on Friday. Corona de Oro has since finished second in the $400,000 Ellis Park Derby for trainer Dallas Stewart.
:: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.
Pink Ribbon
Two-time graded stakes winner Irish Maxima will face one of the toughest tests of her career in the $300,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon Stakes on Friday. Trainer John Servis conceded that the seven-furlong sprint for older females will be a challenge, but the filly has been untouchable in four straight victories this year.
“She’s never been around two turns and she’s never been around a bullring, so it’s all new to her,” Servis said. “But she’s pretty classy. She handles pretty much everything.”
Last month, Irish Maxima returned from a short layoff and settled off the pace in the $150,000 Dashing Beauty, edging clear by a length in a routine victory. In 19 career starts, she had only won from off the pace on one other occasion.
Foie Gras is the only runner in the field coming out of graded stakes company, having finished second by a head in the Grade 2 Chicago at Churchill Downs in June. Trainer Michael Maker will drop her into listed company after two straight photo-finish defeats in graded stakes.
“Her last couple have been brutal beats, but she shows up every time,” Maker said.
Joseph, busy in yet another stakes at Charles Town, entered two in the field of eight fillies and mares. Mystic Lake, the Pink Ribbon winner last year, will make her first start off a three-month layoff after a disappointing third in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star Park.
Anakarina, a 4-year-old filly, will try the longest distance of her career in her second start for Joseph. The former Stewart trainee entered Joseph’s barn earlier this summer and won the $100,000 Love Sign at Colonial Downs.
Last Enchantment
While Joseph controls much of the action in the featured races at Charles Town, Runco has most of the five statebred stakes surrounded with similar numbers. His cast of West Virginia-breds is led by Duncan Idaho, the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the $50,000 Last Enchantment overnight stakes.
“We tried to give him a couple of different spots here and even at Colonial, and races just haven’t been going for him,” Runco said. “We had to wait and get him ready for this, but he’s ready to go.”
Duncan Idaho has won 17 of 25 starts in a career spent exclusively at Charles Town, with all of those wins coming at the Last Enchantment’s 4 1/2 furlongs.
◗ In the $50,000 Shenandoah Stakes, the Maker-trained horse The Wine Steward will ship in looking for class relief, but he could get an unexpected challenge from Faster Gator, a highly touted local contender trained by Anthony Farrior.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.