Speedin Excess out to build on debut

POMONA, Calif. - When speedball 2-year-old filly Speedin Excess drew the undesirable inside post for her debut at Del Mar three weeks ago, trainer Ted H. West and father/assistant Ted West considered scratching from the six-furlong race.

"With a first-time starter, we ordinarily would scratch," West said. "But she is so quick, my son and I talked about it and we thought she could overcome" the bad draw.

She almost did. Speedin Excess broke like a shot, opened up on a blazing pace (22.12 seconds and 45.37), then got nailed late and finished second.

"I have not seen a 2-year-old filly do what she did," the senior West said.

Saturday at Fairplex Park, Speedin Excess returns in the $130,000 Barretts Debutante. All indications are that she will reproduce her debut, which she lost by a neck while earning an outstanding 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

It means the nine others are running for second in the 6 1/2-furlong Barretts, restricted to 2-year-old fillies that were offered for sale at a Barretts auction. The field includes Malusita, dropping from the productive Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes, comebacker Makasi, and maiden Victory Dancer.

Speedin Excess's debut looks good on paper, but the running line only tells part of the story, West said.

"She outbroke the jockey, and I didn't know it until after the race, but he lost an iron," he said. "The reason she opened up was because he had one hand on the reins and the other one trying put his foot back in the iron. He had no hold."

Martin Pedroza takes over for Joel Rosario on Saturday when Speedin Excess runs for the first time at Fairplex. She posted two sizzling recent workouts over the five-furlong track, including a 35.60-second work that West said is "the fastest I've had a horse work" at Fairplex.

Chris Coleman owns Speedin Excess, whose main drawback is the presence of another filly with the same style. Pistoia raced her opening half in 45 seconds at Del Mar, before throwing in the towel. Her presence ensures a fast pace.

Malusita drops in company. She finished a closing fifth, beaten less than two lengths in the Grade 3 Sorrento, a race from which Stardom Bound returned to win the Del Mar Debutante and sixth-place Dash Dot Dash came back to win a stakes at Fairplex. Brice Blanc rides Malusita, who worked a bullet five furlongs Sept. 6 at Fairplex in 59.80.

First post Saturday is noon; the Barretts Debutante is race 12 on the 13-race card.