Sunday Rules looks primed to take Fleet Treat
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
DEL MAR, Calif. – On Saturday, trainer Phil D’Amato will start the heavily favored Sunday Rules in the $200,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies over seven furlongs at Del Mar. A win is expected.
“She’s set to run a smasher,” D’Amato said.
Owned by breeder Nick Alexander, Sunday Rules is unbeaten in three starts. She won twice at this meeting last summer, including the Generous Portion Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies. In her lone start this year, Sunday Rules won an optional claimer against open company over 6 1/2 furlongs by 8 3/4 lengths at Santa Anita on June 26.
D’Amato said Sunday Rules has thrived since arriving at Del Mar this month.
“Her last couple of breezes have been the best I’ve seen,” he said. “She loved the synthetic last year.”
Sunday Rules is part of a field of eight, but only seven may start. Trainer Mike Machowsky said Wednesday that the two-time stakes winner Rovenna could be scratched in favor of another race.
The field has one other stakes winner in Sprouts, who won the Cinderella and CTBA Stakes as a 2-year-old last year. Trained by Edward Freeman, Sprouts is winless in her last five starts, including a second in the Bet America Oaks at the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meeting June 22.
The Fleet Treat will be the second stakes appearance for the promising Wonderful Lie, who was second at 23-1 in the Melair Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita in April and was third against older California-bred fillies and mares in an optional claimer over a mile on turf June 5.