Trip Notes for December 10: Los Alamitos Futurity, Starlet

Dec. 10

Los Alamitos
CashCall Futurity (race 6)
COMMENT: Two big wins at Del Mar to start his career made Mastery the 1-5 favorite for this renewal, and that assessment was validated on the track, as the $425,000 son of Candy Ride stamped himself a potential player in next year’s Triple Crown. With blinkers back on, he pressured Bobby Abu Dhabi through brisk splits, dispatched with that tiring foe coming into the lane, took command, and extended his lead to win in a romp, giving trainer Bob Baffert his ninth win in this race, including the last three. Good as he looked, this was one of the weakest editions of this race. A maiden ran second, and Mastery didn’t run all that much faster than some modest 2-year-old fillies ran about an hour later in the Starlet (.69 of a second). Irap sat not far behind Mastery, tried to make a run at him into the lane, and ran on well despite not changing leads in the lane to finish far clear of the others. The son of Tiznow cost $300,000, so there’s some promise here. Dangerfield, third in the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot Nov. 19, was last early in the small field and finished decently for third.

Los Alamitos
Starlet (race 8)
COMMENT: Abel Tasman was stepping well up in class after two straight wins and posted the upset. The daughter of Quality Road was a bit sluggish early as Tapped set a solid pace. Abel Tasman saved ground going to the far turn before moving off the rail, came with her run in the lane, switched leads and was able to rally past American Gal. American Gal, favored off a third after a horrible start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, stalked the pace, came with a run into the lane to grab the lead, opened up by midstretch as if going on to victory, but couldn’t fend off the winner. Mopotism, a maiden daughter of Uncle Mo who cost $300,000, chased Tapped while saving ground, moved up inside to challenge into the lane, had to check when Tapped came over in front of her, shifted out and then back in again, and by then the top two had sprung clear. Tapped, a rallying second in a stakes on Golden Gate’s synthetic track Oct. 29, angled in on the far turn, battled back briefly when challenged, but tired and drifted in, losing third late. Union Strike, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and a troubled sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, lagged back while off the rail, moved forward slightly between horses going to the far turn, and flattened out. Berned, an invader from New York who last ran second in the Grade 3 Tempted at Aqueduct, was crowded at the start to be last early, moved off the rail and tried to move forward, but was unable to make a dent.