Turf Paradise opens meet with Bienvenidos Stakes

PHOENIX – The $25,000 Bienvenidos Stakes highlights opening day of the 64th Turf Paradise meeting Saturday.

The Phoenix track will run 138 days, seven more than last season, through May 3, 2020, racing primarily Saturday through Wednesday. First post is at 12:55 p.m. to start the meet.

The stakes schedule comprises 36 events, led by the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup Feb. 8, $75,000 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Jan. 11, and $50,000 Turf Paradise Derby Feb. 15.

Over 1,600 horses for nearly 200 trainers will occupy the stable area. Robertino Diodoro shoots for his seventh straight training title. Other top conditioners who figure to make noise include Juan Pablo Silva, Dan McFarlane, Kevin Eikleberry, Jeff Metz, Shawn Davis, Molly Pearson, and Valorie Lund.

The Bienvenidos, the traditional opening-day event, matches 12 3-year-olds and up going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

Diodoro comes well armed with a trio of contenders, but favoritism could fall to Southern California raider Distinctive B. The 8-year-old gelding, now owned by Stable HMA and trained by Curt Ferguson after being claimed for $40,000 last time out at Del Mar Aug. 31, knocked heads with some of the best sprinters in Southern California in his heyday. He was fourth in that tough claimer at Del Mar Aug. 31.

Diodoro’s trio comprises Silver Ride, third in a stakes at Canterbury Downs Sept. 13; Oil Money, romping winner of two straight sprint stakes at Assiniboia Downs this summer; and C Dub, winner of a couple sprints at Canterbury Downs last summer.

Other contenders include It Makes Sense, who comes off a sharp second in a Canterbury stakes last month, and Fortified Effort, a seven-time winner here who hasn’t raced since easily capturing a sprint stakes at Arapahoe Park June 30.

BIENVENIDOS (race 7)

KEY CONTENDERS

Distinctive B, by With Distinction

(Last 3 Beyers: 72-88-87)

◗ Ran second to two-time sprint champion Roy H in a Grade 1 at Santa Anita a year ago.

◗ Was well regarded enough to run in last fall’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill, finishing seventh.

It Makes Sense, by Majestic Warrior

(Last 3 Beyers: 89-84-45)

◗ Trained by Shawn Davis, he comes here on top of his game with an optional-claiming win and a second in a stakes at Canterbury in his last two starts.

◗ Ran well here in the spring when a sharp second in an optional claimer.

Silver Ride, by Candy Ride

(Last 3 Beyers: 88-69-72)

◗ Was claimed for $62,500 by Diodoro June 27 and looks headed the right way with a third in a stakes at Canterbury last time out.

◗ Ran third in the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont in September 2018.

Fortified Effort, by Ez Effort

(Last 3 Beyers: 77-80-71)

◗ Won a stakes here last fall coming off a similar kind of layoff.

◗ Trained by Kevin Eikleberry, he has worked well for this, including a bullet four-furlong move here Sept. 16.