U R All That I Am thrives at the distance

With 9 wins in 20 starts, including victories on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, it’s not as though the filly U R All That I Am has to have a tailor-made race. But if there is one area in which she has excelled, it is going the unusual distance of 7 1/2 furlongs, against fellow California-bred females, on the main track at Hollywood Park.

Twice she has raced at that distance at that track. Twice she has won. On Sunday, U R All That I Am will go for her third victory under those ideal conditions when she defends her title in the $75,000 Cat’s Cradle Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The Cat’s Cradle goes as the second race on a nine-race card that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. Five others are entered, including Ultra Blend, who won the California Cup Matron in her last start on Oct. 30.

U R All That I Am ran short on turf in the California Cup Distaff on Oct. 30, and finished third after encountering traffic trouble at the top of the stretch. She was a 2 1/2-length winner of last year’s Cat’s Cradle. This past summer at Hollywood Park, she won the B. Thoughtful, like the Cat’s Cradle an elongated sprint against Cal-breds.

Joel Rosario rode U R All That I Am and Ultra Blend on Cal Cup Day. He has opted to remain with Ultra Blend, so Rafael Bejarano, who was 1 for 4 with U R All I Am in races this summer, is back aboard.

Ultra Blend’s Cal Cup Matron win was going 1 1/16 miles, so she is shortening up by one turn and one furlong for the Cat’s Cradle. Her form around one turn is excellent, with victories in main-track stakes at Golden Gate and Sacramento the past two seasons.

Like U R All That I Am, Ultra Blend is consistent. She has won 6 times in 16 starts, and has finished in the money 14 times. She has never finished worse than fourth.

The team of owner Benjamin Warren and trainer Jorge Gutierrez sends out two runners, Warren’s Jitterbug and the Warren’s Got Game. Warren’s Jitterbug is the far more accomplished of the two. She was third in the Cal Cup Matron in her last start, and earlier this year dead-heated for the win in the Sandy Blue at Del Mar.

Camille C., fourth in the Cal Cup Matron, figures to make the early running, with Word Association – who is seeking her third straight win – hot on her heels.