Velvet Mesquite brings success on downhill course into Sen. Ken Maddy

ARCADIA, Calif. – Velvet Mesquite won her stakes debut in the California Distaff Handicap on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Oct. 11. By the next morning, trainer Blake Heap began plotting a schedule to have the massive 4-year-old filly ready for Saturday’s $100,000 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes over the same hillside turf course.

“She seems like she took the race fine,” Heap said. “I had a lot of time between races before her last start.”

There is an urgency to run Velvet Mesquite this weekend. After Sunday, there are no races on the hillside turf course until the winter-spring meeting opens Dec. 26. Del Mar does not have any stakes for turf sprinters at its November meeting. Los Alamitos, which has a race meeting in December, does not have a turf course.

Velvet Mesquite is part of a field of 14 in the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy, run over about 6 1/2 furlongs. The race is likely to have fewer starters. Ageless has drawn into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint later in the day, following the withdrawal Wednesday of Free as a Bird.

KEY CONTENDERS

Velvet Mesquite (Last 3 Beyers: 89-61-87)

◗ Owned by Harris Farms, Velvet Mesquite has won 5 of 6 starts on the hillside turf course in her nine-race career. She is winless in three starts on dirt and synthetic tracks.

◗ In the California Distaff Handicap for statebreds, Velvet Mesquite led throughout, winning by a half-length over Heat Trap. Heap said Velvet Mesquite, who stands nearly 17 hands, can be effective as a stalker for jockey Mike Smith in the Maddy.

“Mike tells me we’ll be just off of it,” he said. “It will be up to him. You look at her, you think she’s a miler.”

Gender Agenda (Last 2 Beyers: 89-75)

◗ Gender Agenda won her U.S. debut in an allowance race over a mile on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 3 and was second in the Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course Sept. 27. Trainer Carla Gaines said she had hoped to run Gender Agenda in the Autumn Miss Stakes over a mile on turf Aug. 25.

Gender Agenda “was a little erratic” in the Unzip Me, Gaines said. “She’ll be a little better with experience on it.”

◗ Gender Agenda will be ridden for the first time by Javier Castellano, a replacement for Joe Talamo, who has the mount on Fanticola.

Richies Party Girl (Last 3 Beyers: 88-53-91)

◗ Richies Party Girl beat males in the $101,000 Juvenile Turf Sprint here last November in her only start on the hillside turf course.

◗ Trained by Wesley Ward, Richies Party Girl has won two stakes this year – the Wait a While Stakes over seven furlongs on turf against 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park in May and the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint over 6 1/2 furlongs on turf Sept. 13.