Virulente shortens up for second U.S. start
Virulente had a disrupted American debut in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 27.
The French import broke slowly and was stuck in traffic in the stretch before finishing seventh by 2 1/2 lengths.
“She slightly hesitated on the inside,” trainer Phil D’Amato said on Thursday. “It was her second start and she was racing against seasoned horses. I thought it was a respectable effort.”
There are likely to be stakes in Virulente’s short-term future, pending the results of an allowance race at six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on Sunday. Virulente was 9-1 in the Durante, but will be a fraction of that price in Sunday’s seventh race, which drew a field of eight.
Virulente will be ridden by Flavien Prat, the leading rider at the meeting through last weekend. D’Amato will fit Virulente with blinkers, and described them as “a little cheater blinker, to give her more focus.”
Owned by Erik Johnson, Madaket Stables, and Dave Kenney, Virulente will have her third start in the allowance. She won her debut in a maiden race at seven furlongs at Lion d’Angers Racecourse in France last August.
D’Amato said turf races such as the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside course on Feb. 12 or the $100,000 China Doll Stakes at a mile on March 6 are potential upcoming races for Virulente.
“This will be a test to see if we point her for the Sweet Life or stretch her back to a mile,” D’Amato said. “On paper, it looks like she’ll have a lot of speed.”
D’Amato has added a large contingent of newly turned 3-year-old fillies from Europe to his stable in recent weeks. On Jan. 2, D’Amato won the Blue Norther Stakes with the Irish import Bellabel.
In Sunday’s allowance race, the Irish import Impeachd Alexander will have her debut for D’Amato. Previously trained by Jessica Harrington, Impeachd Alexander won a six-furlong maiden race in her second start in June and was later sixth in a minor stakes in July and fifth in a minor handicap in September in her final start in Ireland.
Impeachd Alexander has had a steady pattern of workouts since the first of December.
“She’s a very handy filly,” D’Amato said. “She will be very tactical in the race.
“It will be her first race in a while. We’ll see if she needs one. Her last two breezes have been nice.”
Sunday’s race is the first turf sprint for Liam’s Dove, the 28-1 front-running winner of the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile in September. Liam’s Dove was fifth in the Durante after setting the pace to the final furlong.
Trained by Ruben Alvarado, Liam’s Dove may not set the pace in this field due to the presence of Baby Steps and Rock the Belles. Alvarado is banking on Liam’s Dove’s class to help her chances.
“I’m dropping from stakes and she’s been running in a different group,” he said. “She’s working really good. I think she’s fresh.”