Weekend Warrior for June 21: Picks for Debutante, Roxelana, Evangeline Turf Sprint

The Weekend Warrior has his gaze focused on sprinters Saturday – from 2-year-old fillies and older mares at Churchill Downs to older males going five furlongs on grass at Evangeline Downs.

In each case, speed-laden fields have the Warrior looking for a horse with the ability to come from just off the pace.

Debutante Stakes

Fairly typical of a 2-year-old race at this time of year, the Debutante drew a short cast of six at Churchill Downs. But the six appear to be a pretty talented lot, with five of them being first-out winners and the other having run second in her only start.

Value is a bit tricky to find, but perhaps Promise Me Silver might slip through the cracks as an invader from Texas. She is 3-1 on the morning line, the co-second choice behind 2-1 favorite Unbridled Reward.

One needs to merely watch the replay of the lone race from Promise Me Silver to know she is a filly with promise. Breaking from the fence in her debut, Promise Me Silver briefly raced inside the leader, was eased to the outside, and then drew off as much the best.

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She pulled clear to a 6 3/4-length victory, running 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.61 seconds. That earned her a 70 Beyer Speed Figure, a figure just off the top Beyer in the race, a 72, posted by Rachel’s Ready in her maiden triumph.

The most encouraging aspect of her race was that she showed speed without being speed-crazy, meaning she can put herself in the race while waiting for a cue from her rider when to go. That kind of professionalism is rare in a 2-year-old making her first start and bodes well for her ability to stretch out to six furlongs in the Debutante.

What about the fact that she is from Texas? Don’t let it bother you. Her trainer, Bret Calhoun, won this race last year with Fiftyshadesofgold after she had previously won a maiden race for Texas-breds at Lone Star Park.

Roxelana Stakes

One race after the Debutante, a field of 10 starts in the Roxelana, an overnight stakes at six furlongs on dirt for older fillies and mares.

Again, another quality wagering prospect looms – this time with Anahauc. A winner of two straight allowances with Beyers of 102 and 100, she last ran ninth in the Winning Colors at Churchill on May 26.

But look a little closer at the race, and it seems that Anahauc had an excuse for not running to her potential. Off poorly, she raced in traffic and, after getting bounced around a bit, seemed to get discouraged and quit running.

Now matched against an easier field in the Roxelana, one lacking the first- and second-place finishers from the Winning Colors, she is in the perfect spot to get back on track.

The presence of several speed horses should set her up for a favorable stalking trip on the outside after breaking from post 9.

Evangeline Turf Sprint

Not to be overlooked Saturday is the fine card at Evangeline Downs, which is running five stakes, highlighted by the inaugural running of the $300,000 Evangeline Turf Sprint.

A five-furlong dash, it not surprisingly drew plenty of speed horses – which is the norm for a race this short.

The horse most likely to work out the desired trip is Gantry. A winner of 10 of 24 starts, he proved his turf quality with a fine win in beating Positive Side and Marchman in a sprint at Fair Grounds before running a flat sixth behind Marchman and Positive Side as they ran one-two in the Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland on April 12.

Freshened for more than two months since, Gantry has been stabled at the nearby Evangeline Downs Training Center and this time doesn’t have a long ship to potentially take something away from his kick.

The time off should also leave him more eager early and in a better position to sit just behind pace, which promises to be furious with need-the-lead front-runners Heitai and Sum of the Parts in the lineup.