Starlet (Grade 1) (KYO)- $300.000 Purse
LA- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
December 8, 2018

The BC may be over, and while it is a little early to start thinking about the KYO, maybe it isn’t, since this race does award some points for that race. The Starlet does have a pretty interesting history, having been won in the past by the great Mrs Bombastic, and more recently becoming dominated by Mb Stables. That trainer will look to extend his Starlet winning streak to four here in this race. Those three winners would be Jewel In The Sand (2015), Snow Peak (2016), and Confidently In Love (2017). Of them, only Snow Peak would appear in the KYO, and she would run second there before her conformation got the best of her one race later. For this race, we originally had nine scheduled, and have now been left with eight. Let’s meet them.

#1- Panentheism (Smokey Stover, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Saw the bloodlines, thought they looked familiar and checked what superstar also had them. Then, I saw it was just my own stable star, Socotra Island. Of whom Smokey sold me for $10.000, and of whom is also going stakes racing on Saturday. Let’s pull them both off, Smokey! Ok, cheerleader mode off, but she will have my rooting interest now. Her career has started promising with two wins in three starts, and is looking to stretch out, here. Worked well at AQU a couple days ago to create optimism that it will go well. I actually see a lot of similarities between Panentheism and my own Socotra Island, other then the bloodlines. It’s a tough task for her, but she is heading the right direction for her career.

#2- Xtra Hot (Fractious, ridden by L H Colon)- As this filly makes just the third start of her career, her chances of victory are boosted by the presence of L H Colon, even if this race is not on the grass. She has proven to be a good auction purchase, acquired for a reasonable $26.190, and looking good early on. Xtra Hot has produced good shorter works, but the big question mark here is going to be the distance.

#3- Lucky Pivot (Serenity Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- Won both her debut, and her most recent race, the $75.000 Anoakia Stakes against three others. In between, she has three out of the money finishes, two of which were while going long. She looked overmatched in her attempt at the Grade 2 Pocahontas in September, so she will need to have improved since then, but that is certainly possible. This is a strong field, especially because of the one starting just to her outside.

#4- Camp Hollywood (Estero Farms, ridden by A A Gallardo)- There is no rest for the winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies, and she looks to win another big race before her three year old season even begins. The last two times the BC Juvenile Fillies winner ran in the Starlet, they ended up winning the race. Actually, when looking at the Juvenile Fillies winners that ran again a month later in the Demoiselle at AQU, there has been equivalent success. Snow Peak (2016) and Short Dog (2013) were the other two to win both. Odds certainly are in Camp Hollywood’s favor. She’s not going to be 25/1 here like she was in the BC. More like 2/1.

#5- Southern Two Step (The Sidley Stud, ridden by F Pennington)- The great F Pennington seems like he has been in a little bit of a slump lately at the graded level, at least in the races I have been covering. This filly has impressively won four of five career races, and every race since getting her debut out of the way. Her last start was the first time that she took on stake company, and she defeated three others at the $100.000 South Ocean Stakes for ON-breds. The competition that she sees her is a whole new level, but when you keep winning, you keep earning better chances. Last two wins were by four lengths, each, by the way.

#6- Love Struck Baby (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- With a name like this, it is not a surprise that she showed a lot of heart in her first four races, winning all of them, each in a very tight photo. These victories included the Grade 3 Schuylerville and Grade 1 Spinaway at SAR, and they sent her to the BC Juvenile Fillies. She never really seemed to get going that day, and only defeated one of her rivals, being passed by several in the stretch. Love Struck Baby is going to have to prove here that she truly wants to be racing more then a mile, even if she doesn’t win.

#7- Miss Outofcontrol (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- In what is probably a surprise to some, this is the only entry in the field that the trainer will have, that will be running. This a race that Mb Stables has won three times in a row, so Miss Outofcontrol has some big shoes to fill here. She is doing fine in her career thus far, going two for two since being acquired in the June auction for $42.540. Looked good when she won the optional claimer in her last start, but she makes quite a leap forward here. The fact that Mb singled her out here though, is very telling about the confidence he has in her.

#8- Kaikoura (Smokey Stover, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- The Pinkman filly has two wins in six starts this season, one of them coming in the Grade 2 Pocahontas in September at CD. Earlier in the year, she ran third in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, so when she ran in the BC Juvenile Fillies, there was plenty to like. She represented herself, and picked up a fourth place check for Smokey Stover, finishing a quarter length behind the race winning Camp Hollywood. Has not had a public work since the BC, but there is no reason to think that it would not be impressive.

#9- Elegant- Scratched

Prediction: 4-1-8-5

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES