DMR Debutante (Grade 1)- $250.000 Purse
DMR- For Fillies Two Year Old
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
September 6, 2020

We’ll see some of the best two year old fillies in virtual racing go at it in the 18th running of the DMR Debutante, but the bigger story will be: can Mb Stables really win this race five years in a row? We know that Mb Stables has accomplished pretty much everything there is to do in this game, but to win a Grade 1 for five consecutive years is a stunning achievement. I don’t think I have seen any graded race that I have covered see the same trainer win for five years in a row, four years is a rarity enough. The streak began with Snow Peak in 2016, and carried on to Confidently In Love and Blazing By, before Relax won the race last year. He’ll have three of the eleven runners, so let’s meet those he pins his hopes on this time, and the ones looking to play the role of streak-ender.

#1- Exultant Gal (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by P Lopez)- On the rail, this Exultant filly comes into the race off of breaking her maiden at a mile at MTH last month. It was also her first race with a shadow roll, and we will see that on her again for this race. The only concern I have is that the SRF for that win is awfully low. Though, maybe we should not read anything into that, but it is worth the mention. She is working well right now.

#2- Undervalued (Mb Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- The first of those brought to the gate by Mb Stables, and probably not the first choice from the barn. She has won one out four thus far in her career, and comes out of the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes here, where she ran an uneventful fifth. I don’t think an extra furlong changes all that much for her from that race, one that was won by her stablemate.

#3- Big Challenge (Waldo, ridden by D Cohen)- Last ran about six weeks ago in the Schuylerville at Saratoga, and had a decent performance, placing fifth. It’s one of those races where many of them hit the line together, so the noteworthy thing to take from that race is that she was passed by a few in the stretch of a shorter race. She has had time to recover and improve from it.

#4- Wild Wild Wild (Aer Stables, ridden by G Franco)- After breaking her maiden early in April, the filly was sold in private sales for $250.000 just ten days later. Aer Stables has done well with her, but they are still waiting for their first trip to the winners circle together. A couple of close calls in ungraded stakes, third in the KY Juvenile and second in the Astoria, would lead to a disappointing eighth in the Sorrento Stakes last month. That race looks like it will be a throw out to me, and I am expecting her to run much better than that here.

#5- Uplifting (Fractious, ridden by R Bejarano)- One of a handful that ran in the Sorrento Stakes here last month, but she was able to hit the board in the race, placing second to the winning Not A Big Deal. In that race, they ran together most of the way, and Uplifting did get outrun in the stretch, but not by a lot, and that can certainly be reversed here.

#6- Golden Boy (Our Athletes, ridden by D Van Dyke)- Someone tell the stewards that this horse is not eligible. Wait, nevermind, she really is a filly, got confused by the name. In three starts, the Bay Of Plenty filly has one win, coming off a maiden triumph right here about six weeks ago. It’s a jump in class for her and I am hoping she’s better than her last work suggests.

#7- Agreement (Smokey Stover, ridden by D Davis)- The Cherokee Sunset filly is looking for her second win. To do that, she will have to improve on her finish in a Saratoga allowance, but when speaking of two year olds, those are unofficial stakes. Based on her works, five furlongs was too short for her anyway. This race is up for grabs, but certainly she is right there in the probable jumbo finish.

#8- Better Left Out (Estero Farms, ridden by G Saez)- On the same day that several in here were running in the Sorrento Stakes, Better Left Out was breaking her maiden in the second race of the card. It was a two length win, but in a similar story to Exultant Gal, the SRF associated with it is really not that impressive. She is better than that number, and I like how she worked here last week.

#9- Not A Big Deal (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Well, it actually would be quite a big deal if she won, and she should be considered the favorite to do so in this race. She has won three of four, and that includes the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes that several of these also ran in. What I like about that win is how she won it, with a strong stretch run, making her even more formidable at seven furlongs. Working great with a trainer who knows how to win this race. What’s not to like?

#10- Just A Dream (Paradise Stable, ridden by V Espinoza)- The filly won on debut, doing so at TUP in late April. Since then, the filly has looked sharp, giving the trainer plenty of reason to be excited. Now, he will hope those third place finishes can turn into wins, and it may be that a little more distance does the trick. She has never faced a field like this, but has earned the chance.

#11- Form Fitting (Mb Stables, ridden by J K Court)- On the outside, this Compress filly has two wins in three races, including an allowance on the grass here in mid-July. She ran on the turf last time out as well, but the trainer moves her back to the main track here after some promising works.

Prediction: 9-4-5-7

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES