SATURDAY
- Donna Freyer S. (PRX) — Three year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs
- Christopher Elser S. (PRX) — Three year-old colts and geldings, 6 1/2 furlongs[/boxify]
Saturday will provide the first mid-Atlantic stakes of 2014 run someplace other than Laurel Park, with a pair of added-money races at Parx Racing — and, oddly enough, both are South Carolina residency races, restricted to horses that spent 90 days in South Carolina.
In the first of those races, the $75,000 Donna Freyer for three year-old fillies, it’ll be hard to see much past Aunt Ellipsis (1-1). She broke her maiden — by nine lengths — at the $25,000 level and has never finished worse thant second in four starts. Last out, she chased 1-5 favorite Raging Smoke, who’d finished second to the very fast Gracer in her prior try. Clovis Crane brings Je Suis Enchantee (12-1) to the race on short rest, after that one made her debut January 30. She gave a credible accounting of herself, finishing six lengths behind odds-on La Mala, and figures to improve in her second start against what is a pretty modest group. Danees Do Be Do (4-1) is the only other winner among the six, having thrashed a field of $12,500 maidens two back at Laurel. She last raced January 1, and Jevian Toledo comes north to take the mount for Hamilton Smith…
The field for the Christopher Elser is much saltier, and while it doesn’t include any stakes winners, it does include three horses that have won at least twice. Elevated (7-2) hit the ground running, winning his first two starts for trainer Phil Schoenthal, but he’s found the going a bit tougher since. He ran fourth in the Mark McDermott at Presque Isle, finishing ahead of Hollywood Talent, subsequently third in the Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream, before running poorly at long odds in the James F. Lewis at Laurel. He’ll find the company more congenial here, and he’s been working well off a two month freshening. The bad news for Geaux Mets (2-1) is that he finished fifth, beaten by 22, last out; the good news is that he’s shortening up from 1 mile 70 yards to 6 1/2 furlongs — and he won’t see any rivals like unbeaten Samraat, who followed up his 16-length score that day with a win in the Grade 3 Withers. If Leet (12-1) actually posts, he might be worth a look at solid odds following a useful debut in which he finished second…
Elsewhere… surprised to see Kens Cape — second in the Penn Dash and third on the turf in the Tony Gatto Dream Big Stakes at Atlantic City in mid-2013 — in for a nickel tomorrow at Laurel. The seven year-old son of Cape Town has earned more than $250,000 in his career. Kieron Magee claimed the gelding for $16,000 from King Leatherbury in November and now drops him to the bottom after two mediocre tries at higher levels. The 5 1/2 furlong race has drawn 16 entrants, only 14 of which will actually race…
Dark Voyager (7-5) figures best in the Laurel feature, a first-level allowance, but the chuckle of the race comes from number 4, Canuspellpatience. The apparent answer: yes, but I can’t spell “you”…
