Selima Stakes odds and analysis
2014 Selima winner Miss Bullistic. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
From a Maryland Jockey Club release
A professional winner of her debut last month, juvenile filly Fly will look for similar results when she takes on stakes company for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Selima on the All Along Turf Course.
Trained by Phil Schoenthal for a partnership that paid $80,000 as a yearling for the daughter of Brilliant Speed out of the Storm Cat mare Desert Stormer – all Grade 1 winners – Fly captured her unveiling by a half-length Aug. 5 over the same course and distance as the Selima.
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Analysis by The Racing Biz.
- Zero Zee (2-1) — Feargal Lynch/George Weaver — Debut winner at the Spa shows two interim works
- Brassy Lassie (20-1) — Forest Boyce/Phil Schoenthal — Defeated Md-breds on main track for maiden win; half-sib Saham a graded stake winner on the green
- White Tights (10-1) — Luis Garcia/Ben Colebrook — Better spot than Futurity
- Harlands Thunder (9-2) — Edgar Prado/Bill Mott — Respectable third in Colleen S. in first turf try; picks up Prado
- She’s Jiggy (20-1) — Horacio Karamanos/Alejandro Gomez — Debut winner at CT must improve here
- Happy Mesa (15-1) — Sheldon Russell/Hamilton Smith — Easy debut winner out of dam who was stakes-placed on turf
- Balayage (10-1) — Trevor McCarthy/Alan Golberg — Easy win last time; continued improvement a must
- Fly (9-2) — Jevian Toledo/Phil Schoenthal — Upset debut winner on the green, besting #9 here
- Consulting (4-1) — Ashley Castrenze/Tom Proctor — Failed late to fall to #8 here last out; blinks on for the first time
“She came out of the race great. We were over the moon because we paid $80,000 for her, which is the most we’ve ever spent on a yearling,” he said. “Of course when you pay that much money for the horse you’re going to have some expectations for them; at least you have the hope. To see her put it all together first time out and run professional and fast and look like a good horse doing it was extremely exciting for us.”
Fly drew the rail in a 10-horse field for her career opener but was able to secure a stalking spot under Jevian Toledo before shifting outside for the stretch drive. She has worked twice over Laurel’s turf since the win including a bullet five-furlong move Aug. 24.
Fly will break from post 8 of nine under Jevian Toledo at 119 pounds.
“She came out of the race great and has been breezing great,” Schoenthal said. “We’re excited to see her run.”
Schoenthal also entered Everest Stables, Inc.’s Brassy Lassie, a front-running maiden winner in her second career start Aug. 20 at Laurel. The Selima would be her first start beyond five furlongs and first try on turf. Forest Boyce is named to ride from post 2 at 119 pounds.
“She was very professional her second time out. She bled a little bit in that first race and didn’t run her race. We gave her some time off on the farm to let her lungs heal, brought her back and gave her an easy half-mile and put her in and she broke to the front and ran like we expected her to run the first time,” he said. “She certainly has room to improve off of that race and she’s going to have to improve to be competitive I think.”
Rounding out the field are Colts Neck Stables homebred Balayage, a front-running Parx maiden winner Aug. 8; Happy Mesa, who broke her maiden going 5 ½ furlongs on dirt Aug 14 at Laurel for trainer Hamilton Smith; Harland’s Thunder, third in the Schuylerville (G3) July 22 at Saratoga; White Tights, cross-entered in the $75,000 Laurel Futurity; Consulting, She’s Jiggy and Zero Zee, a Saratoga maiden winner Aug. 12. story
