January 12, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
Showing Some Sparkle
Shimmering Allure (4-5) has her sights set on another stakes score when she takes on four competitors in this Saturday’s $100,000 Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct.
The accomplished youngster has already performed admirably at the graded level, running to finishes of fourth and second in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) and Demoiselle (G2), respectively.
Although the Demoiselle second was by 3 ¾ lengths to even-money favorite Life Talk, Shimmering Allure showed promise climbing up from the fifth spot at the three-quarters mark.
Now back at the stakes tier, the Junior Alvarado mount will aim for a performance reminiscent of last November’s authoritative 3-length Tempted win.
California Golden Sons
Wild Jewels, much like Detroit Lions star wide receiver and fellow California native Amon-Ra St. Brown, has gotten off to a booming start to his young career.
The 3-year-old gelding will go for career stakes victory number three this Saturday in the $200,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby at Santa Anita. If successful, Wild Jewels (9-5) will have achieved such a feat in just seven starts.
A winner of three consecutive races, including the Golden Nugget and Gold Rush Stakes, the Steven Specht pupil owns a stellar 4-1-0 record through half a dozen starts.
Budding Star or Miracle Maker?
Divine Gal is perfect through two starts, claiming wins at 30-1 and 13-1. Thus begs the question heading into Saturday’s $150,000 Mockingbird Stakes at Oaklawn Park: is Divine Gal a budding star or miracle maker?
While the sample size is too small for a concrete answer, the one thing we know for sure is that Divine Gal (9-2) enjoys a six-furlong sprint on the dirt, and that’s exactly what the Mockingbird is.
Having run at Oaklawn last time out, the 3-year-old filly has the added advantage of lived experience. While that doesn’t automatically correlate to success, it makes Divine Gal an intriguing value play in her first taste of stakes action.
Black Card
Chancery Way takes her stellar 7-2-2 record through 12 starts to Santa Anita for Saturday’s running of the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint.
The dynamic 5-year-old mare rides into the weekend on the heels of back-to-back knockout performances in both the Betty Grable and Bear Fan Stakes, contested last November and December.
Altogether, Chancery Way has run in nine consecutive Black Type Stakes, taking home three for an overall record of 3-2-2 record over that span.
The impressive stretch has the Jamey Thomas trainee pegged as the third choice on the opening line at 4-1.
Bird is the Word?
Wet My Beak, who got her first taste of stakes glory last November at Santa Anita (Senator Ken Maddy), will try to take things up a notch on Sunday afternoon when she makes her graded debut in the Las Cienegas (G3T).
Also taking place at Santa Anita, the $100,000 contest is a 6 ½ furlong test for fillies and mares ages 4-and-up. On top of being a familiar setting, the race also happens to be at a comfortable distance for Wet My Beak, who’s triumph in the Senator Ken Maddy, at 23-1 mind you, came at 6 ½ furlongs.
Through six career starts, the Jose Ortiz mount has found her way around the money on a consistent pace, going 3-0-1.
