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Eurton Hoping To Hit Storm The Court’s Reset Button In Grassy La Jolla

The burgeoning but eventful, to say the least, career of Storm the Court comes full circle Sunday when the 3-year-old son of Court Vision gets tested on turf for the first time in the Grade III, $125,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

Barely less than a year ago, on August 10, 2019, the colt trained by Peter Eurton for Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen and partners, made his racing debut here a victorious one. Twenty-three days later, Storm the Court was bumped by bolting 1-2 favorite Eight Rings shortly after the start of the meet-climaxing Del Mar Futurity with both horses losing their riders.

Following that there was, as racing fans know, a 45-1 upset victory in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the honor of an Eclipse Award as top 2-year-old of 2019 and a 0-for-4 record in 2020 on the Kentucky Derby trail.

The La Jolla could turn out to be a fresh start on a new surface, or a continuation/affirmation of the still smoldering Derby fires.

“We're going to the grass to give us some options,” Eurton said Friday. “It seems like a good opportunity because, for one, we're here. We still haven't ruled out the Kentucky Derby. Even if he wins this race we won't know what we'll do. That will be something to discuss probably for the next week or two afterward.”

Storm the Court has accumulated 36 points in Kentucky Derby qualifying races and ranks 17^th in the current standings through Friday. The Run for the Roses field is set at 20.

“It's been an unusual year because of the change in schedule,” said Bernsen. “I don't think anyone has been able to stick with the plan they had after the Breeders' Cup. It will be exciting to see what he can do this weekend on the turf and it will give us some options going forward.

“His daddy won the Breeders' Cup Turf at big odds as well, and also won on dirt. So he was versatile and we think (Storm the Court) is too. That suggests it's worth giving it a shot to see what we have.

“It's nice to be able to do that and not have to travel. He's traveled quite a bit since the Breeders' Cup – Arkansas, Ohio – so it's good for us to be able to stay here and do this.”

Storm the Court's sire, Court Vision, was a five-time Grade I stakes winner. As a 2-year-old he took the Iroquois and Remsen on dirt. Switched to turf as a 3-year-old, after a 13^th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Court Vision won at least one Grade I on grass each year from ages 3-6. He ran in the Breeders' Cup Mile three times and, in his last try, upset the great mare Goldikova at odds of 30-1.

Storm the Court has worked four times at Del Mar. He had an acclimation 4 furlong go on the turf on July 12, 5-furlong grass exercises on July 19 and 26 and a 5-furlong tightener on dirt last Sunday.

The first two were to Eurton's satisfaction, the third he described as a “hiccup” work. “He outworked his company, but he was too busy gawking,” Eurton said. “But the last one (:59.40, second-best of 72 at the distance) was really good.”

The field from the rail: I'm Leaving You (Giovanni Franco, 15-1); K P All Systems Go (Abel Cedillo, 6-1); Azul Coast (Drayden Van Dyke, 4-1); Ajourneytofreedom (Ruben Gonzalez, 12-1); Kanderel (Juan Hernandez, 10-1); Smooth Like Strait (Umberto Rispoli, 5-2); Storm The Court (Flavien Prat, 3-1), and Indian Peak (Mike Smith, 6-1).

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Desormeaux: Horse That ‘Changed My Life’ Continues To Pay Dividends

My Girl Red, who cruised to a 4 3/4-length victory in Friday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sorrento Stakes, is a daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red. Both were/are trained by Keith Desormeaux.

“Texas Red changed my life,” Desormeaux said after the Sorrento. “Texas Red was the culmination of a lifetime of telling myself, and other people, that you don't have to pay boxcar prices (for horses) to win major races.

“I'll always be appreciative of that, and it's icing on the cake to have the same ownership group breed this kind of mare in his first group. Hopefully, it's onwards and upwards for him.”

In making it 2-for-2 for her career, favored My Girl Red ($3.80), was in control virtually from the start without much encouragement and was merely taking stock of her surroundings during the final sixteenth of a mile.

“She's always shown that she has a lot of class and she has the physical attributes that I look for in a good horse,” Desormeaux said. “For her to win first time out is the (epitome) of class. It shows that you don't have to work forty-five and change in the morning to show that kind of speed in the afternoon.”

Like father, like daughter? Not around the barn.

“Texas Red didn't want you to touch him. He's was pretty ornery,” Desormeaux said. “He wasn't a lovable type. This filly really seems to like to be around people. None of those ornery traits for her.”

Asked if the Grade I, Del Mar Debutante (September 6) was next, Desormeaux didn't hesitate. “Oh, of course,” he said.

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Oh, Brother! American Sailor Awarded Troy Stakes Win Via Disqualification

Raj Jagnanan's American Sailor was elevated to first following the disqualification of Imprimis in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Troy, a 5 ½-furlong sprint on the Mellon turf course at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Breeze Easy's Imprimis, trained by Joe Orseno and piloted by Jose Ortiz, rallied to the lead down the lane but not before lugging in on Shekky Shebaz, guided by his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was forced to check.

Imprimis crossed the wire 2 1/4-lengths lengths in front of the pacesetting American Sailor, who was a head better than Shekky Shebaz in third. Following a stewards inquiry, Imprimis was disqualified and placed third behind Shekky Shebaz.

“When I hit him the first time, that's when he switched leads and I think that's when I bothered the other horse,” said Ortiz. “It looked like [Imprimis] was the best horse but probably did cost the other horse [Shekky Shebaz] a position.”

American Sailor, with Tyler Gaffalione up, set a swift early tempo of 21.92 seconds and a half-mile in 44.01 with Shekky Shebaz following his early foot. Imprimis settled in third position and began his move into the turn racing outside of horses.

American Sailor maintained a precarious lead at the head of the lane but Imprimis and Shekky Shebaz loomed large. Shekky Shebaz, stopped briefly by Imprimis, re-rallied late in the lane to challenge American Sailor for place.

Rounding out the order of finish were Chewing Gum, Pulsate, Lonhtwist, and the slow starting Pure Sensation.

The victory marked the first stakes win for an emotional trainer Wayne Potts as well as a first win at the Spa from four attempts for the veteran conditioner.

“I'm speechless. This is my first graded win,” said Potts. “My clients have stood behind me through the years with claimers and this is where we're at.”

An 8-year-old son of City Zip, American Sailor arrived at the Troy from a runner-up effort to Archidust in the Wolf Hill on July 18 at Monmouth Park and was making just his third start of the campaign.

“We gave him the winter off this year and I had him for about three years and he really needed a break. He really deserved it,” said Potts. “He doesn't owe us anything, so we decided to give him a break this year and give him some time off instead of shipping him to Sam Houston for the Turf Sprint. He came back at Laurel and ran a fantastic race in his first race back and then he ran in the Wolf Hill, where he got beat by a nice horse for [Hall of Famer Steve] Asmussen. He came out of it well and so I was confident when I brought him up here.”

Gaffalione said he was happy to end up in the winner's circle regardless of the circumstances.

“I don't want to take anything away from my horse, he put in a huge effort today,” said Gaffalione. “I'm thrilled for the owners to come up here and win a nice race like this. It's not the way you want to get it done, but he put in a big effort and he's definitely deserving.”

American Sailor became a stakes winner in the 2016 Bucharest Turf Sprint at Sam Houston for former trainer Joe Sharp and made the grade by capturing the Troy in just his third graded attempt in 45 career starts.

Bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, American Sailor banked $110,000 in victory while improving his record to 15-9-3. He paid $16.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing returns Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $85,000 Alydar in Race 9 and a mandatory payout in the Empire 6. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Serengeti Empress Shows The Way In ‘Win And You’re In’ Ballerina

Despite breaking a step slowly from the inside post position, Joel Politi's Serengeti Empress, quickly moved to the front under Luis Saez and never looked back, winning the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday.

The second choice in the wagering at 3-1, the Tom Amoss-trained 4-year-old filly by Alternation defeated 5-2 favorite Bellafina by about a length, covering seven furlongs in 1:21.63 after setting sizzling fractions of :21.75, :43.74 and 1:08.32. Victim of Love finished third, with 2019 Ballerina winner Come Dancing fourth and Mexican star Letruska fifth in the field of seven fillies and mares, 4 and up.

“This is a win and you're in for the Breeders' Cup. Can't wait,” said Tom Amoss, who trains the 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner, in reference to the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series that will give Serengeti Empress and automatic, fees-paid berth in the Filly & Mare Sprint, to be run at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

Serengeti Empress was winning for the seventh time in 17 career starts. The Ballerina was her second victory of 2020, the filly having won the G2 Azeri at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn on a sloppy track earlier this year.

After breaking fastest, Letruska battled with Serengeti Empress in the long run down the backstretch and around the turn, with Cookie Dough third and Bellafina fourth and to the outside.

Into the stretch, Letruska began to fade, but Victim of Love came up the rail to challenge and Bellafina applied pressure to Serengeti Empress' right flank. Just when it appeared those two might have a chance to take over, Serengeti Empress spurted clear under an aggressive hand ride from Saez in the final sixteenth.

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