Trainer Michael McCarthy made a bold move this summer when shipping 3-year-old filly Clearly Unhinged across the country for a shot at the G1 Test at Saratoga. She proved more than worthy of the decision when coming up just a head short of multiple Grade 1 winner Pretty Mischievous at 17-1.
On Friday, Clearly Unhinged will get a different test when she tackles older fillies and mares for the first time in the G3 Chillingworth going 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita Park. Among her rivals are 4-5 morning-line favorite Eda, California's top female sprinter, and stablemate Home Cooking. Both are trained by Bob Baffert.
When it comes to Clearly Unhinged, you can count Baffert among her many admirers.
“This is a tough race,” Baffert said Wednesday morning of the Chillingworth. “McCarthy's horse is fast. That's a serious filly.”
Clearly Unhinged is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line behind Eda and Elm Drive (3-1), who cuts back to a sprint for Phil D'Amato after finishing third in the G1 Clement L. Hirsch going 1 1/16 miles on Aug. 5 at Del Mar. Clearly Unhinged will break from the rail under Umberto Rispoli, who was also aboard for an allowance win at Santa Anita on June 16 prior to the Test.
In the seven-furlong Test, which was marred by the breakdown of leader Maple Leaf Mel approaching the wire, Clearly Unhinged nearly won despite trouble on the backstretch. Near the nine-sixteenths pole, the chart notes Clearly Unhinged clipped heels and bobbled slightly.
“I thought it was a gallant effort in the Test,” McCarthy said Wednesday morning. “She did kind of bobble a bit and didn't have the cleanest of trips.”
A homebred daughter of Into Mischief for Rock Brother Racing, Clearly Unhinged has had two five-furlong works at Santa Anita since her cross-country adventure.
“It seems like she came out of it well and the spacing is good for this race,” McCarthy said.
Eda has won all three starts this year including the G2 Great Lady M at Los Alamitos and G3 Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar Aug. 22. She will have regular rider Juan Hernandez in the irons Friday.
The Chillingworth could be a potential springboard to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4. While a win in both the Chillingworth and Breeders' Cup would seemingly make Eda a candidate for an Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter, Baffert downplayed those potential ramifications.
“She hasn't run against those top horses from back east. We're just taking it one race at a time with her,” Baffert said.
Home Cooking breaks from post two and will have Edwin Maldonado in the irons for the first time. She was sixth in the Rancho Bernardo when running inside of horses for most of the race.
“She always draws poorly,” Baffert said of Home Cooking. “I wish she'd draw outside one time.”
Home Cooking, a 3-year-old Honor Code filly, has been working fast for the Chillingworth. She has fired three straight bullets, including a five-furlong move in 1:00.0 at Santa Anita last Friday.
The Chillingworth, which is named in honor of longtime California racing executive Sherwood Chillingworth, goes as the eighth race on Friday's nine-race program. Post time is approximately 4:30 Pacific.
The field in post position order:
- Clearly Unhinged, Umberto Rispoli (4-1);
- Home Cooking, Edwin Maldonado (12-1);
- Kirstenbosch, Hector Berrios (8-1);
- Elm Drive, Ricardo Gonzalez (3-1);
- Eda, Juan Hernandez (4-5);
- Violent Runner, Mario Gutierrez (30-1);
- Lady T, Mike Smith (12-1).
The post ‘Serious Filly’ Clearly Unhinged Takes On Baffert Pair In Friday’s Chillingworth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
