Eres Tu Helps Toledo Complete Christmastide Stakes Day Hat Trick In Allaire Du Pont At Laurel

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Eres Tu kept her perfect comeback season intact and became a graded-stakes winner in the process with a popular one-length triumph in Saturday's $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 27th running of the 1 1/8-mile du Pont for fillies and mares 3 and up, traditionally contested over Preakness (G1) weekend, was moved following racing's return from the coronavirus pause to serve as the headliner on a Christmastide Day program that featured eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses.

Named for the avid sportswoman and horsewoman best known as the owner of Hall of Famer Kelso, the unprecedented and unsurpassed winner of five consecutive Horse of the Year championships from 1960-64, the du Pont was the last graded-stakes event of 2020 on the East Coast.

Eres Tu ($3.40), trained by Arnaud Delacour, earned his second straight stakes victory and gave jockey Jevian Toledo his third win of the afternoon and second in a stakes. Toledo also captured the $100,000 Dave's Friend for sprinters 3 and up aboard Whereshetoldmetogo.

The winning time was 1:50.57 over a fast main track. Twixt Stakes winner Wicked Awesome closed to be second, holding off Another Broad, fourth in last year's du Pont, by a head. They were followed by Landing Zone, Needs Supervision, Ice Princess and Alittlelesstalk.

Eres Tu has now won all three of her starts since joining Delacour's string at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., over the summer. She had won one of six starts for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and run third to subsequent Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress in the Rachel Alexandra (G2), and also finished fourth to eventual Grade 1 winner Street Band in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) last year.

It would be another 19 months before Eres Tu would race again, and winning an open entry-level allowance at Keeneland Oct. 14. Last time out, the 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon became a stakes winner in the Thirty Eight Go Go Nov. 28 at Laurel.

Multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision, a winner over Eres Tu in the 2019 Silverbulletday and fitted with blinkers for the first time, got out quickly and took the field of seven through a quarter-mile in 24.61 seconds chased by Landing Zone and Eres Tu, who Toledo kept in the clear three wide.

The three horses rounded the far turn together before Eres Tu began to edge away as her main combatants dropped back. At the same time, Wicked Awesome began to launch a bid on the far outside along with Another Broad to make a late bid, but Eres Tu had plenty left to repel the challengers.

“I know [Needs Supervision] was going to be a little bit fast, so I let my filly get away from there because I want to be in a good position. So, I let [Needs Supervision] go and then I came around and I was in a perfect spot the whole way,” Toledo said.

“Turning for home, she just had her ears up waiting for horses,” he added. “I got a little bit worried because she didn't want to switch leads and I knew they were coming, but she got the job done. She's a nice filly.”

Notes: In addition to Toledo's three wins, trainer Claudio Gonzalez won twice with Miss Leslie ($7) in the $100,000 Anne Arundel County for 2-year-old fillies and Harpers First Ride ($2.40) in the $100,000 Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up … The 20-Cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) saw its jackpot carryover swell to $14,260.39 for Sunday's nine-race program. Multiple tickets with all six winners Saturday each returned $30.60. There will also be a carryover of $1,696.86 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Race 1.

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No Cents, Street Lute, Shackqueenking, And Miss Leslie Find Success In Laurel Stakes Races

Isabelle de Tomaso and Hope Jones' homebred No Cents survived both a resurgent effort from fellow stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion along the rail and a lengthy inquiry to extend his win streak to four races in Saturday's $100,000 Heft at Laurel Park.

The Heft for males and $100,000 Gin Talking for fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs, were among four stakes for 2-year-olds on a Christmastide Day program serving up eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses.

Juveniles also went around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles in the $100,000 Howard County for males, won by Shackqueenking, and $100,000 Anne Arundel County for fillies, won by Miss Leslie.

It was the second straight stakes victory for No Cents ($3.40) following his 1 ¼ length triumph in the James F. Lewis III Nov. 14, also at Laurel. Ridden by Alex Cintron, the juvenile son of multiple Grade 1 winner Goldencents completed the distance in 1:23.79 over a fast main track.

Kenny Had a Notion, winner of the Jamestown on turf for Virginia-breds and Maryland Million Nursery on dirt two weeks apart in October, ran the opening quarter-mile in 22.78 seconds before fellow stakes winner Singlino went a half in 45.45. Cintron kept No Cents in the clear three wide and went after the leaders at the top of the lane, grinding away to take a short lead inside the eighth pole, only to have Kenny Had a Notion battle gamely inside but fall a neck short.

Jevian Toledo, the rider of third place finisher Singlino, lodged an objection against Cintron and No Cents for drifting in and impeding his path near the eighth pole, but the complaint was dismissed after an extended review.

Based at Laurel with trainer Cal Lynch, No Cents made his first three starts at Monmouth Park, breaking his maiden against fellow New Jersey-breds second time out Sept. 27 and winning an open entry-level allowance Oct. 21 prior to his score in the Lewis.

Street Lute Narrow Winner of $100,000 Gin Talking
Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute ended a near-perfect rookie season the way it began – in the winner's circle – leading from start to finish and holding off a frantic late bid from longshot Fraudulent Charge for a popular nose triumph in the $100,000 Gin Talking.

Ridden for the third straight race by Xavier Perez for trainer Jerry Robb, Street Lute ($2.80) ran seven furlongs in 1:23.39 over a fast main track. Sent off at odds of 2-5 in a field reduced to four by scratches, Street Lute earned her fifth win from six starts, fourth in a stakes and third straight, all at Laurel.

Street Lute broke on top and raced through fractions of 23.55 and 46.21 seconds under mild pressure from Whiskey and Rye, making her stakes debut. Out of Sorts, runner up to Street Lute in the Nov. 14 Smart Halo, made a sweeping move to get into contention on the far turn but couldn't keep up as Street Lute began to separate from the field.

Fraudulent Charge settled in a ground-saving position along the rail and was second after turning for home. Tipped to the outside by jockey Johan Rosado, Fraudulent Charge made a spirited bid on the outside and nearly pulled off the upset at 9-1 in just her second career start.

Out of Sorts was third, with Whiskey and Rye fourth. Aug Lutes, Beautiful Grace and Blissful Behavior were scratched.

Street Lute, bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Dr. Brooke Bowman, won the Small Wonder in September at Delaware Park second time out and suffered her only career loss by a neck in the Oct. 24 Maryland Million Lassie behind Miss Nondescript, avenging that defeat in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Dec. 5 at Laurel.

Shackqueenking Rules in $100,000 Howard County
Pocket 3's Racing's Shackqueenking, favored in his first try against stakes company, dueled with stakes-tested Ain't Da Beer Cold through the stretch and got his nose down on the wire to win the $100,000 Howard County.

Ridden by Victor Rosales for trainer Gary Capuano, Shackqueenking ($6.40) completed about 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.36 over a fast main track for his second win from four starts, all since Nov. 1.

“I've run him pretty quick four times now in a short period of time but he seems to relish it. I have to train him the morning of the race because he just gets wild, but he's not bad,” Capuano said. “He's just a good-feeling horse. Victor does a good job with him and it all worked out well. He ran game. It was tight.”

Ain't Da Beer Cold, most recently fourth in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity behind undefeated Jaxon Traveler Dec. 5 at Laurel, was hustled to the front from Post 6 by jockey Angel Cruz and held it through splits of 24.13 seconds, 48.06 and 1:12.17. Shackqueenking rated just off the leader heading to the stretch when they hooked up, with Ain't Da Beer Cold appearing to take a short lead inside the sixteenth pole before Shackqueenking surged again.

“I was really happy. The six horse broke and looked like he really wanted the lead. He sent him there and victor did a good job. He got him out of there but once that horse committed to go, he was able to just relax and track on the outside. He really had a good trip,” Capuano said.

“I wasn't sure [he won] because he had gone by that horse and that horse came back and looked like he had the jump on him,” he added. “The last couple jumps we just nosed him out. It was good horse race. You don't want to be on the losing end of that so I'm happy.”

Erawan was 3 ½ lengths behind Ain't Da Beer Cold in third, followed by Market Cap, Reassured, Brett's World and Twitty City.

Miss Leslie Steps Up in $100,000 Anne Arundel County
BB Horses' Miss Leslie, trying two turns for the first time in her stakes debut, emerged from a three-way photo finish a head in front of favored shipper The Grass Is Blue to capture the $100,000 Anne Arundel County.

Miss Leslie ($7), with Roimes Chirinos up, had never gone beyond six furlongs in her first four starts and was racing for the second time since being claimed for $25,000 by trainer Claudio Gonzalez Nov. 13. The win was the third straight overall for the daughter of G1 winner Paynter.

Breaking from Post 7, outside all but Buckey's Charm, Miss Leslie settled in fifth as 19-1 longshot Malibu Beauty led the way with splits of 24.24 seconds for a quarter-mile and 48.43 for the half. Chirinos swung Miss Leslie outside leaving the backstretch and had The Grass Is Blue on her right hip as they descended on Buckey's Charm, who raced greenly on the lead. The three hit the wire together with Miss Leslie in between horses.

Buckey's Charm was second, a head in front of The Grass Is Blue. It was 2 ¾ lengths back to Malibu Beauty in fourth. The winning time was 1:44.97 over a fast main track.

“We were talking about it in the paddock and she broke pretty good. I saved the most ground I could, and she was relaxed,” Chirinos said. “She wasn't scared at all. She was just fighting to take the lead and she fought pretty good.”

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Landing Zone Ready To Start New Streak in Allaire Du Pont Stakes At Laurel

BB Horses' Landing Zone, who lost for the first time in five races in her most recent start, will get the chance to start a new streak when she lines up for her graded-stakes debut in Saturday's $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 27th running of the 1 1/8-mile du Pont for fillies and mares 3 and up, the last graded event on the East Coast in 2020, headlines a Christmastide Day program of eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses.

Landing Zone, trained by Claudio Gonzalez, strung together four consecutive wins from Aug. 13 to Oct. 18, all facing older horses, at distances ranging from one to 1 1/16 miles. She made her stakes debut in the seven-furlong Safely Kept Nov. 28 at Laurel, running third behind multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful.

“The last race I tried her at seven-eighths and I believe it's too short for her. Still, she didn't run bad, because the winner is a nice filly,” Gonzalez said. “Now we'll try her long and, for me, it's going to be much better for her. She'll love it.”

Landing Zone, a 3-year-old daughter of Grade 1-winning millionaire Morning Line, drew Post 3 in a field of seven where all six of her rivals are already stakes winners. Angel Cruz will ride.

“She's a nice filly. She's always improving. The last few races she's run really big,” Gonzalez said. “She's more relaxed. She was very nervous in the paddock before and now she's relaxed, she's more mature. Hopefully as a 4-year-old she's going to be much better.”

Another of Gonzalez's sophomores, Euro Stable's multiple stakes winner Lebda, will take on his elders for the first time looking to snap a four-race losing streak in the $100,000 Dave's Friend for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs.

Winner of the Miracle Wood and Private Terms at Laurel to open 2020, he finished off the board in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Haskell (G1) and, most recently, the Chick Lang (G3) Oct. 1 at Pimlico Race Course. Scratched from the seven-furlong Concern Nov. 28 at Laurel with a minor foot issue, he will race for the first time as a gelding.

“He had to scratch last time but he came back good. We breezed him [Dec. 20] and he breezed good,” Gonzalez said. “The last time he had a problem with his feet. I put glue-on shoes on him and he was doing better and he breezed good. That's why we decide to run. It would be beautiful to see him win again but it's a tough race. It's the first time he's going to run against older horses and there's some tough horses in there. We're going to be happy if he tries and he comes back good.”

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Weekend Lineup Presented by Christmastide Day At Laurel Park: Showdown In The Malibu

Saturday marks opening day at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and racing secretary Chris Merz has put together an outstanding 11-race program that drew 104 entries (9.5 per race) and features six stakes races, including three Grade 1 contests: the Runhappy Malibu for 3-year-olds going seven furlong, the La Brea for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs, and the American Oaks for 3-year-olds going 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Santa Anita has an early 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific first post on Saturday.

The highlight will be the Malibu, a race won by such outstanding Thoroughbreds as Round Table, Buckpasser, Damascus, Spectacular Bid, Ferdinand, Shared Belief, Runhappy  and City of Light. Omaha Beach won the 2019 renewal.

Six were entered in this year's Malibu, but most eyes will be on the big two: unbeaten morning line favorite Nashville, who made his stakes debut for trainer Steve Asmussen on the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup undercard at Keeneland, winning the Perryville Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths and setting a track record of 1:07.89 for six furlongs; and Charlatan, first in all three of his starts by a  combined 22 lengths for trainer Bob Baffert but disqualified from a win in the G1 Arkansas Derby because of a failed post-race drug test for lidocaine.

Unlike last year, when inclement weather pushed opening day back by two days, the forecast is for sunny skies and a high of 69 degrees in Arcadia, Calif.

Laurel Park in Maryland will be a bit colder for its big Christmastide Day program featuring eight stakes races, highlighted by the G3 Allaire duPont Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares, three and up. The forecast calls for clear skies and a high of a brisk 34 degrees on Saturday.

Christmastide Day kicks off at 12:25 p.m. Eastern with the $100,000 Heft Stakes for 2-year-olds going seven furlongs. That race is followed by seven successive stakes, each carrying a $100,000 purse, the $150,000 duPont being the lone exception.

Gulfstream Park has no graded stakes this weekend, but Saturday's card features three turf stakes: the two-mile H. Allen Jerken Stakes and the Tropical Park Derby and Oaks for 3-year-olds and 3-year-old fillies, respectively, at 1 1/16 miles (11, 12, and 13 runners were entered in the respective races). Cool weather prevails at Gulfstream with a high of 64 but the track will be fast and turf course firm.

Here's a brief look at some of the graded stakes (all times Eastern)

Saturday, Dec. 26

3:36 p.m. – $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita

Smooth Like Strait was nailed on the money by Chad Brown-trained Domestic Spending in the G1 Hollywood Derby last out, but the Midnight Lute colt is going in top form for trainer Michael McCarthy. Mike Maker sends Field Pass west from Kentucky again after the colt by Lemon Drop Kid finished third behind Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Twilight Derby  in October.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA122620USA4-EQB.html

3:53 p.m. $150,000 Allaire duPont Stakes at Laurel Park

Eres Tu just won the Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes at Laurel for trainer Arnaud Delacour and the daughter of Malibu Moon is favored to earn her first graded stakes victory. Ice Princess comes off a runner-up effort in the G3 Comely at Aqueduct for trainer Danny Gargan and the New York-bred by Palace Malice figures to be running late. Stakes veteran Another Broad is 3-for-7 at Laurel and returns to Maryland after a third-place finish at Churchill Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen in the G2 Falls City.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/LRL122620USA8-EQB.html

5:09 p.m. – $200,000 San Antonio at Santa Anita

Mucho Gusto stepped up to win the G1 Pegasus World Cup in January for trainer Bob Baffert, then finished fourth in the inaugural Saudi Cup. He's making his first start since that effort and will have to contend with the versatile Sharp Samurai, a multiple graded stakes winner on turf for trainer Mark Glatt who ran second on dirt behind Maximum Security in the G1 Pacific Classic and third behind Knicks Go in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. Contention runs deep in this eight-horse field of older runners.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA122620USA7-EQB.html

5:43 p.m. – $300,000 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita

Chad Brown sends Motivated Seller west to try to reverse a narrow loss to Bob Baffert-trained Merneith in the Fort Springs Stakes on the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup undercard at Keeneland, but the Into Mischief filly will also have tepid morning line favorite Finite, from Steve Asmussen's barn, to contend with. The latter has won 6-of-11 with three thirds and comes off a sharp score in the G3 Chillukki at Churchil Downs Nov. 21.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA122620USA8-EQB.html

6:17 p.m. – $300,000 American Oaks at Santa Anita

Four fillies shipped from the East Coast for this G1 contest, including two from the barn of multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown – English-bred Capital Structure, making her stakes debut under Joel Rosario, and Duopoly, who gets Flavien Prat in the saddle after winning the Winter Memories at Aqueduct Nov. 15. Graham Motion-trained Sharing, coming off a fourth-place finish to her elders in the G1 Matriarch at Del Mar, won over this course as a 2-year-old when taking the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and is favored in the morning line. Second choice Luck Money is the “now” horse for trainer Arnaud Delacour, coming off back-to-back wins at Keeneland and Belmont. These four appear to have the local runners over a barrel.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA122620USA9-EQB.html

6:51 p.m. – $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita

Nashville and Charlatan, two 3-year-old sons of Speightstown, both have shown to be dyed-in-the-wool front-runners in their combined six starts, though Charlatan's last two races were around two turns. Like most Baffert runners coming off layoffs or making their debuts, Charlatan has been through a demanding training schedule and doesn't figure to be “short” in his return. Nashville debuted at 6 1/2 furlongs in September at Saratoga, then blitzed rivals at six furlongs in his next two starts. If Charlatan makes him work early, that additional furlong might be a challenge and could set things up for someone like Collusion Illusion, a late-running sprinter who had a terrible trip in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, or Independence Hall, coming off a sharp allowance score for Michael McCarthy after more than six months on the shelf.

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA122620USA10-EQB.html

Sunday, Dec. 27

6:51 p.m. – $100,000 Robert J. Frankel at Santa Anita

Chad Brown sent Irish-bred Miss Teheran to Santa Anita from Florida in search of his first Robert J. Frankel win, named for his late mentor. Winless in two U.S. starts, Miss Teheran will have Joel Rosario in the irons as she takes on, among others, the former Brown runner Altea, now trained by Michael McCarthy. They'll both have the California-bred Mucho Unusual to beat, however. The Mucho Macho Man filly won the G1 Rodeo Drive over the same course Sept. 26, then was no match for Audarya in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland.

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