A few hours before Chad Brown saddles Juddmonte's Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) in search of a title defense in the GI Matriarch S., he will send out that operation's Verbal (Flintshire {GB}) as the likely favorite in the GIII Cecil B. Demille S. at Del Mar Sunday. A homebred son of a freshman stallion raced by these connections, the bay rallied from well back to score an impressive debut victory going a mile at Belmont Oct. 10. His pilot that day, Jose Ortiz, makes the trip west to ride Verbal and Matriarch contender Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom).
Optimising (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) won his first start at Wolverhampton June 21 for trainer Michael Bell, after which he was privately acquired by these connections and sent to Michael McCarthy. Fourth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. Sept. 6, the bay checked in second in the Qatar Golden Mile S. here Nov. 5.
Derecho Dandy (Connect) looks to take his turf record to two-for-two. Off the board in his first two tries on the main track here in August, the dark bay went wire-to-wire in his first turf try at Santa Anita Oct. 17.
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