Lightly raced Zero Tolerance will stretch out and face graded stakes competition for the first time and could pose an elusive front-running target among a talented field of eight sophomore fillies going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Among those also figuring prominently in the Autumn Miss are Irish-breds Ego Trip and Burgoo Alley, along with Spanish Loveaffair and Madone.
Based at San Luis Rey Downs with Peter Miller, Zero Tolerance comes off an impressive one-length tally going 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in the ungraded Unzip Me Stakes Oct. 3. With leading man Flavien Prat back aboard, she figures to be sent from her outside post in what will be her first two-turn assignment.
A nose shy of being unbeaten in three starts, she broke her maiden two races back, winning by a half length going six furlongs on dirt. By Mizzen Mast out of the El Prado mare Torreadora, Zero Tolerance is owned by Custom Truck Accessories, Jason Hall, Joe Kelly and Michael Riordan.
Although she's winless in three starts, Ego Trip has kept good company while defeating 21 combined runners in England and New York. Second in a field of 13 in her seven furlong debut on synthetic at Newcastle on March 16, she closed much ground while running a close second in a one mile maiden special weight at Saratoga July 24. Trained by Brendan Walsh and owned by Rebecca Hillen, she was subsequently third, beaten four lengths in the G2 Lake Placid Stakes going 1 1/16 miles over a yielding turf at Saratoga on Aug. 21 at odds of 3-1.
With Del Mar's G1, one mile turf Matriarch Stakes on Nov. 21 likely on the minds of many entering the Autumn Miss, Ego Trip ships in fresh from Keeneland for Walsh and gets the services of Victor Espinoza in her Southern California debut.
Third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Zero Tolerance as the 8-5 favorite in the Unzip Me Stakes Oct. 3, Burgoo Alley will be making her first graded stakes appearance on Saturday. Winless in three starts in her native Ireland, Burgoo Alley, who is trained by Phil D'Amato, broke her maiden in her second stateside start going six furlongs on turf here June 21 and took a first condition allowance two starts back going one mile on grass at Del Mar Aug. 14.
Hard-hitting Burgoo Alley, who broke a bit slowly and then stumbled slightly a few jumps out of the gate in the Unzip Me, will be ridden for the sixth consecutive time by Umberto Rispoli and rates a huge chance.
Trained by Mark Casse, Spanish Loveaffair, who was a troubled fourth, beaten three quarters of a length by Ego Trip two starts back in the G2 Lake Placid at Saratoga, comes off the best race of her career—a 2 ¼ length score going one mile on turf in the ungraded Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 19, a race in which she earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure. A G3 stakes winner with three wins from five tries at a mile on grass, Spanish Loveaffair has an outstanding resume and has earnings of $264,090.
Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Gary Barber, Spanish Loveaffair is by Karakontie and is out of the Unusual Heat mare Spanish Bunny. A three-time stakes winner, she'll be making her first Southern California start with Abel Cedillo as she tries to improve upon an overall mark of 10-3-2-0.
A four-time stakes winner, the Simon Callaghan-trained Madone has posted five wins from six tries on turf and is the leading money earner in the field with $367,800. Most recently fifth going 1 3/8 miles on turf in the ungraded Jockey Club Invitational Oaks at Belmont Park Sept. 18, she was a solid fifth two starts back in the G1 Del Mar Oaks going 1 1/8 miles on turf Aug. 21.
A winner of Del Mar's G2 San Clemente Stakes going one mile on turf three starts back, she'll be reunited with Juan Hernandez, who also guided her to victory in the G3 Senorita Stakes five races back here at Santa Anita on May 1.
Owned by Kaleem Shah, Inc., Madone is by the Medaglia d'Oro stallion Vancouver and is out of the Cherokee Run mare Indian Love Call. Proven as a deep closer, she's also proven effective sitting close to the pace. With five wins from nine starts, Madone will be bidding for her third graded stakes victory.
GRADE 3 AUTUMN MISS STAKES
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT
- Eddie's New Dream—Mario Gutierrez—120
- Freedom Flyer—Mike Smith—120
- Burgoo Alley—Umberto Rispoli—120
- Javanica—Drayden Van Dyke—120
- Ego Trip—Victor Espinoza—120
- Madone—Juan Hernandez—124
- Spanish Loveaffair—Abel Cedillo—122
- Zero Tolerance—Flavien Prat—120
First post on both Saturday and Sunday at Santa Anita is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.
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