Whether you are a dabbling duck or one that takes a deep dive, there is something for everyone as the Downs–Kentucky and Colonial–plus Woodbine Racetrack and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, all feature high-level grass action.

KENTUCKY DOWNS GRADED SIX PACK

The uniquely designed turf course at Kentucky Downs cards the most graded stakes this Saturday, which will lead off with the GIII Ladies Marathon S.

Going 1 5/16ths, look for MGSP Vergara (Noble Mission) to stalk the pace as she returns to the site where she won last year by a head in the Dueling Grounds Oaks. Standing in her way is GSW Personal Best (Tapit) who broke her maiden at last year's meet before going on to face graded company this spring at Gulfstream Park where the homebred won the GIII La Prevoyante S.

With no overwhelming favorite on the morning-line, expect the GII Franklin-Simpson S. to be an all-out war both on the tote and sprinting down the stretch. Playlist (Uncle Mo), making her first stakes start, will look to go on the offensive early versus the boys, but she will have to contend with Sweet Cherry Pie (Twirling Candy), who has never sampled turf, and GSW Mo Stash (Mo Town), who is cutting back for the first time in almost a year.

Playlist | Coady Photography

“I like to run fillies against colts in sprints,” said Playlist's trainer Wesley Ward. “I don't think it makes a big difference. If you look at the times in the 2-year-olds in training sales, the fillies are always faster as a group. I think they can compete against the colts every time.”

Moving right along, the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. pits GISP and MGSP White Frost (Candy Ride {Arg}) against GSW and 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy). After a very solid first half, the former was second in the De La Rose S. Aug. 2 at Saratoga and will face many of those competitors in this spot, while the latter prepped ably by winning this race's preview at Ellis Park Aug. 6.

Back to the speedsters for the GII Turf S. for males, it is going to be a pleasure to see another bout between the top two finishers in Aug. 5 running of the GIII Troy S. at Saratoga. That slugfest upstate saw Cogburn (Not This Time) catch GSW Nobals (Noble Mission {GB}) just before the wire. If this race wasn't tough enough, you will also find 'TDN Rising Star' and Woodbine GII Connaught Cup hero Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) looking to make it three wins in a row.

The GII Ladies Turf S. includes favorite MGSP Bay Storm (Kantharos), as she looks to add to her overall earnings after winning the prep for this race Aug. 5 at Ellis Park, and the experienced GSW and GISP Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}).

Bringing up the graded rear going 12 furlongs will be the $1.7-million GII Turf Cup S., which offers a 'Win and You're In' opportunity into the GI Breeders' Cup Longines Turf. A pair of Brendan Walsh trainees in GSW Verstappen (War Front) and MGISW Santin (Distorted Humor) come calling, but they are going to have to be cognizant of GI United Nations S. victor Therapist (Freud) and GIII Dinner Party S. winner Never Explain (Street Sense).

“I wouldn't completely rule out him going back to dirt again at some point,” Walsh said of Santin. “But he's a heck of a turf horse … he ran a very good second in the Arlington Million. It was a fantastic run. He was up on the pace the whole way and was there to be shot at. And he held in there and ran a really, really good second. I feel he's doing really well coming into here. He got a mile and a quarter at Colonial. I don't see why he wouldn't get a mile and a half. He's a very relaxed horse, maybe a little too laid back if anything.”

KLARAVICH STABLEMATES TRADE BLOWS IN VIRGINIA DERBY

Program Trading | Sarah Andrew

On its closing day Saturday, Colonial Downs hosts the nine-furlong GIII Virginia Derby.

Klaravich Stables has a pair of Chad Brown trainees which pose a major threat to the rest of the field. Activist Investing (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was very sharp at this distance when he cleared the optional claiming ranks Aug. 13 at Saratoga in his lone race this year. He will do battle with GI Saratoga Derby star Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) by attempting to relieve his speed-oriented stablemate of his perfect record.

Also present is Salute the Stars (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the Monmouth Park Pegasus S. June 17 and surprise longshot from the Aug. 12 GII Secretariat S. at Colonial, Gigante (Not This Time), who is trying to become the first Virginia-bred to win this race.

WOODBINE'S TURF ACE RETURNS

Not to be missed in the GII Canadian S. for older females is the return of last year's victoress Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutalfan {Ire}), who wired the field last out in the GI Beverly D Aug. 12 at Colonial. She will square off against the top three finishers from the GII Dance Smartly S. Aug. 20 at Woodbine, which includes Miss Dracarys (Malibu Moon).

“Javier [Castellano] and I were flying to Colonial Downs, and we were talking about the race [Beverly D],” said Fev Rover's trainer Mark Casse. “He said, 'There's no speed in this race.' I agreed and told him that she can go right to the lead. The nice thing about her, and Tepin [champion and dual Hall of Fame mare] was the same way, is that a great horse can bring their A-game no matter the situation. So, we went right to the lead, and it was over when that happened.”

Also on the graded docket is the GIII Singspiel S., which returns to 1 1/4 grass distance from two years ago. GSP Malibu Mambo (Point of Entry) could be the hot commodity after a sharp late surge against optional claimers in Toronto Aug. 12, but don't count out GSP Palazzi (Pioneerof the Nile). 

DEL MAR SPORTS LONE GRADED DIRT RACE

Julias Dream | Benoit

The GI Del Mar Debutante S., the only graded dirt race on Saturday, is sure to bring some attention with a capacity field of 14. First-crop sire Flameaway is well represented with 'TDN Rising Star' Julias Dream, who broke her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths over the turf at Del Mar Aug. 6. She will take on the top two finishers from the GIII Sorrento S. Aug. 12, Dreamfyre (Flameaway) and Benedetta (City of Light). The lineup also includes Chatalas (Gun Runner) and Tamara (Bolt d'Oro), who both broke their maidens at first asking in Solana Beach July 30 and Aug. 19, respectively.

It wouldn't be Del Mar's surf without the turf and this year's GII John Mabee S. might be remembered as a match between GII Yellow Ribbon H. wearer Closing Remarks (Vronsky) and MGSW Neige Blanche (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}). Still, no one should overlook trainer Phil D'Amato's offerings. After all, he is looking to edge out Bob Baffert for the training title, and both Oakhurst (Mr Speaker) and GSW Turnerloose (Nyquist) will try to help the cause as the Del Mar meet concludes Sunday with a pair of graded races, the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity and GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf S.

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The complexion of the race changed when Chad Brown scratched Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who sported a field-high 92 Beyer in his last. Mo Stash, away cleanly from stall seven in the Transylvania, shook free of the others and slid down to the rail to mark the first quarter a length clear in :23.69. The field began stringing out, but Mo Stash kept his position, getting the half in :48.41 and the three-quarters in 1:13.84. He was joined by a host of challengers in the stretch only to repel all, including Nagirroc, who briefly looked as though he had the winner measured.

“There was a lot of pacing going on up there and I thought, 'Oh, geez, now we're going to have to set the pace,'” said winning trainer Vicki Oliver, who won the first Keeneland stakes of her career in the Transylvania. “We were kind of getting pushed down the backside, and then [jockey Luis] Saez slipped away and got out on his own, and he could relax a little bit, and when he turned for home prevailed on and ran a really good race.”

Tried for the first time beyond a mile in the Transylvania, Mo Stash spent the majority of his 2-year-old campaign sprinting. A maiden winner at Ellis last August, he's done some of his best work at Keeneland. He finished second in the Lexington oval's Indian Summer S. last October at 5 1/2 furlongs which propelled him to a fourth in the one-mile Breeders' Cup. Freshened until Mar. 11, he reappeared again at a mile in Tampa Bay's Columbia S. and secured a runner-up spot behind a 91 Beyer performance by Talk of the Nation (Quality Road). Mo Stash has run exclusively on the grass.

As for what's next, Oliver added: “It's still going to be a question mark about how far he will go, but today it looked like he just kept going and could go another sixteenth. That might just be his running style. There's a lot of races out there between a mile, mile-and-an-eighth. We'll just have to pick them out as we go.”

Pedigree Notes:

Ashford stallion Mo Town, winner of the GI Hollywood Derby on the lawn and the GII Remsen S. on the dirt, has sired three black-type winners in his first crop with Mo Stash being his first to win or place in a graded event. Mo Stash is out of a mare by the late Smart Strike, whose 159 stakes winners out of his daughters include a number of champions as well as reigning GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice).

Mo Stash is the second stakes performer for his dam, Making Mark Money, whose 2021 GII Tampa Bay Derby runner-up and GIII Sam F. Davis third Hidden Stash (Constitution) also runs for BBN Racing connections and is also trained by Oliver. The 5-year-old's most recent start was a third in an optional allowance at Tampa Feb. 21 after an eight-month layoff. He ran 14th in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby. It was at the 2021 Keeneland September sale that BBN picked up Mo Stash for $130,000. Making Mark Money's only foal since is a yearling colt by Practical Joke. She was bred to McKinzie for 2023.

Making Mark Money's granddam is the wonderful La Affirmed, a half to champion Outstandingly (Exclusive Native) and dam of four graded winners. Among her descendants are GISWs Sky Mesa (Pulpit), Maxfield (Street Sense), and Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile). The female line traces directly to La Troienne through her granddaughter Busanda, who contributed mightily to the breed, not the least through her Horse of the Year son and stellar sire Buckpasser (Tom Fool).

KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA S.-GIII, $396,250, Keeneland, 4-7, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.05, gd.
1–MO STASH, 118, c, 3, by Mo Town
                1st Dam: Making Mark Money, by Smart Strike
                2nd Dam: Kapsiki, by Danzig
                3rd Dam: La Affirmed, by Affirmed
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-BBN Racing, LLC; B-Rhineshire Farm LLC
(KY); T-Victoria H. Oliver; J-Luis Saez. $229,400. Lifetime
Record: 6-2-2-0, $392,275. *1/2 to Hidden Stash
(Constitution), MGSP, $291,382. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nagirroc, 118, c, 3, Lea–Emma Spencer (Ire), by Zamindar.
O-Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and William
Strauss; B-Chervenell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-H. Graham
Motion. $74,000.
3–Webslinger, 118, g, 3, Constitution–Arana, by Hard Spun.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($45,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP;
$25,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $45,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSAPR;
$50,000 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-D. J. Stable LLC; B-Kenneth L. &
Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $37,000.
Margins: 1, 1, 1. Odds: 5.48, 3.63, 4.96.
Also Ran: Mi Hermano Ramon, Andthewinneris, Candidate, Freedom Trail, Dude N Colorado (GB), Wonderful Justice (GB), Movisitor, Rarified Flair. Scratched: Carl Spackler (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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