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Collusion Illusion, Ragtime Blues Faceoff In Lazaro Barrera Stakes

Fresh off a huge allowance score going six furlongs, trainer Mark Glatt's talented Collusion Illusion will stretch out a half-furlong and make his second start off an extended vacation as he heads Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The Barrera, named for the late Hall of Fame trainer, has attracted a field of five sophomores going 6 ½ furlongs.

Bob Baffert's speedy Ragtime Blues, a winner of his last two starts, will get the first time services of Mike Smith and also figures prominently in what will be his fourth career start.

COLLUSION ILLUSION: Owner: Dan Agnew, Rodney Orr, Jerry Schneider & John Xitco; Trainer: Mark Glatt
An impressive winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar in his second start on July 21, this Florida-bred colt by Twirling Candy was then eased in the Grade 1, 1 1/16 mile American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27 and didn't resurface until May 17, whereupon he was a dazzling three-length allowance winner from off the pace going six furlongs. With Flavien Prat engaged to ride him back, Collusion Illusion looms large in the Barrera.

RAGTIME BLUES: Owner: SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stable, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding & Golconda Stables; Trainer: Bob Baffert
Second in his 5 ½-furlong debut at Los Alamitos on Sept. 21, this colt by Union Rags made his next start on April 24 at Oaklawn Park, as he led throughout and broke his maiden by a head going six furlongs. Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., at Santa Anita on May 25, Ragtime Blues was the 4-5 favorite in a six furlong allowance, a race he again went gate to wire in, winning by 2 ¼ lengths. With Smith taking over in his fourth start, he'll try to stretch his speed another sixteenth of a mile and will hope to hold the top choice off in deep stretch.

G3 LAZARO BARRERA STAKES
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 12 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Collusion Illusion—Flavien Prat—124
Ragtime Blues—Mike Smith—122
Phantom Boss—Tiago Pereira—124
Alcools—Abel Cedillo—122
Howbeit—Umberto Rispoli—120

First post time for a 12-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Lucky Move Posts $87.60 Upset In Opening-Day Obeah Stakes At Delaware Park

Ten Strike Racing's Lucky Move posted an upset victory in the $100,000 Obeah Stakes on the opening day card at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., on Wednesday. The Obeah is the local prep for the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap to be run on July 11.

With Roberto Rosado aboard, the daughter of Lookin At Lucky won by 1 1/4 lengths and returned $87.60 as the second longest-shot in the field of eight. Vault, with Florent Geroux, finished second. It was another a three lengths farther back to the even-money favorite Lady Apple, with Ricardo Santana, Jr., in third. Lucky Move covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:42.28 on a fast main track.

Second-last early as Bronx Beauty led the way, Lucky Move commenced a wide rally approaching the far turn, took command into the stretch and was never threatened. Fractions in the race were :23.30, :47.22, 1:11.35 and 1:36.04.

The Obeah Stakes was the first career stakes victory for the New York-bred conditioned by Juan Carlos Guerrero. She raised her career record to 5 wins from 27 starts with earnings of $264,573.

Ten Strike Racing claimed Lucky Move for $30,000 on April 30, 2019 out of a turf race at Churchill Downs. Lucky Move is out of the Quiet American mare, Quiet Mover.

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Clement Pair Top Eclectic Cast For ‘Win And You’re In’ Jaipur

An eclectic field of eight turf sprinters has lined up for the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, which features a pair from the barn of Christophe Clement, a quartet of West Coast invaders and the star-crossed Hidden Scroll.

The Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland, is carded as Race 9 at 4:53 p.m. Eastern on the 12-race slate, with the Belmont Stakes going off at 5:42 p.m. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.

One of the octet will be crowned a Grade 1 winner for the first time in their respective careers in the 37th running of the Jaipur – contested at six furlongs over Belmont's inner turf course – which achieved Grade 1 status last year and will serve as a prelude to the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Chief among the motley crew assembled for the Jaipur is the elder statesman Pure Sensation, who goes out for Clement and owner Patricia Generazio as he makes his 9-year-old debut off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint to close out 2019. No stranger to this race, the gray Zensational gelding won the Jaipur in 2016, finished fourth in 2017 and third in 2018. Though he missed the Jaipur last year, he still put together a productive campaign which included wins in a pair of Grade 3 events at Parx Racing and an ungraded stake at Penn National.

“He's an older horse and this is his first race back but he's been working very well over the turf,” Clement said of Pure Sensation. “We know he's a fast horse and we're excited to see how he runs. We know he loves Parx but they're not racing yet, so there's really no choice as to where to bring him back. We're based in New York, we train in New York, so we'll run in New York.”

Pure Sensation drew post 4 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The other half of the uncoupled Clement entry is horse-for-course White Flag, who is 4-for-5 sprinting over the Belmont lawn, with his lone blemish coming in June 2018 when he missed by a half-length as the runner up in a high-end optional claimer. Owned by Robert S. Evans, the 6-year-old son of War Front last raced on September 7 at Kentucky Downs when he finished a well-beaten eighth in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint.

“White Flag just had two good works on the Belmont turf and we know he likes this course,” Clement said. “He struggled last year but he's been doing very well, he's been quiet, so we'll see.”

Junior Alvarado picks up the mount on White Flag, who drew post 7 for his 2020 bow.

Leading the California contingent is the late-running Stubbins, trained by Doug O'Neill for McShane Racing. Stubbins progressed steadily throughout his sophomore season, which culminated in a win against older horses in the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in the fall before he ended his year with a tough-luck fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. His fortunes didn't improve any in his 4-year-old debut, when he encountered a good deal of trouble in the Grade 3 Daytona on May 23 at Santa Anita Park but still finished third, missing by just a half-length.

Breaking from post 5, Stubbins will enlist the services of Luis Saez.

With a style very similar to Stubbins', the 6-year-old mare Oleksandra will hope to mow them all down in the stretch for trainer Neil Drysdale and Team Valor International. An Australian-bred daughter of Animal Kingdom, Oleksandra took on the boys successfully over the Belmont turf on June 28 of last year going six furlongs, showing an impressive turn of foot to overcome a soft early pace.

That race proved to be a breakout victory for her, as she followed with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Royal North at Woodbine before adding a win in the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga Race Course, a third in the Grade 3 Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs and a win in the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County at Keeneland to close 2019. Though she wasn't victorious in her seasonal unveiling in the Grade 2, 5 ½-furlong Monrovia on May 25 at Santa Anita, she still earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort after running out of ground late and missing by a half-length.

Joel Rosario will again be aboard Oleksandra and the duo will depart from post 2.

Rounding out the West Coast shippers are Texas Wedge and Kanthaka, who go out for trainers Peter Miller and Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, respectively. Miller, who has sent out the runner-up in the Jaipur the past two years, will saddle Texas Wedge off a career-best 100 Beyer in the Grade 3 Daytona, in which he finished fourth, a half-length behind Stubbins. Kanthaka, meanwhile, hasn't raced since the 2019 edition of the Daytona, which marked his first start on turf after showing some ability early in his career as a dirt sprinter.

Texas Wedge will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 3, while Kanthaka will break from the rail with Jose Ortiz in the irons.

The highly regarded Hidden Scroll adds even more intrigue to an already fascinating puzzle in the Jaipur. A 14-length debut winner in January of 2019 at Gulfstream, Hidden Scroll seemed destined to be the next big thing in racing but had a disappointing end to his abridged 2019 campaign. But the Juddmonte Farms homebred returned to the races in style with a 12 ½-length romp at Gulfstream on March 1 but finished out of the money next-out in the Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn Park. He added yet another chapter to his growing saga in his most recent start on June 3 at Belmont when he stumbled and lost his jockey at the start.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Hidden Scroll from post 6.

The field is completed by the longshot Lonhtwist, who wheels back quickly for trainer Keith O'Brien off a 10th-place finish in the First Defence on June 7 at Belmont. He will break from outermost post 8 with Eric Cancel aboard.

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‘Very Professional’ Perfect Alibi To Begin 3-Year-Old Season In Acorn

Tracy Farmer's Grade 1-winner Perfect Alibi has been ready to debut her 3-year-old form for the better part of the last few months. On Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day, the daughter of Sky Mesa will finally get the chance to take some tangible steps forward in her progress when she headlines a field of sevensophomore fillies in the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Acorn going a one-turn mile over the Belmont Park main track.

The Longines Acorn, slated as Race 8 at 4:15 p.m. Eastern, is one of six graded stakes races on a stellar June 20 card highlighted by the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes and two additional Grade 1s in the $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm an the $250,000 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m. Eastern.

When Perfect Alibi heads to post in the Acorn – which has produced such divisional champions as Abel Tasman (2017) and Monomoy Girl (2018) in recent seasons – it will mark the first competitive outing for the dark bay filly since her fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park on November 1. Though her trainer Mark Casse already planned for his protégé to get a deserved break following her sixth career start, the hiatus ended up being extended as the coronavirus pandemic forced most tracks to shut down temporarily.

As the newly minted Hall of Fame conditioner worked to keep Perfect Alibi race ready while waiting for an opportunity to present itself, Casse saw a more authoritative version of her in the mornings – one he hopes will elevate her gritty demeanor in the afternoons.

“She's been ready to run for about three months,” Casse said. “She's always been very, very professional. If anything, she's a little better work horse than she was. Last year, if you wanted to give some confidence to another horse you'd just work them with her because she'd let anybody beat her – except when they run in the afternoon. This year and recently, she's been a little more aggressive in her works.”

Bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Stud out of the Maria Mon's mare No Use Denying, Perfect Alibi was one of the more precocious members of her class last season, winning three of six starts including two graded stakes triumphs at Saratoga Race Course. Two starts after breaking her maiden at first asking last May at Churchill Downs, the leggy filly showed mettle beyond her years when she found room after being stuck behind a wall of horses midstretch en route to taking the Grade 2 Adirondack going 6 ½ furlongs last August.

She followed that effort up by taking her quality to the next level with a 1 ¼-length triumph in the Grade 1 Spinaway before being bested by eventual 2-year-old filly champion British Idiom in both the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“She struggled big time (with the Santa Anita track),” Casse said of Perfect Alibi's Breeders' Cup run. “She got a hold of the track late and she actually made a mild move at the end.”

Perfect Alibi has logged one start over the Belmont surface, having finished second in the 2019 Astoria going 5 ½ furlongs last June. She will break from post 7 under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“I said the other day that training horses is like putting a puzzle together. And this year it's putting a puzzle together with no pictures and no edges. It's even more difficult with everything going on,” Casse said. “I just feel fortunate that we're running. We're lucky.”

Perfect Alibi is the only graded stakes winner in the Acorn field but she will have no cakewalk as she returns from her near seven-month layoff. Among her biggest threats is the speedy Gamine, who has led every point of call in her two career starts.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Gamine has been stealing focus from her comrades ever since she sold to owner Michael Lund Petersen for $1.8 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training sale. The daughter of Into Mischief dusted her foes by 6 ¼ lengths on debut March 7, going 6 ½-furlongs at Santa Anita Park. She then stretched out successfully when taking a 1 1/16-miles allowance optional claiming test by a neck at Oaklawn Park on May 2.

“She's just a tall, really elegant filly,” Baffert said. “We took our time with her, let her develop. Her two races have been really nice races. I could have stayed home and run her here two turns in the (Santa Anita) Oaks but I wanted to give her a couple extra weeks. I thought the Acorn with the bigger, wider turns, I think she'll like that. And it's a lot of prestige.”

Gamine's speed has been her most effective weapon, and her trainer isn't about to alter that strategy for Saturday's one-turn test.

“She's fast. At Oaklawn, she just broke and made the lead easily,” Baffert said. “I've been breezing her and going easy with her. The other day I worked her and she tracked a horse all the way. She's still just learning. But she's going to be forwardly placed. She'll be up there close.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will have the call aboard Gamine on Saturday from post 1.

Casual, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, is also stepping into graded stakes company for the first time after posting victories in her first two starts.

Assistant trainer Toby Sheets said the Curlin filly should be comfortable in the one-turn mile.

“Casual is doing very well. She shipped in [Tuesday] also and came in very well; she looks great,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to Asmussen. “I don't think a mile will be a problem at all for her.”

Ricardo Santana, Jr. has the call aboard Casual from post 4.

Rounding out the field is Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks-runner-up Lucrezia [post 2, Julien Leparoux] for trainer Arnaud Delacour; the Rudy Rodriguez-trained last-out Busher Invitational-winner Water White (post 3, Jorge Vargas, Jr.]; Glass Ceiling [post 5, Joel Rosario]; and Pleasant Orb [post 6, Manny Franco] round out the field.

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