WSB Investments Inc.'s 3-year-old Florida homebred filly Regina Twain has won four races and was disqualified from another victory last out after finishing first in the $55,000 Noble Robyn overnight stakes on June 23 at Calder Casino & Race Course, but is eligible for, and will be the horse to beat in Thursday's ‘a other than' allowance feature.
Veteran jockey Eduardo Nunez gets a return call on Regina Twain for trainer Kathleen O'Connell in the one mile turf test with eight fillies and mares drawn into the body of the field and four others left on the ‘also-eligible' list as the chestnut daughter of Adcat's career continues on the upswing.
Regina Twain completed her 2-year-old season breaking her maiden by 13 ¾ lengths at Tampa Bay Downs sprinting on the main track for an $8,000 claiming tag and no takers in her fifth start. Stretched out on turf, she won two races for a $16,000 tag over the Tampa course and another for a $32,000 price tag on May 9 over the Calder course, again no takers.
In two starts since then, Regina Twain finished second by a half-length going a mile on the turf in the $55,000 Sweettrickydancer overnight stakes before out-finishing Trip for A.J. by a nose in the Noble Robyn before being disqualified for interference in the stretch. Trip for A.J. came back to defeat older fillies and mares in Saturday's $65,000 Nancy's Glitter Handicap on the main track.
Willis Family Stables' Florida homebred Dandys Essence will get support in Thursday's race with Manoel Cruz aboard for trainer Joe Calascibetta. The daughter of Essence of Dubai lost her last start by a nose in a similar race on July 9, following another runner-up effort over the course on June 24.
Completing the body of the field are Just For Fun Stable's Future Heiress, Carlos Olivero; Southern Classic Racing Stable's Dance of the Tiger, Sixto Ribera; Santa Cruz Ranch's Stinger Gal, Sebastian Madrid, Teresa and David Palmer's Rollbaby, Luis Saez; Galloping Acres Farm's Star of the Town, Luis Arango; and Donald Burke's Ms. N. Tarsia, Angel Moreno.
Left on the ‘also-eligible' list are Six Friends Stable's Dream With Us, Wilmer Galviz; Caroni Stable's Cumana, Luis Jurado; J J Brevan Stable's Lady Loushe, Antonio Gallardo; and Herman Wilensky's Sky Cap, Jeffrey Sanchez.
Cruz & Saez Tied for Lead in Calder Standings
Jockey Luis Saez, 18, has been atop the standings since early in the Calder Casino & Race Course meet, but returns to action Sunday after serving a week's suspension to find himself tied for the lead as 40-year-old veteran Manoel Cruz added one more victory Saturday to his total and leave the rivals at 72 victories apiece after three months of the session.
While the two jockeys dominate the standings among the riders with Angel Moreno far back in third with 45 wins, the competition among trainers continues to include more than a dozen horsemen close-up in the standings with Steve Dwoskin on top with 15, one more than Bill White and Chris Gatis tied for second at 14 apiece and five others two back with 13 tallies each.
‘Sister' Annabill Still Going; Entered Monday at Delaware Park
Trainer Milt Wolfson sent our Peter Fuller's 3-year-old Florida homebred filly Trip for A.J. for a wire-to-wire, three-length victory in Saturday's $65,000 Nancy's Glitter Handicap at Calder Casino & Race Course, noting that the owner-breeder has sent the filly to him to train after what he had accomplished with her older half-sister Annabill over several seasons here.
Annabill is a daughter of Outflanker out of A.J.'s Hot Shot and won twice in the first four starts of her career at Calder in 2005-06 for Fuller until Wolfson claimed her for $25,000 winning her next race in August for his family's NTS Stable. Annabill went on to win eight stakes races and more than $600,000 before Wolfson sold her privately in the spring of 2009.
Annabill is currently based at Delaware Park where she is entered in Monday's optional/claiming feature with Peter Walder as trainer and a career record that now stands at 55-18-10-6 for earnings of over $700,000.