Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar
Nine of some of the best fillies and mares in the land will line up at Del Mar Saturday for the Grade 2 $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth on grass and there is a little bit of everything in the race to scrutinize.
Handicap races, where the racing secretary assigns weights for each horse theoretically trying to have them all finish together at the wire, are pretty much a thing of the past.
Most high quality races these days are weight for ages events where the packages are pre-determined.
Over the decades, the Yellow Ribbon has been won by some true stars like Tuzla, Tranquility Lake, Voodoo Dancer and Intercontinental.
From the rail out Fresh Feline will break from the rail and she will be trying to win her first stakes event. She has not raced since March when third beaten a length in the Grade 2 Santa Ana. Trained by the great Zenyatta’s conditioner John Shirreffs, Fresh Feline’s best asset could be the fact she had a decent amount of speed in a race pretty much devoid of that commodity.
Next door in post 2 comes Nancy From Nairobi, who may have disliked breaking from the rail in her last race, a 6th-place effort in the Grade 1 Gamely. The back class is there as she won the Grade 2 Royal Heroine in May and she has trained steadily for this fray. This mare will likely be in the picture late if at all.
Her Emmynency has been away since early May but this classy filly ran huge on this Del Mar course in defeat last year. She was troubled in her last 2 races but proved her quality winning the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland last fall.
Prize Exhibit seems to have her work cut out on paper but they don’t run them on paper. She has been handled by a number of today’s foes but she has had excuses of late. She was blocked two back and the hung out to dry when 7 wide last time. And her last race on June 11 was one live affair. The 5th finisher that day won a Grade 3 at Arlington in Chicago next out and the 10th finisher took the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine. She is also reunited with Santiago Gonzalez, who was aloft for her last 3 stakes wins.
Majestic Heat opened the year with a win on June 17 against a much softer group. She is proven on this Del Mar course but will be seeking her first stakes win.
Finest City just may be the pacesetter today. She can give you a :45 and change half mile if in the mood and she was far from disgraced last time when beaten by the champion Beholder. The 4th and 5th finishers in that last race returned to win minor stakes.
Queen of the Sand is speed challenged, and there lies the problem. With her style, she is at the mercy of how the race sets up and if she can find a lane to rally into in time. She has won twice on this Del Mar grass course and has been in the exacta in 5 of her 7 starts at Del Mar. Away since last November, she only beat one to the wire in her last return effort.
She’s Not Here and her connections will be hoping for that déjà vu feeling as she won this very race last year at 6-1. She settled off the pace that day, was 7th early on, got within a head of the leader at the top of the stretch and then drew away to win by a half-length. The bad news is that she is 0 for 5 since and she has not been in the money in those events.
Keri Belle will have to invent a trip from the extreme outside post. The mare was in tight when beaten by Nancy From Nairobi but she was inching toward the winner last time. John Shirreffs trainees bookend the field and this miss will be ridden by Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens.
You have to look for value in this game and Prize Exhibit should offer value. She is due for a good trip and she has a shot to get first run on the deep closers. And the price will be right at 10 or 12-1.
Good luck.
