Pennsylvania-bred Roses for Debra won three times at Presque Isle Downs early in her career before moving on, and she is now a graded stakes-winning turf sprinter in New York and Kentucky. The mare returns to her home state for Friday night’s Grade 2, $300,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters – and she didn’t come alone. Stablemate Gal in a Rush gives trainer Christophe Clement a strong hand in the track’s premier race.
The 10-race card includes three supporting stakes and begins at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Roses for Debra, who will have Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons, won the Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland to open her 2024 season. She gets away from recent foe Future Is Now here after finishing second by a head to that one in the Grade 2 Intercontinental, and third to her in the Smart N Fancy, both at Saratoga.
Gal in a Rush, after running fourth, beaten two lengths, in the Intercontinental spent the summer at Woodbine, on a similar Tapeta surface to Presque Isle. She won the Grade 3 Hendrie and then was second by a neck after leading in the Grade 3 Seaway.
Both of Clement’s mares are well-drawn in the 6 1/2-furlong race. Roses for Debra, who has the tactical foot to stay closer to the pace, has post 2 in the field of nine. The late-running Gal in a Rush, who will have the hot-riding Dylan Davis aboard for the first time, drew post 8, which should keep her in the clear without much fear of being hung wide.
The challenge for Gal in a Rush and Davis will be to launch her late bid with a dearth of zippy speed in the race – which could, in fact, leave Roses for Debra taking initiative. The most committed front-runner in this field is Heaven Rules – a locally based runner with an affinity for this track, but who Roses for Debra simply outclasses on paper.
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Another late-runner who will be hoping for pace to develop is Sunday Shoes, who is drawn on the rail and will need to work out a trip. The filly rebounded from a poor performance at Woodbine in May by coming from off the pace to win the Satin and Lace Stakes, the local prep for the Masters, last month for Wesley Ward.
Nice as Pie also has a tactical style that will allow her to adjust to the pace as she gets back to her best distance and surface. The filly won all four of her outings sprinting on Turfway Park’s Tapeta earlier this year for Kelsey Danner, including victories in the Valdale and Serena’s Song stakes. After finishing fourth in the Mamzelle on the Churchill Downs turf and second by a head in the Penn Oaks at a mile on turf, she comes off a freshening of just less than four months. The filly runs well fresh and won her maiden off a five-month break.
Pandora’s Gift, making her first start in United States, Baby No Worries, Jill Jitterbug, and She’s Fire complete the field.
Presque Isle Mile
The richest race on the undercard is the $150,000 Presque Isle Mile – actually at 1 1/16 miles – for older horses. The race rematches some familiar rivals on this circuit in the field of 10. Forever Souper won the Avery Whisman Memorial here in August over Anamnestic and He’s a Mess. In July, Twilight Dancer won the Hard Spun Stakes here, defeating He’s a Mess and Fierce and Strong. The whole group meets Friday.
Forever Souper, also a stakes winner on the turf in Florida and Maryland this year, will be a deserving favorite for Mike Trombetta. He has earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 or higher in all six starts this season while never missing the board, including a solid 97 figure in the Whisman Memorial.
K. C. Chief has won four straight races on the all-weather track at Gulfstream Park for Jose D’Angelo, albeit at lower levels. He did have a career-best 92 Beyer two starts back and picks up Ortiz for this outing.
Juvenile stakes
The $80,000 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile and the $80,000 Presque Isle Debutante are both 6 1/2-furlong races for 2-year-olds.
The lukewarm favorite for the Dixon Memorial is Tap That Magic, a Pennsylvania-bred colt who is based at Finger Lakes with Michael Lecesse. After winning his debut against statebreds on the Tapeta at Presque Isle, he tried dirt in the Hickory Tree in August at Colonial Downs. He finished a deceptively good fourth in a race in which the second- and third-place finishers came back to win next out.
Mr. Squeaky Wheels also won his debut at Presque Isle and returns after stakes tries on dirt. He was fourth in the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga after racing in contention early, then was a non-factor sixth in the Ellis Park Juvenile.
Shadow Factor was a local debut winner, then ran third in the Victoria on Woodbine’s Tapeta behind the well-regarded Mensa. These three logical choices have drawn the outside posts in the field of 10.
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The regally bred Godolphin homebred filly Tessitura, by Medaglia d’Oro and out of Grade 1 winner Octave, steps up for the Debutante after overcoming a troubled trip to win her debut at Presque Isle. The filly was blocked and angled out to get up by a neck going 5 1/2 furlongs.
Although she will have to take a big step forward in speed figures, she should appreciate the extra furlong she gets to work with here and has the experience to overcome a rail draw in the field of nine.
The two morning-line favorites get rider upgrades from their debuts at Woodbine. Foxtastic, trained by Josie Carroll, was second on debut to Winterberry; the latter came back to run sixth against colts in the Grade 1 Summer. Foxtastic earned a Beyer of 65, the best in this field on synthetic or turf. Kazushi Kimura rides.
Miss Saugerties, a Woodbine debut winner for Steven Chircop, picks up Ortiz.
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