Wow, wow, wow!
What an astonishing weekend of racing for the Stidham stable, with a grade two double at Saratoga and Del Mar, courtesy of Mystic Guide and Pixelate, both of them owned under the mighty Godolphin banner!
Let’s start with the exciting Mystic Guide, who took an important step forward in his burgeoning career with a resounding win in the $150,000 G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Saturday. Given a peach of a ride by Jose Ortiz, Mystic Guide swooped late to win the race by just under a length.
This 3-year-old son of Ghostzapper is really starting to show his immense potential, having only had his first start in February of this year. With this first stakes victory under his belt, Mystic Guide looks nailed on to build on the win – exciting times indeed!
Yesterday at Del Mar, Pixelate pocketed a well-deserved big race win in the $200,000 G2 Del Mar Derby under Umberto Rispoli, handily placed on the rail for a good portion of the race before pouncing late to win by a head.
This 3-year-old son of City Zip has been a model of consistency all his career, and like with Mystic Guide, a confidence boosting victory like this won’t have done him (and his stud potential) any harm whatsoever.
“I’m just tremendously proud of both these horses,” said Stidham. “Both of them are colts right out of the top drawer, and it’s great to repay the loyalty that Godolphin have shown us over the years like this. I certainly won’t forget this weekend in a hurry!”
Also at Monmouth Park on Saturday, John and Susan Moore’s 3-year-old Karakontie filly Princess Grace won her second race in a row (keeping a 100% record in the process) under Hector Diaz. Don’t be surprised to see this talented young filly step up again in class next time.
And now for this week’s entries. Today at Del Mar, Inner Ghost is drawn wide in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes, a mile on the turf. Drayden Van Dyke takes the mount on the unbeaten Ghostzapper colt.
Over at Parx Racing, Puca Penny is drawn 10 of 11 in the $80,000 Mrs. Penny Stakes, a 1 1/16th miles race on the turf. Angel Rodriguez takes the ride on the 3-1 shot on the Morning Line.
And now for the rest of the week’s entries:
Today
Delaware Park
Gaelic Tales – Race 7, Maiden Special Weight
Wednesday
Monmouth Park
Big Red Rocks – Race 10, Claiming $16,000
Penn National
Sense of Justice – Race 11, Allowance
Delaware Park
Fortuity – Race 3, Allowance TB $42,000 Turf Brian Pedroza
