Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds

The P.G. Johnson Stakes for two year old fillies will be held over Saratoga’s inner turf course at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 1. The race has only been contested for three years, but Meadow Breeze, who was second in this race last year, won the Grade 1 Matron. The top finishers in the P.G. Johnson could move forward toward a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf.  Only a few of the…

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds

No matter how quickly today’s two-year-old runners become stars, they can quickly disappear from view by tomorrow. That’s simply the nature of juvenile racing. It’s wise to start a watch list from midsummer through the end of the year to become familiar with the up and comers.
 
Last week, the racing world was buzzing with the dominating performances by Position Limit in the Adirondack Stakes and Kantharos in the Saratoga Special.…

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds

In this year’s revival of the Saratoga Special, Kantharos, the current top-rated colt in the East takes on a suspect group of youngsters. There are only five betting interests including the coupled entry of Bail Out The Cat and Sovereign Default, so payout prices likely will be chalky.

The stronger of the two entries by Richard Violette, Bail Out The Cat (Tale of the Cat – Golden Gazelle, by Meadowlake) had a horrible start…

JUST RELEASED

Laurie Ross of Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds, home of the 2009 and 2010 Freshman Sire E-books, has released the newest version. The E-books were created as comprehensive guides for handicappers to learn about new sires and what to expect from their first crop of runners. 
 
One of the toughest races to handicap is a two-year-old maiden race. Trainer stats and workout patterns are helpful, but if the handicapper knows little about pedigree, which horses are most likely…

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens

The Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes for two-year-old fillies has been held at Del Mar racetrack for more than 50 years. It will go off Friday, Aug, 6 as the seventh race on the card. Many of the winners and runners-up have used the race as a stepping stone to championships. The names of Brave Raj, Phone Chatter, Silverbulletday, and Tempura have added their names to the honor role of winners. Not all subsequent champions who…

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens

Like many Stakes races, the Landaluce is named for an exceptional race horse. Landaluce had a too short, yet brilliant career, winning her five starts, four of them graded, by a combined margin of 46 1/2 lengths. She won the six-furlong Hollywood Lassie Stakes in 1:08 flat. Unfortunately, the great filly died of Colitis X, an intestinal infection, and she was buried in the infield of Hollywood Park. Afterward, the…

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens

The JJ’s Dream Stakes was first run in 1976 as the Melaleuca Stakes and it was renamed in 2000 after the multiple stakes winner and local favorite, J J’s Dream. Two winners, Princess Rooney and Hollywood Wildcat, continued on to Championships. Last year’s winner Dashing Debbie was just a tic off the six furlong stakes record while blazing to a ten length victory.  The tenacious Joanie’s Catch was third.

Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens

As part of the Summit of Speed card, juvenile colts take center stage in the Frank Gomez Memorial Stakes, also run at 5½ furlongs. Last year’s edition had national implications as Jackson Bend was up in time to defeat D’Funnybone by half a length. D’Funnybone went on to make a spectacle on the New York scene, racking up wins in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and Belmont Futurity by a…

 Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens 

Saturday, six promising youngsters are set to do battle in the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) over the Churchill Down’s main track.  The six-furlong contest has been held for more than 100 years, and the majority of the winners have gone on to sprint careers. However, the 1923 winner Black Gold won the Kentucky Derby and 1989’s Bashford Manor winner Summer Squall would take the Preakness Stakes the following year.  More recent…

Lauri Ross
Iron Maidens

A trio of Grade 3 stakes races for juveniles is scheduled for the next two weeks.  The Debutante and Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park will have implications in future events leading up to the Breeders’ Cup and possibly beyond.