Bourbon Bay to land his second graded stakes race of the year while Setsuko could prove to be a villain in the Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar
The Kentucky bred Bourbon Bay, who made a name for himself in California by winning four graded stakes' races at the Santa Anita race course, looks to make an impact at Del Mar when he rides in the $125,000, Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap on 29 July.
The 1 ½ mile event will feature eight 3-year-old and beyond contestants on a Poly track.
A shift from turf will reveal the 5-year-old gelding’s versatility as he gears up to break from the rail under jockey Joe Talamo.
The Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap entrants will not just race for the $150,000 purse, but will also look to earn a spot in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Marathon, as the Cougar II is part of the “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup program.
The race will feature the likes of Setsuko, another Kentucky bred 4-year-old bay colt whose recent endeavour was at Santa Anita, running in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and finishing second.
Richard Mandella trained; Setsuko is desperate for a win and can pose a serious threat Bourbon Bay.
Setsuko has raced in the Santa Anita Handicap twice in two years and finishing second each time.
In 2010 it was Sidney’s Candy and in 2011 it was Game on Dude who kept the colt from winning his first graded stakes race ever.
Since breaking his maiden on 17 December 2009, Setsuko has come close, but not close enough to land a graded stakes win for himself or his connections.
On the other hand, the son of Sligo Bay won his last race, the Grade 2 San Marcos at Santa Anita Turf race course on 17 January, 2011.
The 1 ¼ mile event was won by 1 ¾ lengths under jockey R Bejarano, Bourbon Bay defeated foes like Champ Pegasus and Sebastian Flyte, working up total fractions of 2 minutes and .03 seconds.
That was Bourbon Bay’s sixth win in nineteen career starts, and he hasn’t won since then. Since the San Marcos triumph, the gelding came second in the Grade 2 San Luis Obispo held at Santa Anita on 19 February, 2011.
The 1 ½ mile event was won by his San Marcos rival Champ Pegasus, who covered the distance in 2 minutes and 31.55 seconds.
His 20th career start will be his second on synthetic surface; all other starts have come on turf surface out of which he has won three in a row in last year’s season.
Apart from Setsuko and Bourbon Bay, six other horses will look to place in the Cougar II Handicap.
The lineup is fairly mild but the favourites go out of the window when the race is on.
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