Trainer Tom Proctor and Glen Hill Farm will send out a pair of talented 4-year-old fillies, Customer Base and Gulsary, in the $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (gr. IIIT), which has attracted an even field of nine fillies and mares Dec. 29 at Santa Anita Park.
The 1 1/8-mile turf event is race 8 on Santa anita's Sunday card with a 4 p.m. PST scheduled post.
Multiple graded stakes-placed Customer Base comes off a sharp third-place finish in Santa Anita’s one mile Goldikova Stakes (gr. IIT) on turf Nov. 3. She will be ridden by Mike Smith, who guided her to victory five starts back in the Lucie Manet Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park July 5.
A Kentucky-bred filly by Lemon Drop Kid , Customer Base rallied from far off the pace in the Goldikova and was beaten 1 1/4 lengths under Gary Stevens, who will ride Gulsary in the Frankel. Customer Base has two seconds and a third from three tries over the Santa Anita lawn and has an overall mark of 4-3-2 in 17 starts with earnings of $262,182.
Irish-bred Gulsary will be making her fourth stateside start in the Frankel and she comes off a close third-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance at Hollywood Park Dec. 5. Ridden by Stevens in her first two starts in Southern California, she was an impressive second condition allowance winner as the 9-5 favorite two starts back going one mile on turf at Santa Anita. Gulsary had been competing in France, where she was an allowance winner last year, before being transferred to Southern California earlier this year.
Trainer John Sadler will send out English-bred Moone’s My Name, an impressive gate-to-wire classified allowance winner going 1 1/16 miles on the Hollywood grass Dec. 5. A 5-year-old mare, Moone’s My Name will be ridden for the first time by Rafael Bejarano on Sunday. Owned by the Batchelor Family Trust, Moone’s My Name will be making her fourth start of the year in the Frankel.
Corey Nakatani will have the outside post to contend with as rides Appealing for the first time. A non-threatening fifth in the Goldikova Nov. 3, Appealing was second, beaten a head, in the 1 1/16-mile Yellow Ribbon Handicap (gr. IIT) over the Del Mar turf Sept. 2. Trained by Paddy Gallagher, Appealing will be trying 1 1/8 miles on turf for the first time.
Daniel O’Neill’s Becky Lou is one of two 3-year-old fillies in the Frankel. She comes off a solid classified allowance win going a mile on turf Nov. 24. Based in England as a 2-year-old, Becky Lou won her U.S. debut at Santa Anita going a mile on turf April 18, her only try on the Santa Anita lawn.
In her only other career try at 1 1/8 miles on grass, Becky Lou was fourth, beaten two lengths in the Honeymoon Handicap (gr. IIT) June 8. Trained by Matt Chew, Becky Lou will be ridden back by Julien Couton.
Nickels Wild, a maiden special weight winner in her most recent start on the Hollywood lawn, is the other sophomore filly in the field.
$100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (gr. III, Race 8, 4 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 1/8 Miles (Turf)
PP. horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Becky Lou (KY), J Couton, 116, M Chew
2. Playful Humor (KY), M Garcia, 119, N D Drysdale
3. Moone's My Name (GB), R Bejarano, 119, J W Sadler
4. Gulsary (IRE), G L Stevens, 119, T F Proctor
5. Stormy Lucy (KY), I D Enriquez, 119, F Lucarelli
6. Champagneandcaviar (KY), C Sutherland Kruse, 119, G Mandella
7. Customer Base (KY), M E Smith, 119, T F Proctor
8. Nickels Wild (KY), J Talamo, 119, C B Greely
9. Appealing (IRE), C S Nakatani, 119, P Gallagher
