Steve Moger's Stormy Lucy got up by a hard-fought head to post a 65-1 upset Nov. 29 in the Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) at Del Mar, and the 6-year-old Stormy Atlantic mare looks to duplicate that effort Dec. 27 in the $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Santa Anita Park.
Stormy Lucy, trained by Ed Moger Jr., is the co-highweight under 124 pounds in the 1 1/8-mile turf test, stretching out from the mile over which she secured her grade I win last time out. She has won at the Frankel distance before, having taken the 2014 Santa Ana Stakes (gr. IIT) last March, but has also found herself outkicked multiple times over the same route of ground.
The Frankel drew a field of 14, including grade I winner Warren's Veneda and recent grade III winner Rusty Slipper, also assigned 124.
Stormy Lucy departs post 7 under Kent Desormeaux, while Rusty Slipper, a 5-year-old Lemon Drop Kid mare who won the Nov. 21 Red Carpet (gr. IIIT) at Del Mar in her most recent start for trainer Graham Motion, will be ridden by James Graham from post 4.
Rusty Slipper was sixth in this race last year after pressing the pace in second and then taking control headed for home only to get passed by 1 1/2 lengths. She was wheeled back from a 10th in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT), a race she bypassed this season.
Motion also has grade I winner Peace and War, moving back to turf for the first time since last August in England. In her most recent start, the 3-year-old War Front filly finished fifth in the Nov. 28 Comely (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack after running 12th in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I). She has not won in five starts since moving from trainer Olly Stevens, but did hit the board three times for Motion, including a third in the Cotillion (gr. I), before losing form in her past two starts.
Warren's Veneda is another who shifts from dirt to turf. Having taken the Santa Margarita (gr. I) back in March as part of a three-race victory streak, she has not seen the winner's circle since then, but did hit the board in the Vanity (gr. I) and Clement Hirsch (gr. I), the latter won by champion Beholder. In her past two starts she was seventh in the Zenyatta (gr. I) and Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Those with good recent turf form include Nancy From Nairobi, making her U.S. debut, and allowance winner Glory.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, December 27, 2015, Race 8Entries: Robert J. Frankel S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Nancy From Nairobi (GB) Drayden Van Dyke 119 John W. Sadler 12/1 2 2Three Hearts (KY) Joseph Talamo 119 Neil D. Drysdale 8/1 3 3Alexis Tangier (KY) Gary L. Stevens 119 Richard E. Mandella 5/1 4 4Rusty Slipper (KY) James Graham 124 H. Graham Motion 9/2 5 5Star Act (KY) Kieren Fallon 119 Art Sherman 30/1 6 6Peace and War (FL) Joel Rosario 117 H. Graham Motion 12/1 7 7Stormy Lucy (KY) Kent J. Desormeaux 124 Ed Moger, Jr. 6/1 8 8Fresh Feline (KY) Victor Espinoza 119 John A. Shirreffs 20/1 9 9Warren's Veneda (CA) Tyler Baze 121 Craig Anthony Lewis 8/1 10 10Sweet as a Rose (KY) Brice Blanc 119 Patrick Gallagher 30/1 11 11Gender Agenda (GB) Rafael Bejarano 119 Carla Gaines 10/1 12 12Glory (KY) Mike E. Smith 117 Jerry Hollendorfer 4/1 13 13Honey Ride (KY) Abel Lezcano 119 John W. Sadler 20/1 14 14Gas Total (BRZ) Flavien Prat 119 Richard E. Mandella 12/1
