Vasilika
Amazing Vasilika, winner of a dozen races, including three Grade I stakes, since being claimed for $40,000 early last year, will seek to strengthen her bid for year-end national recognition when she carries highweight of 125 pounds Saturday versus eight talented rivals in the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar.
Also being presented on a ten-race program Saturday will be the Grade II $200,000 Sorrento Stakes for two-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
Vasilika, a five-year-old mare by Skipshot trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, has won 17 of 32 races over-all in a rags to riches career while earning almost $1.4 million. She is perfect in four starts this year, most recently capturing the Grade I Gamely at Santa Anita in May.
Journeying to the West Coast to ride Vasilika for the first time will be Julien Leparoux, taking over for regular rider Flavien Prat who will handle Bellafina in the Test Stakes at Saratoga Saturday.
Vasilika figures to be a solid Yellow Ribbon favorite, despite the quality of her opposition. Lining up against her in the mile and one-sixteenth grass course contest will be Irish-bred Beau Recall, 121, Drayden Van Dyke; Youngest Daughter, 117, Brice Blanc; Storm the Hill, 119, Rafael Bejarano; Lemoona, 118, Mario Gutierrez; Valedictorian, 119, C.J. Fernandez; Causeforcommotion, 118, Norberto Arroyo, Jr.; Toinette, 119, Ruben Fuentes, and Elysea’s World, 120, Joe Talamo.
Beau Recall, an invader from the East Coast trained by Brad Cox, comes into the Yellow Ribbon from a runner-up effort to highly-regarded Rushing Fall in the Grade I Just a Game at Belmont Park; Valedictorian won the Eatontown at Monmouth Park June 22, Lemoona accounted for the Possibly Perfect in mid-June at Santa Anita and Toinette won the Grade III Autumn Miss last October.
Entrants in the Sorrento Stakes, steppingstone to the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs Saturday, August 31, are likely betting choice Comical, Leparoux; Powerfulattraction, Talamo; Amalfi Sunrise, Arroyo, Jr.; Shedaresthedevil, Van Dyke; Princess Mo, Geovanni Franco, and Shanghai Keely, Irving Orozco.
Post time for the first race Saturday is 2 p.m.