Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Trombetta well represented in Virginia-restricted stakes
Trainer Michael Trombetta will be active in three of the five turf stakes on the Laurel Park program Friday, led by Bella Aurora in the $75,000 Brookmeade.
The stakes are for Virginiabred or -sired horses. They had been scheduled to be run at Colonial Downs in Virginia but were moved to Maryland after Colonial had to close its meet early due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official with Laurel.
The Friday stakes are each worth $75,000, with Largent expected to start as the shortest-priced runner among them when he goes to post in the Bert Allen.
Trombetta will be active right from the start of the card, when the 3-year-old filly Virginia Beach makes her turf debut in the first race, the M. Tyson Gilpin. It is for fillies and mares over 5 1/2 furlongs, and Virginia Beach drew the outside post in the field of six.
“She’s training very good, and her pedigree suggests grass,” Trombetta said. “We’ll give it a try, see how we do.”
Virginia Beach is a daughter of Twirling Candy and the El Prado mare Enterprise Beach. She enters off a fifth-place finish in a quick first-level allowance sprint Sept. 12 at Delaware Park. The race was her first since March. Victor Carrasco has the mount for Country Life Farm.
What the Beep is the probable favorite off a win in the Camptown at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf July 29 at Colonial. She wired the field and again is the one to catch.
Bella Aurora stretches out to 1 1/16 miles for the Brookmeade, which is for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. She was third to What the Beep in the Camptown last out, which marked her first start since March.
“It was a good first race back off the layoff,” Trombetta said. “She had been training well. It was a good first start back. Unfortunately, it’s taken a while to get her back in. I am looking forward to running her this week.”
Bella Aurora has four bullets workouts since her last start, among her moves five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Sept. 28 at Laurel. She is making her two-turn debut Friday.
“She’s won at a mile, so I’m not too worried about the two turns,” Trombetta said.
Bella Aurora, who is by Carpe Diem, is looking for her second career stakes win after defeating open company in the $100,000 Gin Talking last December at Laurel.
Julian Pimentel has the mount from the rail for Country
Life Farm.
Other leading contenders include fellow open-company stakes winner Tasting the Stars and last year’s third-place finisher in the Brookmeade, Fionnbharr.
Tasting the Stars won the Just Jenda over open company in July 2019 at Monmouth Park. She is making her second start of the year, and the race she exits has produced two nextout winners, including Artful Splatter, who came back in her next start to account for the George Rosenberger Memorial at Delaware Park with a careerhigh Beyer Speed Figure of 90.
Trevor McCarthy has the mount on Tasting the Stars for trainer Michael Stidham.
Fionnbharr’s dam, Embarr, was a two-time winner of the Brookmeade.
Trombetta’s final stakes starter is Lynchburg, who goes in the Punch Line. It’s a 5 1/2-furlong race for 3-yearolds and up and drew a field of 14.
“It’s a big field and pretty competitive,” Trombetta said.
Lynchburg is shortening up off a pair of off-the-turf starts at a mile. When last seen at this distance on turf in August he won a maiden special weight at Colonial.
Carrasco has the mount for Commonwealth New Era Racing.
Embolden will get good support on the strength of his runner-up finish to Largent in the Edward P. Evans in July at Colonial. He’s since faced graded rivals in his last two starts, among his efforts a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Saranac in August at Saratoga. McCarthy has the mount for Stidham.
Largent, who breaks from the rail in the Bert Allen, was 1-5 the last time he raced against Virginia-breds. The start came in July, when he accounted for the Edward P. Evans by a length going a mile at Colonial.
Largent has made one start since, finishing second to Grade 3 winner Ballagh Rocks in the Lure on Sept. 7 at Saratoga. Largent earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92, the best last-race number in this field. The 4-year-old is by top-class sire Into Mischief and is a halfbrother to stakes winners Kona Blend and Edgewater.
McCarthy has the mount for Twin Creeks Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher.
The field of eight includes River Deep, who won an off-theturf edition of the Bert Allen in 2018. The next year, he was placed first in the Edward P. Evans.
The Jamestown for 2-yearolds at 5 1/2 furlongs is led by Kenny Had a Notion.