Saturday’s pair of sibling stakes going 5½ furlongs on the dirt at Colonial Downs will showcase Virginia-bred, -sired, or -certified juveniles. Trendsetter and Just Philtored, the morning line favorites in the $100,000 Hickory Tree and $100,000 Keswick, respectively, will look to stay perfect after proving their heart and talent in their debut wins.
When debuting locally on the second day of the meet July 10, Midway Racing’s Trendsetter hit the gate and was blocked by an outer foe before settling nicely near the back of the field and producing an outside rally down the stretch that gathered energy with every stride. Trained by Ben Colebrook, the Kentucky-bred Modernist colt beat four of his Hickory Tree rivals that day and will have a target on his back as the 8-5 morning line favorite. Drawing the rail in a field of seven, Trendsetter will be piloted by the current meet-leading rider Ben Curtis.
Logical contenders in the Hickory Tree include G Q Worthy and Cool Customer, who finished second and third, respectively, to Trendsetter in early July. Trained by Jerry Robb, Mens Grille Racing’s Virginia-bred G Q Worthy overcame a far outside post to produce a game rally up the rail that fell 1¼ lengths shy of the winner. Sent off as the favorite, JJE Thoroughbreds, Feel The Thunder Stable and 4 G Racing’s Cool Customer tended to a sharp pace before the Mike Stidham trainee’s bid for the lead down the stretch fell short. Blinkers go on the son of Frosted and Antonio Gallardo will take the call.
Here is the complete field for the Hickory Tree from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Trendsetter (Curtis, Colebrook, 8-5); Power Grid (Xavier Perez, Robb, 5-1); G Q Worthy (Daniel Centeno, Robb, 9-2); Coco No Loco (Wes Hamilton, Gerard Galligan, 20-1); This Is the Life (Luis Batista, Mike Jones Jr., 30-1); Cool Customer (Gallardo, Stidham, 5-2); and State Conceal (Gavin Ashton, Carlos Munoz, 5-1).
Tabbed as the 6-5 morning line favorite in a field of seven for the Keswick, Red White and Blue Racing and London Reid Thoroughbreds’ Just Philtored overcame adversity to win her debut effort at Laurel Park in May. After hopping out of the gate, the Virginia-certified freshman filly was soon pinched back, but Just Philtored offered a big stretch run, pulling away to win by eight lengths. Purchased privately after her impressive debut, the Maryland-bred daughter of Great Notion is now in the care of Mike Trombetta. Mychel Sanchez will guide Just Philtored from post 5.
Eric Rizer’s local debut winner Slewperstitus not only has success at the Keswick distance, but the Maryland-bred has also proved herself much the best against three of her Keswick foes: Wickedwithbourbon, Thisishowwedoit, and Snow Bella. On opening day July 9, Slewperstitus produced a professional effort, coming from seventh early to lead by three lengths at the top of the stretch and eventually eight lengths the best by the time she crossed the wire. The Robert Bailes-trained daughter of Great Notion will see J.G. Torrealba return to the irons.
Here is the complete field for the Keswick from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Smooch Up (Ronald Allen Jr., Ron Potts Jr., 4-1); Wickedwithbourbon (Ben Curtis, Keith Desormeaux, 5-1); Slewperstitus (Torrealba, Bailes, 5-2); Thisishowwedoit (Wes Hamilton, Jesus Cruz, 12-1); Just Philtored (Sanchez, Trombetta, 6-5); Zirconia (Jorge Hernandez, Hugh McMahon, 20-1); and Snow Bella (Johan Rosado, Madison Meyers, 30-1).
Slated as race 3, the Keswick will be immediately followed by the Hickory Tree. First post for Saturday’s 10-race card is 12:30 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the entire meet can be purchased online at www.colonialdowns.com.
Colonial’s races will be prominently featured on FanDuel TV all season long. Additionally, FanDuel TV will be on-site for coverage of the Festival of Racing on August 9.
Racing fans who can’t make it to Colonial can wager at any of the Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums throughout the state, The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries or VA-Horseplay locations in Chesapeake and Henrico. Bettors also can wager on racing from Colonial Downs via www.TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks. TwinSpires.com boasts an improved wagering experience and mobile app combining the latest technology with the ability to wager on virtually every quarter, harness and thoroughbred horse race from venues around the globe. TwinSpires.com also offers access to unmatched insight and analysis from horse racing experts, handicappers, insiders, educators and Bloodstock Research Information Services (Brisnet).
