Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing's Beau Recall skated to victory by a nose in last year's Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) and will look to defend her title when she lines up again for the $150,000 renewal Aug. 8 at Del Mar.
"She's training well," trainer Brad Cox said of the 6-year-old. "She flew out to California on Monday, so she's been there a couple days. She trained yesterday and again today, so she's settled in and is in good order. All that is good, and we're just hoping we can repeat. She was able to get it done last year, and I feel like she's every bit as good this year coming into the race. This will be her third race off the layoff, so I'm expecting a big effort."
Beau Recall has not fared quite as well in her two 2020 races as she did in 2019, when she was either first or second in all six starts. The bay mare finished off the board in her season debut, the May 30 Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs, but bounced back to run second in the June 27 Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. She last entered the winner's circle after the Yellow Ribbon Handicap last August.
Beau Recall has logged four timed workouts on the Churchill Downs dirt since the Just a Game. She most recently breezed four furlongs Aug. 2 in :50 1/5. She will break from post 7 with Umberto Rispoli in the irons.
"I think on paper it looks like she should get a good setup to be effective with her late-closing kick," Cox said. "She did all her works post the Just a Game at Churchill on the dirt, and she's fit and happy. It seems like she is ready to run."
Trainer Jonathan Wong will send out multiple graded stakes winner Keeper Ofthe Stars. Campaigned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old Midnight Lute filly enters off a fifth-place finish in the June 20 Wilshire Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.
This will be the fifth start of 2020 for Keeper Ofthe Stars, who earned her first top-level victory May 25 in the Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita. Before that, she won the Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) at the same track.
Keeper Ofthe Stars will leave post 6 under Abel Cedillo.
Also making her fifth start of the year in the 1 1/16-mile Yellow Ribbon is Fox Hill Farms' Jolie Olimpica. The Brazil-bred Drosselmeyer filly has performed consistently all year since transferring to the barn of Richard Mandella from South America, winning both the Jan. 11 Las Cinegas Stakes (G3T) and May 25 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita.
Jolie Olimpica finished second in the Feb. 22 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita and the July 11 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland, where she finished three-quarters of a length behind Rushing Fall.
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will partner from the outside post 8.
Summering, Bodhicitta, Tonahutu, Lady Prancealot, and Harmless complete the field.
Del Mar, Saturday, August 8, 2020, Race 9Entries: Yellow Ribbon H. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Summering (FL) Drayden Van Dyke 118 Thomas F. Proctor 12/1 2 2Bodhicitta (GB) Flavien Prat 120 Richard Baltas 6/1 3 3Tonahutu (IRE) Victor Espinoza 117 Doug F. O'Neill 15/1 4 4Lady Prancealot (IRE) Juan J. Hernandez 121 Richard Baltas 5/1 5 5Harmless (KY) Ricardo Gonzalez 118 Philip D'Amato 15/1 6 6Keeper Ofthe Stars (KY) Abel Cedillo 123 Jonathan Wong 7/2 7 7Beau Recall (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 123 Brad H. Cox 3/1 98 8Jolie Olimpica (BRZ) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN -
