Iscreamuscream, undefeated in four starts, has never faced her elders. She'll get that chance in the Oct. 5 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park, and her six rivals are certainly battle-tested.
Some of Iscreamuscream's toughest competition will come from her own barn. Trainer Phil D'Amato also has entered Hang the Moon and Lucky Girl, each with more than double Iscreamuscream's experience.
A 3-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy , Iscreamuscream ran once last year at 2, breaking her maiden. She successfully ran through her second condition before jumping into stakes company at Del Mar. During the summer, Iscreamuscream won the one-mile San Clemente Handicap (G2), followed by a victory in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles. All of her races have come on the turf, and she'll stay on the green Saturday but will try to stretch out to 1 1/4 miles.
Hector Berrios began riding Iscreamuscream when she graduated to stakes company, and he will be back aboard from post 4.
"He gets along with this filly very well and keeps her energy level up at all times, and she's able to finish the way she does," D'Amato said after the Oaks. "That'll win you a lot of races."
If Iscreamuscream does successfully handle older horses, she would also receive an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T). The Rodeo Drive is a "Win and You're In" race.
D'Amato's other pair ran one-two in the Sept. 7 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar. Hang the Moon outfinished her stablemate by a half-length. D'Amato has only started Hang the Moon three times since she relocated from the Midwest, and he has gotten two wins and a second out of her. Lucky Girl has three wins in 20 starts, but they include the 2023 Swingtime Stakes and the 2022 China Doll Stakes, the latter before D'Amato began training her. D'Amato has named Kazushi Kimura on Hang the Moon from post 6 and Tyler Baze on Lucky Girl from the rail.
Sunset Glory, trained by Michael McCarthy and to be ridden by Umberto Rispoli from post 2, has a three-race winning streak, culminating in the Aug. 8 CTT and TOC Stakes at Del Mar in her stakes debut. With only five lifetime starts, the 4-year-old has the least experience of all but Iscreamuscream. She has yet to finish worse than second in four starts in this country.
Two shippers join the Rodeo Drive field—Beach Bomb and Aspen Grove.
Beach Bomb will be making only her second U.S. start. She moved to trainer Graham Motion's East Coast stable after eight starts in her native South Africa, where she was a two-time group 1 winner. In her U.S. debut, Beach Bomb ran second in the Aug. 31 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park. Motion already has won a stakes at the Santa Anita fall meeting, saddling Toupie to capture the Sept. 28 Unzip Me Stakes. Antonio Fresu will ride Beach Bomb from post 5.
Jack Sisterson trains Aspen Grove and has named Juan Hernandez from post 7. A group winner in her native Ireland, Aspen Grove won the 2023 Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T) in her U.S. debut when trained by European-based trainer James Stack. She has subsequently placed twice in graded company, once at Tampa Bay Downs and once at Churchill Downs.
Be Your Best has criss-crossed the country in her three years of competition. Though she hasn't won since the 2022 P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga, she has placed in four graded stakes. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has given the call to Kyle Frey from post 3.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, October 5, 2024, Race 8Entries: Rodeo Drive S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Lucky Girl (IRE) Tyler Baze 122 Philip D'Amato - 2 Sunset Glory (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 122 Michael W. McCarthy - 3 Be Your Best (IRE) Kyle Frey 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 4 Iscreamuscream (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 122 Philip D'Amato - 5 Beach Bomb (SAF) Antonio Fresu 124 H. Graham Motion - 6 Hang the Moon (KY) Kazushi Kimura 126 Philip D'Amato - 7 Aspen Grove (IRE) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Jack Sisterson -
