Deep Flame Brings Consistency to Perryville Stakes

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Deep Flame has been consistent and steadily improving since making his racing debut back in February. The 3-year-old colt bears the credentials of a legitimate 7-5 morning-line favorite heading into the $350,000 Perryville Stakes (G3) going 7 furlongs Oct. 17 at Keeneland. A son of multiple leading sire Into Mischief, Deep Flame lost little stature in his last start when he finished second in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) to Englishman, considered the best 3-year-old sprinter in the country. Two races back, Deep Flame earned status as a graded stakes winner after taking the Maxfield Stakes (G3) by 5 3/4 lengths at Churchill Downs. Both the H. Allen Jerkens and Maxfield stakes were run at 7 furlongs. Trained by Brad Cox, Deep Flame has never been worse than second in five career starts. He will be ridden in the Perryville by Irad Ortiz Jr., who has been aboard for three of this year's starts, including the Maxfield victory. Grade 3 winner Obliteration is another who has placed in a grade 1 behind Englishman, when he crossed the wire third in the 7-furlong Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. The 3-year-old son of Violence also has been a remarkably consistent performer, finishing out of the money only twice out of 12 careers starts. He became a graded stakes winner at 2 when he won the Sanford Stakes (G3) by 10 1/2 lengths for Leland Ackerley Racing. The stable added partners James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilia for this year's campaign and so far they have celebrated a 2-1-2 record from six starts, which included a win by 7 1/2 lengths in the Renaissance Stakes at Oaklawn Park and a second in the Saudi Derby (G3). Obliteration comes into the Perryville off a sixth-place finish in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs, where he made his fourth career start on the turf. Last year, the colt contested the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and finished fourth. Cutting back in distance in the Perryville is Chief Wallabee, who generated some buzz in the spring along the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1). Michael and Katherine Ball's homebred son of Constitution ran second by a neck to Commandment in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), ran third in the Florida Derby (G1), and then finished a credible fourth in the Kentucky Derby. Chief Wallabee would run second in the 1 1/8-mile Curlin Stakes in August at Saratoga and then second again cutting back to a mile in a $105,000 allowance race in mid-September at Belmont Park. Now trainer Bill Mott returns to sprinting at the distance of the colt's winning debut back in January. Chief Wallabee will have regular rider Junior Alvarado in the saddle.