2018 Red Carpet Stakes Contenders & Odds
Escape Clause, the Canadian filly who extended her win streak to nine in the opening day Kathryn Crosby Stakes - albeit via disqualification - has booked a Del Mar Racetrack return engagement in Thursday's Grade III, $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes.
2018 Red Carpet Stakes Odds & Entries
Race 6 on Del Mar's Thursday card with a Post Time of 4:30 PM
| Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victress | 20-1 | Joseph Talamo 118 Lbs |
Robert Gilker |
| 2 | Pantsonfire (IRE) | 5-1 | Geovanni Franco 120 Lbs |
Richard Baltas |
| 3 | Vexatious | 3-1 | Rafael Bejarano 123 Lbs |
Neil Drysdale |
| 4 | The Tulip (IRE) | 4-1 | Drayden Van Dyke 118 Lbs |
Patrick Gallagher |
| 5 | India Mantuana | 6-1 | Tyler Baze 117 Lbs |
Thomas Bell, II |
| 6 | Siberian Iris (IRE) | 6-1 | Flavien Prat 117 Lbs |
Richard Mandella |
| 7 | Lucy De | 6-1 | Kent Desormeaux 120 Lbs |
Richard Baltas |
| 8 | So Hi Society (IRE) | 20-1 | Tiago Pereira 114 Lbs |
Jeff Mullins |
| 9 | Escape Clause | 5-1 | Ruben Fuentes 121 Lbs |
Don Schnell |
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Owner/trainer Don Schnell nominated the 4-year-old daughter of Going Commando to both the Red Carpet and the Grade I $300,000 Matriarch on closing day, December 2, but confirmed Sunday that the Red Carpet is the race of choice.
"She came back so good (from the Kathryn Crosby) that I'm going to give her a shot in the Red Carpet," Schnell said from his Phoenix base. "I looked at the Matriarch, but there's too many bears in there.
"She showed she can compete with those (stakes level) horses there and can run on the turf. Now we'll see if she can go the mile and three-eighths."
Escape Clause brought an eight-race winning streak, forged mainly at tracks in Manitoba and Alberta, Canada, into the one-mile Kathryn Crosby and ran on turf for the first time in a 25-race career. Ridden by Ruben Fuentes, Escape Clause finished a half-length behind Excellent Sunset, but was moved up to first after stewards ruled a bumping incident in the stretch had cost her a placing.
So the filly that Schnell purchased for $3,200 at a sale in Manitoba extended the winning streak and increased her career earnings to $345,500.
The Red Carpet comes up only 13 days after the Crosby and at a distance that's a quarter-mile farther than she has raced before, but Schnell said he believes Escape Clause can be up to the task.
"I think so," Schnell said, "she's learned to relax and that's really important at longer distances."
Fuentes, who picked up the mount on Escape Clause just before the post position draw for the Kathryn Crosby, will be back in the saddle.
"Ruben is a good kid and a good rider," Schnell said.
Despite the winning streak, Escape Clause was largely overlooked in the betting and returned $39.40 for a $2 win bet in the Kathryn Crosby. "I don't think you'll get that this time," Schnell said.
The field from the rail: Victress (Joe Talamo), Pantsonfire (Geovanni Franco), Vexatious (Rafael Bejarano), The Tulip (Drayden Van Dyke), India Mantuana (Tyler Baze), Siberian Iris (Flavien Prat), Lucy De (Kent Desormeaux), So Hi Society (Tiago Pereira) and Escape Clause (Ruben Fuentes).
The Red Carpet will be the featured event, the sixth on an eight-race Thanksgiving Day card that will have an early first post of 11 a.m.
