NEWS
Lethal Heat seeks hot start to season in Monrovia
Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 6:26 PM
Benoit & Associates photo
LETHAL HEAT
by Steve Bailey
Hollywood Oaks (G2) winner Lethal Heat will try to start her 2009 season similar to the way she began her ’08 campaign as she takes on 11 challengers in the $100,000 Monrovia Handicap (G3) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The four-year-old Unusual Heat filly opened her first racing season with three straight victories at Santa Anita, including the Santa Paula Stakes (G3) on March 30.
Trained by co-owner Barry Abrams, Lethal Heat also scored back-to-back victories in the Fleet Treat and Real Good Deal Stakes during the summer meet at Del Mar.
She will enter the 6½-furlong test on the downhill turf course fresh, having been off since a third-place finish in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) on August 18. Overall, she has won six of nine starts with two third-place finishes and earned $426,528 this season.
Lethal Heat will carry high weight of 118 pounds, as will the 2007 Monrovia winner, Society Hostess.
The seven-year-old Seeking the Gold mare will be seeking her first victory since the ’07 Monrovia. The Moyglare Stud Farm homebred, trained by Christophe Clement, had one runner-up finish from three ’08 starts, finishing second to Intangaroo in the Santa Monica Handicap (G1) on February.
The field also includes Grade 2 winner Jibboom, who enters off a victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the Hollywood Park turf on November 2, and stakes winner Trouble Maker, who will try to snap a two-start winless skid following a victory in the Old Red Stakes on August 21 at Saratoga Race Course.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:
1. Lethal Heat (Unusual Heat), Alex Solis, 118, Barry Abrams;
2. Jibboom (Mizzen Mast), Garrett K. Gomez, 115, Bobby Frankel;
3. La Tee (Broken Vow), Joel Rosario, 115, Mark Glatt;
4. Trouble Maker (Labeeb [GB]), Victor Espinoza, 116, Jay Robbins;
5. Royal Taat [NZ] (Faltaat), Rafael Bejarano, 114, John Sadler;
6. Porto Marmay [Ire] (Choisir [AUS]), David Flores, 114, Julio Canani;
7. Society Hostess (Seeking the Gold), Jose Valdivia Jr., 118, Christophe Clement;
8. That's Hot [Ire] (Namid [GB]), Joseph Talamo, 115, Patrick Gallagher;
9. Contentious (Giant's Causeway), Brice Blanc, 113, Eoin Harty;
10. Eletro Nuclear [Brz] (Dodge), Martin Garcia, 114, Paulo Lobo;
11. Ransom Captive (Red Ransom), Mike Smith, 115, Jerry Hollendorfer; and
12. Christiana's Heat (Unusual Heat), Michael Baze, 113, Steve Knapp.
