Arlington International Racecourse Barn Notes: Friday, May 26

By Bailey Gallison —-

• Malraux Back in Maiden Sprint
• Princess Erindelle Performs Well in Polytrack Debut
• Voodoo Returns from Spell

MALRAUX BACK IN MAIDEN SPRINT

In Saturday’s fourth race at Arlington International Racecourse, trainer Ignacio Correas, IV will saddle Malraux for the colt’s second career start. Owned by Secure Investments and I. C. Racing LLC, the well-bred 3-year-old was purchased at Fasig-Tipton in August of 2015 for $165,000.

“My partner Tami Bobo [Secure Investments] bought him at Saratoga,” said Correas. “He is a very handsome horse.”

Malraux is out of the stakes-winning mare, Ticket to Seattle. A daughter of 1986 Champion 2-year-old Capote, she finished second in the Grade III Safely Kept Breeders’ Cup Stakes and the Grade III Endine Handicap during her career. The half-sister to Tizway was a four-time winner at six furlongs or less, but failed to hit the board at anything longer than seven furlongs. Malraux’s sire, 2004 Champion Sprinter Speightstown, was also unplaced at a mile, but racked up 10 career wins at six and seven furlongs on the dirt. In the breeding shed, the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner has earned wins on the turf with 13.1% of his starters.

Making his debut at Tampa Bay Downs on March 18, Malraux broke sharply from the outside post and cleared the field, running splits of 21.87 and 44.96 over a firm turf course while trying to take them gate to wire. Looking slightly green coming down the stretch under urging from jockey Leandro Goncalves, Malraux kept on but was unable to hold off a late-closing run from fellow first-time-starter Dubini. The victor came back to win an allowance event at Monmouth Park in his next start.

In his first breeze over the Polytrack at Arlington back in April, Malraux covered five-furlongs in 1:00.40, earning a bullet for his best-of-25 works that morning. The colt followed that up with four furlongs in 47.40 on May 5, showing the turf runner was enjoying his synthetic spins.

“I don’t want to run him on the dirt, but if the race came off the turf I would probably run him on Polytrack,” said Correas. “He has been working lights out. I have just been looking for another five-furlong turf race for him.”

Staying at five furlongs in Saturday’s maiden race, Malraux will race without the blinkers he wore in his debut. That will be the only change for the colt, who Correas would like to keep sprinting on the grass as long as he continues to perform well in those conditions.

“I plan to keep him at Arlington until Saratoga opens, and if he is doing well then maybe take him there,” Correas said of any future plans. “I’ll consider running him at a little longer distance in the fall.”

PRINCESS ERINDELLE PERFORMS WELL IN POLYTRACK DEBUT

Running in an allowance event for fillies and mares originally scheduled for the turf at Arlington International Racecourse on May 20, Hugh Robertson’s 2016 Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes winner Princess Erindelle showed surprising speed when the race was shifted to the main track. Making her first start over the synthetic surface, the 4-year-old daughter of Divine Park broke smartly and tracked even-money pacesetter Daddy’s Boo from close range for 1 1/16 miles around the Chicagoland oval, getting within a neck of the winner at the wire.

“She ran hard,” said Robertson. “I thought she’d run well on the Polytrack – she’s always acted like she likes it okay but she just hadn’t had the opportunity to race on it.”

The multiple stakes-placed filly began the year with a win over a muddy dirt course at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in January at a mile, before finishing off the board in two turf stakes. Returning to Arlington, Princess Erindelle put in two steady works over the Polytrack before the surface-switched race allowed her to show early speed, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in her running lines since she broke her maiden in January 2016 going a mile on the dirt.

“She came out fine,” said Robertson when asked where she may run next. “We’ll see how it works out; I don’t like to make plans far in advance because they usually fall through. She’s okay on turf, but seems like she may be better on the Polytrack or dirt.”

VOODOO RETURNS FROM SPELL

Hugh Robertson runner Voodoo Spell will make his 6-year-old debut in Sunday’s sixth race at Arlington International Racecourse, a five-furlong turf allowance event. Purchased in 2012 by Robertson at the Ocala Breeder’s Select sale for only $3,500, the Florida-bred struggled in his first five starts until the combination of blinkers and a switch to sprinting brought out the gelding’s best form with a win at Hawthorne Racecourse in February 2014. Since then, Voodoo Spell has hit the board in his last 25 starts, finishing no worse than second in his most recent 16 races.

“He’s getting older, and with it comes a little wear and tear, so I gave him some time off [between races last year],” said Robertson. “He’s doing okay now. Hopefully the race will stay on the grass – he’s okay on the Polytrack, but he’s better on the grass.”

Carefully managed by Robertson through his career, Voodoo Spell has earned over $210,000 in purse money in 30 starts, winning 14 of those efforts. Santo Sanjur will ride Voodoo Spell for the first time.