Demodog, with second start off layoff, “in with good chance”
HENDERSON, Ky.— Chris Landeros has been a regular rider of the 5-year-old mare Undisturbed, including being aboard for her first two career victories (at Ellis Park) after she came to Kentucky following an 0-for-8 skein in California. But Landeros didn’t ride Undisturbed in her last start in the Ellis Park Turf. That’s because he was busy beating Undisturbed with her Ian Wilkes-trained stablemate, Market Rumor. With Florent Geroux aboard, Undisturbed led most of the way before settling for second by a half-length.
With Market Rumor sitting this one out, Landeros is back on Undisturbed as he seeks to sweep the track’s two middle-distance turf stakes for fillies and mares.
“She’s cool. She has a high-cruising speed,” he said. “She’s a hard trier, you can never count her out. You can’t give her too much room because she will fire at the end. She always tries hard. She likes Ellis; I look for a good run. You can’t throw her out, that’s for sure.”
Landeros also rides Violenza for Wilkes, his father-in-law, in the Laguna Distaff Turf Sprint.
“That’s going to be a tough race,” he said. “We need a little pace set up, because she’s going to come from a little bit out of it. But her last race at Colonial Downs was big. She ran second to Michelle Lovell’s really good mare (Change of Control) and got beat a length to her. I think she’s in good form coming into this race.”
Landeros is reunited with Into the Sunrise in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint for trainer Mark Casse. He has ridden that gelding once before: When he won last year’s Dade Park Dash at Ellis Park for trainer Wesley Ward. That was Into the Sunrise’s last victory.
“Fast horse,” Landeros said. “Quick horse. Hopefully he can get his form back.”
Demodog was making her first start in a year and first for trainer Brendan Walsh when she finished third in the Ellis Park Turf. Now she’ll try to improve on that in Sunday’s $100,000 Centennial Distaff Turf Mile.
The daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah won her first two starts last year at age 3 for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, then was off the board in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Lake George. She was off 51 weeks before the Ellis Park Turf.
“She’s a nice filly,” Walsh said. “She obviously was coming off a layoff, so we were very happy with her run. She looks like she needs to improve to have a shot. But just through natural improvement in itself, that should put her in there with a good chance.”
Ellis Park Press Release
Main photo: Undisturbed winning at Ellis Park last summer under Chris Landeros (Coady Photography)
