By Ben Massam
Monday's Gamely S. is the lone Grade I event on the Memorial Day racing calendar, and the Santa Anita turf fixture features nine distaffers seeking their first win at the highest level. No entrant brings sharper form to the table than Hronis Racing's Nancy From Nairobi (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}), winner of her last three starts, including a score in the one-mile GII Royal Heroine S. over the Arcadia turf May 5.
Nancy From Nairobi began her career in England campaigning for trainer Michael Channon and was privately purchased and transferred to the John Sadler barn following a victory at Newmarket last August. The bay took three starts to hit her best stride in America, but has since turned in three consecutive rallying victories over the local lawn. In the Royal Heroine, the 5-year-old defeated three of her Gamely rivals, including stablemate and seventh-place finisher Elektrum (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}).
Another Hronis private acquisition, Elektrum has already proven that she fits at the Grade I level on her best day, having run fourth in last year's Gamely and second behind Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Rodeo Drive S. last autumn. The mare finished fourth and second in Del Mar's Nov. 1 GII Goldikova S. and Nov. 21 GIII Red Carpet H., respectively, to wrap up her 2015 campaign, and returned to action with an uncharacteristically dull effort in the Royal Heroine.
“Both [Nancy from Nairobi and Elektrum] come from off the pace,” Sadler told the Santa Anita notes team. “The Royal Heroine was a little too short for Elektrum, so we're happy about the mile and an eighth for her. She runs all day, but the Royal Heroine was a nice comeback race for her… Nancy can run [longer or shorter distances] too, so we feel we have two good ones in the race.”
Trainer Phil D'Amato will look to turn the tables on Sadler in the Gamely with the ultra-consistent Fanticola (Silent Name {Jpn}), who gained a narrow lead before being outfinished en-route to a third-place finish in the Royal Heroine. The dark bay was second–beaten just a neck–in the Gamely last year, and lost another narrow decision when fourth behind Elektrum in the nine-furlong GII John C. Mabee S. at Del Mar last August. Fanticola makes her third start off the layoff Monday and retains the services of regular rider Joe Talamo.
If familiarity is the name of the game for the locals in the filly and mare turf division, Martin S. Schwartz's Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) represents a new face in the Gamely, shipping in from the east coast for trainer Chad Brown. The French-bred filly proved her quality overseas when second in the G1 Pour Moi Coolmore Saint-Alary in May 2015, and was acquired by Schwartz following the conclusion of her 3-year-old season last fall. The bay gave a good account of herself in her Stateside debut, closing belatedly to complete the exacta behind regining champion female turfer Tepin (Bernstein) in Keeneland's 1 1/16-mile GI Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 16. Having won the G3 Prix Chloe over nine furlongs at Chantilly last year, the added distance of the Gamely should prove to be no obstacle for Wekeela.
Illuminant (Quality Road) shipped east to run third behind Tepin and Wekeela in the Jenny Wiley after setting the early pace, and looks to get back on track with the added home-turf advantage. The Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners runner will be trying the longest distance of her career and figures to make use of her speed once again Monday afternoon.
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