2018 Red Carpet Stakes Contenders & Odds

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Del Mar Press Release | OTB Writer

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

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."

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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.

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