Photo: MEC
West Point Thoroughbreds’ 4-year-old gelding Twilight Eclipse
finished an even fourth, 7 ½ lengths behind Amira’s Prince in the
$150,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 16 going 11
furlongs in his first start since winning the 12-furlong W.L. McKnight
Handicap (G2) at Calder on Nov. 24 for trainer Tom Albertrani.
A son of Purim, Twilight Eclipse is set to come back in the $150,000
Pan American Stakes (G2) next Saturday at 1 ½ miles, a race in which
Amira’s Prince will likely be the favorite, the latter trained by
Albertrani’s former mentor, Hall of Fame horseman Bill Mott.
“It wasn’t a bad race off the layoff,” said Albertrani of Twilight
Eclipse. “He’s done well since then and I think will improve from that
race. Also, I don’t think he liked the ground. They called it ‘good’ but
I think it was softer than that.”
Twilight Ridge is lightly-raced with the Mac Diarmida only his
seventh career start. He has three wins, including the W.L. McKnight in
his first and only race thus far at 12 furlongs. West Point
Thoroughbreds acquired Twilight Eclipse privately from previous
connections after winning his first two starts on turf at Indiana Downs
in June last year and sent him to Albertrani in New York.
On Sunday Albertrani will send out Darley’s 5-year-old Kentucky
homebred mare Centring in a very tough 1 1/16 miles allowance race, the
fourth on the card, after an even fourth-place effort going a mile on
Feb. 10. That race was the daughter of A.P. Indy’s first since finishing
fifth trying turf for the first time in the La Prevoyante Handicap (G3)
at Calder on Nov. 30.
“She ran well in her last start to be fourth in the one-turn mile”
said Albertrani. “She really wants more distance and would probably like
a mile-and-an-eighth even better than the mile-and-a-sixteenth Sunday.”
Joel Rosario will have the mount.
Centring’s rivals in the field of seven fillies and mares entered in
Sunday’s race include Glencrest Farm’s 4-year-old Disposablepleasure
with John Velazquez to ride for trainer Todd Pletcher.
A roan/gray daughter of Giacomo, Disposeablepleasure won the
Demoiselle Stakes (G2) as a 2-year-old at Aqueduct in 2011 and finished
second in the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico and Mother Goose
Stakes (G1) at Belmont without winning a race in seven starts last
season.