By Joe Bianca
The top two 3-year-old turf fillies in California will face off for the first time along with five other foes in Sunday's nine-furlong GIII Honeymoon S. on the Santa Anita lawn.
Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), named a 'TDN Rising Star' for a 4 1/2-length debut victory Sept. 5 at Del Mar, the $50,000 Keeneland September purchase backed that up with 2 1/4-length tally in the local Surfer Girl S. before finishing ninth with a troubled trip in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Switched to dirt, the gray was a half-length second in Los Alamitos's GI Starlet S., but finished seventh, beaten 24 lengths in the local GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 6. Returning to turf here Apr. 9, she went to the lead for the first time and responded with a dominant 4 1/2-length conquest of the GIII Providencia S. A repeat of the 90 Beyer she earned in that effort would make the Bob Hess Jr. trainee tough in here.
Her main competition is rail-drawn Island of Love (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Two-for-two by a combined 9 1/2 lengths over the span of just 10 days to open her career for Alessandro Botti last September in Italy, the bay was runner-up at 4-5 in the Lady Shamrock S. making her North American debut here Jan. 30 before checking in fourth in the China Doll S. as the favorite Mar. 6. The Phil D'Amato pupil then broke through in America with a 2 1/4-length triumph in the GIII Senorita S. going a mile on this course May 7.
The Coolmore connections' Ballet Dancing (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to have some upside for trainer Simon Callaghan. Bought for $800,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, the bay was third with a slow break and wide trip debuting over a turfy mile here Oct. 15 and rallied from ninth with a quarter-mile to go to break her maiden over the same course and distance May 7.
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