Looking for longshots in the John C. Mabee Stakes

Racing at Del Mar. (Benoit Photo)

Since the reign of Vasilika, the West Coast filly and mare turf division has been a revolving door, making races like the John C. Mabee (G2) good ones for finding longshots and playing around them.

Del Mar, Race 10: John C. Mabee (1 1/8 miles, post time 8:30 p.m. ET)

This year's edition of the John C. Mabee drew a field of eight. The only graded stakes mainstay in the bunch, #2 Lady Prancealot, has yet to prove the same force against older horses that she was against three-year-olds last year. Her late-running style may also be pace-compromised. Fortunately, there's an interesting new face who should get the jump on her.

Lady Prancealot @CheckmateRacing @SirPstallion pic.twitter.com/2UGysRXPTR
— Emily Shields (@ZenyattaMafia) February 22, 2020

It demands notice when a Lemon Drop Kid baby stretches out to a mile and an eighth, and that's exactly what #5 Zee Drop, the "other" Philip D'Amato entrant, does for the first time. She is stepping up in class, of course. She hasn't raced in stakes company and was most recently only fourth behind stablemate Raymundos Secret in a N2X turf mile.

Looking through her career, she has shown tactical versatility. Furthermore, being by Lemon Drop Kid out of a mare who has already produced one nine-furlong winner, the step up in trip has every right to bring out her best.

That's enough upside to play Zee Drop in the win pool, and to play her in exotics with the others who are likely to get a good forward trip in a race without a lot of pace.

#7 Quick, showed a new frontrunning dimension last out in the CTT and TOC Stakes. She keeps Jose Valdivia from that outing. Anyone who followed Chicago over the last few years knows how much experience Valdivia has with taking advantage of a horse's speed.

#8 Raymundos Secret, the D'Amato "A", likes Del Mar and should be able to get a sweet outside stalking trip in the hands of Flavien Prat.