Only two colts, Chiefs Crown and Capote, have pulled off the Norfolk/Breeders’ Cup Juvenile double since 1984. In the last three years, two Norfolk victors, Street Hero and Lookin At Lucky finished in the money in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after tough trips. This year’s renewal of the Norfolk Stakes attracted only five entrants, but the race appears to be a re-match between Del Mar Futurity (G-1) hero Drill and the unfortunate Creative Cause, who was impeded in the stretch by Majestic City during that roughly run contest. Both colts are racing over dirt for the first time.
DRILL (Lawyer Ron - Cat Dancer, by Storm Cat)
has won his last two races by a neck. His sire Lawyer Ron was a determined competitor and the dark brown colt appears to have inherited his sire’s tenacity. Drill descends from one of the strongest distaff families in the race. His dam is 1 for 12, but she’s a half-sister to Monmouth Oaks (G2) winner Magic Storm. Fourth dam Luina is a blue hen and fifth dam Banquet Bell is also a blue hen. Preakness/Belmont Champ Little Current and Derby/Belmont Champ Chateaugay plus Kings Bishop Stakes winner and new sire Hard Spun are members of this female family. Drill has taken to the Santa Anita surface and posted a bullet seven furlongs in 1:23 (1/5) in his last work.
has won his last two races by a neck. His sire Lawyer Ron was a determined competitor and the dark brown colt appears to have inherited his sire’s tenacity. Drill descends from one of the strongest distaff families in the race. His dam is 1 for 12, but she’s a half-sister to Monmouth Oaks (G2) winner Magic Storm. Fourth dam Luina is a blue hen and fifth dam Banquet Bell is also a blue hen. Preakness/Belmont Champ Little Current and Derby/Belmont Champ Chateaugay plus Kings Bishop Stakes winner and new sire Hard Spun are members of this female family. Drill has taken to the Santa Anita surface and posted a bullet seven furlongs in 1:23 (1/5) in his last work. 
CREATIVE CAUSE (Giant's Causeway - Dream of Summer, by Siberian Summer) gave notice that he is a colt to be reckoned with when he easily beat his foes in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) by 1 ¾ lengths. He was the favorite in the Del Mar Futurity, but was squeezed between horses when Majestic City bore out. Creative Cause was granted second place through disqualification of Majestic City. Creative Cause’s pedigree indicates that he should be competitive at longer distances. His sire Giant’s Causeway gets runners over all surfaces and at all distances. Creative Cause’s dam Dream of Summer was a top race mare. She won her maiden at first asking, then developed into a Grade 1 winner, taking the Apple Blossom (G1), A Gleam (G2) and several other stakes races. The pretty gray colt has trained and raced exclusively over synthetic tracks, but he has a pedigree to handle every surface. RULER OF DUBAI (Tribal Rule - O K Topless, by
Old Topper) has shown improvement in his last three starts, which includes a two win race streak against state-bred competition. Ruler of Dubai has a sprinter/miler pedigree and 1 1/16 miles may be at the top of his limit. He is the first foal for his dam who was stakes placed as a two year old. Otherwise, there is little blacktype in this distaff family. The bay gelding has been training at Santa Anita all year, but his latest works are on the slow side.
Old Topper) has shown improvement in his last three starts, which includes a two win race streak against state-bred competition. Ruler of Dubai has a sprinter/miler pedigree and 1 1/16 miles may be at the top of his limit. He is the first foal for his dam who was stakes placed as a two year old. Otherwise, there is little blacktype in this distaff family. The bay gelding has been training at Santa Anita all year, but his latest works are on the slow side. 
BASMATI (Borrego - Abruzzi Ridge, by Mountain Cat) is the only maiden in the group. He finished fifth, beaten only 1 ½ lengths in the Del Mar Futurity. His Brisnet speed figures have improved in almost every start and one day he’ll break through with a win, but probably not today. Basmati has a stamina-oriented pedigree and will benefit with time and distance. His sire’s only stakes wins came at 1 ¼ miles, in the Jockey Gold Cup and Pacific Classic. Basmati’s dam went 0 for 4 in her career on the track. She’s a half-sister to Molly Pitcher (G2) heroine March Magic. Basmati should improve with a switch to dirt. SUPER CANDY (Candy Ride - Zuppa, by
Woodman) finally earned a win in a maiden claimer in his tenth start when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles over the Fairplex dirt. His pedigree indicates that he’ll be a late maturing type that could prefer the lawn. Super Candy’s second through fourth dams were all stakes horses so there’s some quality in his background. Super Candy had a three furlong tune-up for the Norfolk, but it’s a big jump from maiden claimers at Fairplex to the top of the heap at Santa Anita.
Woodman) finally earned a win in a maiden claimer in his tenth start when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles over the Fairplex dirt. His pedigree indicates that he’ll be a late maturing type that could prefer the lawn. Super Candy’s second through fourth dams were all stakes horses so there’s some quality in his background. Super Candy had a three furlong tune-up for the Norfolk, but it’s a big jump from maiden claimers at Fairplex to the top of the heap at Santa Anita. LOUKIS (Haafhd - Mount Street, by Pennekamp) invades from England. The lightly raced colt won his maiden in early August sprinting over the lawn. Loukis’ pedigree indicates that he’ll be best as a turf router. His sire won the 2000 Guineas at a mile and the Champion Stakes (G1) at 1 ¼ miles. His offspring win from sprints to routes over the lawn. He’s sired five blacktype runners, but no Group/Grade 1 winners in five racing crops. Damsire Pennekamp was a Champion Juvenile in France. His daughters have produced only a handful of stakes winners, including Lilly of the Valley, heroine of the Prix de l'Opera at 1 ¼ miles over the turf. Loukis’ dam won once in five tries, but she’s a half-sister to 2000 Guineas and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (G-1) hero Golan. Loukis has recorded one moderate work over the Santa Anita Dirt.
SELECTIONS: How the track is playing: In an attempt to solve the longstanding drainage issues and to slow the track down, a significant amount of sand has been added to the track surface and the amount of clay has been reduced. The race works appear to be faster, but we won’t know how the surface will play until races are actually run.
DRILL and CREATIVE CAUSE appear almost evenly matched. However, DRILL has posted a bullet work over the Santa Anita dirt and CREATIVE CAUSE gets a jockey switch. Will it matter in the end? Probably not, but these little exceptions have me leaning towards DRILL. RULER OF DUBAI jumps into graded stakes competition, but he proved himself against state-breds last time out and deserves a shot here. His speed figures have been improving steadily and he finally gets to race over his home track. BASMATI should benefit from the switch to dirt and longer race distance. His try in the Del Mar Futurity wasn’t all that bad. If one of the top two falter, Basmati could be right there. Super Candy lacks the class of the top two and Loukis could be another Boxeur Des Rues, who won his maiden in England than shipped in to finish last in the 2010 Norfolk Stakes.
#5 DRILL#4 CREATIVE CAUSE
#3 RULER OF DUBAI
The Cinderella Stakes was initially held in 1950. In the 1980’s and 1990’s it was sporadically contested, but the race has been consistently run since 2000. In the last ten years, more than half of the winners continued on to win other stakes races throughout their careers. Two, Golden Ballet and River’s Prayer, became Grade One winners. Additionally, fillies that have placed in the Cinderella have also developed into stakes runners, including the Test and Acorn Stakes heroine, Champagne D’Oro. 
contender Bluegrass Story by a ½ length in their last race. She’s a daughter of first crop sire Silent Name. The son of Kentucky Derby hero and legendary sire Sunday Silence out of a daughter of Danehill, Silent Name raced in France for two years before conquering Grade 2 foes over the California turf and Polytrack. Silent Name has a strong distaff family and his first five dams all have blacktype. His third dam Sweet Revenge was victorious in the Alcibiades, Adirondack, Astarita and Schuylerville Stakes as a two year old and her best daughter, Blushing Away, is Silent Name's second dam. Silent Name has two starters. The distaff families will be the key to how the offspring of Silent Name perform. Some of his offspring will be precocious win early types while others will need time and distance. 
The second Solis trainee, 
Golden Gate, has entered a promising filly by the name of 
Tizzy) just missed in her debut, but came back a month later to win by an commanding 3 ½ lengths. The pretty gray filly has one of the most precocious pedigrees in the field. Her sire won the Willard Proctor as a juvenile and he is known as a top California producer of early speed. Damsire Cee’s Tizzy is also a top California sire and is best known for producing Tiznow. Gogi has eight full siblings. All but one has started, but none have won more than three times in double digit starts. Gogi’s second dam won a listed stakes, but like most of the other fillies in the Cinderella, there is little blacktype in the immediate families. Trainer Mike Harrington has only 8% win rate this Hollywood meet, but he wins with 17% of his maidens-to-stakes runners. 
won a statebred maiden race by a desperate nose in his debut. He was sold and moved to the barn of Cliff Sise, where he’s logged two fairly slow works. Joyzey Billy’s sire won the Grade 3 Native Diver going 1 1/8 miles and was multiple Grade 1 placed between 1 1/8 miles and 1 ¼ miles. Damsire Rahy was a Group 3 sprinter in England and won a Grade 2 at a mile in the US. He’s an excellent broodmare sire, and his daughters have produced the Grade 1 winners After Market, Life At Ten, Megahertz and Ruthererienne. Joyzey Billy’s dam one once in six attempts in England. Although well bred, none of her half siblings nor her dam have blacktype. Joyzey Billy has strong turf attributes from Nureyev, his second sire, Rahy (a son of Blushing Groom) his damsire, and Nijinsky, Joyzey Billy’s second damsire, so he may eventually wind up on turf. 