2015 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes

Las Vegas, NV – Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania will play host to the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes on Monday, September 7. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Presque Isle Downs All Weather Track and go 6 1/2 furlongs searching for the winner’s share of the $400,000 purse.

Nine older females will give it a go in the Presque Isle Downs Masters – race 5 on Presque Isle Downs Labor Day Monday schedule. Post time is 7:20 PM. Here is a peek into the past performances of all nine combatants for this Grade 2 stakes.

Ageless 3-1 – had three wins, a second and two third place finishes in seven starts last year including a third in the 2014 edition of this race. He won the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes at Woodbine last time out for the second year in a row after a third in the Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational in June and a win in the minor The Very One Stakes (also for the second year in a row) at Pimlico in May. He has 10 wins, four seconds and four third place finishes in 21 career starts and has placed in 12 of her last 13 starts – a fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint being the only blemish over that span. Ageless has been in every race the last two years and is expected to be again Monday. Julien Leparoux has the mount on the 123 pound highweight and morning line favorite from post 7.

Living the Life 7-2 – defending champion in this race Irish bred synthetic specialist filly has 26 career starts with eight wins, five seconds and two third place finishes for trainer Gary Mandella and enters off a decent second in the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos in July. Before that was a fifth in the minor Desert Stormer Stakes June 14, a sixth in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes April 11 and a win in the minor Camilla Urso Stakes at Golden Gate March 14. She finished last of ten in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint however after a tidy three race win streak – the 2014 Presque isle Downs Maters September 8, an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Del Mar in August and a stakes in Europe in April. Living the Life was terrific at this time last year and is undefeated in three synthetic starts in North America but placed in just one of her last three starts overall. Jockey Joe Bravo has been tabbed to get the repeat win for the morning line second choice from post 3.

Leigh Court 4-1 – 2013 Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s Champion 3 Year Old Filly was terrific in 2013/2014 winning three straight races in the summer of 2013 including the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine. She ended her 2013 campaign with a somewhat disappointing fourth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and was forced out of action for over 10 months. Leigh Court made a successful return to the track last August 24 and won the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths at Woodbine in her first start of 2014 and won again in October – in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland. She went on to a fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and had a respectable second last time out behind Ageless in her only starts of 2015 – the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes at Woodbine in July. Leigh Court has five wins and a second place finish in her last eight starts and hopes to continue her strong showings in just her second start of the year. Gary Boulanger has the mount aboard the third choice from gate 4.

Miss Mischief 5-1 – 2013 Pearl City Stakes winner, Dale Campuano trained mare has 19 career starts with seven wins, a second and a third place finish – three straight wins last summer on this track including the minor HBPA Stakes. But she’s stumbled this past winter – a fifth in the minor Maryland Racing Media Stakes February 14 followed a fourth in the minor Nellie Morse Stakes January 3 and a fifth in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine in November. Miss Mischief has been a bit better lately – an Allowance score last time out August 18 on this track followed a third in the minor Trillium Stakes at Woodbine in June and a decent second in the Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes on that track in May. She looked good here last year and hopes to regain some momentum this year. She has placed in her last three starts overall and will have Antonio Gallardo in the reins from gate 2.

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Cactus Kris 6-1 – has five wins, four seconds and three third place finishes in 14 career starts for trainer Ryan Walsh. She had consecutive fourth place finishes at this time last year in graded stakes action including the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes and the 2014 Presque Isle Downs Masters but had two wins on this track before that. She has placed in her last four starts ahead of this weekend – a third in the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes at Woodbine August 8 followed a win in the minor Satin and Lace Stakes here June 14, a third in an Allowance in May on this track and a second in the minor Ruling Angel Stakes at Woodbine in October. Cactus Kris two wins and two third in her last four starts overall and has had some good results on this track. Mario Pino hopes to build on those stats when they leave from gate 6 Saturday.

Nellie Cashman 8-1 – won the 2013 Grade 3 Virginia Oaks during a stretch of six straight races in which she placed. She has been up and down since – just one win in five starts this year. Last time out was a fifth in the minor Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga August 8 after a fourth in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap at Parx in July and a fifth in the minor Miss Liberty Stakes at Monmouth Park in May. She did win the minor Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico in April but failed to place in her two starts before that. Nellie Cashman hasn’t been great lately but hopes to change her luck around from the rail with Forest Boyce aboard.

Pirate’s Trove 10-1 – has six career starts for trainer Michael Stidham with three wins – all coming in her first three starts – the minor Duchess Stakes and minor Etobicoke Stakes at Woodbine included. She has stumbled a bit in her last three starts however – a fourth in the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes at Woodbine August 8 followed another fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Fair Grounds in December and an eleventh in the Grade 3 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland in October. Pirate’s Trove has failed to place in her last three starts and will be looking for her first win in nearly a year Saturday – with Florent Geroux aboard from post 5.

Dauphine Russe 12-1 – French bred Michael Maker trained mare has 20 career starts with just three wins, two seconds and four third place finishes – two runner-up finishes and a third place finish in five starts this year. She won a couple Allowance races at Belmont Park last year but followed those with a tenth in the Grade 3 Bessarabian Stakes at Woodbine in November – her only graded stakes action to date. Dauphine Russe enters off a pair of runner-up finishes in Allowance Optional Claiming races – the last coming on this track August 13 after a fourth in the minor Intercontinental Stakes in June and a third in the minor License Fee Stakes in May. She looks for her first stakes score and enters in so-so form from gate 8 with Rafael Hernandez in the saddle.

Miss Tapit 30-1 – has 31 career starts with six wins, two seconds and four third place finishes but makes her stakes debut Saturday. She hasn’t looked great in lesser company this year – nine starts with a win and a second place finish to show for it. Last time out was a second in an Allowance after an eighth and a fourth in a pair of Allowance Optional Claiming races on this track and a Claiming score in May – all four results on this track. Miss Tapit looks for a breakthrough in her huge step up in competition – from the outside post with Ademar Santos guiding her.

Race 5 on Presque Isle Downs’s Monday card with a Post Time of 7:20 PM.