INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Last Sunday, Turbulent Descent won her stakes debut in the Moccasin Stakes for 2-year-old fillies with little effort. She cruised to the front under jockey David Flores, who gave the unbeaten filly a hand ride to the finish of the seven-furlong race.
Turbulent Descent is trained by Mike Puype, who will be after his second stakes win within a week when Bruce’s Dream starts in Saturday’s $250,000 Citation Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Bruce’s Dream will not have as easy of a race as Turbulent Descent.
The Citation has drawn Court Vision, the winner of the Woodbine Mile in September and the fifth-place finisher in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs earlier this month. Add the stakes winners Liberian Freighter, Meteore, and Victor’s Cry, and Bruce’s Dream will face the toughest race of his career.
“I’ve got to hope that Court Vision is not ready to show up for a big race,” Puype said.
Owned by breeder Bruce Corwin, Bruce’s Dream, a 4-year-old gelding, has won 6 of 8 starts and $293,940. This year, he has won 3 of 4 starts, including the California Dreamin’ Handicap and the California Cup Mile for statebreds. In his lone stakes start against open company this year, Bruce’s Dream was third in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile to Enriched and Meteore, who are also entered for the Citation.
Bruce’s Dream will be ridden by Joe Talamo, who was aboard for the California Cup Mile win.
“He wants to try hard,” Puype said of the gelding. “He’ll give a good account of himself. I know it’s a tough race, but I don’t have a better place to run.”
High expectations for Turbulent Descent
Turbulent Descent will make her Grade 1 debut in the $300,000 Hollywood Starlet Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 11. Puype, seldom lacking confidence, expects the filly to thrive in longer races.
“She’s got a great mind,” he said. “She’ll settle and finish, and keeps galloping out.”
In the Moccasin, Turbulent Descent raced just behind the pacesetters to the turn, took the lead in early stretch, and won comfortably, by 1 1/2 lengths.
“It shouldn’t have taken too much out of her,” Puype said. “There’s a lot to enjoy. She’d been brilliant before her first race. I was very confident going into this last race.”
A filly by Congrats, Turbulent Descent was bought for $160,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ sale of 2-year-olds in training in April.
