Byrama In Fine Form Heading Into Thursday Allowance At Santa Anita
Byrama caught the eye in her stateside debut 5 weeks ago when she overcame a hop and then a stumble at the start and encountered significant traffic trouble while mounting a bid from the clouds en route to a 3rd-place rally in the Blue Norther Stakes.
The Eclipse faithful and conditioner Simon Callaghan are hopeful that Thursday will offer a smoother journey for the daughter of Byron, who will break from post 3 of 6 sophomore fillies going a flat mile on the Santa Anita lawn.
Rafael Bejarano, who teamed up with Eclipse and Callaghan 2 weeks ago for a stylish win with another Euro import in She Spirit di Su, gets the call. The $58,000 Allowance affair goes as the 3 rd race on the Thursday card and head starter George Slender will send them on their course at 2:03pm PT, 5:03pm ET. Byrama has been installed as the morning line favorite at 9-5.
Byrama hadn’t visited the starter in 5 ½ months and was in much need of a race when she went postward in the Blue Norther on December 30 th . She certainly gained fitness with that run, and despite a gap in her publicly recorded works, she has been in excellent nick since her U.S. debut and appears to be spot-on for Thursday’s heat.
“Byrama is in tremendous form at the moment,” Callaghan said. “She bounced out of the Blue Norther with great energy, she’s been eating well and she’s got all of her spunk. Byrama is a little quirky in the gates, as she has a tendency to want to sit down on the back of the stall, but we’ve been working with her since that run and we’re hopeful she’ll depart more cleanly with that experience. If she breaks well, I anticipate Rafael (Bejarano) will be able to keep things simple, sit a nice stalking trip and let her do her thing when the time is right.”
Eclipse President, Aron Wellman offered, “We were extremely pleased that Byrama validated her quality in the Blue Norther. It was frustrating because she had so many obstacles to overcome, but she did earn black type, which is crucial, and the effort provided us with a good gauge as to her future prospects. Thursday’s race is a logical spot for Byrama to gain seasoning and continue her forward progression. There are some talented fillies in the bunch and the race shape may present a challenge, but if she shows up and executes the way we think she can, then it will be time to start getting serious about the rest of her campaign. We hope to be in that position after Thursday goes official.”