CNL: Bailes, Trombetta hope for good stakes results
Bailes’s live duo meets Trombetta’s favored trio
The Biz
July 8, 2026
Trainer Robbie Bailes will have two major contenders on Saturday’s four-stakes card at Colonial Downs, with War Humor entered in the $125,000 Punch Line Stakes and Slewperstitus set to renew her rivalry with Just Philtored in the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes.
But he’ll have to face Mike Trombetta, whose barn has the morning line favorite in three of the four contests.
Saturday’s card expanded from two stakes to four after Colonial canceled its July 4 card, including the Miss Disco and Star De Naskra Stakes, because of extreme heat. Those races have been added to Saturday’s 10-race program, which begins at 12:30 p.m.
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War Humor, the 5-1 third choice on the morning line, is coming off the first stakes victory of his career after winning the Edward P. Evans Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on opening weekend. His previous three wins all came sprinting 5½ furlongs.
“It wasn’t a prep for this,” Bailes said of the Evans, adding, “We thought we could win it, so we gave it a shot going long.”
Bailes said War Humor’s status for Saturday will depend on how the gelding trains this week.
“We’re going to let the horse tell us if he’s ready to go throughout the week and see how he’s doing,” he said.
If he starts, War Humor will face a field led by Determined Kingdom, who is seeking a record fourth Punch Line victory after winning an allowance during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Trained by Mike Trombetta for the Estate of R. Larry Johnson, Determined Kingdom won the Punch Line each year from 2022 to 2024 before skipping last year’s edition to race in the Grade 2 Troy at Saratoga, in which he finished third.
Determined Kingdom is the even-money choice.
In the Miss Disco, which like the Star De Naskra is restricted to horses bred or sired in Maryland and Virginia, the Bailes-trained Maryland Million Lassie winner Slewperstitus meets Just Philtored for the fifth time. Slewperstitus, a homebred for Nancy and Eric Rizer, has finished behind her rival in each of their four previous meetings, including two stakes at Colonial Downs last summer.
“She has definitely matured physically,” Bailes said of Slewperstitus. “She’s filled out a little bit more. If you ask me, she’s just right.”
After last week’s postponement, Slewperstitus had an extra week between starts.
“We were really looking forward to running on Saturday, but they made the right decision not to run because of the heat,” Bailes said. “We worked her back yesterday, and hopefully we’ll be smiling on Saturday.”
Just Philtored is 7-5 on the morning line, while Slewperstitus is 8-5.
Mike Trombetta, trainer of Just Philtored and Determined Kingdom, also will send out the morning line favorite in the Glenn Petty Stakes, a 5 ½-furlong turf test for Virginia-bred or -sired fillies and mares. Also owned by the Estate of R. Larry Johnson, Noquestionaboutit is the defending champ in this event and 6-5 on the morning line; Jorge Ruiz will ride.
In the seven-furlong Star De Naskra, Gold Square LLC’s Tartabull is the 2-1 morning line favorite. The Rohan Crichton trainee seeks his second career win and first stakes win and must overcome GQ Worthy and Close the Gate, two horses that have previously bested him.
The four $125,000 stakes on the program kick off in the sixth race with the Miss Disco, followed by the Star De Naskra, Glenn Petty, and Punch Line Stakes. The 50-cent Late Pick 5, featuring a 12% takeout, begins with the Miss Disco in Race 6 and includes all four stakes.
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