Little Treasure May Be Favored in Pucker Up

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Little Treasure May Be Favored in Pucker Up
Date Posted: 9/12/2002 3:41:18 PM

French-bred filly Little Treasure, who races for the Sidney Port Trust & San Gabriel Investments, invades Arlington Park from California and will likely be favored among 11 sophomore distaffers entered for Saturday's grade III $150,000 Pucker Up Stakes at a mile and an eighth on the turf.

A daughter of Night Shift, Little Treasure was victorious in her North American debut last month, capturing the grade II San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar. Prior to being sent to the United States, she won four races overseas. Trainer Laura de Seroux has engaged the services of Arlington Park's leading jockey, Rene Douglas, to handle the reins in the Pucker Up.

Another filly with more recent European lines entered in the Pucker
Up is Baldellia. The French-bred daughter of Grape Tree Road won a stakes race against sophomore fillies at Maisons-Laffitte by a half a length on June 7. Last time out, the David Smaga-trained miss was unsuccessful when facing older rivals at Deauville on Aug.4. Veteran Arlington rider Eusebio Razo Jr. picked up the mount aboard Baldellia.

Florida-based Cellars Shiraz, owned by Robert B. Walker, is in search of her sixth stakes victory of the season in the Pucker Up. The daughter of Kissin Kris took the restricted $50,000 Convenience Stakes at Calder in her last start Aug. 3. The biggest score of the year for the Bill Cesare trainee came in the grade III Herecomesthebride at Gulfstream Park in February. Regular rider Cornelius Velasquez makes the trip from the Sunshine State to pilot Cellars Shiraz.

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