Lojo Ready for Graded Stakes Debut

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Since returning to New York from Florida this spring, Lojo has posted a hard-knocking, three-win campaign with two seconds and a third from seven starts. Throughout the year, the 4-year-old filly has ascended the class ranks from second-level allowances to stakes. Now she is ready to go against stakes company in Saturday's $100,000 Athenia (gr. IIIT), going 1 1/16-miles on the Aqueduct turf.

Clearly improving in the spring, Lojo posted an 8-1 upset winning a third-level allowance at Saratoga then found herself ten lengths off a slow pace in the Via Borghese at Belmont, in which she rallied and missed by three-quarters of a length.

"She's putting her races together really well," trainer Tim Hills said. "The cooler weather seems to help her."

Some give in the turf would also help Lojo, and that appears likely to be the case for the Athenia as rain earlier in the week saturated the course.

"She has flat feet and her `frogs [spongy under pad of the hoof] have gotten
beat up in the past, but her feet have been good lately," Hills added. "She
lays her body down every time she runs."

Lojo has had mixed results running over Aqueduct's turf course. She got up to win an allowance by a neck over "firm" ground in April, but bombed last fall finishing 10th in a 12-horse field.

"When I ran her here last fall, the course was like a bog," said Hills, indicating that was a throw-out race. "It was almost sloppy. She got bashed around pretty good at the start, too."

John McLane's Something Ventured will also be trying for her first graded stakes win. In five grade III appearances this year, the Cobra King filly owns a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds. She has looked like a serious stretch threat in all those races, but has yet to come away with the winner's share.

"She's a very consistent filly," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "She runs well all the time and she's not one that needs a certain course, although she's probably better on firmer ground than we'll have this weekend."

The field for Saturday's $100,000 Athenia (gr. IIIT):
1-- Something Ventured (John Velazquez, 116)
2 -- Brandala (Jose Espinoza, 113)
3-- Delta Princess (Jerry Bailey, 115)
4-- Lady Bi Bi (Jose Santos, 112)
5-- Artist Johanna (Mike Luzzi, 112)
6-- Affirmed Dancer (Jorge Chavez , 113)
7 – Lojo (Shaun Bridgmohan, 114)
8-- Caught in the Rain (Richard Migliore, 112)
9-- Madeira Mist (Edgar Prado, 117)
10-- Coney Kitty (Javier Castellano, 113)
11 -- mto-- Drexel Monorail (118)
12-- mto Misty Sixes (118)
13-- mto Wishful Splendor (Norberto Arroyo Jr., 117)
14--mto Cozzy Corner (113)

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