Arena Elvira looks to extend her winning streak to six races in a row when she faces a solid field of older fillies and mares in the $200,000 Sixty Sails Handicap (gr. III) at Hawthorne Race Course April 21.
The Sixty Sails, at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, is the final graded race of the spring meet at Hawthorne. A field of eight was entered, including four that are coming off runner-up finishes in graded stakes: Afleeting Lady, Beloveda, Love and Pride, and She's All In. The Sixty Sails is carded as the last of nine races on the Hawthorne program with a 5:40 p.m. CDT post.
Bill Mott trains Arena Elvira, a 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper owned by Carolyn Wilson. Arena Elvira won the Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs to begin her season March 17. She also captured Aqueduct's Turnback the Alarm Handicap (gr. III) and the Thanksgiving Day Falls City Handicap (gr. II) at Churchill Downs to conclude her 2011 campaign. Arena Elvira has won seven of nine races over the past two years.
In her seasonal debut at Tampa, Arena Elvira swung wide from mid-pack in the stretch and got up by a head as the 9-10 favorite at 1 1/16 miles. The additional sixteenth figures to serve the dark bay/brown mare well. Arena Elvira is 4-for-5 at the nine-furlong distance in her career.
Boasting a lifetime record of 8-3-2 in 13 starts with earnings of $421,436, Arena Elvira will break from post 7 in her Hawthorne debut while packing top weight of 122 pounds. Jose Lezcano, who rode Arena Elvira to a pair of minor stakes wins last summer at Saratoga Race Course, is tabbed to ride.
Glen Hills Farm's swift filly Love and Pride comes off a game runner-up effort to It's Tricky in the Top Flight Handicap (gr. II) on a muddy inner track at Aqueduct Racetrack March 3. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy scored a front-running, seven-length victory in the Affectionately Stakes over the same track Jan. 28. She gets six pounds from the favorite while ridden for the first time by Florent Geroux.
Afleeting Lady makes her seasonal debut for trainer Dale Romans, who conditions the 5-year-old Afleet Alex mare for owners/breeders Michael Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge. Afleeting Lady was second by a neck to Arena Elvira in the Falls City in her most recent start. She will be ridden from the rail by Chris Emigh.
Robert Zoellner's Oklahoma homebred She's All In ships in from Oaklawn Park where she placed in three consecutive stakes for trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel. The 5-year-old daughter of Include concluded her successful Oaklawn run with a second-place finish to Tiz Miz Sue in the Azeri Stakes (gr. III) March 17 when she was beaten by three lengths. Her last victory came in a stakes at Remington Park last December. Luis Quinonez has the call.
While no match for Awesome Maria in the Rampart Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park March 31, Beloveda was best of the rest while finishing second. Farnsworth Stables' 4-year-old Ghostzapper filly stepped out of starter allowance company at Gulfstream to produce a game effort in the Rampart. Quincy Hamilton is aboard.
William and Graydon Patterson's speedy filly Juanita also comes off a runner-up stakes finish for trainer Mike Maker, though it wasn't in graded company. The 4-year-old by Mineshaft ran second to Horse of the Year Havre de Grace after vying on the lead in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes March 17 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Juanita won last fall's Indiana Oaks (gr. II) by nearly five lengths at Hoosier Park.
$200,000 Sixty Sails Handicap (gr. III, Race 9, 5:40 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 1/8 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Afleeting Lady (KY), C A Emigh, 116, D L Romans
2. She's All In (OK), L S Quinonez, 113, D K Von Hemel
3. Beloveda (KY), Q Hamilton, 116, M D Wolfson
4. Juanita (KY), F C Torres, 115, M J Maker
5. Love and Pride (KY), F Geroux, 116, T A Pletcher
6. One Last Dance (KY), T Thornton, 113, M L Reavis
7. Arena Elvira (KY), J Lezcano, 122, W I Mott
8. Distorted Love (KY), R B Homeister Jr., 113, H Pitts
Arena Elvira tries to extend her winning streak to six in the Sixty Sails Handicap.
Reed Palmer Photography, Churchill Downs