Juveniles of both sexes take the spotlight Sept. 11 at Arlington Park with the $100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) and $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie (gr. III) sharing top billing on the nine-race card. Both races will be contested at one mile on Polytrack.
An overflow field of 13 juvenile fillies was entered for the Lassie, a race captured last year by eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner and champion 2-year-old filly She Be Wild.
Wayne Catalano, who saddled She Be Wild to take last year’s Lassie, has two fillies entered for this year’s renewal—Darrell and Evelyn Yates’ Jordy Y and Peachtree Stable’s Honey Chile. The former, a daughter of Congrats, is two-for-two at Arlington while the latter, by Invisible Ink, won her only start on Aug. 19. Junior Alvarado has the mount aboard Jordy Y and Michael Baze is listed on Honey Chile.
Mark Dedomenico’s Wonderlandbynight comes into the Lassie off an impressive victory in the $150,000 Ontario Debutante at Woodbine Race Course on Aug. 14. The Mike Reavis-trained Illinois-bred daughter of Sky Mesa rallied from mid-pack to win that 6 1/2-furlong test over Polytrack by 1 3/4 lengths. Prior to that, she officially broke her maiden over the Arlington strip on June 27 and has since been credited with a victory in her career debut when racing against male rivals on June 4. E. T. Baird has the call.
Ron Magers and Roe Conn’s Third Chance is another Illinois-bred filly coming off a visually impressive victory, a six-length tally in her lone start on Aug. 6. Shane Sellers has been named to ride the daughter of Kafwain, who is one of three horses trained by Jim DiVito to be entered in the Lassie.
DiVito will also send out Curtis Green’s One Star and B Jock’s Tellme All About it.
Trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel also has two entered–Robert Zoellner’ Larue Lovelake, second in her last start when racing against male rivals in the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile, and Mueller Thoroughbred Stable’s Miss Inclined, a maiden winner on turf last out on Aug. 26.
McNeill Stables’ Calebs Posse and Gary and Mary West’s Impersonator should vie for favoritism in the Futurity, which drew a field of eight.
A son of Posse, Caleb’s Posse broke his maiden in his second start on Aug. 14 after finishing second to the impressive Sherriff Cogburn in his debut the previous month. Trained by Donnie K. Von Hemel, he will be ridden by Quincy Hamilton who returns from his Oklahoma base to take the assignment.
Impersonator, a Tale of the Cat colt, also broke his maiden at second asking, winning a seven-furlong race at Arlington on Aug. 22. Previously, the Catalano trainee bobbled at the break and finished third in his bow on July 15. Chris Emigh has a return call in the Futurity.
Catalano also sends out Gary and Mary West’s Major Gain and Darrell and Evelen Yates’s Ghetto Cat for the Futurity. The former, by More Than Ready, ran second to Caleb’s Posse in his only start while the latter, a son of Forest Wildcat, scored a length victory in his lone start.
Mervin and Barbara McNamara’s Weekend Wildcat invades from Kentucky for the Futurity. The Larry Demeritte-trained son of Lion Heart broke his maiden at Churchill Downs on May 20 and most recently finished sixth after veering in at the break in an allowance race over Polytrack at Woodbine.
$100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III, Race 6, 3:35 p.m.), 2YO, 1 Mile (Polytrack) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Big Blue Caboose (KY), E Razo Jr., 118, J M Gulick
2. Rough Sailing (KY), M C Baze, 118, M Stidham
3. Major Gain (KY), J Alvarado, 118, W M Catalano
4. Ghetto Cat (IL), J Graham, 118, W M Catalano
5. Weekend Wildcat (KY), V Lebron 118 L W Demeritte
6. Wheemaway (KY), S J Sellers, 118, A K Smith
7. Caleb's Posse (KY), Q Hamilton, 118, D K Von Hemel
8. Impersonator (KY), C A Emigh, 118, W M Catalano
$100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie (gr. III, Race 8, 4:35 p.m.), 2YO Fillies, 1 Mile (Polytrack) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Tellme All Aboutit (FL), D Sanchez, 117, J P DiVito
2. One Star (KY), E Felix, 117, J P DiVito
3. Edie (KY), I Karlsson, 117, J R McMullen
4. Miss Inclined (KY), E Razo Jr., 117, D K Von Hemel
5. Third Chance (IL), S J Sellers, 117, J P DiVito
6. Jordy Y (FL), J Alvarado, 119, W M Catalano
7. Summer Savory (KY), T Riggs, 117, M Stidham
8. Crepe Myrtle (KY), J Graham, 117, M Stidham
9. Wonderlandbynight (IL), E T Baird, 121, M L Reavis
10. Image of Grace (FL), I Diego, 117, W R Helmbrecht
11. Honey Chile (FL), M C Baze, 117, W M Catalano
12. Songofthecity (KY), A Birzer, 119, J Mamakos
13. Larue Lovelake (OK), Q Hamilton, 117, D K Von Hemel
