Trainers Dale Romans and Steve Asmussen have each entered a pair of promising 2-year-old fillies in the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie (gr. III) on the Arlington Park Polytrack Sept. 8.
The quartet is part of a wide-open field of 11 juvenile fillies battling at one mile. None have tried the distance before.
Asmussen entered Vinery Stables' Wonderful Luck and the maiden winner Startswampindowski for Team Victory.
Wonderful Luck, a Kentucky-bred daughter of of Trust N Luck, won Hollywood Park's Cinderella May 27 on the Cushion Track by nearly three lengths. Since then she placed sixth in the six-furlong Churchill Downs' Debutante (gr. III), then ran second in the Anna M. Fisher Debutante at Ellis Park Aug. 18. Robby Albarado rides the chestnut for the first time.
Startswampindowski won her debut on the Arlington Polytrack June 29 at five furlongs, getting up just in time to win by a head. The El Corredor filly has not been out since.
Romans' Honest to Betsy comes into Lassie following a fourth-place finish in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack (gr. II) at Saratoga Aug. 15. She was defeated by 2 1/2 lengths by the highly regarded More Happy. The Blue Devil Racing Stable's daughter of Yonaguska broke her maiden by four lengths at Belmont Park in her third start July 19. Rene Douglas will be aboard for the first time.
The other half of the Romans team is Love Buzz, who has the most experience in the field with six starts. The gray Silver Charm filly has lost five in a row on dirt, however, since breaking her maiden in her debut at 4 1/2 furlongs on the Keeneland Polytrack in April.
Dreaming of Liz posted an impressive seven-length maiden win Aug. 10 at six furlongs for owner/breeder Frank Calabrese and trainer Wayne Catalano. The daughter of El Prado won in her second start and will be ridden once again by E.T. Baird.
Minewander, Pegasus Prospect and Pretty Persuasion all earned maiden wins last time out as well. Pretty Persuasion won her debut by 2 1/4 lengths over the Arlington turf Aug. 17 for trainer Michael Stidham.
Eat Pie, a Kentucky-bred Thunder Gulch filly, began her career in England with a win on the Linfield synthetic track July 3. Eight days later, she ran seventh -- beaten by three lengths -- in the Cherry Hinton Stakes (Eng-II) on grass at Newmarket.
La Wildcat has only a maiden victory to show in four starts but ran second in the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies Aug. 4 for trainer Bernard Flint. The Forest Wildcat filly finished five lengths behind Elocution.
$150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (Gr. III, Race 10, 5:24 p.m.), 2-Year-Old Fillies, 1 Mile (All Weather)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Rasierra (KY), 116, Seth B. Martinez
2. Startswampindowski (KY), 116, Christopher A. Emigh
3. Wonderful Luck (KY), 118, Robby Albarado
4. Love Buzz (KY), 116, Mark Guidry
5. Pretty Persuasion (KY), 116, Jesse M. Campbell
6. Minewander (KY), 116, Eusebio Razo, Jr.
7. Honest to Betsy (KY), 116, Rene R. Douglas
8. Pegasus Prospect (KY), 116, Corey S. Nakatani
9. La Wildcat (MB), 116, Dana G. Whitney
10. Eat Pie (KY), 116, James Graham
11. Dreaming of Liz (KY) , 116, E. T. Baird
Cinderella winner Wonderful Luck will try to stretch out to a mile in the Arlington-Washington Lassie.
