(from Churchill Downs notes)
Fantasy (gr. II) winner High Heels, third-place finisher in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), is headed for the turf for her next start after she worked over grass for the first time at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Gary Hartlage's 3-year-old daughter of E Dubai earned a start on the turf in the $200,000-added Regret (gr. IIIT) on the June 16 "Stephen Foster Super Saturday" program when she worked five furlongs around the dogs on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Tuesday. Anita Ebert's homebred covered the distance in 1:01 3/5 under jockey Joe Johnson.
The move provided everything that Hartlage had hoped to see.
"She went good, really good," said Hartlage. "She galloped out real good and did everything good. We're just sitting ready for the Regret."
High Heels possesses a pedigree that would indicate an affinity for the turf. Her sire is a son of Mr. Prospector and the Ebert-raced dam, Ornate, notched her only stakes victory on the grass in the Pleasant Temper Stakes at Kentucky Downs.
The Regret is a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. Hartlage does not plan to keep High Heels on the lawn because he has other objectives looming on the main track through the summer and fall. The biggest is the Alabama (gr. I) at Saratoga on Aug. 18.
"That's our biggest goal right now," said Hartlage. "Our first goals were the Fantasy and Kentucky Oaks, and we got one of them. The Alabama and the Breeders' Cup (Distaff) would be two of our others, so we'll see what happens."
High Heels has a career record of 3-2-4 in 11 races and has earned $320,265.
Fantasy Stakes winner High Heels is headed for the turf.
