You Meets Older Fillies For First Time in Ruffian

You heads a field of just five in Saturday's Ruffian Handicap (gr. I), her first attempt against older fillies and mares. Jerry Bailey has the mount.

You and Farda Amiga are considered the top two 3-year-old fillies in the land. You got off to an early lead with her Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) win. Farda Amiga, however, reversed the tables in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and in Saratoga's Alabama (gr. I).

While Farda Amiga has two grade I wins this year, You has a chance to win her fifth in Saturday's $300,000 Ruffian at 1 1/16 miles. The Ruffian (ninth race, 5:12 p.m. Eastern) is the feature of a 10-race card that includes four stakes races.

Taped replay of the Ruffian, as well as Saturday's grade II Jerome, will be shown by ESPN on Sunday (3 p.m. Eastern). ESPN will also show Sunday's grade I Matron live.

You, owned by Edmund Gann, has been most impressive at seven furlongs and a mile, but sports two wins at 1 1/16 miles. She won the grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks in March and dominated the Frizette (gr. I) here last fall. Beyond 1 1/16 miles, You was fourth in the Kentucky Oaks and third in the Alabama.

"We go out of our limit as far as distance goes and we get beat, so
it might cost us a championship," trainer Bobby Frankel said. "A horse like Xtra Heat never went out of her limit, so if she can win the championship, why can't You? Nobody would have held it against Xtra Heat if she got beat going a mile.

You enters the Ruffian off a loss in the 1 1/4 miles Alabama over a wet track. While it was not her top effort, the daughter of You and I tried hard to the finish.

"The Alabama was a little longer, but she stayed on," Frankel said.
"(Jockey) Edgar Prado said that she didn't really handle the track all that well. A mile and a sixteenth is definitely in her range."

Should You run well in the Ruffian, she may come back in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) at Arlington Park on Oct. 26, giving her another crack at a 1 1/8 miles.

Edward Evans' Raging Fever returns to her favorite racetrack for the Ruffian. At Belmont, the daughter of Storm Cat-Pennant Fever, by Seattle Slew is 5-1-0 from six starts.

Although most of her races have been at shorter distances, 1 1/16 miles should not pose a problem for Raging Fever. She also won the Frizette as a two-year-old and scored in the grade 1 Ogden Phipps prior to her Ballerina defeat, both races at the Ruffian distance.

The field, in post position order:

Raging Fever, John Velazquez, 120
Shine Again, Jean-Luc Samyn, 117
You, Jerry Bailey, 117
Mandy's Gold, Jose Santos, 116
Minister's Baby, Edgar Prado, 116