Charles Town: Flirting Song out to back up last in West Virginia Futurity

Mike Montgomery

Flirting Song wins the Tri-State Futurity at Charles Town on Nov. 10.

Flirting Song will try to show her upset in the Tri-State Futurity was not an aberration when she faces most of the opponents she beat three weeks ago in the second of two divisions of the West Virginia Futurity on Saturday night at Charles Town.

West Virginia-bred 2-year-old fillies will go seven furlongs in race 8. Two races earlier on the card, a wide-open field of West Virginia-bred 2-year-old colts and geldings will race seven furlongs in the first division. Both races are worth $50,000.

Flirting Song won two of her first three starts, which came in short sprints, but in her first two tries against stakes compnay she never displayed any speed and finished far back. She improved dramatically when stretched out from 4 1/2 furlongs to seven furlongs for the Tri-State Futurity on Nov. 10, racing close to the early pace and drawing clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths at odds of 12-1.

Five of the six fillies she beat in the Tri-State Futurity are back to challenge Flirting Song again. The exception is Touring Hong Kong, who finished sixth as the 3-2 favorite.

Dixieland Silk has been stuck in second in her last three outings. Her runner-up effort to Flirting Song was arguably her best race during that span, as she finished closer to the winner than in either of her two previous stakes tries. The Tri-State Futurity was her first race around two turns.

Among the rest, Landon Did It might be the most likely candidate to improve second time going seven furlongs. She flashed good early speed while breaking from a disadvantageous outside post position in the Tri-State Futurity, lost considerable ground while racing four wide, and tired to finish a distant fifth. She draws slightly better in post 6 of seven for the rematch.

◗ Owner-trainer Cynthia O’Bannon looks dangerous with her uncoupled entry of My Jordan and Mr. Ripken in the colts and geldings division.

My Jordan was sixth in the Tri-State Futurity, but was a solid second behind three-time stakes winner In the Fairway and 2 3/4 lengths in front of the third-place finisher in the Vince Moscarelli.

Mr. Ripken faces winners for the first time after winning his maiden going 6 1/2 furlongs a month ago.

Among the four horses back from the Tri-State Futurity, Cinderella’spalace did best, making a mild rally along the rail to pass two horses in the stretch to get third at 19-1. He has a license to improve making his second start against winners.