Delta Downs: Little Polka Dot figures to track pace in Lookout

Little Polka Dot has placed in three stakes races this year, and by virtue of her record she fits the conditions of Friday night’s $70,000 Lookout at Delta Downs better than any of her eight rivals. The one-mile race is restricted to Louisiana-bred fillies and mares who have not won a stakes in 2012.

Little Polka Dot has made five stakes starts this year and has run second in three of them: the $100,000 Premiere Night Matron for Louisiana-breds on Feb. 4 at Delta; the $60,000 Red Camelia for statebreds March 31 at Fair Grounds; and the $50,000 Tellike against open company at Evangeline Downs on May 19. She will be making her third start off a layoff Friday.

“We kind of had this race in mind when we started cranking her back up,” said Patrick Devereux Jr., who trains Little Polka Dot for Coteau Grove Farms.

Little Polka Dot was freshened over the summer, following a seventh-place finish in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Lady at Evangeline on June 30. “She was tired, and she’s not a hot-weather horse,” Devereaux said.

Little Polka Dot’s return to action came Oct. 24, with a third in an open-company allowance at Delta. In her one subsequent start, she was fourth against males in a $30,000 optional claiming race Dec. 6. Little Polka Dot ran around two turns in the 6 1/2-furlong race at Delta and will be moving back to a mile, the distance of her last win, on Friday.

Diego Saenz has the mount from post 6.

“I expect her to attend the pace,” Devereux said. “I don’t think she’ll ever be far off the pace. She doesn’t need to be on the lead or anything like that.”

Little Polka Dot, who earlier in her career won two stakes, is a 6-year-old mare by Orientate. Overall, she has won 8 of 28 starts and $391,771.

Others making up the field include Esther Carl, Sweettalkin Hottie and Surprise Squall, the only other members of the field to have placed in stakes this year. Esther Carl was third in the Premiere Night Matron at Delta; Sweettalkin Hottie was second in the $60,000 Bonne Chance at Delta; and Surprise Squall ran third in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Distaff at Evangeline in June.

The field also includes Menascott, who has won five of her last six starts. Gerard Melancon has the mount for trainer Karl Broberg.