Penn National: Ritchey ships in for shot at Daylily Stakes repeat

Delaware Park-based trainer Tim Ritchey shipped in a sharp filly to score as the odds-on favorite in last year’s Daylily Stakes and appears capable of repeating the feat in Friday night’s running of the $75,000 Daylily for female sprinters at Penn National Race Course.

Eve Giselle, who soared to a 99 Beyer Speed Figure winning the $125,000 Sweet and Sassy at Delaware last time out, will be formidable if she can come anywhere close to repeating her career-best number in the six-furlong Daylily. The fourth-place finisher from the Sweet and Sassy, Kid Kate, returned to finish second with an 87 Beyer in the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses at Belmont Park.

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The 4-year-old Eve Giselle has been extremely consistent, winning 5 of 7 lifetime starts. The last time she made the second start of her form cycle after winning with a career-best Beyer, Eve Giselle paired up her numbers in a third-level optional $75,000 claimer at Oaklawn Park.

Ritchey won last year’s Daylily with One Smokin’ Lady at 2-5 odds.

Eve Giselle’s chief competition, and the 9-5 favorite in the track’s morning line, is D’wild Ride, a 6-year-old mare based at Monmouth Park with trainer Joe Orseno. Although she is 11 for 36 lifetime, D’wild Ride is winless in five starts this season. She most recently was second, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Blue Sparkler at her home track, earning an 88 Beyer.

Orsenso seldom ships to Penn National, but he shows a 4-for-17 record with the horses he has brought to the central Pennsylvania oval the past five years.

Based on their form out of town, She’smylittleman and Winning Image are capable of making an impact in Friday’s race.

The 5-year-old She’smylittleman got a career-best 93 Beyer winning a first-level optional $25,000 claimer at Sunland Park in late March. She makes her first local appearance and second start since coming to the high-percentage barn of Todd Beattie.

The lightly raced Winning Image has been off since last August but owns a 4-for-6 lifetime record, including a 93 Beyer for an eight-length romp in a third-level optional $20,000 claimer at Suffolk Downs almost 13 months ago. She won both her career debut and her return from an eight-month absence, evidence that she can fire first time off the bench.

Don’tgetsuspicious has been effective in ultra-short sprints at Charles Town, where she has won three of her last four in $35,000 overnight handicaps, including a career-high 91 Beyer last time out.