After big win, Acquant stays on dirt for allowance feature

The 3-year-old filly Acquant pleasantly surprised her supporters three weeks ago when she romped by five lengths making her dirt debut following 10 starts on grass.

In Tuesday’s $46,000 feature at Parx Racing, Acquant will try to prove that performance was no fluke when she takes the next logical step up the class ladder in a second-level optional $25,000 claimer for fillies and mares going a mile and 70 yards.

Acquant was scratched from a similar second-level optional claimer on turf last Thursday at Laurel Park, an indication trainer Alan Goldberg wants to see her run on dirt again. Her dominant victory at 11-1 odds while going a mile on Oct. 27 produced a 78 Beyer Speed Figure, close to the par of 82 for Tuesday’s class level.

The most intriguing challenger to Acquant might be Cat’s Holiday, a stakes winner last season who has raced exclusively on turf and synthetics throughout her 13-race career. Even the workouts Cat’s Holiday has turned in at the Fair Hill Training Center for trainer Graham Motion have come on the synthetic training track.

The horse to beat, however, is New York shipper Amulay, who missed by a neck at this same level locally on Oct. 28, foiling a bid for her third straight victory.

Race 8

KEY CONTENDERS

Acquant (Last 3 Beyers: 78-63-78)

After winning just 1 of her first 10 starts on turf, this 3-year-old filly crushed seven opponents in her dirt debut in a first-level allowance. Dangerous if she moves forward in her second start on the main track.

Cat’s Holiday (Last 3 Beyers: 70-76-85)

This 4-year-old filly has done her best running on the Tapeta at Presque isle Downs, where she won the 2013 Malvern Rose for Pennsylvania-breds and was second in the Northern Fling in July. Trainer Graham Motion is 5 for 21 (21 percent) with a $2.58 return on investment with horses returning from a break of 31 to 60 days while switching from synthetics to dirt routes. Kendrick Carmouche is hitting at a 35 percent clip riding for Motion at Parx the past two years.

Amulay (Last 3 Beyers: 85-80-75)

Nailed at the wire while seeking her third straight win, Amulay is in sharp form. Interestingly, Carmouche, who was aboard for each of her two good previous races at Parx, has chosen to ride Cat’s Holiday in this race. Jose Ortiz, who rode the filly to a win at Aqueduct in March, comes in for the mount.

Pearl Bay (Last 3 Beyers: 77-79-49)

Returns to the main track, where she won two in a row during the summer, following a near-miss on grass at Laurel Park almost five weeks ago. Trainer Cal Lunch is 4 for 9 (44 percent) with a $2.93 ROI with turf-to-dirt routers returning following a break of 31 to 60 days.