Angel Allie gamble could pay off in allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – Angel Allie was scratched from the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course last weekend in favor of an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Santa Anita on Thursday.

The switch is a calculated gamble for trainer and co-owner Mark Glatt, who is hoping Thursday’s race will have sufficient pace to help Angel Allie, a closer.

“She’s one of those fillies that has to be way behind,” he said.

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Angel Allie’s turn of foot worked to perfection in her last start, carrying her to the front in the final furlong of an allowance race on the hillside turf course Oct. 28.

“They scorched down the hill and she closed like a shot,” Glatt said.

Angel Allie drew the outside post in a field of nine in Thursday’s sixth race. She is expected to be in pursuit of Spin Me a Kiss, a speedy filly who may get an easy lead in a field in which many starters tend to run from off the pace.

The field includes the Argentine Group 1 winner Greta G, who raced in England without a win last year; the 2016 stakes winner Miss Southern Miss; and Lake Time, a sharp winner on dirt Dec. 29.

KEY CONTENDERS

Angel Allie, by Sky Mesa
Last 3 Beyers: 86-78-74

◗ Co-owned by Al and Sandee Kirkwood, Angel Allie has run only on turf, winning her debut in a five-furlong maiden race at Del Mar on Aug. 10 and her fourth start Oct. 28.

◗ Glatt said Sunday he was happy to have skipped the Las Cienegas with Angel Allie. Coniah led throughout and did not face a serious challenge in the stretch.

“I didn’t see enough speed and nobody was closing,” Glatt said.

◗ Tyler Baze has the mount on Angel Allie on Thursday. He rode Angel Allie in all four of her starts in 2017.

Spin Me a Kiss, by Hard Spun
Last 3 Beyers: 84-88-83

◗ Spin Me a Kiss has won three times on turf, including a maiden race for California-breds on the hillside turf course last May. Last fall, Spin Me a Kiss was third by a neck in the Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course and sixth in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at a mile on turf Oct. 29.

◗ Trained by Phil D’Amato, Spin Me a Kiss has not raced since the Autumn Miss.

“All things considered, I thought she ran pretty valiantly stretching her out in a graded stakes,” D’Amato said. “The last sixteenth got to her.

◗ A winner of 3 of 8 starts, Spin Me a Kiss impressed D’Amato with a half-mile workout from the gate in 48.40 seconds Jan. 19.

“Going down the hill is one of her best trips,” D’Amato said. “I think she’s sharp and ready to go.”

Zaffinah, by Casamento
Last 3 Beyers: 83-78-76

◗ Zaffinah was fourth in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf last June. She emerged from the race with body soreness. Thursday’s race is her first start since the Honeymoon.

“We decided to turn her out for 90 days and give her some time off,” trainer Jack Carava said. “She was body sore more than anything, and it wasn’t her.

“This is a comeback race and we don’t know what to expect. Other than that, I’m pleased with the way she’s been training.”