Arlington: She's Offlee Good stays perfect by taking Arlington-Washington Lassie

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Richie Scherer doesn’t have anything like a barn full of stakes horses right now, but Scherer, a 50-year-old second-generation trainer, knows what one looks like. She’s Offlee Good came out of a spring 2-year-old in training sale and into Scherer’s barn, and he gave her the standard 30 days of backing down before going forward. Then, morning work began, and Scherer started seeing something.

“I was working her against two other horses, and she was really beating up on them. I wasn’t sure if she was that good or they were that bad,” Scherer said.

Scherer – or someone watching works – was fairly sure. She’s Offlee Good won her debut as the 2-1 favorite, and on Saturday made it 2 for 2 with victory in the $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie. Rating kindly in the second tier of runners for new rider Eddie Castro, She’s Offlee Wild bid wide for the lead at the top of the stretch, made it, and held clear Sweetsoutherdame to win by two lengths.

She’s Offlee Good, a daughter of Offlee Wild-La Belle who sold as a yearling for $15,000 and this past spring for $32,000, ran Saturday like she had been working this summer: She broke sharply, had plenty of speed to keep up, but came back to Castro kindly when he asked her to rate.

“In a couple of her works from the gate she’d open up five or six lengths, then wait for her company when her rider asked her,” said Scherer. “That kind of gives you the feeling you might have something.”

Richies Sweetheart set the pace, a quick one, going 22.66 seconds for a quarter-mile and 45.50 to the half. Istanford pressed, and Tamazula got a favorable pocket trip just behind the pace, but none of the front tier had any final say. She’s Oflee Good swung into action at the quarter pole and had plenty left to hold off Sweetsoutherndame, who had a half-length on Maria Maria for second. The show horse had a moderately eventful journey, while Tamazula appeared to tire in her first trip beyond a sprint distance, finishing fourth. Istanford, considering her early exertions, did well to hold fifth, and Battlefield Angel in sixth also had a mild tale of woe, breaking last and encountering stretch traffic.

She’s Offlee Good, who stopped the timer in 1:37.98 for one mile and paid $12.20 to win, needed no excuse. She continued an amazing run for her owners, a partnership called Holmark Stables headed by Paul Holmes and Kevin Marko. Holmark began campaigning horses just this season, and their only two current runners have multiple wins at this meet. She’s Offlee Good has been especially successful -- much as her trainer foresaw.