Arvada yet to display true ability

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Bobby Frankel said he was a bit disappointed in Arvada's last race, when she finished a narrowly beaten second as the favorite at Hollywood Park in April. Arvada returns to race as the likely favorite in Wednesday's feature at Belmont Park.

After a frenzy of stakes activity and top-quality allowance races last week at Belmont, things quiet down considerably on Wednesday. The $46,000 eighth race is a first-level allowance race for fillies and mares. The 1 1/4-mile inner turf race drew nine runners, plus one main-track-only entry, Beauty on Duty.

, who drew the rail and jockey Jerry Bailey, raced in Europe last year for Giles Pritchard-Gordon. Pritchard-Gordon's brother, Grant, was the former racing manager for Juddmonte Farms, one of Frankel's biggest clients.

Arvada, a 4-year-old daughter of Hernando, is group placed in Italy and France. The filly has made two starts in this country. Before losing the lead in the stretch and finishing second in an optional claimer on April 22, Arvada was fourth in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on March 28, her first start for Frankel.

"I was a little disappointed in her last start; she just got outrun," Frankel said. "In her first race, she dropped back and was a bit one-paced and then came running slowly. The 1 post should be good for her at a mile and a quarter. I thought she would be a stakes horse by the way she trains, so we'll see how she runs here."

has the breeding, by A.P. Indy out of an Alleged mare, that should aid her in getting the distance. Stanley Hough, who is having a tremendous meet, with seven winners from 35 starters, trains the 3-year-old Indy Charmer, who meets older fillies and mares for the first time.

In her last race, Indy Charmer finished a closing fifth and was beaten two lengths in a 1 1/8-mile race.

Javier Castellano rides Indy Charmer, who drew post 5.

Mariakel, trained by Carlos Martin, also should get the trip. Mariakel had too much ground to make up at a mile in her last start, when she finished second to Savage Beauty over a yielding course.

Trainer Allen Jerkens and jockey Jean-Luc Samyn, a successful team for many years, will try to get the job done with Dyna's Dynamo. She has yet to win on the grass in three starts, but Dyna's Dynamo has run some decent races on the turf.