Back Door Girl stays sprinting, and in softer spot

SAN MATEO, Calif. - The most interesting race on the Bay Meadows card Sunday is a $40,000 optional claimer for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, which includes Back Door Girl, who is running in this race rather than going a mile Saturday in the $75,000 Burlingame.

has run second and first in her two starts, respectively, losing to the talented $400,000 purchase Elusive Air in her debut, then winning her second start by four lengths.

Russell Baze, who had four wins Thursday to move back into a tie for the jockey lead with Martin Garcia, rides her again.

Trainer Terry Knight and owner Ron Goodman weighed the possibility of running in Saturday's Burlingame, but Knight didn't want to run Back Door Girl against Crystal Event, who won her debut routing on the turf. Knight said that he would rather have Back Door Girl sprint at least one more time.

Sunday's race will be a good test for Back Door Girl, a daughter of Charismatic who was a $23,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland in November of 2003. She drew the rail in a field of six.

, the runner-up in the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes, is a major threat. She ran second in her return from a seven-week layoff in a similar spot on Dec. 31, edging Elusive Air by a nose.

enters on a two-race win streak. She won a $40,000 maiden claimer at Arlington Park on Sept. 2 and won a $40,000 starter allowance here in her comeback on Dec. 26.

Also entered are Press Camp, an 11-length winner in a maiden claimer who battled on the lead before fading in the seven-furlong California Breeders' Championship on Dec. 28; and Eve's Rib and Jazzerin, both of whom showed improvement in their second starts.

Meanwhile, in a 1 1/16-mile allowance for fillies and mares on Sunday, Wellingtons Arch must beat Chasin' Chasan, who is 2 for 2 at Bay Meadows and 2 for 2 at the distance.

Also on Sunday, the veteran Sands of Time runs in a one-mile allowance, scheduled as only the second turf race of the meeting.

* Jockeys Jorge Ayarza and Miguel Perez both begin three-day suspensions Wednesday. Ayarza was suspended for causing interference aboard Kickin Fast in the sixth race last Sunday. Perez's suspension came after No Tango Dinero was disqualified from third to sixth in Sunday's ninth race for causing interference.