Bea Plus owns best recent Beyers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Bea Plus completed one mission with a third-place finish in the Drumtop Stakes at Belmont Park in late July.

"We always had it in mind that we wanted her to earn some black type," said trainer George Weaver. "That makes a mare more valuable later as a broodmare. We accomplished that."

Weaver has now handed the 5-year-old Bea Plus a new assignment: bring home her first victory of the season. Bea Plus appears well positioned to meet that goal Tuesday afternoon at the Meadowlands Racetrack in a $38,000 second-level allowance for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

She posted superior Beyer Speed Figures in her last two races: an 87 in the Drumtop and an 89 in the prior effort, a second-place finish in a second-level allowance at Delaware Park.

The best Beyer in the last two races by any of her seven rivals was an 83 by Sprightly last time out in an allowance race at Saratoga.

"We've focused on having her win this condition," Weaver said. "She's training well coming up to the race. This time of year, it's important to find the turf starts that are still there."

Weaver is confident Bea Plus will handle the cutback in distance to 1o1/16 miles. The Drumtop was 1 3/8 miles; her last seven races were 1 1/8 miles or longer.

Offsetting the cutback in distance is Bea Plus's more forward race placement since Weaver added blinkers three starts back.

"The blinkers put her more in the game," Weaver said.

Eddie Castro, second to the now-sidelined Joe Bravo at Monmouth this summer, picks up the mount.

Precious Princess also exits a stakes race: the Staybridge Suites for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth, where she vied three wide for the lead before fading to seventh in her turf debut.

Alan Garcia will ride for trainer Vickie Oliver.

Dattts Our Girl finished in a dead heat for the victory in her most recent effort, a first-level allowance at Monmouth on Aug. 19. She will need a jockey because Bravo, recuperating from a broken collarbone sustained in a spill Friday at Belmont, was named to ride.

Czarina's Girl will figure prominently if the race comes off the grass onto a moist main track. She beat New Jersey-breds by 10 1/4 lengths in the slop last time out and all three career wins came on wet tracks.

Completing the field are I Dare Billy, Smart Advice, and Barefoot Lady.