Bella Castani returns from long layoff in Saturday turf route

There isn’t a stakes on the Saturday card at Laurel Park, but there are several interesting overnight races with large fields.

The best races are a third-level optional-claiming turf sprint with 12 entrants, a second-level optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles on turf with 16 entrants, and a 1 1/16-mile maiden turf race for 2-year-old fillies with 16 entries.

Possibly the most interesting of the three is the 10th, a second-level race with the $25,000 claiming option.

Two fillies who have been facing tougher out-of-town company and could wake up here are Image of Anna, trained by Rick Violette, and Bella Castani, who will be making her first start for Arnaud Delacour after having raced for Christophe Clement.

Of the two, Bella Castani may be the more dangerous. In her last start, June 14 at Belmont Park, she raced along the rail throughout and was beaten 1 1/4 lengths at this level. She may have finished better with an outside run.

She enters this race off a stout work tab at Fair Hill for Delacour. She could benefit from the freshening and fire first time back.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past two years, Delacour is 6 for 26 (23 percent), with a return on investment of $2.70, with horses returning to the races off a layoff of 60 to 150 days. Bella Castani will have been off 132 days on Saturday.

Image of Anna was steadied at the start and dropped back to finish eighth while making her turf debut at Saratoga in the restricted Tenski Stakes. The winner of that race, Miss Frost, came back to win the Riskaverse Stakes at Saratoga in her next start.

Last time out, Image of Anna finished third to Kenzadargent and Rubindy, both of whom are trained by Chad Brown. She may enjoy the change in company she will face Saturday.

◗ In the eighth race, a third-level turf sprint, El Seventyseven merits a look. Trainer Mac Robertson entered the 6-year-old in a one-mile race for last Thursday but then scratched to run a shorter distance here. El Seventyseven has not won in a year, but he has been competitive in all three of his races since being shipped in from the Midwest in August.

◗ Tela is the filly to beat in race 3, a maiden turf race. Trained by Michael Matz, she finished a clear second to Aljalela in her most recent start at Delaware Park. Aljalela, a debut winner for Todd Pletcher, was a $450,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. select 2-year-olds in training sale in March.

Tela’s main challenge could come from My Senses, who finished fifth in her Saratoga debut for trainer Graham Motion and then was third in her next outing at Belmont Park.