Benchmark's Bounty a horse for course

Benchmark's Bounty has raced twice at Yavapai Downs and won those races by more than 21 lengths combined. She looks to continue her love affair with the Northern Arizona track as the overwhelming favorite in Sunday's $15,000 Doris Grundy Memorial Stakes. The six-furlong event for 3-year-old fillies lured a field of six.

Benchmark's Bounty won her debut here last September by 12 1/2 lengths and came back from a long layoff here July 20 to win an allowance race by 9 1/4 lengths. She prompted the pace in that race and drew off to win with complete authority, earning a 72 Beyer Speed Figure. Between those two races, she went to Turf Paradise and won a classified allowance race, was third in the ATBA Sales Stakes in October, and third in the Ms. Gibson County in November.

Dennis Collins has a return call on Benchmark's Bounty, who is owned by Wire to Wire LLC and trained by Ken Brown.

Bjorklund looks like her strongest opponent and, in fact, has beaten her before. Bjorklund won last fall's ATBA Sales Stakes at Turf Paradise, defeating Benchmark's Bounty by 1 1/2 lengths. Bjorklund won an allowance race here May 25. She then chased the pace in the Susan B. Anthony here June 22 as the 4-5 favorite and faltered to fourth. Daniel Vergara rides.

Little Shimmer and Meet Anzi, the one-two finishers in the Anthony, also take a shot at Benchmark's Bounty here.