Bent Attorney a savvy acquisition

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bent Attorney is unbeaten in two starts since being claimed in the fall by trainer Don MacRae. She will try to keep the ball rolling Sunday at Woodbine in a third-level optional $80,000 claiming sprint that goes as race 3.

Bent Attorney went winless during her first nine starts last year, but was competitive in the majority of those engagements. When trainer Mike Doyle dropped her to $50,000 in October, MacRae took her on behalf of Centennial Farm. She finished fifth in that turf sprint.

Bent Attorney subsequently won a first-level allowance on Polytrack by 4 1/2 lengths. Three weeks later on Nov. 23, she came from third to capture a slow-paced optional claimer, while receiving her second straight Beyer Figure in the mid-80s.

Bent Attorney spent the winter in Florida at Palm Meadows, and she has recorded two bullet half-mile drills here in recent weeks.

The Reade Baker-trained entry of Bear Bullet Two and Bear Lahaina should be strongly backed in the 5 1/2-furlong feature.

Bear Bullet Two had a light 2008, during which she took 1 of 6 starts and banked $85,506. The highlight of that campaign was a front-running score in a $100,000 optional claimer in September. She has been idle since ending up third in the allowance prep for the Ontario Fashion Stakes in October.

Bear Lahaina was scratched after acting fractious in the gate in a $62,500 optional claiming event last Sunday. She defeated $50,000 claimers going five-eighths the last time she ran Nov. 28. The second- and fourth-place finishers both returned to win their next start.

Pleasant Review, Bold Corky, and Sweetdetermination were all unplaced in the Nov. 23 Bessarabian, which was won by Smart Surprise, who came back to romp in the Chou Croute Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Pleasant Review was a stalking fourth in the seven-furlong Bessarabian, which came on the heels of a victory by disqualification in an optional claimer. She was a front-running second on turf in the Oct. 18 River Memories.

Bold Corky beat Ontario-sired opposition around two turns in the Oct. 15 Classy 'N Smart Stakes. She can fire fresh at shorter distances, as evidenced by her off-the-pace victory in a five-furlong allowance last April.

Sweetdetermination was in decent form prior to the Bessarabian, in which she finished up the track after breaking from an inside post. She worked five-eighths in a bullet 59.00 seconds last weekend.