Blue Atlantis needs only repeat effort

PORTLAND, Ore. - Live racing returns to Portland Meadows on Monday, following the cancellation of three programs due to wintry weather.

Monday's headliner, a nonwinners-of-three allowance for older fillies and mares at six furlongs, has a field of eight.

Blue Atlantis, who returns to allowance company after running out of the money in the one-mile City of Roses Handicap here on Dec. 27, is the one to beat. Blue Atlantis won a similar race here on Dec. 20, when she split rivals in the stretch and ran down the pacesetting Six Strings Down to score by 1 1/2 lengths. She ran the six furlongs in 1:13.66 that day.

In her previous start, Blue Atlantis, a 4-year-old daughter of Let's Go Blue from the barn of Henry Miller, scored her maiden win by more than nine lengths. Danny Boag, who rode both times she won, will again be aboard on Monday, when Blue Atlantis breaks from the outside post under 122 pounds.

Six Strings Down is back to challenge the likely favorite and again figures as the one to catch. Six String Down led Blue Atlantis by a length in the stretch on Dec. 20, but ended up second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Before that race, Six Strings Down led throughout in a five-furlong allowance race in October and finished behind Misyodl in a six-furlong allowance test on Dec. 6.

Misyodl is also in Monday's feature, and might make amends. Misyodl ran fourth behind Blue Atlantis, Six Strings Down, and Banker's R. N. when well-backed in the Dec. 20 race.