Boyce seeks sweep of statebred stakes Saturday

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Michele Boyce starts the 4-5 favorite in the $75,000 Isaac Murphy Handicap and the 7-2 third choice in the $75,000 Addison Cammack Handicap on Saturday at Arlington, but odds aren’t everything.

Puntsville is the mare who will be the chalk in the Murphy, and she could be vulnerable in her first start of the year. Devileye is Boyce’s entrant in the Cammack, and he might be worth a bet.

Both races are for Illinois-breds at six furlongs on Polytrack, with the Murphy restricted to fillies and mares. The Cammack drew just six entrants but is the stronger of the two races from top to bottom, with Recount and Goneghost sure to be the top two betting choices.

Whatever happens going forward, Recount, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Jim DiVito for Doubledown Stables, has put together a fine career. He’s a 12-time winner with earnings of more than $600,000 and an Arlington Polytrack record of 5-0-0 from seven starts. But Recount hasn’t started at Arlington since July 2016, and while he won the Cammack earlier that summer, it came at the expense of lesser foes than he faces Saturday. Recount is the 126-pound highweight but brings declining speed figures into Saturday’s start and already has raced five times this year.

Goneghost, weighted at 124, has the sharper current form and was a fine second May 12 in the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup on the Arlington main track. The Hanshin is a one-turn mile, and Goneghost goes two turns, but he also has been effective sprinting and probably is the horse to beat in the Cammack.

But regardless of distance, Goneghost likes to mix things up on the front end, and a duel between the favorites could set things up for Devileye. Devileye hasn’t beaten horses as strong as Recount and Goneghost, but he does have six wins and two seconds from eight starts and probably is not done developing just one start into his 4-year-old season.

“It’s a tough race for a six-horse field, and seven-eighths would be better for him,” said Boyce. “I do think he should improve off his first start of the year.”

The Isaac Murphy is the first start of the year for the 6-year-old Puntsville, though that is not by design.

“I would’ve liked to have run her once, but the opportunity didn’t present itself,” Boyce said.

Puntsville, a 10-time winner from 21 starts, won the Murphy in 2016 while making her season debut but was second in the Murphy at odds of 4-5 last summer in her second start after a winter break. Puntsville carries 124 pounds, giving weight to all her opponents, and might not yet be at her fighting weight.

“You always have questions after a layoff, and she’s older now,” said Boyce. “I’ve followed pretty much the same training schedule as last year, but I found it harder to get her into racing shape this year. She got quite plump over the winter.”

Delicate Lady and Go Lady Jay are the leading alternatives to the favorite. Delicate Lady has won two of three starts on Arlington Polytrack, gets nine pounds from Puntsville, and has been pointed to this race for a couple of months.

“She’s had a bit of a freshening,” said trainer Chris Davis. “Her best numbers are on the Poly at Arlington, and the whole reason she’s up here is to run in this race. Her last breeze here was good, and I’m looking forward to a big effort.”