Butterbean looks to be crowned ‘Queen of Prairie' with Iowa Distaff win
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Butterbean is always in the mood for a trip to Prairie Meadows, where she is 3 for 3 heading into Friday night’s $100,000 Iowa Distaff.
Apparently, she’s a big fan of the Hawkeye State.
“Maybe it’s the corn,” quipped trainer Kenny McPeek.
There’s a bumper crop of stakes Friday and Saturday night during the annual Iowa Festival of Racing. The four offerings Friday are worth a total of $400,000, and the action Saturday includes the Cornhusker, Iowa Derby, and Iowa Oaks.
Butterbean, who won last year’s Grade 3 Iowa Oaks, is part of a field of six for the Iowa Distaff. The 1 1/16-mile race drew Coastal Charm, winner of the $150,000 Dig a Diamond in May at Oaklawn, and Ice Orchid, who has been working sharply in Kentucky.
Butterbean also invades from Kentucky, just as she did last year when she won both the Panthers and the Iowa Oaks. She returned to Prairie Meadows last month and captured the Jack Bishop. It was her first victory in her five starts since the Iowa Oaks.
“We needed to get her back to her winning ways,” McPeek said Monday. “She’s a filly that’s been tested at a high level. She’s certainly good. She likes being at Prairie. Let’s go back to what works. The best win in her career, that Grade 3, was right there.”
Glenn Corbett has ridden Butterbean in all of her Prairie Meadows starts and again has the mount from post 4. The tactics will be left up to the jockey, said McPeek.
“Glenn Corbett knows her – we’ll just leave him alone,” said McPeek.
“She’ll be the queen of Prairie if she wins this one.”
Those attempting to stop the coronation of “Queen Butterbean” include Missyintomischief. The local was second last out in the Jack Bishop.
“We came off the shelf last time in the prep and I thought she really ran a good race against Butterbean, who just loves this track,” said trainer Kelly Von Hemel. “I thought we competed very well and I’m looking for her to move forward second start of the year. She’ll have to – it’s a quality field. There’s some nice mares in there.”
Ken Tohill has the mount from post 5.
Jumbo field for Saylorville
Butterbean’s stablemate Gunning is part of a field of 12 fillies and mares for the $100,000 Saylorville. The six-furlong race also drew Fire on Time, the runner-up to champion Echo Zulu in the Grade 3 Winning Colors last out at Churchill Downs; Yuugiri, a Grade 3 winner moving back to dirt; Bluefield, who is coming off a win in an overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park; and Adaline Julia, winner of the Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star Park.
“For $100,000, that’s a very tough race,” said Saffie Joseph Jr., who trains Bluefield.
“The race came up very salty,” said Robertino Diodoro, who trains Adaline Julia.
Gunning, who has run second in stakes at Oaklawn and Ellis, worked with Butterbean leading up to the Saylorville.
“Gunning is a half-sister to Mage, the Derby winner,” McPeek said. “We’re trying to get a stakes win. As a sister to Mage, she’s got a lot of value and we’re going to give her a shot at that.”
Gunning starts from post 11 under Luis Fuentes.
Edgard Zayas has the mount on Bluefield from post 4. She enters with the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 91.
“She’s a grand mare, seems to be getting better and better,” Joseph said. “She’s in the form of her life right now. We want to give her a chance to try to get some black type.”
Adaline Julia is a winner of four of her last five starts. She arrived Tuesday at Prairie Meadows.
“She’s continued to do well,” Diodoro said Wednesday. “She shipped well, ate up last night and trained well this morning. She keeps slowly improving. I really believe there’s still a lot left to her.”
Cristian Torres has the mount from post 12.
Diodoro and Torres will team up with leading contender Kiss in the $100,000 Prairie Lassie Gold. She is coming off a maiden special weight win June 10 and the Beyer of 71 that she earned is the best last-race number in the eight-horse Lassie.
“I thought she ran a very gutsy, game race at Ellis her last start,” Diodoro said. “She’s a very level-headed filly, which is always important. She’s a very good-minded filly.”
The daughter of Army Mule will break from post 7.
The spotlight will be on Strobe in the $100,000 Iowa Sprint at six furlongs. He is coming off a third-place finish to champion Elite Power in the Grade 2 True North at Belmont Park. Earlier in his career, Strobe won his maiden over Elite Power.
The Iowa Sprint drew a field of seven, including Albizu, the runner-up to Skelly in the Speightstown at Lone Star, and Oil Money, who is a stakes winner at Prairie.
Strobe will be making his Prairie debut when he starts from post 7. Earlier this year, he ran second to Skelly in the Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount for trainer Brad Cox.
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