Casual Attitude aims for richest win

ALTOONA, Iowa - Multiple stakes winner Casual Attitude shoots for the biggest victory of her career when she heads a wide-open field of seven entered in Saturday's $125,000 Iowa Breeders' Cup Distaff at 1 1/16 miles.

, a 5-year-old daughter of Formal Gold trained by Steve Hobby, has 9 wins from 22 starts and more than $275,000 in earnings. Both her wins and earnings are tops in the Distaff field.

Casual Attitude generally runs from well off the pace and the presence of sprinter Candybedandy and confirmed front-runner Ide Be a Lady should give her a good pace setup.

A winner of three minor stakes last year, Casual Attitude added a victory in the $50,000 Pippin at Oaklawn to her resume in February. In her last start, Casual Attitude rallied from last to finish second in a $68,000 allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 25.

Tim Doocy, who has been aboard Casual Attitude in all five of her victories in 2004-2005, will ride. Casual Attitude is the 120-pound highweight under the allowance conditions of the Distaff.

, another confirmed closer, is a major danger, Trained by Donnie Von Hemel, Platinum Ballet finished in front of Casual Attitude when second in the $100,000 Bayakoa at Oaklawn three starts back on April 10.

In her most recent start, Platinum Ballet came from well off the pace to finish third, beaten three-quarters of a length as the 4-5 favorite, in the Wild Rose run here at the same distance as the Distaff. That race was run over a wet-fast track during the middle of a thunderstorm on June 4.

Platinum Ballet has a career record of 4-6-4 from 20 starts, and $155,240 in earnings. Perry Compton has a return call at 116 pounds.

is the only graded stakes winner in the Distaff. She rallied to win in the Grade 2 Raven Run last October at Keeneland for trainer Larry Jones. Josh's Madelyn has been unplaced in four starts since then, however, though three of her last four starts came in graded stakes events. She could show improvement Saturday, thanks to the drop in class. Josh's Madelyn's regular rider, Justin Shepherd, will be in for the mount.