Chernobyl Princess may be in the clear

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After a couple of unlucky trips over Aqueduct's inner track, perhaps Chernobyl Princess will appreciate the move to the main track when she takes on seven rivals in Friday's featured first-level allowance race for New York-bred fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Though Chernobyl Princess won back-to-back claiming races over the inner track to begin the year, she has since encountered slight trouble in each of her last three starts when she was narrowly beaten at this condition.

On March 1, Chernobyl Princess was buried inside and rushed up to chase a slow pace while finishing third, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths by Intoxicatingbeauty. She came back on March 14 and broke a step slowly before making a bold rally in the stretch to finish third. Her failure to change to her proper lead probably cost her second that day.

On March 28, Chernobyl Princess again was hampered by an inside post. Jockey Jorge Chavez was forced to steady slightly when another horse came over on her shortly after the start of the race.

"She has had some bad luck, especially last time," trainer Jeff Odintz said. "She broke and [Boowoogeemalia] came over on her and Chavez checked her a little bit. She made a big run, but she had too much ground to make up."

Odintz is hoping that the switch to the main track as well as an outside post will benefit his filly.

"Maybe he'll be able to keep her in the clear," Odintz said. "She has a chance in a race like that."

In her only start over the main track, Chernobyl Princess finished sixth, beaten 13 1/4 lengths in a claiming race. But that race was run over a good, sealed surface.

Boowoogeemalia finished just ahead of Chernobyl Princess in the March 28 race. She was making her first start since last May 25 and figures to benefit from the run. She will break from post 3 under Cornelio Velasquez.

Kiss and Fly and Hanna Can Fly finished second and fifth in the Park Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Stakes on March 29. Hanna Can Fly was forced to go five wide in that race when trying to chase down the speedy Mother Russia.

Catchuptothesun has won two low-level claiming races for trainer Gary Gullo, but will make her first start for Bruce Levine in this spot. Trainer John Hertler sends out the coupled entry of Citifiesta and Professional Woman. Befuddled completes the field.