Chilean mare one of two with speed

CHICAGO - For much of the just-ended Saratoga meet, the turf course was especially firm, and at times helpful to front-runners. It was fairly common knowledge that, especially in one-mile turf races, speed and an inside post could lead to victory, even if you didn't have the best horse. But these trends can go too far. When everyone goes to the front, the perceived bias goes out the window, and the closers come running.

That is pretty much what happened at Saratoga in the second of two divisions of the De La Rose Stakes on Aug. 11. After front-runners dominated the first division, the pace got too hot in the second, and Cloakof Vagueness came roaring down the middle of the track to win. Left in her wake was Voz de Colegiala, who disputed the early pace and faded to seventh. The pace setup, however, is much different Sunday at Arlington in the $40,000 Flawlessly Stakes, where Voz De Colegiala is one of only two in a seven-horse field with any pace at all.

The Flawlessly, for fillies and mares, is contested at 1 1/16 miles on grass. , a 6-year-old Chilean-bred owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt and trained by Steve Asmussen, has won 4 of 9 starts at the distance. Since being transferred to Asmussen's barn this season, Voz de Colegiala has won a restricted stakes at Lone Star and finished third in the WinStar Distaff there. She definitely fits on class in the Flawlessly, and should bounce back from her excusable Saratoga loss with a contending effort Sunday. Shaun Bridgmohan, whom Asmussen has regularly gone to at this meet, has the mount.

The other horse with pace is , but though she comes off an easy allowance win over the Ellis Park grass course, and is trained by 31-percent Tom Proctor, Unbridled Echo has never beaten horses as good as the ones she will face Sunday.

Besides Voz de Colegiala, there is , who was second by a nose last fall in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs. It is her subsequent starts that are more troublesome. Sixth going 1 1/2 miles in her final start last season, the La Prevoyante at Calder, Lenatareese has started just once this year, finishing a distant last in a Keeneland allowance race on April 15. Clearly, some sort of problem cropped up, and it is only a guess how Lenatareese will return for trainer David Carroll.

Anegada has won consecutive allowance races on this course, and looked good doing it, but comes back less than two weeks after her most recent start. If she can retain her form on short rest, Anegada could take another.