Christina's Comet meets Country Candy in Prairie Gold Lassie

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will be active, no doubt, in most of the Saratoga stakes races for sprinting 2-year-olds, and he also has such a horse for the $65,000 Prairie Gold Lassie on Thursday night at Prairie Meadows. Christina’s Comet is one of eight 2-year-old fillies entered to run six furlongs in the Prairie Gold Lassie and might go off as the second choice to Country Candy.

Christina’s Comet is a Kentucky-bred by Successful Appeal, but until late this month, she had been a Texas horse. She trained at Lone Star for her career debut there and must have caught someone’s eye doing it since Christina’s Comet was the 13-10 favorite in her first start June 4. She made the price look like a bargain, disputing the early lead, putting away her pace rival, and running off to a five-length victory while facing nine rivals at five furlongs.

Christina’s Comet got her last furlong in about 12.60 seconds under a hand ride, which suggests that the extra furlong Thursday won’t be her undoing. She’s worked steadily since her debut and appears to have a decent chance to run better in her second start than she did in her first.

And she’ll probably have to if she’s to defeat Country Candy. Country Candy – bred, coincidentally, but Asmussen’s father, Keith – debuted about a month earlier than Christina’s Comet at Lone Star and also won easily, scoring by more than nine lengths in a 4 1/2-furlong race that earned her a start in the $100,000 Debutante on July 2 at Churchill.

There, Country Candy tracked a strong early pace, and while staying on gamely for third, she was no match for the late-running winner, Pretty City Dancer, while stretched out to six furlongs. Country Candy, however, is well drawn on the far outside Thursday, and jockey Luis Quinonez can dole out her speed as he pleases.

A win by anyone beyond the top pair would be surprising. The race includes four other last-start debut winners, two at Canterbury Park and two at Prairie Meadows, none of whom looked to be the class of the two favorites.