Coastalota may be gold on grass

Trainer Randy Mayfield has been pointing Coastalota for the $50,000 Margarita Breeders' Cup at Retama Park near San Antonio ever since she she made her turf debut in June.

Coastalota, a stakes winner on dirt, finished fourth in her first turf start, but made up more than 10 lengths on the field in that June allowance race, and convinced Mayfield she could be a stakes performer on that surface, too.

Saturday, she gets her chance. Coastalota will start as co-highweight with Solo Attack in the Margarita, a 1 1/16-mile turf handicap for fillies and mares that has also drawn Antologica, a recent claim by high percentage trainer Cole Norman; Screen Attraction, who lost all chance in the Minnesota HBPA Stakes last out when a horse broke down in front of her; Zonal Flow, who is to be ridden by Jeremy Beasley; and Eccentric Lady.

Coastalota finished third, beaten a length, in her last start, which came over 1 1/16 miles on turf in a July 12 optional claimer at Lone Star. "She ran a game race," said Mayfield. "She's doing great. The last five or six days here she's been bright-eyed and has been showing me she's ready to run."

Mayfield added he believes turf is Coastalota's calling. "I do think she's going to be a nice grass filly, and if it was up to me, I'd keep her on the turf."