Cox hoping for best from new charge Moonlit Garden in Iowa Distaff

If the good Moonlit Garden shows up, she’ll win the $100,000 Iowa Distaff, the last of four stakes races on Saturday at Prairie Meadows.

There are, unfortunately, a couple manifestations of this 5-year-old Malibu Moon mare. The one that finished second, beaten less than a length by the excellent Midnight Bisou in the Houston Ladies Classic on Jan. 27, stands out in this listed race carded for 1 1/16 miles on dirt. More recently, Moonlit Garden finished a well-beaten fifth April 19 in the Doubledogdare at Keeneland, not the first time she’s just gone through the motions during a race.

“I can’t make an excuse for her last race because I didn’t have her,” said trainer Brad Cox, who welcomed Moonlit Garden into his barn about six weeks ago after she was sold to owner Tracy Marks.

Cox also entered Mylady Curlin in the Distaff but said she would be scratched.

Cox said he’s made no significant changes with Moonlit Garden, who breaks from the rail under Florent Geroux and has but three wins from 21 starts.

“She’s breezed really nice for us, a big tall filly that has trained well,” Cox said.

Area is the likely second choice behind favored Moonlit Garden and makes her stakes debut after winning a maiden and two allowance races in her three starts since being turned over to trainer Steve Asmussen. Area’s three wins have come by more than 11 combined lengths, but she appears to be a filly who has found plenty of good fortune. None of the 18 horses she’s beaten during her streak have returned to post so much as a strong allowance race score, and at Churchill Downs in her most recent start she slipped through a hole along the fence after saving ground the entire trip.

“On her best day she’s capable of being fast enough,” Asmussen said.

Six-year-old Girl Power won the local prep for this race, the $50,000 Jack Bishop, while running about as fast as she can run. Second in the 2018 Bishop, she went on to finish third in the Iowa Distaff, and with a couple somewhat shaky shorter prices, and a relatively newfound stalk-and-pounce style, Girl Power merits consideration.

Baydar set the pace in the Bishop and should jostle for the lead Saturday with Summer’s Indy. Tough Irma and Sydney Freeman, neither of whom is an automatic toss, complete the field.

Lake Ponchatrain will need best

Competition runs deep in the $100,000 Saylorville Stakes if Lake Ponchatrain can’t produce her best race.

Lake Ponchatrain is the 7-2 morning-line favorite in this six-furlong dash for fillies and mares, but one wonders if owner-trainer Ernest Haynes is going to the well one time too many with his capable mare.

Seven-year-old Lake Ponchatrain will be making her 50th start in the Saylorville, which is fine, but it’s her recent busy schedule that could make producing a top performance a tall task. Lake Ponchatrain began her campaign March 30 at Charles Town, raced twice there, went to Oaklawn Park and won an allowance race, then moved on to Prairie Meadows and won the local Saylorville prep, the Prairie Rose Stakes on May 23. Haynes then sent her to Canterbury Park, where Lake Ponchatrain finished second June 22 in the Hoist Her Flag Stakes, and now it is on to the Saylorville.

A one-run closer, Lake Ponchatrain should get a favorable setup with pace players Shanghai Tariff, Salt Bae, and Maybe Wicked all entered.

Maybe Wicked has won four of 11 starts but finished eighth two months ago making her stakes debut in the $100,000 Skipat at Pimlico.

“We’ve always thought a lot of her, but she’s almost like an every-other-race filly,” said trainer Brad Cox. “You get some confidence with her, then we run her, and she’ll run flat.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen was looking for an age-restricted race for 3-year-old Adventurous Lady but had to settle for a five-pound weight break from older horses in the Saylorville.

Upset Brewing showed very surprising speed and held on to finish third in the Grade 3 Winning Colors last out.

Standouts in Iowa-bred stakes

Han Sense and Mywomanfromtokyo appear to be formidable favorites in two $65,000 dirt-route stakes for older Iowa-breds.

Han Sense has the outside post among six horse entered in the Cyclones Stakes and probably will be bet below his 9-5 morning line. Han Sense finished fourth as the favorite in this race a year ago, but didn’t start again until May, suggesting something went amiss with the gelding. His two performances this form cycle have been strong enough to win Saturday’s race.

Mywomanfromtokyo, drawn on the rail in the female-restricted Hawkeyes, always has been better around two turns than one, yet still scored a comfortable victory last month in the six-furlong Mamie Eisenhower.