Danzatrice likely to use late move in Spotted Horse
One race after winning her turf debut, Danzatrice moves back to dirt Friday night for the $75,000 Spotted Horse at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La. Also Friday, the $50,000 Acadiana matches the seasoned Our Millie against the promising Efforting.
The Spotted Horse is for fillies and mares at a mile. The field of nine includes multiple stakes winners Steel Cut, Sunny Oak, Pacific Pink, and Vieja Luna.
Danzatrice, who has registered both of her stakes wins on dirt, made her turf debut in a mile allowance May 6 at Lone Star Park. She raced in fourth early before surging to a length win. One start prior, Danzatrice set a quick pace before finishing eighth as the favorite in the $100,000 Harry Henson at Sunland Park. She will break from post 4 on Friday under jockey Gerard Melancon.
“I think that the filly got where she started getting a little headstrong early in her races and we used the turf race to take her off the lead,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “That’s probably how she’s most effective. Gerard’s back on her, and when he won on her the first time we ran her, it was from far off the pace. I think she’s far more effective off the pace.”
Melancon and Danzatrice rallied from last to win a Delta Downs allowance by 6 1/2 lengths in October 2016. That was Danzatrice’s first race for Asmussen after having made her first six starts for Cathal Lynch.
In the Spotted Horse, Danzatrice could get an ideal setup. There appears to be a nice amount of speed in the race. Sunny Oak, a stakes winner at five furlongs in February, is stretching out to two turns, as is Steel Cut. Vieja Luna enters off a pair of wire-to-wire stakes wins at Delta Downs.
Danzatrice, a daughter of Dunkirk, races for Gainesway Stable. She has won 6 of 12 starts, including the $75,000 Parx Oaks in May 2015 and the $50,000 Tiffany Lass in December at Fair Grounds.
The Acadiana is restricted to 3-year-old Louisiana-bred fillies who have never won a stakes race. It will be run over seven furlongs.
Efforting is part of a 10-horse field that includes Our Millie, who has placed in three stakes races; Madame Begue, the runner-up last out in the Equine Sales Oaks at Evangeline; and Rose Guitar, who was second in the Crescent City Oaks at Fair Grounds.
Efforting, who runs for the Fair Grounds Racing Club, was a 10 1/2-length maiden special weight winner over Louisiana-breds in March at Fair Grounds. Colby Hernandez has the mount for trainer Al Stall Jr.