Though 11 were entered for the $100,000 Colleen, a turf-sprint stakes for 2-year-olds Sunday at Monmouth Park, it should come down to three horses. While several of the 2-year-old fillies in the Colleen have flashed talent, it would be surprising if this five-furlong grass dash yields a winner outside the trio of Dreamaway, Lemonpeppasteppa, and Sharedshenanigans. Ten can start in the Colleen, race 9 Sunday with a post time of 4:46 p.m. Eastern. Baytown Butterfly is the race’s lone also-eligible. Popstyle, Shkhara Fire, and Me Governor have posted solid dirt wins but those three take a backseat to the horses that seem better suited to grass racing. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Lemonpeppasteppa requires no guesswork regarding racing surface. She debuted July 13 in a Monmouth turf sprint maiden and came out on top in a race she had no business winning. Sent off at 3-1, Lemontsteppapeppa broke slowly and raced near the rear of a 10-runner field, her position worsening when the field jammed up into the far turn leading to a chain reaction, forcing Lemonpeppasteppa’s jockey to check. Still just fifth turning for home and 3 1/2 lengths behind pacesetting Serene Spirit at the furlong rounds, Lemonpeppasteppa ran her final furlong in a rousing 11.57 to get up by a nose before galloping out far in front. Changing leads on cue in upper stretch, Lemonpeppasteppa didn’t like the look of a mark on the track past the eighth pole, swapping back to her wrong lead yet still prevailing. Her trainer, Jorge Delgado, has run 2-year-olds in seven races this Monmouth meeting and has come away with five winners and two seconds. Dreamaway ships from Saratoga for trainer Wesley Ward, who won the Colleen in 2020 and 2021. Dreamaway, a narrow debut winner of a Keeneland dirt maiden in April, got her first feel for turf when she breezed over the grass oval at the Saratoga training track on July 21. Breezing outside once-started 2-year-old maiden Clock Tower, Dreamaway got the better of her workmate while finishing with interest. The filly is by Flameway, whose offspring win turf sprints at an above average 14 percent clip, and is the second foal to race produced by Dream Dancing, a Grade 1 winner over 1 1/8 miles on turf. Dream Dancing’s other horse to race, Beautiful Dancer, won a maiden turf mile from three 2023 outings. Sharedshenanigans, in from Fair Hill for trainer Graham Motion, won her debut June 22 going five furlongs over Laurel Park’s dirt track. Sharedshenanigans stalked the pace, took the lead in midstretch, and comfortably turned back a closing challenge to win easily by 1 1/4 lengths. As solid as that dirt performance looked, Sharedshenanigans should go better on turf. Sharedshenanigans is by Into Mischief and is the first foal to race out of Sharing, winner of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and a fine second the following June in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Three appealing principals, a good supporting cast – a fine renewal of the Colleen. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.