Down Town Allen could be vulnerable routing in My Sister Pearl

Red Hot Diva was scratched from a matchup against West Virginia’s top older female, Down Town Allen, in last month’s $180,000 Cavada on the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic program. She probably wasn’t going to beat Down Town Allen going seven furlongs, a distance at which that 7-year-old mare owns 11 stakes victories.

Red Hot Diva’s chances of beating Down Town Allen are better at the 1 1/8-mile distance of Saturday night’s $50,000 My Sister Pearl Stakes for West Virginia-bred fillies and mares at Charles Town.

For starters, the 4-year-old Red Hot Diva is 2 for 2 going 1 1/8 miles, including a neck victory over Autumn Affair in this same race a year ago. Autumn Affair is also in Saturday night’s lineup.

Second, Down Town Allen, who is less than $2,000 shy of becoming a millionaire, prefers shorter distances. She has tried 1 1/8 miles just once in her 40-race career, winning the 2012 running of the My Sister Pearl by a length while racing on the front end.

The field also includes Flirting Song and Runaway Brae, who finished heads apart in last month’s West Virginia Breeders’ Classic Distaff at 1 1/8 miles. Runaway Brae also was a close second to Down Town Allen in this race two years ago.

KEY CONTENDERS

Down Town Allen (Last 3 Beyers: 73-81-75)

◗ Unbeaten in five starts this year and a winner of 24 races and $998,787, Down Town Allen is always a short price. If there’s a distance at which she might be vulnerable, it’s going three turns and 1 1/8 miles.

Red Hot Diva (Last 3 Beyers: 76-73-63)

◗ She comes into this race fresh. The 77 Beyer Speed Figure she earned in winning last year’s My Sister Pearl matches the number Down Town Allen earned in winning the 2012 running of the stakes. If Red Hot Diva is ever to topple the queen of West Virginia-breds, this is the spot.

Autumn Affair (Last 3 Beyers: 63-56-55)

◗ This 7-year-old was trounced twice by Down Town Allen this season, but those races were at seven furlongs. In her lone try at 1 1/8 miles, Autumn Affair missed by a neck to Red Hot Diva. She is a live longshot if she’s ready while making her first start since June.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years, trainer Tim Collins is 0 for 6 with horses returning in a route off a layoff of 60 to 180 days.

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Flirting Song (Last 3 Beyers: 68-70-69)

◗ She was no match for either Red Hot Diva or Down Town Allen when they met this season, but she won her first start going 1 1/8 miles. She needs to run much faster than that, however, to contend.