'Ducks' back at her best distance

AUBURN, Wash. - Light My Ducks will return to her best game on Sunday when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in the Emerald Downs feature, a six-furlong test to be run under $25,000 optional claiming conditions.

Light My Ducks, one of three 3-year-olds in the field, is coming off a pair of route tries in which she set the pace for six furlongs. She tired to finish well behind A Classic Life on July 31 and Sariano on Sept. 2. Before the distance experiment, Light My Ducks, a daughter of Basket Weave, won 2 of 4 sprint attempts, including a front-running victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Red White and Blue Handicap on July 4.

Light My Ducks narrowly defeated Roanaway Bride in the Red White and Blue, and Roanaway Bride came back to beat two others in the Sunday feature on Sept. 18 before running third in the John and Kitty Fletcher Stakes at a mile here last Sunday.

Among those beaten by My Roanaway in an optional $40,000 claiming test at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 18 was Parioli's Legacy, who could be the main threat to Light My Ducks on Sunday. Parioli's Legacy, a 4-year-old trained by Jim Penney, tired after showing the way and was beaten 7 1/2 lengths by My Roanaway. She earlier defeated optional $25,000 company at a mile from off the pace, however, and she could rebound with a return to what appears to be her best style.