Fast filly must get clean start

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Many races are won and lost at the starting gate, and that may be where Classy Concern will win or lose Friday's featured eighth race at Gulfstream Park. The seven-furlong first-level allowance is restricted to Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Classy Concern has the speed to lead her seven rivals from start to finish if she leaves the gate cleanly. That, however, is something she did not do in her last start, when she stumbled at the break and finished last of seven against open company on Feb. 23.

Six weeks earlier, Classy Concern used her abundant speed to dominate high-priced maiden claimers by 10 3/4 lengths. Classy Concern was claimed out of that race by trainer Patrick Reynolds for $62,500.

Picturemewithroses is the only member of Friday's lineup capable of keeping Classy Concern honest up front. In fact, she benefited from Classy Concern's unlucky beginning to control the pace under similar conditions before fading through the stretch in her first start of the year. Picturemewithroses posted a bullet five-furlong drill in 1:00 after that start, but shows no other recorded works during the last three weeks.

Should Classy Concern and Picturemewithroses hook up on the front end, the race could set up for a stalker like Mymymyboogieshoes or a deep closer such as the undefeated Betty Is Ready.

Mymymyboogieshoes has won 5 of 10 starts, including 3 of 4 during the current meet. Mymymyboogieshoes was claimed for $50,000 by trainer Scott Lake out of an easy five-length victory on Feb. 11, then wheeled back just five days later only to encounter traffic problems leaving the backstretch and finishing fifth behind Betty Is Ready. Mymymyboogieshoes got a little rest after that outing, then returned and matched her career best Beyer Speed Figure defeating mid-priced statebred starter allowance foes March 20.

Betty Is Ready rallied from near the rear of the pack to win her only two starts, including a $50,000 starter allowance against open company by 1 1/4 lengths on Feb. 16. She blew out three furlongs in 34.60 seconds here last weekend.