Fast filly tries to get distance
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Stylish Wildcat has used remarkable quickness to win 4 of 6 starts. She won her first stakes April 21 in the Monterey Handicap over five furlongs on turf at Bay Meadows, and will try for her second stakes win Friday in the restricted $60,000 Tuzla Stakes at Hollywood Park.
But if Stylish Wildcat has a weakness it may be the six-furlong distance of the Tuzla, which is run on turf. Her four wins have come over five and 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, while her lone loss came in an optional claimer over six furlongs on dirt last fall.
"The only bad race she had was when I ran her on dirt," trainer John Sadler said. "She was starting to tail off a little bit so we gave her a little rest after that."
Stylish Wildcat has won two races this year, both over five furlongs on turf at Bay Meadows. In each race, she led throughout and won comfortably. Sadler said he avoided starting Stylish Wildcat, 4, over 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita during the winter.
"I didn't want to run 6 1/2 furlongs, but I'm not worried about six," he said. "For sure, we know she's good at five furlongs."
"She's got raw speed. She should win."
Owned by Lee and Susan Searing's CRK Stables, Stylish Wildcat has the ability to run a sub-45-second half-mile. Normally, such a pace would leave her clear of her rivals, but she could be joined on the front in the Tuzla by Udriga.
Trained by Jorge Periban, Udriga has won her last two starts, both at Santa Anita, a $40,000 claimer on the hillside turf course by 2 3/4 lengths on March 7 and a $50,000 claimer on a wet-fast track over 6 1/2 furlongs by 10 lengths on April 20.
Udriga joined Periban's stable in late winter after trainer Ruben Cardenas temporarily dispersed his horses because of an illness.
Periban said Udriga has improved with each start and deserves to start in the Tuzla, which is restricted to fillies and mares that have not a stakes worth $60,000 to the winner since Aug. 1.
"The last two times she was very good," Periban said. "She's a different filly. At the beginning, she was always nervous and tried to run off. Now, she's calm. I think she has the talent."
Udriga won a turf-sprint stakes at Turf Paradise in May 2006.