Finger Lakes: Lisa’s Booby Trap, Nicole’s Miss El take on boys in Tuesday allowance

Two of the most successful mares to have raced at Finger Lakes over the past three seasons, Lisa’s Booby Trap and Nicole’s Miss El, will challenge male sprinters in Tuesday’s allowance feature. The five-furlong race, for horses who have not won an allowance or any race for New York-breds this season, attracted a field of six.

Lisa’s Booby Trap was the feel-good story of the 2010 Finger Lakes season. Trainer Tim Snyder bought the then 3-year-old filly early that year for $4,500, including his life savings of $2,000, with the balance to be paid after her first win. He named her after his late wife, Lisa, who once mentioned that if reincarnation were possible, she would like to come back as a racehorse.

Lisa’s Booby Trap won her first three starts at Finger Lakes, then captured the $70,000 Loudonville Stakes for statebreds at Saratoga. She remained highly competitive when Snyder focused on allowance races at Finger Lakes in 2011, winning 5 of 7 starts. Lisa’s Booby Trap went winless in three starts in 2012, but was never worse than third. Overall, she is 8 for 11 at Finger Lakes entering her 6-year-old campaign.

The 5-year-old Nicole’s Miss El owns a 6-for-8 record locally, but her last Finger Lakes win came in September 2011. She will be making her third start of the season after finishing fourth in a pair of stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct. Nicole’s Miss El displayed her fitness for Tuesday’s start by working a best-of-28 four furlongs in 47.40 seconds locally May 1.

The two biggest threats Lisa’s Booby Trap and Nicole’s Miss El face are 8-year-old gelding Too Tough Pete and Passing Time, a 5-year-old who has been at least second in 11 of 15 starts locally. Both will be making their second start of the season after facing each other April 20.

Too Tough Pete did not get away from the gate smoothly in his season’s debut, but still managed to get fourth, three-quarters of a length ahead of sixth-place Passing Time. Too Tough Pete has lost six straight since his last win over $12,500 claimers in August. His trainer, John Salvato, is 0 for his last 13 with sprinters second time back from a layoff, including 0 for 3 with Too Tough Pete.

Passing Time was a five-time winner in 2012, including a pair of allowances for statebreds last August.