Five last-out winners square off

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The $41,000 first-level allowance feature Tuesday at the Meadowlands is a highly competitive affair, with five last-out winners in the nine-horse field.

Strikewhileitshot, Stars Night Out, Flagged, High on Candy, and Sure Start all scored recent victories heading into this 1 1/16-mile race.

Flagged showed the most improvement, scoring his maiden victory by 9 3/4 lengths at Penn National. The 3-year-old gelding, a $300,000 yearling purchase, will be making only his third start.

He debuted in August at Delaware Park, showing brief speed before fading. Next time out, Flagged's Beyer Speed Figure jumped from 47 to 82, a number that makes him competitive in this spot with Channing Hill aboard.

High on Candy last tackled allowance company in June at Monmouth Park, running third in an off-the-turf situation. His next five races were all claimers and the 3-year-old gelding trained by Jane Cibelli seems finally to have found himself. High on Candy won his last two, for claiming prices of $20,000 and $35,000 with Beyers of 80 and 81.

Daniel Centeno, the rider for both wins, retains the call.

Strikewhileitshot crushed the competition, rolling to his first win by 21 1/2 lengths as the 1-2 favorite at Delaware Park for trainer Michael Matz. Jose Lezcano, taking advantage of the dark day at Belmont Park, has the mount.

Stars Night Out posted allowance wins in his last two, exhausting his New Jersey-bred conditions. Trainer Mary Dowling's homebred put up Beyers of 77 and 82 in the victories, encouraging numbers as he ventures into open company.

Sure Start wouldn't mind a wet track. He returned from a five-month layoff to win a starter allowance in the slop at Philadelphia Park for trainer Ramon Preciado.

Like Stars Night Out, Themanmythnlegend is out of New Jersey-bred conditions after winning a pair of statebred allowances this summer at Monmouth. He is a possible play for fans of the turf-to-dirt angle. In only his second grass start, Themanmythnlegend kicked home solidly to finish seventh, beaten 1 1/2 lengths at 44-1. Usual rider Shannon Uske will be on the homebred for Lloyd Kromann and family.

Stealth Missile makes his second start following a freshening by trainer Bruce Levine. After running seventh in an allowance race at Saratoga on Aug. 1, Stealth Missile returned to action on closing weekend at Monmouth, finishing second in a similar race.

Needtogetpaid and Indian Reservation complete the field.