Forestier a favorite with flaws

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - What do you call a filly who blew three clear leads in 2004 and who was outgamed at 3-5 in her only start this year?

Her name is Forestier, and you call her the probable favorite for Thursday's eighth race feature at Aqueduct.

The six-furlong allowance is for older fillies and mares that have not won twice "other than," and the Todd Pletcher-trained Forestier looks like a slight choice over Lasik in a field of six.

drew the rail, and gets her sixth different jockey: Richard Migliore, the top percentage rider at the meet.

The sky appeared to be the limit for Forestier at this time last year. After a debut maiden victory, she raced twice in minor stakes at Laurel, each time setting the pace to deep stretch and settling for second. Then came an apparent breakthrough performance on Aqueduct's main track in early March, when she rated just off the leaders and took over under a hand ride to win an allowance with a Beyer Speed Figure of 91.

That effort earned her a start in the Miss Preakness Stakes in May, but after rallying to within a head of the lead in midstretch she weakened and ran fourth.

Forestier did not race again until the final week of the year. Sent off at 2-5 in a restricted stakes at Calder, she gave way late after setting the pace. Nearly seven weeks later, Forestier returned at Gulfstream in a second-level allowance, and lost by a half-length while receiving her lowest Beyer in more than a year.

The New York-bred Lasik has been freshened for seven weeks by trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who holds a slim lead in the trainer standings over several pursuers. She will break from post 3 with leading rider Rafael Bejarano.

, a four-time winner, has not started since stretching out to wire a preliminary allowance at a mile and 70 yards in the slop nearly two month ago. She has four published works since then, however, and won off a similar layoff at Saratoga last year.

Also in the field are Special Menu, in the money 12 of 13 starts; Miss Park Place, a two-time winner at this meet; Crafty Move, a last-out winner; and Behrnik, in the money in all five of her inner-track starts.