G W's Girl, Innocence square off in Dixie Belle

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – G W’s Girl and Innocence will each be looking for their second career stakes win Saturday when they meet in the $150,000 Dixie Belle for 3-year-old fillies at Oaklawn Park.

The six-furlong race also drew the stakes-placed runners You’ll Be Back, Whata Moon, and Spankerboom. The field of seven also includes recent Oaklawn winners Gunite Max and Miss Martini.

G W’s Girl should go favored off a sweeping, off-the-pace win in the Mockingbird Stakes on Jan. 4 at Oaklawn. The start was the first on dirt for G W’s Girl. She began her career with a pair of turf starts, including a close fifth against males in the Indian Summer at Keeneland in which she was ridden by Jose Ortiz. For her effort in the Mockingbird, G W’s Girl earned a strong Beyer Speed Figure of 87.

“Obviously, we learned she can handle the dirt,” trainer Greg Compton said. “I felt good about it going in. After she ran at Keeneland, Jose Ortiz worked her for us at Keeneland on the dirt a couple of weeks after the race, and he had told me he thought the surface wouldn’t matter with her. She’s a nice filly, and he said, ‘I think you’ll probably end up winning a stakes race. This is a stakes horse.’ ”

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G W’s Girl won the Mockingbird over Shisospicy, who returned in her next start to win a Gulfstream Park allowance with a Beyer of 86.

“She ran a really nice race down there going five-eighths on the turf,” Compton said of Shisospicy. “It’s nice to see her come back and kind of validate [the Mockingbird]. Now, we need to step up and give it a little bit more.”

G W’s Girl could get the right kind of setup when she breaks from post 6 under Francisco Arrieta.

“There’s a lot of speed in there,” Compton said. “I think she gets the same kind of trip.”

G W’s Girl is a daughter of Munnings who races for Mag Racing Stables.

Innocence is coming off an authoritative win in the Borderplex on Jan. 17 at Sunland Park. She pushed the pace in the 6 1/2-furlong race, then went on to a five-length victory.

“I think she finally ran to her looks and her pedigree,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “She’s a beautiful filly, huge pedigree. Man, it was great to see her shake loose.”

Innocence is a daughter of top-class sire Into Mischief. She’s out of the stakes-winning mare Treasuring, who is from the female family of Belmont Stakes winners Rags to Riches and Jazil. Innocence races for her breeders, Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run Ventures.

Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount from post 3.

You’ll Be Back is cutting back to one turn off a runner-up finish in the Year’s End Stakes at one mile on Dec. 29 at Oaklawn. She was a winner the last time she raced at six furlongs, taking a maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. Cristian Torres has the mount from post 7 for trainer Tom Amoss.

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