Gilchrist waits on decision for his fillies

ALBANY, Calif. - Participation by Greg Gilchrist's 3-year-old fillies Indyanne and High Resolve in Saturday's $75,000 Sausalito Stakes will be a "game-time decision," the trainer said.

High Resolve and Indyanne drew next to each other in posts 4 and 5 for the six-furlong stakes race against six male rivals.

"This is not a practice you want to attempt all the time," Gilchrist said of sending younger fillies into a race against older males.

But he thinks they are two special fillies.

Indyanne has won 5 of 6 starts, including the Grade 3 Azalea at Calder and Grade 3 TCA at Keeneland, which earned her a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She developed a slight fever, however, and had to scratched from the BC Filly and Mare Sprint.

High Resolve has won 6 of 8 starts, including four stakes.

Neither filly has finished off the board.

"They have nice records. How can you do much better?" Gilchrist asked.

"But they are still 3-year-old fillies running against older horses."

Both also are nominated to the $65,000 Playa Del Rey, a six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares at Hollywood Park on Thanksgiving Day. Gilchrist will check the nominees for that race before making his final plans for the Sausalito.

"I may split them up. We could run both here or neither, and we could do the same at Hollywood," he said.

Gilchrist entered the pair in the Sausalito because it could serve as a possible prep. He is looking at the Grade 1 La Brea at seven furlongs in late December at Santa Anita for Indyanne and the Sunshine Millions the next month for High Resolve. The timing of the Sausalito works well for both of those races.

"You need some kind of race to get to that point," Gilchrist said.

One reason to split the stablemates is that both have the same front-running style. There's plenty of other speed in the race, with Bound to Be MVP, A Cat Named Sipe, and Esperamos.

The race could set up for Siren Lure or former claimer Return of the King. Siren Lure is winless the past two years but is a Grade 1 winner.

Assessment rounds out the field. He picked up checks in Emerald Downs stakes this summer, including in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile.

The 3-year-old A Cat Named Sipe, who is 3 for 4 in his career, makes his stakes debut following a second in his Oct. 15 comeback here.