Hawthorne: Abundantly Blessed ready

Abundantly Blessed is one of a handful of contenders in Saturday's $40,000 Kissapotumus Stakes for older fillies and mares going six furlongs at Hawthorne.

Abundantly Blessed was 22-1 when she fell a neck short of catching the leg-weary pacesetter Chispiski in the Grade 3 Chaposa Springs at Calder last December.

She was taken more seriously in her next start, the Manatee Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 25, but a change in running style produced an entirely different result. Breaking from the rail, Abundantly Blessed went to the lead early but faded to seventh. Unraced since, Abundantly Blessed has worked strongly in recent weeks for her Thistledown-based trainer, Tim Hamm.

Smoke Chaser, a stakes winner at Arlington last year and at Tampa this winter, also exits a poor performance in the Manatee Stakes.

Normally a stalker, Smoke Chaser lunged in the air at the start of the Manatee and remained in the back of the pack for most of the race. An improved effort is expected Saturday.

Three fillies bring two-race win streaks into the Kissapotamus. Win Won and Tejano Honey both won stakes last fall at Hawthorne and both possess competitive Beyer Speed Figures. The other filly, Seattle Lake, is a former claimer with consecutive allowance wins at Hawthorne.