Heaven's Voice trying a distance

Hannah's Dowery is the only horse in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile, $50,000 Shine Again Stakes at Pimlico with a victory around two turns. But her uncoupled stablemate Heaven's Voice has the sharpest form and might be the one to catch.

Only five Maryland-bred fillies and mares entered the Shine Again, and as a group they are a collective 1 for 10 in two-turn routes.

That win belongs to Hannah's Dowery, a 4-year-old trained by Chris Grove. She romped by nearly six lengths going 1 1/16 miles in a first-level allowance at Charles Town last August and took a one-turn mile at Laurel in her last start of 2009, in late November.

In four starts this season, Hannah's Dowery has hit the board only once and has lost her last three races by a combined margin of 48 1/2 lengths.

In contrast, Grove's other entry, Heaven's Voice, comes off a 6 1/2-length score that produced a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure that is by far the best last-race number in Saturday's field. But that good effort came in a super-short 4 1/2-furlong sprint at Charles Town, and Heaven's Voice has not run beyond seven furlongs in her 14-race career.

Among the others, American Victory beat open company in a first-level allowance going a one-turn mile in January but has raced just once since then, finishing a nonthreatening fifth going nine furlongs on turf.

Holiday Girl shows some good recent races sprinting on Polytrack and turf, but was seventh in her only race beyond seven furlongs. The last time she raced on dirt, Holiday Girl did finish second in a second-level optional claimer going seven furlongs at Laurel.