Horsemen’s Park: Sibling rivalry in Falls Amiss

Spice Swirl returns to defend her title against her younger sister as a field of five older Nebraska-bred fillies and mares go one mile in the $27,500 Falls Amiss Handicap at Horsemen’s Park.

Spice Swirl and Sookie’s Kookies are homebred half-sisters out of the Miracle Heights mare Shesaidsheknowsya, and they are owned by Roger and Barb Luebbe’s Shady Bend Thoroughbreds. The pair will go uncoupled in the wagering for trainer Brian Roberts as a trend of short statebred fields continues through the oppressive heat of this summer in Nebraska.

Spice Swirl and Sookie’s Kookies have met five times this year with 5-year-old Spice Swirl holding the 2-1 edge in stakes victories. Sookie’s Kookies, the 4-year-old younger sister, scored in the Runza Stakes at Fonner Park back in April going six furlongs. Spice Swirl captured the Orphan Kist Stakes at Fonner Park in March and most recently took the Matchmaker Stakes at Lincoln by 5 3/4 lengths. Jake Olesiak will be aboard Spice Swirl while Jason Eads has the mount on Sookie’s Kookies.

T Jays Affair, trained by Doug Anderson, has yet to score a victory against the sister act but finished ahead of both in the 6 1/2-furlong Al Swihart Stakes on May 5. She was a narrowly beaten third, missing by three-quarters of a length, in Sookie’s Kookies’ Runza Stakes win. She will have Luis Ranilla in the irons.

All three own stakes wins over the track. Along with Spice Swirl’s win in this race last year, Sookie’s Kookies took last year’s Fantango Lady Stakes for 3-year-olds and T Jays Affair won the Fantango Lady in 2010.