Hot City Girl ready for Willa On the Move Stakes

As a 3-year-old last season, Hot City Girl won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks and missed by a half-length in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita to close her nine-race campaign.

This year, however, a persistent foot problem has limited Hot City Girl to just three starts. Trainer Linda Rice said Hot City Girl finally looks ready to race for the first time in nearly four months in the $100,000 Willa On the Move Stakes at Laurel Park.

The six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares is one of four stakes on Saturday’s card. The other three are for Maryland-bred and Maryland-sired horses – the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity and the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, both at seven furlongs, and the $75,000 Howard M. Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.

Hot City Girl, who faded to sixth when she tried to stretch her speed to seven furlongs for the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie in February, will be making her first start since wiring New York-bred fillies and mares in the 6 1/2-furlong Union Avenue at Saratoga in mid-August.

“We had been struggling with a foot abscess,” Rice said. “I had entered her twice and on both occasions had to scratch her because we just didn’t have her quite where we needed her to be. But she seems to have it behind her now, so we’re excited about running.”

Hot City Girl’s seven rivals include Kentucky shipper Athena, winner of the one-mile Thirty Eight Go Go in her only previous visit to Laurel last December. Also entered is Sweet On Smokey, winner of two overnight stakes this season and second by a neck in the $100,000 Pink Ribbon going seven furlongs at Charles Town two starts ago.

◗ Rockinn On Bye, good enough to hit the board in a pair of Grade 3 sprint stakes this season, including a runner-up finish last time out in the Frank De Francis Memorial Dash, will try to snap an 11-race losing streak in the Bender Memorial.

His eight opponents include the 3-year-old Morning Fire, a close second as the even-money favorite in the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap two starts ago; and Sonny Inspired, a two-time stakes winner in Maryland this season and third in the Grade 3 General George in February.

◗ Item, who narrowly won the Maryland Million Lassie two starts ago; last-out maiden winner Lucky in Malibu, cutting back from 1 1/16 miles after winning her first start on dirt; and Crabcakes, wheeling back a week after romping by five lengths in her career debut; are among the contenders in a wide-open Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship.

◗ O Dionysus, a daylight winner of a restricted stakes at Parx Racing while racing on Lasix for the first time; Bonus Points, shipping in from New York for trainer Todd Pletcher; and Greatbullsoffire, winner of the Maryland Million Nursery in October; are logical contenders in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity.