Hotshot Anna could be synthetic star in making

Since the start of 2016, and until this past Saturday, only 15 horses had earned a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure over synthetic surfaces in North America. Hotshot Anna became the 16th when she got a 101 Beyer out of her win in the Grade 3 Chicago Handicap, in which she set an Arlington seven-furlong track record of 1:20.93.

That was only Hotshot Anna’s second start on a synthetic surface, and her first – a troubled career debut two summers ago – doesn’t really count against her. So as solid as Hotshot Anna has been on turf and even better on dirt, she might reach another level on synthetic tracks like Arlington’s.

With that in mind, an obvious major target for the Trappe Shot filly would be the $400,000 Presque Isle Masters on Sept. 18. That’s a long way off, but Hotshot Anna already has raced five times this year and is probably due for a freshening anyway.

“I might wait on her,” owner-trainer Hugh Robertson said. “She runs well fresh and she ran basically all winter. She’s a small filly, and I imagine this race will take something out of her.

Princess La Quinta considers Modesty

Princess La Quinta won the Grade 3 Arlington Matron over 1 1/8 miles last month, but while she tried hard Saturday in the Chicago Handicap, and finished a respectable second behind Hotshot Anna, seven furlongs was short of her best lick.

With that in mind, trainer and part-owner Jim Gulick is seriously considering a relatively quick turnaround in the July 7 Modesty over 1 3/16 miles on turf.

“That will probably be our next move,” Gulick said. “She seems to have come out of the race pretty good. She’s really strong and puts a lot into her daily stuff, so she won’t need much [hard training] at all for the Modesty.”