Hotshot Anna on track for Presque Isle Masters

Hotshot Anna is a competent sprinter on turf and even better on dirt, but what she does far better than anything else is race over synthetic surfaces.

After easily winning the Chicago Handicap on June 23 over Arlington’s Polytrack surface, Hotshot Anna returned from a freshening to dominate the $100,000 Satin N Lace Stakes on Aug. 20 over Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. That makes the $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes on Sept. 17 an obvious spot for Hotshot Anna, and owner-trainer Hugh Robertson plans on doing the obvious.

“As long as everything goes okay, that’s where she’ll run,” said Robertson, who figures Hotshot Anna will work once between starts. “I thought she ran pretty well there last time. She’s a good shipper.”

Hotshot Anna, by Trappe Shot, cost $20,000 at auction and is closing in on $300,000 in career earnings.

A horse who might be even faster than she, Wynn Time, rejoined Robertson’s stable at Arlington just less than a month ago after getting a summer freshening. Wynn Time, a 4-year-old Illinois-bred, ran two of the fastest sprint races of early 2018 in the Hot Springs Stakes and the Count Fleet Handicap at Oaklawn. Robertson said Wynn Time could return to racing at Fair Grounds this fall.

Sharp 2-year-old fillies go separate ways

Winning Envelope and Carnival Colors, two of the more impressive 2-year-old maiden winners this meet, have taken different paths.

Winning Envelope is on track to start in the Arlington-Washington Lassie on Sept. 8, trainer Chris Block said Friday. The Lassie would mark Winning Envelope’s second race and first since owner Bob Lothenbach bought her following a sharp debut score on Aug. 11. Winning Envelope since has worked once for Block, who plans to breeze the filly again sometime this weekend.

Carnival Colors ran all right in her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Arlington, but excelled Aug. 16 in a two-turn maiden race rained from turf onto Polytrack. Carnival Colors, who got a 73 Beyer, won by 11 1/2 lengths and galloped out by many more than that, but after considering a start in the Lassie, trainer Mike Stidham and the filly’s owner, Godolphin, have decided to give Carnival Colors a look on dirt. The filly left Arlington for Stidham’s stable at Fair Hill, where she had her first dirt work Aug. 30.

“We were happy with the way she finished and galloped out,” said Stidham. “There’s no set plan yet. We’re looking at several dirt options.”

◗ Sunday’s featured third race, a filly-and-mare turf-route allowance, will go without morning-line favorite Prado’s Sweet Ride, who will race Saturday at Kentucky Downs in the $250,000 One Dreamer Stakes.