Indy Miss back from vacation

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - With only two starts in her career, Indy Miss has the least experience of the 10 3-year-old fillies in an optional claimer on Thursday at Hollywood Park.

But the way she started her career, with a victory in a one-mile turf race at Del Mar last summer, has left trainer Richard Mandella optimistic that Indy Miss can run well on Thursday in her first start since October.

If runs well on Thursday, she could be pointed to stakes later this summer. Owned by Gerald Ford's Diamond A Racing Corp., Indy Miss has not started since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita last October.

"She's doing well," Mandella said. "She won her first out at Del Mar, and I tried her in the Oak Leaf Stakes but she didn't like the dirt."

Mandella said that Indy Miss was turned out during the winter because she "kind of fell apart on me mentally," but that she has trained well in recent weeks. Mandella's stable has a strong record with horses returning from layoffs of more than six months.

"I'm just hoping that she runs well," he said. "I'd like to get her going. She's not a great work horse. She did win her first start last year."

Thursday's race is at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Indy Miss drew post 7 in a race that includes three fillies who have won or placed in stakes.

won the Black Swan Stakes at Fairplex Park last September but is winless in her last seven starts. Trained by Rafael DeLeon, I Can See is entered for an $80,000 claiming price.

was second in the Blue Norther Stakes on dirt at Santa Anita in January. She was fourth in a one-mile allowance race on turf on May 17, her most recent start.

Trainer Bobby Frankel starts the European import Malinche, who placed in a listed stakes in England last August. Malinche has not started since finishing 15th of 16 in a listed race in Italy last October.

The race marks the first start against winners for Charming N Lovable, who won a one-mile maiden race on turf by 3 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita on April 22. Trained by Paddy Gallagher, Charming N Lovable has returned to work quickly on the Hollywood Park turf course.

The pacesetter may be Man Hunter, who was fifth in the Senorita Stakes on May 6.