Justalittlesmoke, Needmore Flattery meet in Scarlet and Gray
Two Ohio-bred fillies who put together three-race winning streaks this season, Justalittlesmoke and Needmore Flattery, will clash for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Scarlet and Gray Handicap at ThistleDown.
The 3-year-old Justalittlesmoke was sharp early in the year, winning three straight sprints, including a wire-to-wire score against open company in the Austintown Filly Sprint at Mahoning Valley in April. She will be making just her second start since mid-May, however, and is just 1 for 4 at ThistleDown.
The 4-year-old Needmore Flattery, chosen as Ohio’s best horse in each of the last two seasons, lost three straight to begin her campaign but won three in a row by wide margins during July and August. She cuts back to six furlongs after four consecutive two-turn races. She has not won sprinting since last November.
The other intriguing horse cutting back in distance is Floral Sky. She upset last year’s Scarlet and Gray at 13-1 and woke up at 36-1 last time out when second to Needmore Flattery in the 1 1/16-mile Pay the Man.
KEY CONTENDERS
Needmore Flattery (Last 3 Beyers: 70-70-69)
◗ Although she is 4 for 8 sprinting, six of her last seven victories have come in routes. She spots her rivals between two and 11 pounds as the 122-pound highweight.
Justalittlesmoke (Last 3 Beyers: 70-51-72)
◗ She returned from nearly three months on the sidelines to finish second despite stumbling at the start in a second-level allowance Aug. 12. The horse who beat her, Chella, returned to extend her winning streak to six races on Sunday at Churchill Downs.
◗ Justalittlesmoke is 4 for 5 with one second going six furlongs.
Blazing Bling (Last 3 Beyers: 52-33-75)
◗ Fourth in this race last year, she will be making her first start in two months. Her eight lifetime wins locally include the six-furlong Angenora in June.
Floral Sky (Last 3 Beyers: 62-45-0)
◗ She rallied from 11th, 12 lengths behind, to win this race by a neck last year. She was clear through the first six furlongs of the Pay the Man before giving way in deep stretch of the two-turn race.
Beth’s Bling (Last 3 Beyers: 52-39-48)
◗ This Presque Isle-based 3-year-old is 2 for 2 at ThistleDown but needs to run substantially faster to threaten the top contenders while making just her second try against stakes company.