Juvenile filly Inject flaunts speed in debut

A first-time starter last Friday at Ellis really turned some heads. Inject, from the first crop of the young sire Frosted, earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure – the highest of the meet for a 2-year-old – after being ridden out to a six-length victory in a five-furlong dirt race that went in 57.67 seconds. Julien Leparoux was aboard the filly for owner Louie Wright and trainer Stan Hough.

Inject was produced by the 16-year-old mare Appealing Zophie, making her a half-sister to Tapwrit, the 2017 Belmont Stakes winner, and Ride a Comet, the 2018 Del Mar Derby winner.

“We just love her,” Hough said. “She’s nominated to the Pocahontas and Spinaway, but those come up pretty fast. In all probability, we’ll take it a little slower and wait for an allowance at Keeneland and then something later at Churchill. But she does act like a special filly.”

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◗ A first-time starter named Navratilova will run Friday in the first race at Ellis, and trainer Rusty Arnold is hoping the filly has the kind of game her first two dams did.

Named by owner-breeder G. Watts Humphrey Jr. in honor of the retired tennis great Martina Navratilova, the 2-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly was produced by Centre Court, who in turn was produced by Let. Both were multiple graded winners.

“I hope she continues the class,” Arnold said.

◗ Back-to-back allowances (races 7 and 8) and three maiden specials (races 1, 4, 9) are among the offerings Friday at Ellis, where the penultimate three-day weekend of the meet starts with a solid nine-race card.

Saturday will bring more of the same, with three allowances and three maiden specials anchoring a 10-race card. First post daily is 12:50 p.m. Central. No more stakes remain at the meet.