Lady Rosberg stands out in Emerald Distaff Handicap

AUBURN, Wash. – Lady Rosberg, a smashing winner of the Boeing Handicap in her last start, is likely to be a prohibitive favorite Sunday in the $65,000 Emerald Distaff Handicap on the Longacres Mile undercard. The Emerald Distaff is the seventh race on the card, one race before the Mile. The 11-race program starts at 2 p.m. Pacific.

Only five horses were entered to face Lady Rosberg, who was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93 for her 5 1/2-length victory in the one-mile Boeing. It was her fourth career stakes victory and her first at Emerald Downs. Previously, she captured a trio of stakes on the turf course at Turf Paradise.

Lady Rosberg was 4-1 in the Boeing, while Kikisoblu, her Tom Wenzel-trained stablemate, was a strong favorite. Kikisoblu, who finished third, is skipping the Emerald Distaff, leaving Lady Rosberg as the clear favorite. Among her challengers are Sarahline, Alli Leigh, and Our Little Hen – the second-, fourth-, and eighth-place finishers behind Lady Rosberg in the Boeing.

Also in the field are Among the Stars, who has won 3 of 4 starts since being claimed for $12,500 by owner John Parker in mid-May, and Madame Pele, a late-running half-sister to Longacres Mile favorite Stryker Phd. Among the Stars and Our Little Hen are likely to set the pace, with Sarahline and Lady Rosberg in close pursuit.

KEY CONTENDERS

Lady Rosberg (Last 3 Beyers: 93-78-80)

◗ A versatile 5-year-old by Rosberg, a son of A.P. Indy, Lady Rosberg has won 7 of 14 starts. She’s 3 for 6 on turf and 4 for 8 on dirt. She’ll be handled by Gallyn Mitchell, Emerald’s all-time leading jockey.

◗ Her owner and breeder, Karl Krieg, is poised for a big day with Lady Rosberg in the Distaff and the late-running Absolutely Cool in the Longacres Mile. Both are trained by Wenzel.

Sarahline (Last 3 Beyers: 83-77-73)

◗ She’s trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, who has won the Distaff three times in the past 10 years.

◗ Sarahline is just 1 for 12 in her career, with six seconds, but posted a career-best 83 Beyer in the Boeing in her first start on dirt.

Our Little Hen (Last 3 Beyers: 80-30-61)

◗ Once a bottom-level claimer, Our Little Hen shot up the class ladder in California, winning four successive starts on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields. She was eased in the Boeing Handicap but bounced back with a snappy victory over allowance foes July 26.