Lake Shabla should run well fresh

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The best racing at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago on Thursday could turn on a pair of Irish-born, Kentucky-based trainers. Eddie Kenneally sends out the Polytrack prospect Lake Shabla in the second race, while David Carroll has Master Mizzen for the eighth.

Race 2 is for second-level allowance horses at one mile on Polytrack, and Lake Shabla is one of just six horses entered. A Kentucky-bred, Lake Shabla made her first seven starts in England, showing a little something on turf, but more on the all-weather surfaces at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.

Imported to the U.S., she made her first start for Kenneally on March 30, easily winning a 1o1/16-mile entry-level allowance race on Turfway's Polytrack while running her final quarter-mile in 24 seconds and change. Lake Shabla hasn't run since, but Kenneally does well with intermediate layoffs, and Lake Shabla has worked steadily at Keeneland.

Three others merit attention in race 2. Tour d'Aura has wired two straight Illinois-bred allowance races this meet, her form having leapt forward with a move to Polytrack. Storm Rolling In has gone 2 for 3 at Thursday's distance, and has worked fast since a sub-par showing July 7 in Illinois-bred stakes company. And finally, Lisa M seeks to win for the first time since she got her nose down in front last Sept. 10 in the Arlington-Washington Lassie. Rested from March to July, she was a decent fourth last out in her Polytrack debut.

Race 8 is for 3-year-old entry-level allowance horses or $50,000 claimers at one mile on turf, and drew a full field of 12 plus two more horses on the also-eligible list. There are plenty of contenders, but one gets the sense there are better things to come from Master Mizzen, who was beaten a neck June 29 going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill in his second grass race.

"I think the mile will probably suit him better this time," said Carroll.

Master Mizzen won his debut by three lengths racing six furlongs on the Fair Grounds dirt this past winter, and was a good third facing winners for the first time there, but Master Mizzen ran poorly in subsequent tries on Keeneland Polytrack and Churchill dirt.

"For some reason, after Fair Grounds he kind of lost his way a little bit, but we decided to try him on turf, and he got back on track in his last two races," Carroll said.