Last year's champ vs. '05 queen

AUBURN, Wash. - Last year's local 2-year-old filly champ and the leader of this year's 3-year-old filly set will square off in Sunday's $60,000 Kent Handicap. A Classic Life and Queenledo are among a field of 10 3-year-old fillies in the 1 1/16-mile Kent.

A Classic Life won all three of her starts here at 2, including the one-mile Barbara Shinpoch, en route to being named the best of her division. A Classic Life was scheduled to test her mettle against graded stakes company in the Arlington Lassie after last season's Emerald meeting ended, but an injury derailed those plans and she has yet to regain her winning stride in two starts this year, both at Arlington. Trainer Grant Forster hopes that Sunday's return to familiar surroundings will bring out A Classic Life's best form.

Queenledo has been dominant in A Classic Life's absence this season, winning three straight stakes. In her last start, the Tim McCanna-trained Queenledo dispatched a field of six with her trademark quick move turning for home and coasted to a two-length victory over entrymate Gins Majesty in the one-mile Irish Day Handicap June 12.

Queenledo will pick up two pounds off that effort and carry high weight of 124 pounds on Sunday, when she will concede five pounds to A Classic Life. Gins Majesty, who will again race coupled with Queenledo, has also been assigned 119 pounds and may be primed to upset. Gins Majesty won two straight before running a troubled second to Queenledo in the Kent.