Lefty Who goes for sixth consecutive win

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Good acts can be tough to follow and great ones virtually impossible to duplicate, but trainer Joel Marr may have the rare exception.

Marr campaigned the recently retired Peppers Pride to a remarkable 19-for-19 career record, but the soft-spoken trainer now has a new big horse - a diminutive 3-year-old gelding named Lefty Who. The son of Quinton's Gold will be shooting for his sixth win in as many starts as he takes on nine rivals in Saturday's $125,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds at six furlongs.

"They are kind of different," said Marr when asked to for a comparison of Lefty Who and Peppers Pride. "As a gelding, Lefty has had more opportunities to run at this stage in his career. More races mean more wins."

Lefty Who's last two starts came at a mile - a neck victory in the Eddy City Stakes at Zia Park and a 1 1/4-length win in the Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland Park.

"He is a very small individual," Marr said. "We were not sure he would get a mile when we started him at Zia Park, or even afterward as he narrowly got the job done. We were very pleased with his most recent start in the Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland. He settled down and finished up well. He just does what it takes to win."

Marr has no reservations about turning back to a sprint in the Pepsi Cola with Lefty Who.

"It looks like we will be coming from off the pace," he said. "There are some newcomers in there and what looks to be lots of speed, especially the colt down on the rail."

Marr is referring to Bewild Hennessy, one of only a few in Saturday's field that hasn't finished behind Lefty Who. The Todd Fincher-trained Bewild Hennessy won the Copper Top Futurity last April, and after a lengthy freshening won a prep for the Pepsi Cola here in early January as the 3-5 favorite.

Others of note in the field include Spring to Teras, Waymore's Blues, and Lesters Secret. Each finished second to Lefty Who in stakes last year.

Ruff Dome, impressive winner of both of his starts, will be making his stakes debut in the Pepsi for trainer Fred Danley.