Litfin's preview: Classy fillies on turf

Thursday, April 24 preview

The richest race of the day, and probably the one to go to school on, is race 5, a $65,000 maiden special weight at 1 1/8 miles on turf which attracted some impeccably bred fillies. Cloture, a homebred from the connections of Orb, looks to be headed the right way after an improved effort in her recent 4-year-old bow, but younger rivals Lady Lavery and Touch the Star could move up significantly off their initial turf routes at Gulfstream Park last month, when they both broke poorly and were victimized by a lack of pace.

Touch the Star, a Juddmonte Farms half-sister to multiple stakes winner Etoile Montante, puts blinkers on for Bill Mott. Lady Lavery, a Darley Stable half-sister to multiple stakes winner Skylighter, will almost certainly show more. She is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who is a 30 percent winner with second-out maidens since the start of 2013.

In a potential prep for races like the upcoming Fort Marcy (May 3), Kingston (May 31), or both, six turf-meant New York-breds go in race 7, a high-end optional claimer where some familiar faces return to the circuit. Lubash and Kharafa, who squared off five times last year, renew hostilities, but this is by no means a two-horse race due to the presence of Notacatbutallama, a Grade 3 winner on turf and dirt last year, and Pinball, who has won all five of his starts in 2013-14 on turf and dirt against steadily tougher opposition.