Littlemiss Allison drops into allowance

Littlemiss Allison should appreciate the class drop when she runs in an allowance race at Northlands Park Saturday. The six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares has a $40,000 claiming option, but none of the six horses entered is in for a price.

Littlemiss Allison won't mind the move back to a sprint after getting outrun by Summer Song in back-to-back stakes races going 1 1/16 miles. She finished fourth in the $75,000 City of Edmonton Distaff and second in the Madamoiselle.

Before hooking into Summer Song, Littlemiss Allison won the one-mile John Patrick in July. She has good speed, drew the rail, and her usual jockey, Ricky Walcott, will likely have her involved right from the start.

The other speed in the field, Rare Crystal, drew outside, but she might be quick enough to clear early. Trained by Jim Meyaard, Rare Crystal is shooting for her sixth straight win at the meet, all sprints. She started her streak in a $20,000 claiming race on May 13. Her latest win came in a $40,000 optional race on Aug. 7. Her sharp bullet four-furlong move in 45.60 seconds on Sept. 4 is a sign she's ready for another big effort despite the layoff.

Sassy Sarah also has decent speed, and if an all-out duel develops on the front it could set up nicely for Wild Intent, who is coming off of a second-place finish in the Fall Classic Distaff on Sept. 19.

w According to racing secretary Jason Teague, jockey Hugh Huston is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken vertebrae in his neck. He was injured when a horse he was working on Sunday morning broke down.