Lizzie’s Rayne tries to stretch speed in three-turn Fantasy Stakes
Lizzie's Rayne appears to hold the best hand as Hastings 2-year-olds try a route of ground for the first time in parallel co-features Saturday. The $75,000 Glen Todd Fantasy and the $75,000 Glen Todd Ascot will each be contested over 1 1/16 miles with lightly raced youngsters the rule rather than the exception on the final weekend of the season.
The Glen Todd Fantasy drew just a pair of prior winners, with three-time stakes winner Lizzie's Rayne seeking to wrap-up divisional honors as the strong favorite. The Dave Milburn trainee is out of a mare who won three routes at Hastings, so it doesn't figure to be distance alone that will get in her way.
The main threat to the favorite figures to be Viva La Diva, trained by Barbara Heads, who didn't make her debut until the Sept. 16 Sadie Diamond Futurity in which she dueled eye to eye with Lizzie's Rayne for early supremacy and was gallant in defeat while eventually finishing third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Viva La Diva has since won a maiden race while gaining precious experience in preparation for her initial three-turn assignment.
Viva La Diva “grew so much from the time she was broke I really had to take time with her” before getting to the races, Heads said. “The schedule is a little tight, [but] she is all business and more like a colt.”
Another Heads trainee in the Glen Todd Fantasy field is Acoustic Melody, who shipped to Hastings last month for her fourth career start and was runner-up to Viva La Diva in that stablemate's maiden score on Sept. 30.
“She is a very nice filly and I was so pleased to see her step up and show us something,” Heads said. “I would be so surprised if she didn't love the distance.”
Among the many other maidens in the Fantasy field are Brooke Magic, trained by Mel Snow; Eddie's Girl, trained by Edgar Mendoza; Lonie Mo, a debuter trained by Robert Maybin and bred by Glen Todd; and Skysablazing, trained by Bruce Unwin.
The Glen Todd Ascot has as a headliner August Rain, who is still another trained by Heads. The son of Sungold has two stakes wins to his credit but found himself out of position early in the Jack Diamond Futurity on Sept. 16, when he finished sixth as the 3-2 favorite.
“He acts like he will run all day and has been a very professional little horse," Heads said.
The Jack Diamond Futurity winner, Wealthy Texan, comes from the Snow barn and was a surprise winner of the Futurity in his first career start even though his dam had won first time out as well. Wealthy Texan drew away at the end in his bow and eventually figures to enjoy a longer distance, although his current lack of race experience could easily work against him Saturday.
Emerald invader Whiskey Harbor won an early season stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs there in which none of the starters had raced more than once and in which the rest of the field had combined for a single win. The son of Rise Up does have the advantage of having already raced at Saturday's distance when fourth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths, in the Gottstein Futurity on Sept. 17 at Emerald. The Pat Jarvis trainee is one of just a pair in the field to have raced as many as four times.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.