Loosends goes right into stakes

Given a choice, trainer Tony Dutrow would have preferred to see his 2-year-old filly Loosends make her second career start in a two-turn allowance race.

Rather than wait for the ideal spot, Dutrow has chosen to take a shot with Loosends in Saturday's $100,000 Blue Hen, a 1 1/16-mile stakes at Delaware Park.

"I would have liked to run her in an allowance going long," Dutrow said of Loosends, who easily won her career debut by 6 1/2 lengths going a mile on Sept. 25. "But then again, most of the fillies in the race are probably in the same position as us. I want to keep Loosends in a two-turn race, so if I don't run here, then it will be a while until an allowance race going long fills.

"She's doing very well and she's ready to run," Dutrow added. "So we're going to take a look at the Blue Hen and see what happens."

Based on Beyer Speed Figures, Loosends needs to run considerably faster in the Blue Hen to be competitive. Her 55 Beyer is modest compared with the figures of a pair of New York shippers from high-profile barns and those of Love Locket, a Todd Pletcher filly who is 2 for 2 in two-turn races.

, the most experienced horse in the field, with five starts, stretches out beyond 6 1/2 furlongs after finishing second, earning an 85 Beyer, in the Grade 3 Astarita at Belmont. Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, 4 for 7 with horses switching to a route off two sprints the past two seasons, will bring along Swap Fliparoo's regular rider, Andrew Lakeman.

Much like Loosends, is moving directly from a maiden win in her debut into stakes company. A daughter of A.P. Indy who sold for $210,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky sale in October 2004, She's Indy Money came from off the pace to score by 2 1/4 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race at Belmont that was worth a 75 Beyer.

The likely favorite, however, is , who most recently won an overnight stakes at Delaware on Sept. 24. Noncompetitive in her career debut sprinting at Saratoga, Love Locket has won two in a row with identical 66 Beyers since Pletcher switched her to longer distances.

Other contenders include Rasta Farian, who returns to dirt after two sharp efforts going long on turf, and Just Sailing, who easily won her career debut for trainer John Servis going 6 1/2 furlongs at Philadelphia Park.