Lotta Attitude looks to stay straight in Seattle Handicap

AUBURN, Wash. – Trainer Blaine Wright knows that his filly, Lotta Attitude, could be up against it Sunday in the $50,000 Seattle Handicap at Emerald Downs. Her task in her first stakes appearance would have been tough enough – and then Wright got word that Lotta Attitude would have to compete against City by the Bay, an undefeated stakes winner from California making her Emerald Downs debut.

The Seattle, for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs, attracted a field of eight. City by the Bay is likely to be a prohibitive favorite. Lotta Attitude will be in the next group, along with contenders Strawberry Dawn, Chu and You, and perhaps recent maiden winner Just a Love.

It’s a difficult assignment for Lotta Attitude, a daughter of Sharp Humor who captured a first-level allowance in her last start. City by the Bay was dominant in her final start of 2013, winning the restricted Barretts Debutante at Fairplex by more than eight lengths. Lotta Attitude, meanwhile, has struggled to maintain a straight path in her recent starts. She lugged out on the turn in her allowance victory, squandering the lead, and had to re-rally through the final furlong.

“Hopefully, she can run with this type. We’ve always thought we had a nice filly,” Wright said. “But she’s a tough horse to breeze. She must not focus very well. We never had a problem with her getting out in any of her races at Golden Gate, but now that has surfaced. We have a couple of things we’ve been trying to work on, and hopefully, things will go all right for us. It’s a pretty competitive race.”

Lotta Attitude will have a new pilot, as Isaias Enriquez replaces Juan Gutierrez, who opted to ride Chu and You. Enriquez got acquainted with Lotta Attitude during her May 25 workout, and his first meeting with the quirky filly went well, Wright said. But with the speedy City by the Bay in the lineup, it will be imperative that Lotta Attitude take a more direct path to the finish.

“Sooner or later, that’s going to get you beat,” Wright said. “She definitely has some things she can improve on, but if you look at her races in Northern California, she hooked some pretty nice fillies. That Uzziel, she won a hundred-grander at Santa Anita. And the filly who beat her the next time was sold for a big chunk of change. So she’s run against some good ones.”

Wright plucked Lotta Attitude out of the 2012 Washington September yearling sale for $15,000 on behalf of longtime clients John and Janene Maryanski. The ownership team later grew to four when Gerry and Gail Schneider partnered up. So far, so good for all concerned: Lotta Attitude has earned $34,253 through five starts. The Seattle will be her toughest test to date.