Louisiana Downs: Suzy Zip tough on turf

With serious turf experience hard to find in the Elge Rasberry Sales Stakes, Suzy Zip's 2-for-2 record over the surface carries considerable clout in the one-mile race. The only problem is that she isn't a Louisiana sales graduate and therefore is eligible for only the $50,000 base purse of the Rasberry and not the additional $100,000 available to horses that passed through a sales ring in Louisiana.

A total of 11 3-year-old fillies are entered in the Rasberry, including the James Hudson-trained entry of Lucky Intuition and Miss Silver who, along with Sparkling Diamond, Miss Dylan, Vickies in Town, Riina, and Biduadeu, are eligible for the additional $100,000.

Suzy Zip debuted on the grass in late May and made short work of a group of nonwinners-of-two $30,000 claimers. A daughter of City Zip, she came right back in first-level optional company six weeks later and again left no doubts with a solid rally from off the pace to win by 1 1/4 lengths. With the abundant speed in the Rasberry, Suzy Zip should once again receive a nice setup. Francisco Torres, aboard for both of her turf victories, will ride her again.

Go Atm, a stakes winner on dirt, will be making her turf debut for trainer Wes Hawley. Claimed by Hawley out of a nonwinners-of-two $20,000 claimer in March at Fair Grounds, Go Atm won the Crescent City Oaks in her next start.

Her most recent start was a runner-up performance in the Fantasia Stakes here on Aug. 2. Leading Don Simington again rides.