Magnetic Miss a major threat on all surfaces

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - She wins on synthetic, she wins on fast dirt, and Magnetic Miss can win in the mud.

"The only track she won't run on is at Fair Grounds," said trainer Spanky Broussard.

So really, it shouldn't have come as a great surprise to find this summer that Magnetic Miss could handle grass, too. Still, bettors were skeptical when she made her turf debut on July 24 at Arlington, but Magnetic Miss rewarded believers with a $14 win payoff. She backed up that turf-sprint victory with a nose loss to stakes-class Taletobetold in another Arlington Park turf sprint on Aug. 15, and Magnetic Miss figures to be favored in the featured ninth race Friday at Arlington.

The race, carded at about five furlongs on turf, is open to $62,500 claimers, and has all kinds of allowance permutations. Suffice it to say Illinois-bred Magnetic Miss, a nine-time winner with earnings nearing a half-million bucks, is a strong fit.

Asked if he had anticipated Magnetic Miss's turf ability, Broussard said: "No, I didn't, and neither did anybody else. 'Cause you don't know if they'll run on turf till you try them on it."

Magnetic Miss has speed and a favorable outside draw, but bettors should keep in mind that she's not all that far away from a more lucrative Illinois-bred stakes spot at Hawthorne. No way her connections are emptying the tank now with that spot just over the horizon.

But who might take her down? Magnetic Miss has already successfully dealt with return rivals such as Candy Cane, Taylor Madison, and Whataclassybroad in recent Arlington turf sprints. Adorably Dangerous makes her grass debut, and could pressure the likely favorite on the lead, but might not be good enough to do more than that.

There are a couple new players at the class level and/or distance. Si Si Mon Ami is entered under the $62,500 claiming option after winning a second-level allowance race Sept. 6 while being turned back to a turf sprint from a series of one-mile tries. And Fabulous Babe also might have a chance. She has turned in decent performances in short two-turn turf races, and though Fabulous Babe never has tried a turf sprint, she has run well before in synthetic-track sprints. An alert break could land Fabulous Babe an ideal spot right in behind the leaders, but whether she has enough talent and grit to track down the more accomplished Magnetic Miss is an open question.