Mannerly looks sharp for stakes debut in Indiana Grand

Brendan Walsh already trains one of the best 3-year-old turf fillies in North America, Proctor’s Ledge, and Walsh might have a second capable stakes horse in the same division.

Mannerly raced three times last fall and winter in California, came into Walsh’s barn earlier this year, and since has won both her starts, switching from dirt sprints to turf routes. Mannerly tries for her third straight win when she makes her stakes debut Wednesday in the $200,000 Indiana Grand over one mile on turf, one of four stakes on the card at the Indiana track.

“She’s a pretty nice filly,” Walsh said. “We’ll get an idea how good she really is after this.”

Mannerly does step up in class in the Indiana Grand, which drew 11 other entrants, but none of her rivals stands out, and Mannerly’s maiden win two starts ago at Churchill Downs came over three horses who quickly returned to win maiden special weight races.

Especially notable was the manner of Mannerly’s recent first-level allowance win at Indiana Grand. At Churchill, in her eye-catching maiden score, Mannerly showed good positional speed and won from near the front, but on Aug. 16 she broke outward and hit the side of the gate, and found herself last of nine into the first turn. There Mannerly stayed, still ninth with three-sixteenths of a mile left to race, before launching a remarkable rally, knifing between horses and getting up by a nose from what seemed an impossible position.

“It looked like where was no way she’d get there,” Walsh said. “The whole plan went out the window after the start, but she still got it done, which is admirable for a filly without a lot of experience.”

Walsh believes there is plenty of pace entered in the Indiana Grand, and he probably is right. Youngest Daughter led all the way scoring a 51-1 shocker in the $100,000 Ta Wee on July 20 at Indiana Grand, but she is no sure thing to make the front Wednesday with quick stretch-out sprinter Excessive Spending drawn a couple stalls to her outside. Still farther out in the gate Sully’s Dream and I’m Betty G also could fuel early and middle fractions.

Lovely Bernadette finished third, beaten less than one length in the Ta Wee, and though she never was stopped, her passage while she finished well between horses in that race wasn’t unobstructed. She should be closing into a strong pace, while New York shipper Bellavais, who could vie for favoritism, probably will stalk in the first flight behind the speed.

Lady Fog Horn clear Henderson favorite

Lady Fog Horn clearly has been the best older Indiana-bred filly or mare, turf or dirt, the last two years, and she figures to be an odds-on favorite Wednesday to win the $100,000 Florence Henderson Stakes for the third year in a row.

Lady Fog Horn is a perfect 4 for 4 on the Indiana Grand turf course, and routinely has dominated statebred-restricted competition. However, she missed an intended start in July, and shows just one recent workout for the Henderson, her first start since July 4.

Lady Fog Horn also must deal with a sharp 3-year-old rival, Marina’s Legacy, who won the $150,000 First Lady last month at Indiana Grand by more than seven lengths. The First Lady was on dirt, but Marina’s Legacy showed turf ability last year.