Marks Mine should be fit for Oak Tree Distaff

When the $100,000 Oak Tree Distaff was announced as a six-furlong sprint stakes at the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meet, some suggested the race should be named the Marks Mine Invitational for Northern California’s top female sprinter.

Marks Mine’s trainer, Steve Specht, knew the race would be anything but a walkover, and when the field of nine was drawn for Saturday’s race, he was proven correct.

“It’s going to be a tough race,” Specht said. “When you put up that much money, you know good horses will show up.”

The field includes five stakes winners, three of whom have beaten Marks Mine in California-bred stakes. Together, they have 14 stakes wins and more than $1.5 million in stakes earnings.

Specht is not conceding anything. He knows Marks Mine will have to bring her “A” game, but he wouldn’t trade places with anyone and knows that it will take the “A” game of a rival to beat Marks Mine.

“She’s doing well,” Specht said of the 4-year-old Benchmark filly, who has won 8 of 17 starts, including four stakes. She’s hit the board in 10 of 11 stakes tries, including a pair of Santa Anita seconds and a victory at Golden Gate Fields this year.

Specht has worked Marks Mine harder in training for this race than for many of her prior races.

“It’s been a long time between races,” Specht said. “I didn’t want to come into this and feel I didn’t have her completely ready.”

Marks Mine has had six works in the two months since her last start, earning bullets in the final three.

“I gave her a good three-quarters [1:13.60, best of eight June 5], a good five-eighths [1:00.20 from the gate, best of 53 on June 15], and good half [47.80 seconds, best of 77 on June 22],” Specht said.

Marks Mine drew post 4, just inside Tribal Gal. Tribal Gal set the pace in last year’s California Wine Stakes, finishing third as Marks Mine ran second behind Let Faith Arise.

“She’s a fast filly,” Specht said of Tribal Gal. “I was hoping we’d draw a little farther apart.”

Top Kisser beat Marks Mine off a nine-month layoff in the Spring Fever Stakes on April 26. She’s won 5 of 10 starts but disappointed in the Mizdirection Stakes on turf in her last start May 25 at Santa Anita.

Qiaona, who defeated Marks Mine at a mile last year in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes and outfinished Top Kisser in the Mizdirection, could be the one to hold off in the lane.