Marwood ready to rebound upon return to main track

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Marwood, fourth in the Hillsborough on the grass in her last start, looks ready to rebound in her return to the main track in Saturday's $55,000-added Golden Poppy Handicap at Bay Meadows.

Six fillies and mares signed up for the one-mile event, including Marwood's stablemate Gonetorule.

Marwood is unbeaten in two main-track stakes starts, although her victory in the Luther Burbank at Santa Rosa came after stablemate Hippogator was disqualified for interfering with her in the stretch.

Her fourth-place finish in the Hillsborough last month snapped a streak of five straight on-the-board stakes finishes.

Marwood's stakes debut came this spring in the Miss America Handicap when she was second to Hippogator. She then was second to A B Noodle in the Grade 3 Yerba Buena.

She followed up those two turf races with a victory in the Alameda County Fillies and Mares Handicap and a win in the Luther Burbank on the main track before making it three straight stakes victories in the Autumn Leaves on the turf here on the opening weekend of racing.

Gonetorule, who gave trainer Jerry Hollendorfer his 4,000th career victory in April, won the Santa Clara Handicap here at Saturday's distance in May.

Although the Hollendorfer runners appear tough, trainers Neil Drysdale and Greg Gilchrist find the Golden Poppy an attractive spot for Beaucette and Frisco Belle, respectively.

Multiple stakes winner Frisco Belle won the one-mile Palo Alto here one year ago. She will be making her first start since a third-place finish in the Desert Sky Handicap at Turf Paradise on May 1.

"I've worked her pretty hard, but this won't be the best race she'll run," Gilchrist said. "When you're out of conditions, you run where you can. I didn't see any sense sprinting her."

Although Frisco Belle won the Palo Alto on the main track, she might be better on the turf.

Drysdale chose the Golden Poppy for Beaucette's stakes debut, and she figures to be Marwood's main threat.

"Obviously, the idea is to get black type, which will make her more valuable. She is a Mr. Prospector filly," Drysdale said.

A 4-year-old filly, Beaucette began her career in England before being brought back to the United States, where she has scored all three of her career victories.

She has won two straight allowance races at Del Mar since a brief freshener.

"She ran a few times close together so we just backed off a bit," Drysdale said. "She's improving. She can run well in front or a bit off the pace. She's not limited. It depends upon how the race unfolds."

With speedsters Devil Dancing and Irish Femme to set the pace, Beaucette will be a stalker Saturday.