Miss Missile looks imposing in Texas sales futurity

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Miss Missile established she has excellent speed in her first start, when she set a track record for 4o1/2 furlongs at Lone Star Park. She can establish her class on Saturday, when she makes her stakes debut in the $100,000 fillies division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity.

The five-furlong race is one of two restricted stakes on the card. The other is the $100,000 colts and geldings division of the TTA Sales Futurity, which drew the promising Kinetic Motion.

Miss Missile ran 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.18 seconds on a fast track April 28, lowering the mark of 51.19 set by the gelding Polevault in May 2005. One start later, Miss Missile won a five-furlong trial race for the Sales Futurity.

Miss Missile covered the distance in a trial-best time of 58.61 seconds, rolling to a one-length victory in the slop here May 24. She earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 88, which will send her to post favored on Saturday.

"I think she'll throw the best race of her career so far," said Charlie Smith, who owns and trains Miss Missile. "She's galloping really strong, and she's stayed in the feed bucket, and we're not dealing with any 2-year-old common problems.

"I think that last race will have tightened her down pretty nice, and she'll be on tilt come Saturday."

Miss Missile, a daughter of Golden Missile, figures to race near the pace under regular rider Justin Shepherd.

"She's got enough natural speed that I think we'll be close," said Smith. "I look for something similar to the last couple of races. She'll be in good position, and when they head for home I think whoever is challenging her, or whoever we're challenging, we'll be lined up across the track and then fly home. And I'm hoping she flies home first."

The chief threat could be Valid Lilly, who is one of four starters in the field for trainer Steve Asmussen. He has won 7 of the last 8 runnings of the fillies division of the Sales Futurity dating back to 1999. Valid Lilly won her trial for this race and has a 2-for-2 career record, just like Miss Missile.

Kinetic Motion a true speedster

Kinetic Motion is the force to be reckoned with in the colts and geldings division of the Sales Futurity. He powered to a 3 3/4-length trial win in the slop on May 25 in his debut. Kinetic Motion dueled on the lead and drew off, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 76.

"It was a beautiful race," said Allen Milligan, who trains Kinetic Motion for Poindexter Thoroughbreds. "I loved it. He was very professional.

"My only concern was running in the mud, but he handled it well. I know he can run on a fast track, but I was concerned about the mud. But he just scooted right across it."

Kinetic Motion, who is from the first crop of the Mr. Prospector stallion Hussonet, figures to be prominent again Saturday.

"He'll be very close to the front," said Milligan. "He's just a speedy kind of horse."

Shepherd has the mount on Kinetic Motion.

The chief threats include the Asmussen-trained Groomsman and Namesake.