Miss Triss better as a stalker

When Miss Triss last raced Sept. 28 at Hawthorne, she uncharacteristically went to the front and faded to finish a distant third in a 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Drawn against a field with significantly more speed in Sunday's eighth race at Hawthorne, a $30,000 second-level allowance at a mile on turf, she seems likely to revert to her usual, more effective stalking style.

Four entrants exit sprints, seemingly ensuring that the pace should be lively. This group of sprinters includes some of the favorites, such as Gnightsweetdarlin, Lindsey's Wish, and Mizzcan'tbewrong.

Miss Triss, breaking from the inside post, appears well positioned to sit just behind the speed and pounce in the stretch at her best distance of a mile. That is how she last won two starts ago at Arlington Park on Aug. 16, rallying from fourth and surging to a two-length victory.

Her other win came in similar fashion for trainer Rusty Arnold and owner Du-Zee Stables on March 28 at Gulfstream Park, where she won a mile grass race after tracking the leaders. Jose Ferrer rides.

Although untested going a route, Gnightsweetdarlin looms a major factor. She won her first two starts before running a close second in her most recent outing, Sept. 20. The latter race was arguably her best race, as she broke awkwardly and raced wide, and yet finished just a neck short of victory going five furlongs on soft turf.

Francisco Torres has been named to ride by trainer Wayne Catalano, who trains Gnightsweetdarlin for owner Frank Calabrese.

Also likely to attract support is Lindsey's Wish, who makes her first start on grass after winning 2 of 4 starts on dirt, including the Goldfinch Stakes at Prairie Meadows on April 26.

Two Quarter Horse races open card

Sunday's 11-race card begins with a pair of Quarter Horse races. The first is a maiden $10,000 claimer at 350 yards, and the second a straight maiden contest at 400 yards.

Hawthorne assistant general manager Jim Miller said the track, working with the Illinois Quarter Horse Association, is trying to run four such races this fall to "slowly build up interest for Quarter Horse Racing in Illinois."