Northlands Park: Terlani on best game for Madamoiselle

Terlani was lucky to survive a horrific training accident at Hastings last year, but she appears to be on top of her game heading into the $50,000 Madamoiselle Handicap at Northlands Park on Friday. The mile and a sixteenth race for fillies and mares drew seven horses and headlines an eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Pacific.

Trainer Frank Barroby still shakes his head in disbelief that Terlani could not only survive being hit by a loose horse, but that she came back to run again last year. The loose horse Epicurean hit Terlani as she was pulling up after a workout. Terlani flipped over and it appeared she was either dead or seriously injured.

“Luckily the horse hit her in the butt,” said Barroby. “She was pretty shaken when she came back to the barn but she bounced back pretty quickly. She’s a tough mare.”

Terlani is also a hot horse right now. She is coming off a win over Gosailgo in an allowance race going a mile and a sixteenth at Hastings on June 22, and she looked very sharp working five furlongs in 59.60 seconds July 26. Gosailgo earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure when she came back to win the $50,000 Boeing Handicap at Emerald Downs on July 7.

In her previous race, Terlani finished second behind Dance the Wind in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun at Hastings on June 9. Enrique Gonzalez retains the mount.

Madeira Park appears to be coming back to the form that earned her the champion 3-year-old filly title in Alberta last year.

Trained by Dave Forster, Madeira Park rallied to win a $35,000 optional claiming race by five lengths July 19, and that makes her undefeated going a mile and a sixteenth at Northlands. Last year she won the $50,000 Sonoma by 8 1/4 lengths and the $50,000 Duchess of York by six lengths.

Tempered Sapphire, trained by Rod Cone, took advantage of a fast pace to beat Regal Tigereyes and Madeira Park in the one-mile $50,000 John Patrick. There should also be an honest pace for her to work with in the Madamoiselle.

Saturday Nite Ride is coming off a win in a first-level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Hastings on June 30, and won’t mind the move to a middle distance. She won a one-mile maiden special weight race at Santa Anita in February and finished third in a first-level $40,000 optional claiming race in her next start. The winner, Egg Drop, won two of her next four races and finished second going a mile on the turf in the Grade 2, $150,000 Royal Heroine at Del Mar July 6. Saturday Nite Ride will be making her first start for trainer Dennis Terry.