Oaklawn: Arienza back for American Beauty

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Arienza was all the rage last meet at Oaklawn Park, where this daughter of 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri won the first two starts of her career and then ran second in the Grade 2 Fantasy.

Saturday, she returns to the site of her greatest hits looking to recapture her best form in the $50,000 American Beauty. The six-furlong race for fillies and mares drew a strong cast of 11, including stakes winners All About Allie, Rattlin Gypsy, Mindy Sue, and Gleaming.

Arienza has raced twice since last Oaklawn. She finished eighth as the favorite in the Grade 3 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs on May 6, and fifth in a second-level allowance in the slop, also at Churchill, on Nov. 3.

“She had a little strain in her back leg after the Eight Belles, so we stopped and gave her some time,” said Dan Peitz, who trains Arienza for Robert and Lawana Low. “In the race last time, the track was really deep, muddy that day, and she was down inside. I don’t think she was real crazy about the racetrack.”

Arienza has since been working sharply at Oaklawn, where a year ago she won her maiden by 2 1/2 lengths March 6, then earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 90 for a first-level allowance win March 27. She proceeded to run second to leading Kentucky Oaks candidate Joyful Victory in the Fantasy.

“Now we’re back here, the track she’s happy with, and we’ll try to get her to kind of show what she showed us here last year,” said Peitz.

Peitz said in time, the plan is a return to two turns for Arienza, whose dam won three runnings of the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn. Arienza, who is 4, is by Giant’s Causeway. She will break from post 7 under Gabe Saez.

Gleaming will be returning to racing with fillies and mares after just missing against males in the $50,000 Silver Goblin for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park on Nov. 25. Before that race, she won the $113,000 Oklahoma Classics Night Distaff at Remington. Gleaming is also a winner at Oaklawn. Cliff Berry has the mount for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Sharp Tongue Lady, a winner of back-to-back conditioned allowances at Fair Grounds, and Starlite Starbrite, who was second in a wide-open allowance in New Orleans in her last start Dec. 18, were cross-entered in Saturday’s $75,000 Pan Zareta at Fair Grounds.