Oklahoma invaders look sharp for Iowa Stallion stakes

Hey Baby runs in the $60,000 Iowa Stallion Filly Stakes, and one race later, Lone Assassin goes in the $60,000 Iowa Stallion Stakes, and it’s not a bad guess that the two horses came from Oklahoma to Iowa for good reason.

Indeed, it appears that it will take some guessing to figure out who is going to win the co-featured races on Saturday night at Prairie Meadows. The two races, both at one mile and 70 yards, are restricted to 3-year-olds whose sires were nominated to an Iowa breeders’ group auction four years ago and whose connections kept up with nomination fees to the stallion-stakes series.

The two Oklahoma shippers are trained by Scott Young, who is batting a strong .200 for 2017, and Hey Baby in particular looks well spotted in the filly race. An Oklahoma-bred by Save Big Money, Hey Baby has compiled a 2-1-1 record from five starts, and she appeared to improve at least moderately when stretched out from sprints to two-turn racing this past spring.

Hey Baby won a first-level allowance race in her two-turn debut, then was second by a neck in the $55,000 Cinema Handicap on April 24. Hey Baby never has raced outside of Oklahoma-bred competition, but this heavily restricted race is no step up in class. It’s been the better part of three months since Hey Baby started, but Young (21 percent wins, $1.97 ROI from the most recent sample) has proven capable with similar layoff types.

The locally based filly Battle Queen is listed as the 7-2 morning-line favorite but has faced only Iowa-breds and never has raced around two turns. Honolulu looks like a better prospect, especially at 6-1 on the line, but must overcome post 9.

The Young-trained Lone Assassin is an iffier proposition in race 9, the Stallion Stakes division that’s not sex-restricted, but he is one of only two horses among 12 entered with a two-turn win. Granted, that win came in a $15,000 maiden claimer, but Lone Assassin is not without a chance.

Shweet Persuasion could rule a tepid favorite but will have to overcome a very poor draw in post 12 to win. Trained by Kelly Von Hemel, the Iowa-bred by Discreetly Mine has been solid in a four-start campaign at this meet, though he did not finish with a lot of zeal last out while making his route debut.

Drawn in post 11 is another win chance, K Kash, who rallied from 18 lengths behind to win a conditioned-claiming two-turn race at Prairie Meadows last out in just his second start over a route of ground.