Olivia's Choice must deal with lack of pace in move to dirt

Invader Olivia’s Choice is the one they’ll have to fend off late in the featured $25,000 claiming event on Saturday at Emerald Downs. The Irish-bred daughter of Australian sire Elzaam was purchased by Jeremy Ramsland and recently shipped from California to the barn of Justin Evans.

“She’s doing great,” Evans said, adding that the filly is “very smart-feeling. Hoping she has a very bright future in our barn.”

Olivia’s Choice has yet to race on dirt but was a solid finisher in three consecutive starts over Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields earlier this year. Evans described her as “a filly I’m very excited about.”

The main concern for Olivia’s Choice on Saturday is the speed-favoring nature of the Emerald surface in a race where there are few committed front-runners. A handful of entrants have done okay racing near the pace in the past, but a lack of serious speed is no small obstacle for the likely favorite.

A possible pacesetter is Donne Cattive who began poorly from the inside post in each of her prior 2023 outings and will break from the outside Saturday. Donne Cattive’s lone career win was earned in gate-to-wire fashion.

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Comebacker Queensboro, making the first start of her 4-year-old season, is another possible pace factor and should improve a great deal with the additional maturity that is typical between ages 3 and 4.

Tom Wenzel-trained Princess Payton will be stepping into the claiming ranks for the first time as she looks for a confidence boost after an uninspiring return to racing. Princess Payton is another who would appreciate a lively pace to set up her best finish, although she was pretty handy in her first two starts a year ago.

The Blaine Wright-trained Reservoir was an easy winner in a $5,000 maiden-claiming event at Golden Gate in February and has since held her own at this level in two Emerald Downs starts. Reservoir finished two lengths behind Olivia’s Choice in April at Golden Gate in a race from which five runners have returned on the main track with three wins, a second, and a third between them.

Shelby Gold drew the rail and has been fairly steady in 2023 for trainer Frank Lucarelli. The daughter of Harbor the Gold was fourth in a pair of stakes at Emerald Downs last year as a 2-year-old before winning a maiden race late in September.

Clear and sunny skies are expected throughout the three-day racing weekend that culminates on Monday with the annual Fireworks Spectacular after the evening race card.

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