Overheard should like added distance in Modesty
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – For all the travel required to get the field to Arlington, one would think the Modesty Handicap were a $500,000 race, not a Grade 3 with a $100,000 purse.
The field is composed of shippers from Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Canada, and California, as well as a handful of locals, and it appears as competitive as it is diverse.
One horse unlikely to run is Notte d’Oro, whose connections plan to race her Saturday at Canterbury Park instead.
Key contenders
Overheard (Last 3 Beyers: 92-83-92)
* Woodbine-based trainer Malcolm Pierce has sent only two runners to Arlington, including Dance Again, who could finish only 12th in the 2014 Modesty. Owner Pink Oak Farm, however, won this race in 2004 with Bedanken.
* A decent-enough third last out at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Nassau, she got a great ground-saving trip but could not quite finish with the top two despite favorable luck.
* It seems counterintuitive, but even though Overheard faded late in the one-mile Nassau, the 1 3/16-mile Modesty might better suit her. She has a first and a second in her only two starts as far as 1 1/8 miles, and her steady style might prove a better fit for a longer, slower-paced race.
Mango Diva (Last Beyer: 81)
* English import finished seventh in her U.S. debut, the Gallorette Handicap on the Preakness undercard, a race in which she never really got involved. She wound up wide on the far turn, and trainer Michael Matz said Mango Diva will stick closer to the front Saturday than she did at Pimlico.
“She should probably lay closer to the pace this time,” Matz said. “We’ve kind of found some little things out since we ran her.”
* Has the best company lines in the Modesty and was competitive last year with several fillies overseas who are solid Group 2 types, form that would make her formidable if she can get back to it.
Lots o’ Lex (Last 3 Beyers: 89-84-67)
* Locally based filly just romped in a second-level allowance on the Arlington turf, a performance that Sandra Atkins, assistant to trainer Gerry Aschinger, said was easily a career best.
“She finally settled off the horses on the lead, just like I want her to,” she said.
Gaga A (Last Beyer: 89)
* Uruguayan-bred imported from France has overseas form a cut below Mango Diva’s but ran better than Mango Diva in winning her U.S. debut, albeit with a perfect trip in a short field.
* Trainer Neil Drysdale won with his only Arlington starter in the last five years, Marsh Side, who took the 2010 Arlington Handicap at 9-2.
Riposte (Last 3 Beyers: 84-83-86)
* A shadow of the high-class filly she was last year, she has come to Arlington seeking class relief but is a “bet against” at a short price based on her current form and likely underlaid price.