Pan Zareta prep draws salty group
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
NEW ORLEANS – A turf allowance sprint serving as a prep for next month’s Pan Zareta Stakes for older fillies and mares highlights a nine-race card Sunday at Fair Grounds.
The race at about 5 1/2 furlongs has an optional-claiming condition, but none of the nine runners was entered for the $62,500 price. The top two finishers from last season’s Pan Zareta – Seeking Ms Shelley and Good Deed – are among five stakes winners in a deep field.
KEY CONTENDERS
Seeking Ms Shelley (Last 3 Beyers: 76-79-79)
◗ She hasn’t won since the Pan Zareta last January, she’s 8, and she hasn’t raced since late September, but trainer Joe Duhon is enthusiastic about how she’s coming into this race.
“This is the best she’s ever done, the best she’s ever been,” he said. “I’m asking her to outrun these young horses.”
◗ She has won 13 of 26 starts.
◗ Her stalking style might be an asset in a field with plenty of early speed.
Good Deed (Last 3 Beyers: 82-90-110)
◗ She hasn’t raced since running third in the Mardi Gras last March. The layoff was due to “little aches and pains,” trainer Steve Margolis said, and now, “for being 5 and turning 6, she’s doing really good.”
◗ She’s another batting .500 for her career (7 for 14).
Pirate’s Trove (Last 3 Beyers: 69-92-79)
◗ A 3-year-old whose only loss in four starts came in the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland in her last start, she’ll be making her turf debut.
“We worked her on the grass [at Arlington],” trainer Mike Stidham said. “We liked the way she went. The plan was to get her on the grass at some point.”
◗ Her sire, Speightstown, has been a solid turf influence.
◗ She won two stakes on the synthetic surface at Woodbine.
Snappy Girl (Last 3 Beyers: 76-80-69)
◗ Karl Broberg trainee defeated Seeking Ms Shelley twice, at Remington Park and Evangeline Downs. Snappy Girl also finished third against males in the $300,000 Evangeline Turf Sprint, won by stablemate Heitai.
Angie’s Prim Lady (Last 3 Beyers: 86-79-78)
◗ She’s on a three-race winning streak and was claimed for $62,500 in her last start by trainer Tom Amoss, who has a 37 percent win rate off claims this year.