Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante has familiar look

The good news is the $50,000 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante lost to a weather cancellation on Nov. 25 at Hawthorne is back on Friday’s 10-race card. The less-than-good news is that nothing has changed about the race in six days.

The same six 2-year-old fillies are back in the Whitworth, which is restricted to Illinois-breds kept eligible to the race through a series of payments. Two of the entrants, Wayne Catalano homebreds Brilliant One and Be Authentic, have never raced, though that alone does not rule them out of contention.

:: Want to get the latest news with your past performances? Try DRF’s new digital PPs

The Whitworth is contested at 1 1/16 miles and none of these horses have run that far, but Booda Lou still looks like a legitimate favorite. Trained by Robert Pompell, who is having his first stakes starter, Booda Lou made her only start Nov. 15 at Hawthorne, rating off the pace and finishing solidly to post a nine-length victory. She was 23-1 in that start but will go postward a far shorter price in the Debutante, Friday’s third race.

Irish Marvel led all the way sprinting in her debut, and if the Whitworth is run in sub-freezing air, the Hawthorne track surface could carry her speed. The issue even there is the filly Get None, who also likely is on a speed mission given her running style in three previous starts. Ronan performed dismally last out at Churchill but has earlier form that’s much stronger and can’t be counted out.