Perfect Connection has shot

Noon Win, a three-time stakes winner last year, heads a field of seven Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $40,000 Royal North Stakes at Beulah Park.

Noon Win, trained by Joe Martin, scored three consecutive stakes victories last year, the last two of which came at Thistledown and at Saturday's six-furlong distance. Noon Win has been sidelined since finishing 10th as the even-money favorite in the 1 1/16-mile John Galbreath at Thistledown on Oct. 9.

Martin has put a string of workouts into Noon Win over the past eight weeks at Oaklawn Park. Overall, Noon Win sports a record of 3-1-0 from 5 starts, good for $74,140 in earnings. Ernest Oro picks up the mount aboard Noon Win on Saturday. She carries high weight of 120 pounds.

Marketable also carries 120 on Saturday, and she is the only other stakes winner in the field by virtue of her come-from-behind neck victory in last November's mile and 70-yard Glacial Princess here.

Marketable, trained by Tim Hamm, has not started since the Glacial Princess. Hamm has given a return call to Hector Rosario Jr. on Saturday.

Perfect Connection is the upset selection in the Royal North. A daughter of Phone Trick, she won a maiden race sprinting last June at Churchill Downs in a $75,000 claiming race. In her only start versus Ohio-breds, she rallied to finish second in the John Galbreath, finishing over 17 lengths in front of Noon Win.

In her most recent start, Perfect Connection finished fifth, beaten four lengths in a one-mile allowance contest over the turf at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 28. Trainer Angel Hyland has put several works into Perfect Connection at Tampa over the past two months, and she figures to rally from off the pace on Saturday. Hyland did not name a rider at entry time.