Plaid favored in Wild Rose

ALTOONA, Iowa - The $50,000 Wild Rose Stakes and the $50,000 Jim Rasmussen Memorial highlight the Saturday night card at Prairie Meadows. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles.

Plaid is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the six-horse Wild Rose, which is for fillies and mares. Second in the $100,000 Goddess at Delta Downs last time out over a sloppy track on March 31, Plaid has captured stakes in Nebraska, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arkansas in the past year. She'll be making her first start at Prairie Meadows. Trainer Steve Asmussen has named Terry Thompson to ride.

Illinois invader Turbulent Thinking, a former $18,000 claimer, won the $45,000 Merry Colleen at Hawthorne in March. She'll also be making her first start in Iowa, and her front-running style should suit the Prairie Meadows surface perfectly.

On Safari, Darby Lee, and the Iowa-breds Elite Lady and Thekatcamehome round out the field.

Meanwhile, a field of nine has been entered for the Rasmussen, the key local prep race for the Grade 2, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap on June 30. Patriot Act enters the race after a seventh-place finish at Keeneland as the 4-5 favorite. At Fair Grounds he ran second in both the Grade 3 Mineshaft and Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap.

Thompson has the call on Patriot Act, who is owned by Will Farish and trained by Neil Howard.

Sandburr passed on the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup last weekend at Arlington, and should take plenty of action in the Rasmussen. Sandburr has three stakes wins since December, and is highweighted at 123 pounds. Chris Emigh will travel from Chicago to ride for trainer Michael Stidham.

Spellbinder won the Grade 2 San Antonio Handicap last year at Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate Fields. He comes into the race after an eighth-place finish at Keeneland. He is trained by Juan Ruvalcaba and will be ridden by Alonso Quinonez.

Defending Rasmussen champion Wayzata Bay comes into the race off a nice allowance win at Prairie Meadows, but is facing much tougher company on Saturday.