Pleasant Laughter drops in

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Pleasant Laughter ran the best race of her career last winter at Gulfstream Park, rallying to a 3 3/4-length victory over second-level allowance competition. Unfortunately, Pleasant Laughter chipped her ankle in the race and has not been able to reproduce the effort in four starts since returning from that injury in August.

Trainer Phil Serpe said he is hopeful that bringing Pleasant Laughter back to Gulfstream and dropping her back into allowance company will be enough to get her back into the winner's circle Thursday. She will face nine other fillies and mares in the $49,500 allowance feature, which will be run at one mile.

"I thought she ran a great race here last winter, but unfortunately she got hurt," said Serpe, who trains Pleasant Laughter for the Hilly Fields Stable. "Then after we finally got her back to run a couple of times at Saratoga, we had to give her some time off again after she developed a breathing issue that required some minor surgery."

Pleasant Laughter returned from her second layoff and finished second in the Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 2. She then shipped to south Florida to close out the year and finished fourth in the Chaposa Springs Handicap at Calder.

"I thought she ran a very respectable race at Aqueduct in her first start, and Calder's track can be a little trying," said Serpe. "I worked her three furlongs in 37 on Tuesday, and she finished well. She appears to be coming up to this race real good, and a mile should suit her well."

Three of Pleasant Laughter's rivals Thursday have already won at this condition but are eligible for the race because they will compete with a $75,000 price tag on their head. They are Shari's Gold Sole, For Gillian, and Prospect of Love.

Shari's Gold Sole won a pair of third-level allowance races within a three-week span this fall at Hawthorne for trainer Steve Manley. She is back under the care of Robert Barbara for her 2007 debut. Barbara sent Shari's Gold Sole out to a second-level allowance win here last winter.

For Gillian also won at this condition at Hawthorne, but that was in October 2005. Since that victory, she has lost eight straight races, including four in stakes.

Prospect of Love won a third-level allowance race over the Calder turf Oct. 20, but was outrun in two subsequent stakes tries.