Powder Break could go two ways

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Michelle, forecast to hit south Florida this weekend, could have a lot to say about the outcome of Saturday's $50,000, one-mile Powder Break Handicap. The race is scheduled for the turf but will more than likely end up being decided over a wet main track.

The uncertainty of the conditions for the Powder Break resulted in 19 fillies and mares being entered for the race including old nemeses Castlebrook and Coolbythepool, both of whom are far better on dirt than turf.

Coolbythepool finally got the better of Castlebrook after many frustrations when rallying to a 2 1/2-length victory in the Shocker T Handicap on Oct. 13. The win halted a streak of four straight second-place finishes for Coolbythepool, three of those setbacks coming in stakes races, one at the hands of Castlebrook.

A poor start cost Castlebrook her best chance in the Shocker T., forcing her to race far back during the early stages before she mustered a mild rally to finish a nonthreatening fourth. The loss stopped a modest two-race winning streak for Castlebrook, the leader of the local distaff handicap division who has already won four stakes at the current meet.

Neither Castlebrook nor Coolbythepool has ever won on turf and both have been entered Saturday with the hope that the Powder Break is switched to the main track.

Should Michelle veer away from the area and the Powder Break go as scheduled on the grass, the speedy one-mile turf specialist I No Best will likely be a slight favorite over Silver Bandana.

I No Best used her speed to win the one-mile Fairlee Wild Handicap on Oct. 7. The race was her first since she finished second going the same distance here three months earlier in the Georgia on My Mind Handicap.

Silver Bandana upset stablemate Platinum Tiara to capture the Calder Breeders' Cup Handicap during the opening week of the meet but has not started since finishing a well-beaten seventh in Colonial Downs's Grade 3 All Along Stakes on July 14.

New Jersey invader Curious Treasures will try to stretch out off a series of turf sprints at Monmouth Park and The Meadowlands where she won a money conditioned allowance race on Oct. 2.

Queen of Oz would appreciate a soft turf course, the conditions of her last-to-first victory in the Aspidistra Handicap here during the spring.

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