Prairie Meadows: Filly vs. boys

The 2-year-old filly Irish Party takes on males as she goes for her first stakes win in the $40,000-added ITBOA Sales Futurity at Prairie Meadows.

Irish Party was a gate-to-wire 5 1/2-length debut winner going 4 1/2 furlongs here on May 16. Following a six-week layoff, Irish Party returned in the Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes July 3 and dueled to the stretch before weakening to finish third, beaten 8 1/4 lengths, going five furlongs. Although she faces males for the first time, the 5 1/2-furlong Sales Futurity is perhaps a class drop for Irish Party, who is trained by Kelly Von Hemel. Glenn Corbett has a return call.

Lyka Card Shark scored a three-quarter-length gate-to-wire victory against maiden special weight company going 4 1/2 furlongs here June 20. He earned a field-topping 51 Beyer Speed Figure in that race, his only start. Lyka Card Shark held a five-length advantage in midstretch that day and just lasted to win, indicating the added furlong in of this race may not work to his advantage.

C J Mingo, a maiden, could upset from off the pace in the Sales Futurity. Trained by Dick Clark, C J Mingo has rallied through the stretch to finish on the board in both of his starts. Both of those maiden races were run at five furlongs, and the added distance and expected quick early pace Saturday should play to C J Mingo's advantage.