Presque Isle: Classic matchup in Satin and Lace Stakes

[bc_video_id:254937:]It will be the classic turtle and the hare scenario when It’s Me Mom and Sally Sally square off in the $100,000 Satin and Lace Stakes at Presque Isle Downs on Tuesday evening.

It’s Me Mom has led at the first call in all of her starts dating back to 2010. The Lynne Scace trainee has won 10 of her 17 lifetime.

Sally Sally has come from behind in all 13 of her races, winning 7 of them for trainer Ryan Walsh.

Both horses have been successful over synthetic surfaces, with It’s Me Mom winning 5 of 8 and Sally Sally winning 6 of 7.

It’s Me Mom is 2 for 4 this year, including the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint at Gulfstream Park and the Florida Cup Sprint at Tampa Bays Downs. Both of those races were on dirt but Scace thinks her horse is better on the Presque Isle Downs Tapeta surface.

“She just really seems to love this surface a lot better than dirt,” Scace said.

In her last out May 18 at Pimlico, It’s Me Mom finished last in the Skipat.

“There was so much extra dirt on the track, she just didn’t handle it well,” Scace said. “She came back wanting to kill everybody in the barn, it didn’t take anything out of her.”

There is an abundance of speed in the 12-horse field of fillies and mares, but Scace isn’t concerned.

“She always breaks well and nobody’s got as much speed as she does,” she said.

Regular Rider Willie Martinez retains the mount.

Sally Sally won the local prep for this race over the same 5 1/2-furlong distance. Walsh says he will tell jockey Mike Allen to employ the same strategy as last time when his charge came from last to win by three-quarters of a length.

“Hopefully they will all burn themselves out and she will be rolling at the end,” Walsh said. “She caught them so easily the last time.”

That effort surprised even Walsh.

“I thought she might be a little short for that race, but she didn’t even come back blowing,” he said.

Sally Sally, 5, has won 4 of 5 at Presque Isle.

“She just loves it here,” Walsh said. “She is a bear on the synthetic, she just doesn’t like dirt much at all.”