Princess Cecilia going for fourth straight win

Princess Cecilia puts her perfect record on the line when she stretches out substantially in distance for Saturday night’s $50,000 Eleanor Casey Memorial Stakes at Charles Town.

The seven-furlong stakes, restricted to West-Virginia-bred 2-year-old fillies, drew a field of nine, including the coupled entry of Slew of Bullets and Bonnie de Castle.

Based at Parx Racing with trainer Richard Vega, Princess Cecilia is 3 for 3 since beginning her career in a maiden claimer at her home track in mid-September. In two starts at Charles Town, both in ultra-short 4 1/2-furlong sprints, Princess Cecilia won the $67,000 Triple Crown Nutrition on the West Virginia Breeders Classic program and an allowance restricted to statebreds who had never won three races. Although she will be racing around two turns for the first time, Princess Cecilia did handle seven furlongs in her first lifetime start.

Recent maiden winner Golden Debutante and the filly she defeated by two lengths, Slew of Bullets, look like the chief threats to Princess Cecilia.

Golden Debutante won her career debut going 6 1/2 furlongs by two lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 70 that is nine points better than Princess Cecilia’s best number. On the down side, trainer Ronney Brown is just 2 for his last 40 with last-out maiden winners racing between 6 1/2 and seven furlongs.

Slew of Bullets is still a maiden after two starts, but she was the 4-5 favorite against Golden Debutante when they met on Nov. 28 and ran well enough in her career debut to get third going seven furlongs against males in the Tri-State Futurity.

Slew of Bullets’s stablemate, Bonnie de Castle, tries a distance longer than 4 1/2 furlongs for the first time after dueling up front early and finishing second to Princess Cecilia a month ago.

The remaining five fillies in the field are either maidens or will be racing beyond 4 1/2 furlongs for the first time after posting Beyer Figures in the mid-40s or lower.