Queen of the Lake, Capella Dancer meet in Finger Lakes feature

A pair of mares who have combined to win eight of their last nine races will clash for the first time Monday at Finger Lakes in the featured fifth race, a third-level allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares going six furlongs.

Queen of the Lake, a winner of five straight races over the past two seasons for trainer Chris Englehart, and Capella Dancer, whose three-race winning streak ended when she was second in a stakes less than two weeks ago, will break alongside each other in posts 1 and 2.

Although she is 8 years old, Queen of the Lake has raced just 26 times in her career, winning 10 starts. Her current streak began when she defeated $4,500 claimers last December. She picked up where she left off this spring, winning for tags of $5,000 and $6,500 before clearing her first two allowance conditions. She should be prominent early from the rail under regular jockey John Davila Jr.

The 5-year-old Capella Dancer, the winner of the six-furlong Susan B. Anthony Handicap in her first start of 2013, cuts back to a sprint after rallying from far back to get second in the 1 1/16-mile Jack Betta Be Rite on July 5. The last time she made a similar move, Capella Dancer finished second in the 2012 running of the six-furlong Niagara Stakes eight days after winning going a mile and 40 yards.

Capella Dancer and rider Daniel Vergara will be hoping Queen of the Lake gets caught in a speed battle with either Little Miss Lupe, who was a good second at this same level June 28, or Miss Rubycubes, who has struggled to regain the form that enabled her to win three in a row, including the New York Oaks, last season.

A contested early pace also could benefit Prime Mistress, who has faced open company in nine of her last 10 starts. Two races ago, she rallied to miss by a nose against the same caliber of statebreds she faces Monday.

Prime Mistress is back within seven days for trainer Rafael Ramos, who shows a 4-for-19 record (21 percent) with a high $5.16 return on investment with dirt sprinters returning quickly, according to DRF’s Formulator.

Sweet Hot Toddy comes out of the same race as Prime Mistress. She merits respect on the basis of her 11 wins and 11 runner-up finishes locally.