Rinterval running free and fast

Rinterval is a 5-year-old Irish-bred mare with just two wins from 18 career starts, including an allowance win at Presque Isle Downs by disqualification. Curiously enough, she will be the leading earner in the field when she runs Saturday in the $50,000 Wintergreen Stakes at Turfway Park.

When she was 2, Rinterval finished second in a $2.2 million stakes in Ireland, accounting for the bulk of her $469,177 bankroll. More germane to the Wintergreen, however, is that Rinterval finally seems to be returning to form, having finished a close second in her last start, the Feb. 13 Likely Exchange at Turfway.

"She's just now getting sharp again," said Eric Reed, who trains the mare for Jerry Jamgotchian. "We're letting her run early. We'd been trying to take her back, which now I think was a mistake. The same thing happened with her overseas, that early in her career she wanted to run free, but when they started to rate her, she wasn't running as well."

The Wintergreen, a one-mile Polytrack race that anchors an 11-race card at Turfway in Florence, Ky., drew a field of 10 fillies and mares. Rinterval, with Ben Creed to ride, will start from post 5 as one of the favorites, along with Danzon, who was third in the Likely Exchange as the 8-5 choice.

Trainer Charlie Lopresti informed Turfway racing officials mid-morning Thursday that he would not be entering Lady's Laughter as originally planned. Her late defection clearly boosts the chances of the others, since Lady's Laughter made a terrific run to overhaul Rinterval in winning the Likely Exchange by a half-length.

Danzon, a multiple graded stakes winner for owner Joe Allen, is a 7-year-old mare who has won four stakes and $412,723 from 24 starts. A late-running mare trained by Kellyn Gorder, she will be ridden by Rex Stokes when breaking from post 9.

Other contenders include Southern California shipper Pursuit of Glory and a pair of recent allowance winners at Turfway, Complicity and Irish Ridge.

The Wintergreen, named for the Ohio-bred who won the 1909 Kentucky Derby, dates to 1983. Kiss With a Twist won last year to give Bill Troilo the final stakes win of his riding career.