Sassy Miss Officer should be tough in Ellen's Lucky Star

Sassy Miss Officer’s 18 1/2-length pasting of Indiana-bred rivals June 22 in a six-figure Indiana-bred stakes race might exaggerate the filly’s superiority, but that might not matter when she runs back Wednesday in the $100,000 Ellen’s Lucky Star, a turf mile for Indiana-bred sophomore fillies and one of two stakes on the card at Indiana Grand.

Sassy Miss Officer got the mother of all setups in her most recent start, stalking comfortably over a wet track as the front-runners in a route race went after each other at a sprint pace. By the three-furlong pole, it was no longer a matter of “if” but “by how much” – and the answer turned out to be “a lot.”

Yet this was not so much a case of Sassy Miss Officer running especially fast, as evidenced by her 59 Beyer Speed Figure (not even a career best), but of everyone else running especially slowly. And many times, a horse such as Sassy Miss Officer would be an appealing bet-against in her next start.

The thing is that Sassy Miss Officer should be doubly tough when getting back on the Indiana Grand turf, over which she easily won a maiden race last summer in her second start. She raced on the lead that day but has learned to settle for owner-breeder-trainer Mark Cristel, and she looks formidable – to the tune of 3-5 on the track’s morning-line – in Wednesday’s sixth race.

Express Run might be close to Sassy Miss Officer on raw talent, but she got away with an easy lead in winning an allowance race just a week ago, and while the quick turnaround might not be a huge concern – trainer Bernie Flint won the American Derby at Arlington on Saturday with a horse back on two weeks’ rest – her lack of turf experience, coupled with an iffy grass pedigree, might make her a dicey proposition as the second choice. Two worth considering at longer odds, and hoping they are better on turf than on dirt, are Seven Seize and Shes Into Mischief.

Casse represented in Snack

Trainer Mark Casse’s name has been splashed all over international racing headlines this season, with Tepin taking her talents to England in June and Catch a Glimpse winning the Belmont Oaks Invitational just last weekend.

There will be decidedly less press concerning Casse’s first start at the Indiana Grand meeting, but horseplayers should pay attention to Conquest Stormy in the $100,000 Snack, the open companion race to the Ellen’s Lucky Star, race 8 on the program.

Conquest Stormy makes his first start against Indiana-breds and could offer playable odds if bettors focus too much on his most recent start. Conquest Stormy finished seventh in that Churchill Downs first-level turf allowance race, but he was to some extent his own worst enemy that day.

In his previous start, a Churchill turf maiden win, Conquest Stormy became slightly unruly going into the first turn before eventually settling down, but on June 10, he got very aggressive shortly after the start, and the jockey had his hands full just maintaining control of his mount into the turn. Conquest Stormy never really got back on track thereafter, but in the final furlong, he finally showed some energy and finished with subtle vigor, galloping out strongly in the end.

If Conquest Stormy will relax for new rider Miguel Mena, he should get the best of this bunch. Thirteen others, including two also-eligibles, are entered, and Badabing Badaboom has been installed as the morning-line 3-1 favorite on the strength of an Indiana-bred stakes romp last month. But that race came on a sloppy main track, and Badabing Badaboom never has raced on grass nor outside Indiana-bred company.

Easy Doer won a turf sprint last fall and exits a blowout dirt win in his two-turn debut, but he set the pace that day and could get involved in a speed duel that could set things up for Conquest Stormy.