Senorita attracts all kinds
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Saturday's Senorita Stakes should prove to be a dandy betting affair with its eclectic cast of nine 3-year-old fillies set to go about 1 1/16 miles on the Louisiana Downs turf.
Where's Bailey, who posted two of her four victories over the local grass, might be favored. She comes off two recent starts over the Arlington Park turf course, including a fourth-place finish in the Double Delta Stakes on June 19. Now residing in the barn of Cole Norman, the meet's leading trainer, she will be ridden by a former riding champ here, Gerard Melancon.
Sharon Rae, who had a modest two-race winning streak snapped in the $100,000 Lone Star Oaks in her last out, will be making her first start over the local turf. Trained by Joe Offolter, she went wire-to-wire in her back-to-back victories, and will likely find the pace scenario friendlier in the Senorita than in her most recent start, when she chased quick early fractions.
She also drew well for a speed horse, post 1, and will be ridden by grass wizard E. J. Perrodin.
As one of three stakes winners in the field, Cherry Hill Lady will also draw attention. Trained by Richard Sacco, she captured the Adena Oakley Stakes at Colonial Downs earlier in the summer. That race was restricted to Virginia-breds.
Cherry Hill, a lightly raced Grand Slam filly, has shown steady development. Lonnie Meche has picked up the mount.
Another stakes winner is Malika's Gold, trained by Randy Oberlander. Victorious in the La Senorita Stakes at Retama as a 2-year-old, she won recently at Lone Star and was stakes-placed at Canter-bury Downs in June.
Ready to Live's stakes tally came in the Rebel Stakes here last year on dirt, but she has also had her moments on the grass. Second behind Malika's Gold in the La Senorita, she also just missed in the Lady Luck Stakes last fall. She hails from the powerful Steve Asmussen barn.
Alex's Allure, unplaced in the Lorelei on the main track here on July 9, returns to the surface that produced her maiden and first-level allowance wins.