She's Funomenal out to build on debut

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There are flashy debuts, and then there was the first start from She's Funomenal in a maiden race at Hollywood Park on Nov. 15. The 2-year-old filly stormed to the lead at the start, took control of the race, and pulled away to win by 5 1/2 lengths, finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.70.

The win left trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer and his partners, STD Racing Stable and Summit Racing, buzzing with anticipation.

She's Funomenal will get her first test against winners in Sunday's $50,000 Ifyoucouldseemenow Stakes at Hollywood Park. The race is run over 6 1/2 furlongs and is restricted to 2-year-old fillies who have not won a first-place purse of $50,000 this year.

"She ran very well," Hollendorfer said of her debut. "The way she ran surprised all of us, but we knew she was a good horse."

She's Funonemal, by Fusaichi Pegasus, drew the rail in the Ifyoucouldseemenow. Her maiden race has already produced another race winner - third-place finisher Crisp returned to win a maiden race over 1 1/16 miles on Thursday.

The Ifyoucouldseemenow Stakes, the third race on a nine-race program, is essentially an allowance race for "nonwinners of one other than." None of the five fillies entered have won two races, and none have stakes experience.

Trainer Bob Baffert has three entrants - Excellent News, Haggai, and Seriously, all maiden race winners. Seriously is the only filly to have started against winners, having finished last of five in a one-mile allowance race at Santa Anita on Oct. 29. She has made five career starts, the most of any of the Ifyoucouldseemenow entrants.

Excellent News is a promising filly. Bought for $250,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-olds in training sale earlier this year, Excellent News needed three races to beat maidens, finally doing so by three lengths in a six-furlong race at Santa Anita on Oct. 10.

Haggai won her only start, in a $100,000 claiming race for maidens on Oct. 28, drawing off to win a six-furlong race by 3 1/4 lengths.

The race features one shipper in Feeling Fancy, winner of a maiden race at Emerald Downs in June.

Trained by Frank Lucarelli, Feeling Fancy won a maiden race over 4 1/2 furlongs by 5 1/4 lengths in June but has not started since. She has been working regularly at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park in recent weeks.