Shining Moment ships in for Aspen

The high-percentage outfits of Steve Asmussen and Bart Hone are attacking the $50,000 Aspen Cup at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday. Together the trainers account for two-thirds of the field in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds fillies, with Asmussen sending out favorite Shining Moment and Linnea, and Hone countering with Watsyonoboutme and Collection Plate.

Shining Moment has never raced over the same track twice during her nine-race career, but she always tends to leave an impression. She won her maiden by more than 12 lengths at Churchill Downs in May 2008, then picked up her first stakes win at Prairie Meadows two months later in the $50,000 Lassie.

Shining Moment added another stakes win to her resume last August, when she won the $73,000 Opelousas at Evangeline Downs. She heads to Ruidoso from Lone Star Park, where she was fifth in the $50,000 Richland Hills on April 25. Shining Moment tracked a hot pace in the six-furlong stakes, won in a blazing 1:08.60 by Kays and Jays.

Shining Moment has used both front-running and stalking tactics in her races and figures to be prominent from her rail post. A.J. Juarez Jr. has the mount on the filly.

Linnea is making her first start since finishing fifth to the multiple-stakes-placed Simplify in a first-level allowance at Fair Grounds on Feb. 28.

Hone's fillies are both making their stakes debuts, and each finished third in a first-level allowance last out at Sunland.