Slewsbox goes for five in a row

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Slewsbox, who has won four consecutive stakes over a period of slightly more than a year, deserves to be favored in Saturday's $50,000 Mae De Vol Sprint for fillies and mares at Bay Meadows.

Eight entered the six-furlong race, including the Jeff Bonde-trained entry of De Goddaughter and Two on the Aisle. Slewsbox is the 121-pound highweight and will spot from three to 11 to her rivals.

While Slewsbox certainly merits top billing, it does not really figure to be easy. Among her foes are Carson Jen, who was beaten less than a length when second to Slewsbox in the Elie Destruel at Santa Rosa on Aug. 6, and Phaenna, who was third in the same race and beaten less than two lengths. Also, Two on the Aisle is coming off an impressive win in the 1 1/16-mile Luther Burbank at Santa Rosa. She posted a career-best Beyer of 99 in that race, and that is better than Slewsbox has ever done.

Slewsbox, from the Chuck Peery stable, began her four-race winning streak when she captured the Golden State Lassie on Aug. 23, 2000, at Sacramento. She then came right back to win last year's Mae De Vol. After an eight-month layoff, she returned to win the Woodside here in May. Slewsbox was away three more months before posting a game victory in the Elie Destruel.

In the Elie Destruel, she dueled with Phaenna into deep stretch, finally put that rival away, then held off the fast-closing Carson Jen to win by three-quarters of a length.

Overall, the 4-year-old Slewsbox has won 7 races from 11 starts, including seven of nine in sprints. She has never been worse than second around one turn.

Carson Jen, from the Leonard Shoemaker stable, seems the main threat to the top choice. She was making her first start in 4 1/2 months when she finished second in the Elie Destruel, and has a right to improve off the race. The 5-year-old Carson Jen has shown flashes of brilliance in her 14-race career, and some of her best efforts have come over the Bay Meadows track.

Two on the Aisle also rates as a major threat. She may be best around two turns, but she was coming off a 6 1/2-month layoff when she delivered her big win in the Luther Burbank, and may have come back better than ever. If that is the case, she obviously might sprint better than she ever has before in Saturday's race. She certainly has enough two-turn speed to be an effective sprinter.