Sprinters back from vacation

Mystery Classic and Doyouwanttodance are two of the top sprinters based in the Southwest, and on Saturday they will make their returns from layoffs in separate five-furlong stakes at Delta Downs.

The $50,000 Zydeco, for 3-year-olds and up, will be Mystery Classic's first start since February. Doyouwanttodance, who has not seen action since July, is set to run in the counterpart for fillies and mares, the $50,000 Mademoiselle.

Mystery Classic is the reigning Texas-bred horse of the year following five straight stakes wins between July and December 2007. He has been sidelined for the past eight months with a nondisplaced condylar fracture to his right hind leg. Mystery Classic last raced on Feb. 23, and was third in the $53,000 Delta Express at Delta Downs.

"I've had him back in training since the middle of August," said Bob Schultz, who trains Mystery Classic for his breeder, John Pierce II. "I feel like I've got enough bottom in him to run five-eighths of a mile. The horse has come back good, he's training good.

"But I would think if there's a dead fit horse in there that's pretty close to his caliber, we might have a hard time outrunning that horse."

Bobby Walker Jr. will ride Mystery Classic, who worked four furlongs from the gate in a bullet 47.80 seconds Oct. 23 at Retama.

Parade the Flag is making his stakes debut after a productive summer at Louisiana Downs in which he won a pair of optional claiming sprints with Beyer Figures of 90 and 91. Don Simington has the mount on Parade the Flag, who is trained by Joe Duhon.

Filly seeks third straight win

Doyouwanttodance, who has won her last two starts, including the $58,000 Hallowed Dreams at Louisiana Downs on July 19, is looking to improve her Delta record to 3 for 3. Kirk LeBlanc has the mount.

Another contender in the Mademoiselle is Miss Missile, who is returning to racing with fillies and mares after finishing sixth in the $75,000 Prairie Meadows Derby on Sept. 20.