Stakes looks right for Pretty Jenny

CHICAGO - In the Fit for a Queen, an overnight stakes race May 19 at Arlington Park, Pretty Jenny did all the dirty work and got none of the glory, but it should be her turn to shine on Sunday in the Your Ladyship Stakes.

In the Fit for a Queen, Pretty Jenny ran up to contest the early pace from an inside post - and it was quite a pace. The opening quarter-mile went in 22 seconds, the half in a scorching 44.60, and still Pretty Jenny fought off a couple of waves of challengers. But then, just before the finish, her old Illinois-bred rival Bluesbdancing rolled up and poked her nose in front, and Pretty Jenny settled for second.

Everything looks different in the Your Ladyship, a prep for the Prairie State Festival next month. First of all, the field is softer, with several Fit for a Queen horses - Bluesbdancing included - racing in the Chicago Breeders' Cup on Saturday. Pretty Jenny drew the outside post in a six-horse field, and she should get a much better trip than she did last month.

Trained by Christine Janks for a partnership, Pretty Jenny has had several phases to her career, a testament to the Janks barn's proven ability to keep good racehorses going for several seasons straight. At first, during her debut year at 3, Pretty Jenny pretty much was all speed, and though her speed was effective, learning was required to reach a higher level. Pretty Jenny eventually learned to rate and rally, and though getting dirt kicked in her face will never be a favorite activity, it's not something to worry about on Polytrack. For a time, Janks was convinced Pretty Jenny would excel on turf, but though she won a race over Arlington's grass course, she did not seem appreciably better on the surface.

Through these various incarnations, Pretty Jenny has managed to rack up 9 wins from 17 starts, earning more than $361,000, and it will be difficult for any of her Sunday foes to deny her 10th career win.

Dyna Slam might have the best shot at an upset, though Denoun N Deverb is an accomplished mare in her own right, and 3-year-old Magnetic Miss remains a filly with some upside. Dyna Slam came within a foot of winning the $105,000 Peach of It on April 28 at Hawthorne, her most recent start, and though that race came at two turns, Dyna Slam has performed at least decently in longer one-turn races. As for Fairmount-based Denoun N Deverb, Sunday's seven-furlong trip may be pushing up against her distance limitations.