Stidham busy with out-of-town graded stakes

Trainer Mike Stidham’s barn will be shipping a number of Arlington-based horses out for graded stakes races in the coming weeks.

Katie’s Eyes, one of the top female turf sprinters, could run Sunday in the $100,000 Smart N Fancy at Saratoga but also is being considered for the Turf Amazon on Sept. 7 at Parx Racing. Katie’s Eyes most recently finished second, beaten a neck, while facing males in the Grade 2 Highlander at Woodbine.

Leigh Court, meanwhile, emerged in good order from a second-place finish to Ageless in the July 30 Royal North at Woodbine, her first start since finishing fifth in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, Stidham said. Leigh Court is being pointed to a return trip to the BC Filly and Mare Sprint and will try to get there via the Masters Stakes on Sept. 7 at Presque Isle Downs.

Two Stidham-trained 2-year-olds, The Zip Zip Man and Amira J., will return to Woodbine for their next starts, with The Zip Zip Man aimed at the Summer Stakes and Amira J. at the Natalma Stakes, both one-mile grass races. The Zip Zip Man won his debut over Arlington-Washington Futurity winner Shogood, then ran well to finish second in the Colin Stakes at Woodbine. Amira J. was second in the Ontario Debutante at Woodbine after a blowout debut win at Arlington, and Stidham believes both horses will be suited to grass racing over longer distances.

“The Zip Zip Man, we worked him over turf at Arlington, and he went really well,” Stidham said.

Stidham is preparing to disperse his Del Mar string and send the horses back to the Midwest in early September, and that group of horses will include Her Emmynency, who rebounded from a subpar showing in the San Clemente Stakes to finish second by a half-length in the Del Mar Oaks. Her Emmynency will be pointed toward the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland but might start before then in the Sands Point at Belmont.