Streethomealabama fits with this allowance group
ELMONT, N.Y. – William Heffner has been shopping for a spot for Streethomealabama for more than a month. He may have landed in a sweet spot in Friday’s $77,000 first-level allowance feature at Belmont Park.
With one win from 14 starts, Streethomealabama certainly isn’t going to scare anybody. But the 3-year-old filly hardly meets an imposing group in this field going one mile over the main track. Streethomealabama is winless in five starts on dirt, but she has three seconds from as many tries over a wet track, which she may encounter Friday if the rains come as expected Thursday.
Heffner claimed Streethomealabama for $30,000 out of a second-place finish in a turf race at Ellis Park on Aug. 29. Streethomealabama was blocked in midstretch before diving to the inside and missing by a head as the 4-5 favorite.
Heffner had Streethomealabama entered in a seven-furlong allowance on turf here last Sunday but scratched her, which was probably a good thing because the winner, Marbre Rose, looks like a future stakes winner.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Streethomealabama. Trainer William Heffner is 10-2-2-1 with a $7.38 ROI over the past five years going turf to dirt in routes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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“I didn’t want to run her seven-eighths,” Heffner said. “I don’t think she’s a sprinter. She appears to run just as good on the dirt as on the grass, although looking at her feet, I do think she’s a grass horse. This race came up, and she looks to be doing well.”
Jose Ortiz rides Streethomealabama from post 6.
Madaket Millie, trained by the meet’s leading trainer, Chad Brown, is the likely favorite. But her lone win came on turf in March at Gulfstream. She has faced better fillies on dirt than she meets here, having run second to the stakes-placed runners Got Lucky and House Rules.
Javier Castellano, the meet’s leading jockey, rides Madaket Millie from the outside post in the eight-horse field.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Madaket Millie. Trainer Chad Brown is 7-3-1-2 with a $2.17 ROI over the past five years in routes following a layoff of two weeks or less. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Key contenders
Streethomealabama (Last 3 Beyers: 73-61-74)
◗ She makes her first start off the claim for Heffner, who over the last three years has two wins and three other in-the-money finishes the first time off the claim.
◗ His lone attempt with a turf-to-dirt first-off-the-claim runner resulted in a win this winter at Fair Grounds.
◗ Last time she ran on dirt, Streethomealabama ran second to Courageous Julie, who on Oct. 4 won a second-level allowance race at Keeneland.
Madaket Millie (Last 3 Beyers: 77-58-83)
◗ She faced better at this condition two starts ago at Saratoga but ran a poor race last out when beaten 10 lengths in a five-horse field here in an off-the-turf allowance Oct. 5.
◗ She may prefer to be on the lead, and there does not appear to be much pace in this lineup.
Whispering (Last 3 Beyers: 74-61-66)
◗ She finished fifth to the comebacking Divided Attention in her return to dirt at this condition at Saratoga on Aug. 23. Shayjolie and Pretty Fancy, the second- and third-place finishers from that race, each came back to win an allowance race next out.
◗ “I didn’t mind her dirt effort in Saratoga,” said trainer Tom Bush. “I thought the mile would fit her good.”