Tight Britches aims for ninth straight win, takes on males

Tight Britches will be seeking her ninth consecutive win Thursday night, when she takes on males for just the second time in her career in Lone Star Park’s third race. She starts in an optional $7,500 claiming sprint at five furlongs on the main track, and chief among her five rivals is fellow win machine Mr. Fuzzybottom.

Tight Britches began her streak in March 2013 at Will Rogers Downs for trainer Mike Teel. She won three straight for the outfit, and after a layoff from June to January, she joined the stable of trainer Karl Broberg, reeling off five more wins, all against fillies and mares at Delta Downs and Lone Star.

“It’s been a fun deal with her,” said Broberg, who trains Tight Britches for James C. Cameron. “You hate thinking about a win streak like this, but if there was ever a time to try the boys, I like the distance. Obviously, we prefer to run with the girls; we just didn’t want to ship her anywhere else. She runs so well at Lone Star, we wanted to keep her at Lone Star.”

Tight Britches made her lone start against males in June 2011, when launching her career. She was second in the $10,000 maiden-claiming race at Arapahoe Park before winning her next two starts and being claimed by Cameron for $7,500. Overall, the 6-year-old Tight Britches has built an 11-for-18 record and of late has been barreling up the class ladder.

Tight Britches won for claiming prices of $4,000 and $5,000 in her first two starts for Broberg, both at five furlongs at Delta. She then stepped up and captured a trio of optional claimers at levels of $10,000, $18,000, and $20,000. She is not in for the tag Thursday.

“The second time we ran her, she ran off the screen, and I was hoping nobody took her,” Broberg said of a 9 1/2-length win. “You could tell after that we were going to have some fun with her.”

Junior Chacaltana, who guided Tight Britches to a 1 1/2-length win in a $20,000 optional claimer at Lone Star in her last start April 26, has the mount from post 6.

“With her drawing the far outside, it will be in Junior’s hands,” Broberg said of the race tactics, noting that Tight Britches has been successful both on and just off the pace.

Mr. Fuzzybottom was second in a $7,500 starter allowance at a half-mile on turf in his most recent start April 17 at Lone Star. Prior to that race, he won an optional $15,000 claimer at Lone Star, his 10th career victory from 32 starts. Luis Quinonez has the mount for owner-trainer Steve Asmussen.

◗ Jockey Dakota Wood, thrown in the seventh race Sunday at Lone Star, sustained a hairline fracture in his right wrist and will be out of action for a couple of weeks, said his agent, Brad White. “He should be back soon,” White said. Wood is among the top 10 riders at Lone Star.

◗ Delta Downs announced Tuesday that its richest race, the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot, will be held on a date similar to last year, Nov. 22. The 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds will be part of an afternoon card featuring a $200,000-guaranteed all-stakes pick four that includes the Jackpot.