Tight Britches eyes seventh straight in Classic Distaff Sprint

Tight Britches seeks to win her seventh consecutive race Monday when the former $4,000 claimer moves into stakes company for the $55,000 Classic Distaff Sprint at Will Rogers Downs. The six-furlong race for fillies and mares bred in Oklahoma drew a large field of 10, including Oaklawn Park invader Eye Love Jeanie and multiple stakes winner More Than Even.

Tight Britches began her streak last spring at Will Rogers in a $5,000 claiming race at six furlongs. She won for that price again a month later, then tested first-level allowance rivals in a statebred race at Fair Meadows. Following a three-length win in June, Tight Britches did not resurface until January at Delta Downs. She won back-to-back claiming races, for prices of $4,000 and $5,000, before tackling optional $10,000 claiming rivals in her most recent out March 6.

Glen Murphy has the mount on the front-running Tight Britches, who will be cutting back to one turn after winning around two in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Delta. Karl Broberg trains the 6-year-old Tight Britches, who races for James Clay Cameron.

Eye Love Jeanie is also cutting back to one turn after having picked up checks in a pair of optional $40,000 claiming routes at Oaklawn in February and March. Last year, Eye Love Jeanie won the $120,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint at Remington Park.

“She ran a couple of nice races here going two turns, actually,” trainer Donnie Von Hemel said from Oaklawn on Saturday. “She can sprint, too. She’s been fairly versatile.”

Von Hemel sees the field as a competitive one Monday.

“More Than Even has been a tough filly to tangle with in Oklahoma, and I think she’ll probably be the horse to beat in there,” Von Hemel said. “There are a couple others looking like they’ve been running well, too. We’ve got as good a shot as anybody in there. We’ll see how it goes.”

Luis Quinonez has the mount for Robert Zoellner, who bred and owns Eye Love Jeanie.

More Than Even won 5 of 12 starts last year, including the $50,000 Te Ata and $50,000 Useeit, both at Remington Park. She also was second by a head in the Classics Distaff Sprint won by Eye Love Jeanie. More Than Even enters off a fifth-place finish in the $50,000 Wilma Mankiller against open company rivals in her seasonal debut March 24 at Will Rogers. Cilff Berry has the mount for trainer Roger Engel.