Top pair have questions to answer in Satin and Lace Stakes

Queen of the Mud and Sunday Shoes are the most accomplished runners entered in the $80,000 Satin and Lace Stakes for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs Monday evening on the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. However, there seem to be questions about both, as Queen of the Mud moves to synthetic for the first time, and Sunday Shoes is coming off a short layoff from her worst career effort. That leaves an opening for someone to move forward, and move on to bigger things.

The Satin and Lace is the local prep for the Grade 2, $300,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters on Sept. 13 – a race that has been a productive prep over the years toward the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, set for Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Queen of the Mud has made all her starts on turf. She was a maiden winner racing on the lead last September at Aqueduct, then followed that up by winning an allowance race coming from just off the pace in October at Keeneland. Off a winter break, she finished fourth in the The Very One Stakes in May at Pimlico – on turf rated good that likely had more give than was to her liking and finishing behind Future Is Now, who flattered her foes with a Grade 2 win at Saratoga in her subsequent outing.

Queen of the Mud then moved forward in her second start off the layoff, finishing second in the Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth to Beauty of the Sea, who recently added another stakes win at Colonial. Looking to round into perfect form in her third start off the layoff, she has been working well on the synthetic track at trainer Graham Motion’s Fair Hill base.

While Queen of the Mud, who breaks from post 2 under Jose Ortiz, has shown versatility in her running style, Sunday Shoes likes to come from off the pace. The filly has drawn the rail under Flavien Prat and will not only hope for some pace to develop up front, but will have to work out a trip from the inside – although she shouldn’t face too much traffic in a field of just seven.

Sunday Shoes did not finish worse than second in three starts for Wesley Ward, including a win in the Serena’s Song Stakes at Turfway Park going six furlongs on Tapeta. This year, she won an allowance race in February at Turfway off a nine-month layoff, but then finished a fading 11th in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes in May at Woodbine. She looks to have emerged from that effort in solid shape, with a pair of bullet works on the Saratoga turf in the last month.

The most likely pace factors in this field are Miss Betty, who has won 3 of 4 starts on dirt this year but is making her synthetic debut; and Takemetothebeach, fourth in the Lady Erie Stakes locally last out.

Baby No Worries, who is dropping directly out of multiple graded starts at Woodbine – including a third in the Whimsical – should be closing.

Hideki and Implosion complete the field.

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