Top three all have minuses

The three most likely winners of the $55,000 Polly's Jet for 3-year-old fillies going a mile at Delaware Park on Saturday - Redaspen, All Platinum, and Ebony Star - all come with a question mark.

Redaspen is a budding cash cow, with a record of 3 wins, 3 seconds, and 3 thirds in 9 starts, for earnings of $93,303. She also is ridden by high-percentage jockey Victor Molina. Redaspen, though, is stepping up from Pennsylvania statebred races in her last three starts to open company here, a significant leap.

All Platinum's record also is strong - 3 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third in 7 starts. She is trained by a high-percentage winner in Todd Beattie, and she won a race similar to the Polly's Jet at Delaware in her last start, the $58,600 Beautiful Day on July 9. But all of All Platinum's starts have been sprints. and on Saturday she stretches out to a two-turn mile.

Ebony Star has a tidy 2 wins and 2 seconds in 5 starts, and high-percentage connections in both trainer John Zimmerman and rider Mario Pino. Also, Ebony Star has three of the top four Beyer Speed Figures in Saturday's race.

Her problem is her last start, when she was fractious at the gate, vied hard for the lead for a quarter-mile, then collapsed, finishing last of nine in a nonwinners-of-two allowance on July 25.

"It's just a head-scratcher, I have no idea what went wrong," Zimmerman said. "I scoped her right after and she came out fine. We worked her since and she worked great."

Ebony Star worked a bullet of 34 seconds for three furlongs at Penn National on Monday

Ebony Star also smashed her face into the gate just before the start last time out.

"Maybe she rang her bell, and that's why she ran so bad," Zimmerman said. "I expect her to run well Saturday."

The live longshots in the field of nine appear to be Lexi Star, coming off open-length wins in a maiden race and a first-level allowance; Personal Odyssey, whose Beyers are dull but whose record at the distance is a glowing 4-3-1 from 8 starts; and Gotta Rush, who doesn't win often and is coming off a dud but who also ran a clear second at long odds in the $103,000 Go for Wand at 1 1/16 miles at Delaware two starts back in May.