Coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Matron at Aqueduct, Just Philtored will return to the Mid-Atlantic region for another stiff test in the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes on Saturday at Laurel Park. The versatile juvenile filly will switch back to dirt after two stakes tries on turf for trainer Mike Trombetta. “She’s run on the dirt before, but this would be a better group for her to run against,” Trombetta said. “Obviously, she’s a good fit, but she has to show up and do her thing. She’s been training good, so hopefully we can get a decent trip around there and see what we’ve got.” After making hay in a pair of state-certified stakes at Colonial Downs, Trombetta was initially unsure where to go with Just Philtored at the end of the summer. With a little rest after her third straight victory, he eventually decided that she deserved the chance in graded stakes company, going to the Matron in October. The top two finishers in the Matron ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf next time out. “There was a good group of horses up there,” Trombetta said. “I was hoping for a little better, but on the other side, she didn’t run bad at all. She just wasn’t quite good enough to get to get what we wanted.” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Trombetta’s lofty ambitions on the turf do not diminish Just Philtored’s ability on the dirt. The Maryland-bred earned her maiden victory by eight lengths on dirt at Laurel and returned from a layoff to win the $100,000 Keswick on Aug. 2 at Colonial. Slewperstitus, a filly trained by Robert Bailes, finished second behind Just Philtored on both surfaces at Colonial, missing by a neck in the Keswick and by 4 1/4 lengths when the pair ran on turf in the $125,000 Dolley Madison. She finally broke through to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie on dirt last month. Trainer William Walden entered two Kentucky-based fillies in the Smart Halo and could end up with the favorite. In her turf debut at Keeneland, Beach Heist led the way through a 21.14-second opening quarter-mile and kicked clear to win by 2 3/4 lengths with a 76 Beyer Speed Figure. She is cross-entered in the $150,000 Stewart Manor on Friday at Aqueduct, where she could get another chance on grass. Brittany Russell said that Prosecco Rita will have to go faster after the filly greenly kicked clear to a 9 1/4-length maiden victory Oct. 10. The trainer firmly believes that she has more to offer, justifying a step up in class in a stiff field of nine. Trainer Gary Capuano entered two runners in the Smart Halo, but it is possible that neither filly runs. Doc’s Miracle, the runner-up behind Slewperstitus in the Maryland Million Lassie, is questionable, while Sweet Shenanigans will likely scratch. John F. Lewis III Russell has had plenty of time to prepare Prosecco Rita for the Smart Halo, but she only needed a few weeks to decide that Balboa was ready for the $100,000 John F. Lewis III Stakes on Saturday. In his last two starts for trainer Bob Baffert on the West Coast, the juvenile colt ran at long odds in Grade 1 stakes, finishing fifth in both the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah. He moved into Russell’s barn last month and had his second published workout for his new trainer on Sunday, a four-furlong breeze in 48 seconds at Laurel. “He’s coming out of some really tough races,” Russell said. “I feel like this should be a little bit of a softer landing spot for him. We’ll see if he’s up to the challenge, but I will say the last work indicated that he’s sitting on something.” Balboa tried 1 1/16 miles in the American Pharoah last month, but the 11-length defeat seemed to suggest that the distance was too taxing. His maiden victory at 6 1/2 furlongs in August, a 7 3/4-length score at Del Mar, remains the best race of his career, and Russell will cut him back to six furlongs on Saturday. Just as Capuano is unsure about Doc’s Miracle and Sweet Shenanigans in the Smart Halo, the trainer also said that he has not made a decision about Big Cuddle in the Lewis. Hollywood Import, on the other hand, is a near-certain starter after a late-flying debut victory Oct. 9 at Delaware, for which the colt earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure. “He’s still trying to figure himself out, but in the last few weeks he’s really come on nice,” Capuano said. “The race is pretty salty, but I’m expecting him to move forward.” Channel the Music, a colt trained by Jorge Duarte Jr., will join Balboa as the only other horse in the field exiting graded stakes company. Before finishing sixth on the turf in the Grade 3 Futurity at Aqueduct, the tactical runner delivered a stronger effort on dirt to finish third in the $100,000 Sapling at Monmouth Park. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.