Turf Sprint picture still hazy

Just over four weeks out, the prospective field for the Turf Sprint remains very much in flux.

Gilt Edge Girl earned an automatic starting berth when she posted a 53-1 upset over 20 rivals in last Sunday's Win and You're In Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp, and provided the first Group 1 wins for trainer Clive Cox and 21-year-old jockey Luke Morris. It appears doubtful, however, that she will cross the pond.

"I think the [soft] ground was a big factor on Sunday," said Cox. "It's up in the air as to her future. . . . Watching the equestrian events going on in Kentucky at the moment, it looks as though they have had a very dry time looking by the color of the grass out there."

Lady of the Desert, a three-time group stakes winner at six furlongs in Great Britain, came up second-best. Her trainer, Brian Meehan, stated the 3-year-old filly would remain in training at 4, but made no mention of taking a crack at the Turf Sprint.

Closer to home, Unzip Me improved to 6 wins from 7 starts this year after wiring the Sen. Ken Maddy on opening day at the Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meet. The ultra-consistent filly earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure (98), to go along with a string of 97-97-97-96-96 from March through August for trainer Marty Jones.

Gotta Have Her won last year's Sen. Ken Maddy as prelude to a runner-up finish in the Turf Sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs, but the stretch-running mare would have far less real estate to work with at five furlongs this year.

"I'm not sure," said trainer Jenine Sahadi, who will run the 6-year-old millionaire in Saturday's $400,000, one-mile First Lady at Keeneland and go from there.

The prospective lineup will come into sharper focus after two key preps this weekend: the Woodford at Keeneland on Saturday, and the Morvich Handicap (a Win-and-In event) at Oak Tree at Hollywood on Columbus Day.