Two horses with recency hold edge

Not once, not twice, but three times.

Arlington Park fans will get to watch and wager on 3-year-olds and upward competing under a first-level allowance restriction and for a $30,500 purse on three occasions Sunday, when a nine-race card gets under way at the usual 1 p.m. Central.

The three allowances effectively serve as bookends while sporting only minor variations between them. The last two races are restricted to Illinois-breds: the eighth goes at a mile on turf, while the ninth, for fillies and mares, will be run at six furlongs on Polytrack. The first race of the day, meanwhile, is unrestricted and is set for six furlongs.

Favoritism in the opener could be split between Tenkiller Lake, a recent Tom Amoss claim in good form, and Mustfuhr, who is rising in class off back-to-back restricted-claiming victories for leading trainer Wayne Catalano. In fact, Tenkiller Lake and Mustfuhr are the only starters in the field of six with any recency to speak of - three of their opponents will be making their first start of the year, while the fourth, Media City, has raced just once since last August.

Jockey Ramsey Zimmerman, who has the mount on Tenkiller Lake, also would appear to rate a strong chance in the eighth race. Zimmerman will be getting a leg up from Tony Granitz aboard Sevnthiningstretch, a 3-year-old gelding who woke up in a big way in his last out when beaten a head. Although he comes out of a high-end claiming race into this ostensibly tougher allowance event, Sevnthiningstretch seems to fit into what shapes up as a well-matched group.

Other viable contenders in a field of 11 include Comelateleavearly, a sharp winner last out for Andy Hansen, and the uncoupled Chris Block duo of Stolen Glory and Bud's Bear.

The ninth race figures to have Eve's Apple as one of the wagering choices in a full field of 12, if for no other reason than she was beaten a nose when getting first Lasix under identical conditions on June 28. True, her Beyer Speed Figure of 66 from that race seems rather low, yet she fits as well as any.

After Sunday, Arlington goes dark for two days before live racing resumes Wednesday. The feature next weekend is the $150,000 Sea o' Erin on Saturday, with the meet highlight, the 26th Arlington Million, set for two weeks later on Aug. 9.