Wide open contests in Arlington-Washington Futurity, Lassie

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – None of the 10 entrants in the $75,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity have won more than once, none has won a stakes, and if any of these lightly raced, unproven horses takes a significant step forward Saturday, the race ought to be theirs.

Favored on Arlington’s morning line at odds of 3-1 is Soul of Discretion, whose 85 Beyer Speed Figure earned in a 13-length debut win Aug. 25 at Canterbury Park is the highest in this field. But Soul of Discretion has plenty of questions to answer. Wearing blinkers first out, he sped clear early and ran inferior competition off their feet, never having to use anything greater than raw talent.

More will be asked of him on Saturday, especially since Barry Lee and Kate’s Golden Dude appear to possess comparable speed.

Shipped here this week by trainer Horacio de Paz, Barry Lee had good early speed and sharp upper-stretch acceleration in a blowout debut win at Laurel Park, but he was hooked and cooked on a fast pace last month in the Saratoga Special, fading to a distant eighth.

“They just went too fast,” said de Paz, the private trainer for Sagamore Farm. “You thought he could go to the front, but not that fast. It was a lot for him to handle, but he came out of it well.”

Barry Lee, de Paz said, actually is somewhat tractable in his morning work, and he has regularly galloped and breezed over the synthetic training track at Sagamore Farm.

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A fast, contested pace could benefit Captivating Moon, who looked as talented as any horse in the Futurity winning his lone start July 30 at Arlington by two lengths. The issue is that was a two-turn turf race, and trainer Chris Block is uncertain how Captivating Moon will adapt to seven furlongs on Polytrack.

“He’s smart and gifted, and I think he has a really bright future,” Block said.

Block entered Captivating Moon twice in Kentucky Downs races to no avail, but maybe the Futurity will be fine. Captivating Moon showed a good turn of foot and mental maturity accelerating up the rail to win going away, throwing down a 23.14-second final quarter-mile under a hand ride. His dam, Appealing Storm, has produced a number of talented runners, including the Grade 1 winner Vacare.

The X got just a 46 Beyer winning an Ellis Park turf sprint first out, but appeared to run better than that figure. The X missed the break, got trapped behind horses into the turn, and came with a good stretch run to win easily under Brian Hernandez, who gives way to Mitchell Murrill on Saturday.

“I thought he might need a race,” said trainer Ben Colebrook. “Brian, when he missed the start, thought he would just give him a race, but then he just kind of asked him a little and he exploded. I don’t think he’s a five-and-a-half-furlong horse, and he had a nice work on the Keeneland Polytrack training track the other day.”

The first-, third-, and fourth-place finishers from an Aug. 12 maiden race are back in the Futurity. Take Charge Dude won that race by a nose, but P.R. Radio Star looked like a horse that needed a start and galloped out in front of the pack.

Southampton Way finds good spot in Lassie

Southampton Way’s mind still is catching up to her physically imposing body, but her entire package looks sufficient to win the $75,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie.

Trained by Horacio de Paz for owner-breeder Sagamore Farm, Southampton Way won a Saratoga maiden race in her second start and comes off a solid second-place finish in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes on Aug. 12 at Saratoga. Both performances stand in stark contrast to a career debut in which Southamptom Way finished fifth as the 6-5 favorite over a muddy Pimlico strip.

“That was just inexperience,” said de Paz. “Even now she’s still a little immature. It hasn’t really all clicked for her. She’s run well considering that.”

De Paz added blinkers for Southampton Way’s second start, the Saratoga maiden win in which a filly named Purrfect Miss finished second. That horse returned to win a Saratoga maiden with a 79 Beyer.

Southampton Way was no match for speedy Pure Silver in the Adirondack, but plugged away for second after losing considerable ground on the turn.

“We thought there was more speed in the race, and things didn’t really work out,” de Paz said. “We figure stretching her out, the further the better. We’ll see how she takes to the synthetic.”

There are 13 others in the Lassie, none of whom has looked as good as Southampton Way, the likely favorite. Richie’slilwildcat won second out by open lengths for trainer Larry Rivelli, who said she has trained like one of his top 2-year-olds all summer. But she coughed up a big lead first time out and might be too speedy for her own good. Ardor, who won at Woodbine, and Red Dread, who has two Presque Isle wins, both are proven on synthetics, while first-time starter Caramel Cream, who looks talented, would not have to be the next coming of Ruffian to factor.

◗ Also carded is the $65,000 Avers Wexler, an overnight stakes for older females at 1 1/16 miles on Polytrack. The Wexler goes as race 6, followed immediately the Futurity and Lassie.