Wild Snitch tries Grade 1

ELMONT, N.Y. - When trainer Ben Perkins Jr. decided to stop on Wild Snitch last fall, owner Ebby Novak had just one request.

"He said, 'I just want to have her ready for the Prioress,' " Perkins said.

Though Wild Snitch has made only one start in nine months, Perkins believes she is ready to run in Friday's $200,000 Prioress Stakes at Belmont Park. As the only Grade 1 six-furlong race restricted to 3-year-old fillies in the country, the Prioress drew an eight-horse field including shippers from California, Chicago, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Wild Snitch, a daughter of Forest Wildcat, was a precocious 2-year-old, winning her maiden and the Grade 3 Sorority at Monmouth Park in her first two starts. She shipped to New York, where she was beaten 12 3/4 lengths by eventual divisional champion Storm Flag Flying.

Perkins decided to blister Wild Snitch's shins following the Matron and was hoping to get her started this spring at Aqueduct. But the horrendous winter weather put Wild Snitch behind schedule and when Perkins twice had her entered in allowance races, the track came up sloppy.

"We didn't want to start her back on a sloppy track,'' Perkins said.

Wild Snitch finally returned to the races June 11 at Monmouth Park, coming from just off the pace to win a second-level allowance race by five lengths.

"She ran real well, she had been training real well, and we had worked her in company a couple of times against some pretty good horses,'' Perkins said. "She had real solid training before the race.''

Eibar Coa will ride Wild Snitch from post 6.

House Party, who won the Old Hat Stakes and the Nassau County this year, should be tough cutting back to six furlongs after finishing fourth in the one-mile Acorn. House Party has won her last two starts at six furlongs.

"I never though she wanted to go too far, I was pretty happy she won going seven-eighths,'' trainer Allen Jerkens said.

Randaroo, who finished fifth in the Acorn, also should appreciate the turn back to six furlongs. She won the Grade 3 Valley Stream at that distance last fall, earning a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

Belong to Sea, trained by Lisa Lewis, is 3 for 3 and comes off a win in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness. Lewis said she felt Belong To Sea "did all the work'' pressing the pace in the Miss Preakness, and would like to see the filly stalk the pace in the Prioress.

Chimichurri, who was beaten a head in the Miss Preakness, Princess V., In Secure, and Sensibly Chic complete the field.