HOT SPRINGS -- Two have drawn all the attention.
Seven 3-year-old fillies are entered to race the $125,000 6-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes today at Oaklawn Park. Post time is scheduled for 4:38 p.m.
Likely favorites in the expected field of seven are Amy's Challenge, who ran 6 furlongs in 1:09.4 in the second of her two career starts, and Mia Mischief, whose four-race, 2-year-old campaign included a 6-furlong victory in a time identical to the best for Amy's Challenge.
"There are obviously one or two real live ones in there," said Wayne Catalano, trainer of Dixie Belle entrant Getupbabygetup. "But we've got a shot there. You line them up in the gate, and you got a shot, right?"
Amy's Challenge, by Artie Schiller and trained by Mac Robertson for Novogratz Racing Stables, has not raced since Sept. 16, when she led from start to finish to win the $75,000 6-furlong Shakopee Juvenile Stakes in a field of eight, males included, at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.
Robertson said he hopes Amy's Challenge can advance to participate along the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The first Road-to-the-Oaks points race at Oaklawn is the 1-mile Martha Washington Stakes, scheduled for Feb. 10.
"That's the goal," Robertson said. "I think she'll run well tomorrow, but obviously I'm hoping she gets the two turns. With the way she trains and the way she's bred, I would hope she does."
Mia Mischief, by Into Mischief with Speightstown her maternal grandsire, is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for William and Corinne Heiligbrodt. She has two wins and two seconds in her four starts, including her runner-up finish in the $200,000 Spendthrift Juvenile Filly Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs on Oct. 29. Mia Mischief's maiden victory came by 16 lengths at 6 furlongs in a field of 12 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 8.
Also entered in the Dixie Belle are Secret Passion, Vision of Justice, Thoughtless Doo and Minit to Stardom, but Robertson said he believes Asmussen's trainee should be the favorite.
"She ran fast at Keeneland," he said. "That's a race track, so whatever she ran there is pretty legitimate. She's probably the one to beat unless my filly improves a little."
Amy's Challenge and Mia Mischief both have led from the gate in each of their career starts, as have two other Dixie Belle entrants, including Vision of Justice -- also a son of Into Mischief -- trained by semi-retired Greg Burchell as part of his two-horse stable.
Burchell said he was impressed by the likely favorites but also likes Vision of Justice's chance to improve off her last start, a third-place finish in the $50,000 6-furlong Letellier Memorial Overnight Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Dec. 16.
"She's a filly who likes to compete," Burchell said. "I'll be surprised if she doesn't run good. You know, she's honest enough. I'll say we'll be competitive."
Robertson said the Dixie Belle field is in the right place.
"Oaklawn is a great place for 3-year-olds," he said. "There's not a better place in the country, boys or girls.
"Although it's a short meet, there's a race for them in January, February, March and April. It's set up so it limits a lot of guessing, and it limits a lot of shipping."
Sports on 01/20/2018