FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Adolphson
(847) 385-7558
Barn Notes: Tuesday, April 29, 2014
In Today’s Notes:
- My Option Has Plenty of Her Own in 2014
- Lakotadreamcatcher Hopes to Snag Purple Violet
MY OPTION HAS PLENTY OF HER OWN IN 2014
Two-time Illinois Champion My Option took a spin over the Arlington International Racecourse Polytrack Tuesday morning, 10 days after making her 2014 debut in the Third Chance Handicap at Hawthorne Race Course. The versatile Tim Keeley homebred nearly overcame a wide trip in the Third Chance, just missing by a half-length at the wire and finishing third under Eddie Perez.
Trainer Chris Block was pleased with his champion 3-year-old and 2-year-old filly of the last two years. “She came out in good shape,” the conditioner explained. “She dealt with a little dirt in the face and once she got on track she came running. Another few jumps and she would have got there.”
Much like in 2013, where the daughter of Belong to Me began her season in a dirt sprint en route to a victory in the nine-furlong Grade III Arlington Oaks, she might be pointed toward the Grade III Arlington Matron on May 24 at the same distance as the Oaks. Another option, if Block feels she is not ready for a route this early in her season, is the six-furlong Isaac Murphy Handicap on June 14.
“I toyed with the idea of running her back in a route, but I decided to be safe and sprint her,” said Block. “I would prefer a steadier progression in distance like last year, but I do think she is better the farther she goes.”
Last season, she finished a good second in Arlington’s one-mile Purple Violet Stakes prior to her victory in the Oaks. Subsequently, she went on to finish on the board on three different surfaces – all in open stakes – including a photo-finish third in the Grade II Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland. Overall, the charcoal gray filly has earnings of $330,777, three stakes victories from 11 races and has never finished out of the money in five Arlington starts.
LAKOTADREAMCATCHER HOPES TO SNAG PURPLE VIOLET
Lakota Stable’s stakes-winning sophomore filly Lakotadreamcatcher is taking aim at the restricted Purple Violet Stakes on June 7, according to conditioner Dee Poulos. The veteran conditioner grinned ear-to-ear when speaking of her stable star, a daughter of promising freshman sire and seven-time Illinois Champion Fort Prado.
“She’s a good filly and she never had a good trip when sprinting. She has always acted like a route filly and when we stretched her out, she showed it,” Poulos explained. On December 7, the deep-closing gray filly won the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante Stakes by a half-length at Hawthorne Race Course, defeating subsequent Illinois Champion 2-year-old filly Sasy Ms. Elizabeth.
“We are going to look at an Illinois allowance at 1 1/16-miles on May 8 to get her started, and then hopefully be on track for the Purple Violet,” Poulos concluded. The Purple Violet, also for Illinois-registered fillies, is at a one-turn mile and has been won by such quality multiple-stakes winning fillies as Pretty Jenny, La Tia and Summer Mis.
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David Zenner│Senior Manager of Communications
Arlington International Racecourse
2200 W. Euclid Ave. Arlington Heights IL 60006-0007
P 847.385.7535│C: 847.371.1670 | F: 847.870.6727│E: David.Zenner@arlingtonpark.com
Twitter: @dave_zenner, @arlingtonracing
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