Today's $100,000 Dixie Belle Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters features a field of seven horses at Oaklawn Park.
Probable post time for the 6-furlong Dixie Belle, the eighth of nine races, is 4:38 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m. with first post 1:05 p.m.
The Dixie Belle brings back Unholy Alliance, Q Go Girl, Lady T N T and Adventurous Lady, third, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the $74,250 Letellier Memorial Stakes on Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.
After winning her first two career starts, Unholy Alliance was beaten 1 3/4 lengths after a sluggish start in her stakes debut.
"She got away bad," trainer Brad Cox said of the 2-1 Dixie Belle program favorite. "Kind of stumbled a little bit and broke outward. Just left herself too much to do going up the backside. Made a good run down the lane and just came up a little short."
The projected seven-horse Dixie Belle field from the rail out: Unholy Alliance, Stewart Elliott to ride, 119 pounds, 2-1 on the morning line; Broadway Cat, David Cohen, 115, 12-1; Adventurous Lady, Ramon Vazquez, 119, 9-2; Q Go Girl, Jermaine Bridgmohan, 115, 6-1; Lady T N T, David Cabrera, 119, 3-1; Raintree Starlet, Alex Canchari, 119, 6-1; and Spice It Up, C.J. McMahon, 115, 6-1.
Cox said he chose to run the Fair Grounds-based Unholy Alliance in the Dixie Belle instead of the Grade 3 $150,000 Forward Gal Stakes on Feb. 2 at Gulfstream Park in Florida because of an easier ship and less contentious spot. Cox said Unholy Alliance arrived Tuesday in Hot Springs and has trained well since the Letellier Memorial Stakes.
The gray daughter of First Samurai has had six published works this year at Fair Grounds in advance of her 3-year-old debut, highlighted by a half-mile bullet drill of :47 on Feb. 2.
"I think it's a good setup for her," Cox said. "Post position for her, I don't think, means a lot just because she's not a factor early on. We'll see what happens."
Adventurous Lady will try to give Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his fourth Dixie Belle victory. Asmussen has at least one Oaklawn stakes victory every year since 1996.
Raintree Starlet exits a 1 1/4-length first-level allowance victory on Jan. 25 at Oaklawn for trainer Brian Williamson. She was an eight-length winner of 3-year-old debut on Jan. 4 at Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois.
"I just know that my horse is doing real good," Williamson said. "She blew out Sunday. Breezed real good, galloped out strong. I'm excited."
Sports on 02/16/2019