NEWS
Le Mi Geaux faces Pletcher quartet in Spinaway
Posted: Thursday, September 02, 2010 4:02 PM
LE MI GEAUX
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
by Steve Bailey
Lansdon B. Robbins’ homebred Le Mi Geaux will try for the second consecutive graded stakes triumph of her young career as she faces seven challengers in the $250,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.
The chestnut First Samurai filly finished third in her career debut in May and then rebounded with a visually impressive 7¼-length victory in a 5½-furlong maiden special weight race on June 20, both at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., Le Mi Geaux most recently displayed a powerful turn of foot en route to winning the six-furlong Schuylerville Stakes (G3) by 1½ lengths on July 23 (video).
Le Mi Geaux will try to make another successful jump in class as she stretches out another furlong in the seven-furlong Spinaway. Jockey Frederic Lenclud, who has been aboard the filly for her two victories, retains the mount.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has a powerful hand lined up for the Spinaway with four juvenile fillies in the field, each looking to secure her first graded stakes victory.
The foursome is led by Stopspendingmaria, a maiden winner at Belmont Park who set the pace in the Schuylerville before being overtaken in deep stretch by Le Mi Geaux. The Montbrook filly won 5½-furlong maiden special weight race at Belmont Park by seven lengths on July 1 prior to the Schuylerville.
E. Paul Robsham’s homebred R Heat Lightning also will try for her first stakes victory after finishing second in a stakes in her most recent outing.
The bay Trippi filly came up a length shy of Twelve Pack Shelly in the 5½-furlong Colleen Stakes on August 7 at Monmouth Park. She won her career debut by five lengths in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on July 5 at Delaware Park.
Pletcher also will saddle Valiant Passion and Sky Hosoya, a pair of maiden winners who each enter off victories of more than nine lengths in separate 5½-furlong races at Saratoga.
The field also includes the second- and third-place finishers from the 6½-furlong Adirondack Stakes (G2) on August 15 at the Spa. Trained by Bob Baffert, Alienation finished second to Position Limit in the Adirondack, about five lengths behind winner Position Limit and five lengths in front of third-place finisher Coax Liberty, who is trained by James Lawrence II.
Rounding out the field is maiden winner Abide, who won her career debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight race on August 1 at Saratoga by 3 1/2 lengths for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
