Now B Quiet Looks to Silence Doubters in Muffy Roo ‘Cap

Four horses are entered for Saturday’s feature at the District of Columbia, the $35,000 Muffy Roo Handicap, a seven-furlong turf dash for 3-year-old fillies. Quietjohn’s favored Now B Quiet looks to earn her first career stakes win after finishing second in three straight added money appearances.

Now B Quiet owns a substantial speed figure edge on her competition, which hasn’t been the case in her previous stakes tries. The daughter of Quiet American is 3/5 on the morning line, but has failed at short prices recently (8/5 has been her highest odds in five career races).

Pace may play a factor in the Muffy Roo. In each of Now B Quiet’s runner-up efforts she has failed top pass a horse that showed a quicker turn of foot leaving the gate. There is no clear frontrunner Saturday, with each of the four horses displaying a similar pace-pressing running style.

Daunte’s Zene Afleet has won three stakes races, which is a testament to the relative thinness in quality of the turf sprint division for sophomore fillies as it is Zene Afleet’s brilliance. The daughter of Northern Afleet is out of Salei (by Cozzene), a maiden through 19 career starts. Zene Afleet has yet to achieve a speed figure above 78 or stretch out beyond 7 ½ furlongs. She seems to have a bit more of a stalking running style than her Muffy Roo rivals so she may be the back marker though the early going.

Hollandia2’s City Street Road may inherit the early lead and that may well lead to a trip to the winner’s circle. The 5/2 second choice on the morning line is looking for her first career stakes win after finishing fourth in her first black-type event last time out. The daughter of Street Cry, out of the Carson City mare Carson Road, has won three of eight career races.

Rounding out the field is the computer-owned entrant Looking Out Wind (by Orientate). She is racing for the third consecutive weekend and seems to prefer dirt surfaces. Bred by Corza1, Looking Out Wind has won one of 12 career races.