Sland Gram, Shrewd Vixen Top Philly Stake

The SUPERHERO LASS(JPN) Challenge
Stakes
A mile and one eighth
Firm Turf
$40,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up

PP         Horse         Owner   Jockey     Odds 
1  HEAVEN’S RAGE  wallflower  Q Miller  5/1 
2  SLAND GRAM  bigb  D Williams  5/2 
3  SKILLED CHARMER  yours2view  A Jeffires  5/1 
4  IRON AVATAR(IRE)  sgb  J Piotrowski  4/1 
5  DIXIE QUEEN  millerfar2  J Heffernan  4/1 
6  SHREWD VIXEN  mikeg  N Bedford  5/2

 

A short but classy field of well matched fillies and mares will square off in Saturday’s feature.  Here are the ladies from the hedge out.

 

Heaven’s Rage arrives fresh off her first stakes win.  The flashy chestnut closed out 2005 beating a field of three year olds at ten panels right here in Pennsylvania.  Trainer Wallflower has procured the services of the red hot rider Quincy Miller for his big Fusaichi Pegasus x Awesome Again filly.  Big chance to make it two stakes wins in a row.

 

It’s been a while since Sland Gram has won a stake.  May of 2005 to be exact.  Nineteen races ago.  So why is the five year old daughter of Grand Slam the co-favorite?  Two words.  Back class.  Trainer Bigb is hopeful that his grade I winner can remember what it was like to cross the wire first.  Needs to bring her “A” game on Saturday. 

 

Breaking from the three hole will be Yours2view’s muscular Event Of The Year filly, Skilled Charmer.  She finished a well beaten third behind Heaven’s Rage two back and failed to raise a gallop last time out.  Skilled Charmer did win a New Jersey stake four back and her best effort can bring her close.

 

Iron Avatar invades from New Hampshire where she finished sixth of eight in the Grade III Remember Stakes.  Prior to that, Sbg’s Perfect Soul homebred had finished fourth or better in nine successive races.  Consistent filly but only one victory in the last year so she must step forward here to have any hope of winning.

 

We know where Millerfar2’s Dixie Queen will be for at least seven furlongs.  In front.  She is a sprinter of some note having won a pair of turf stakes at less than a mile.  She also won a mile and a sixteenth stake some time ago so the pretty gray daughter of Monarchos cannot be ruled out entirely.  Could be trouble if left alone on the lead.

 

Rounding out the field is Mikeg’s versatile veteran, Shrewd Vixen.  The Johannesburg homebred can handle any distance, surface or track condition.  Most recently she chased home a trio of graded winners (Wild Chick, Wild Cat Tales, Pleistocene Epoch) in the Grade I Beldame at nine furlongs on the dirt.  Prior to that came a pair of seconds in grass route stakes.  Looks like a major factor.