Though Accomplished Girl last raced on Aug. 2, her trainer, Steve Asmussen, said he didn’t hold the mare out of action strictly to aim for the $100,000 Pan Zareta Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
“We aimed at the whole meet,” Asmussen said. “Just happy to have her back down there.”
Turf sprints restricted to older fillies and mares pop up all over the Fair Grounds stakes schedule. Accomplished Girl ran in all four of them last season. She won the Pan Zareta – stylishly, too – finished third in the off-turf Nelson Menard, won the Bobby Kelly back on grass, then got the wrong trip when third in the Mardi Gras to cap her Fair Grounds campaign.
Accomplished Girl, better as a presser or stalking, led in the Mardi Gras before giving way late. Jockey Paco Lopez will have to make good use of her speed when breaking from post 12 Saturday, but with a good start can fall into just the sort of outside stalking trip that best suits Accomplished Girl.
“I hate her draw, but she’s fast enough to make it work,” Asmussen said.
Accomplished Girl faces familiar foes in the 5 1/2-furlong Pan Zareta, contested with the temporary turf rail set at seven feet. Big Trouble finished a troubled third in the Bobby Kelly, then came in one place ahead of Accomplished Girl in the Mardi Gras. Big Trouble didn’t start between April and September, and while she sharply won her comeback, both of her outings this form cycle came in races carded for grass but rained onto dirt. She is fresh, and with racing luck and a solid pace to chase, can give Accomplished Girl all she wants.
Gavea won the Mardi Gras, her second straight victory after trainer Al Stall cut the German-bred filly back to short sprints from two-turn turf racing. After a sixth facing stronger opposition at Churchill Downs in the Unbridled Sidney – won by Queen Maxima, one of the better female turf sprinters in North America – Gavea ended her form cycle with a one-paced route run in the Grade 3 Mint Julep at 1 1/16 miles.
On Saturday she races for the first time in the better part of six months. Gavea has worked steadily since early October, and her layoff presents less of a concern than working out a closing trip from post 1 – and dealing with the likes of Accomplished Girl.