Louisiana-bred 2-year-old fillies meet in the $100,000 Donovan Ferguson Memorial, the featured seventh race Friday at Fair Grounds. Little Miss Curlin – obviously – is a Louisiana-bred 2-year-old filly. But she is Louisiana-bred in name only.
Little Miss Curlin is part of the first crop of runners sired by Charlatan, who stands in Kentucky for an advertised $50,000 stud fee. She has one sibling, based in Japan, and is the second foal produced by Mylady Curlin, who is by the renowned sire Curlin and during her racing career won eight of 17 starts, the Grade 2 Falls City topping her four stakes victories.
The Coteau Grove Farm of Keith and Ginger Myers bred and own Little Miss Curlin, who was entered in and withdrawn from a Florida auction earlier this year. Instead of going into the sales ring, Little Miss Curlin went into the barn of trainer Pat Devereux. Her career debut and lone start came Oct. 22 at Delta Downs, and Little Miss Curlin scored sharply enough to merit a very long look in the Donovan Ferguson, a six-furlong dirt contest.
The 8-5 favorite, Little Miss Curlin broke sharply and led, and not only did she prove the fastest filly early in the race, she also finished far faster than any of her nine rivals, getting her final furlong in 12.15 seconds on the way to a 4 1/4-length score. That finishing speed going five furlongs on a five-eighths oval strongly suggested that an extra furlong and a much longer homestretch Friday should only help the filly.
Since her debut she has posted fast works at Delta. Jareth Loveberry takes the mount Friday, and Little Miss Curlin should figure prominently from the outset.
Little Miss Curlin cedes experience to seven of her eight rivals, four of whom have Louisiana-bred stakes experience.
In the Louisiana Jewel, a seven-furlong, two-turn Delta race on Nov. 1, Liteupthenight rallied from last of six to run down Swampy by a neck. Swampy won her debut over five furlongs and could benefit from a shorter distance and one fewer turn, while Liteupthenight would benefit from a strong, contested pace.
Liteupthenight has form lines running through two more Ferguson entrants, Fly Strong and El Sunshine. Fly Strong is a pace factor trained, like late-closing Liteupthenight, by Jayde Gelner. She has traded decisions with El Sunshine, who comes to Friday’s race fresh – her last start was on Aug. 30 – for trainer Bret Calhoun.
Summers With Sonya faced open company in her three Prairie Meadows starts, and Wickedwithbourbon, the field’s most experienced entrant with six outings, also makes her first start in statebred-restricted competition.
They may all be running for second if Little Miss Curlin runs to her pedigree and runs even better than in her first start.
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