Unbeaten in three stakes around two turns, the 7-year-old mare Clair Annette heads a list of nine older filly fillies and mares nominated to the $75,000 Emerald Distaff on Sunday, Aug. 22.
To be run at 1 1/8 mile, the Emerald Distaff is the track’s championship event for fillies and mares and co-featured with the $250,000 Longacres Mile Grade 3.
Improving with age, Clair Annette has developed from the speed-crazy sprinter that won four sprints and Top Claimer honors in 2008 into the confirmed route horse and double stakes winner in both 2009 and 2010. The pride of owner-breeder Nina Egbert and trainer Connie Bouslaugh, Clair Annette has zoomed to the top of the division with front-running scores under Kevin Krigger in the one-mile King County Handicap and 1 1/16 mile Boeing Handicap.
Clair Annette (20-10-1-3-$173,883) is 3-for-3 around two turns and 9-for-15 at Emerald Downs, but she has never raced beyond 8 1/2 furlongs and figures to add weight after carrying 122 pounds in the Aug. 1 Boeing.
The hard trying 6-year-old Gadget Queen (31-8-10-4-$262,710) is winless in three starts this season, but she continues to fire in every race, including a third in the King County and a second in the Boeing. The Washington-bred by Flying With Eagles ran one of her best races in the 2009 Emerald Distaff while finishing second, beaten only a neck, against the superlative Elusive Horizon.
Rewritten (9-2-4-1-$69,663) could become the first 3-year-old to win the Distaff. The stretch running daughter of El Corredor comes off a sharp 1 ½-length victory in the mile and one-sixteenth Washington’s Lottery Handicap, in which she swept past a razor-sharp Sis’s Sis to win going away by 1 ½ lengths.
Canada figures to be well represented as Borgatello (3-1-1-0-$11,464), Blue Sky Holiday (31-6-9-6-$244,635), Kimmyv (7-4-1-1-$86,150) and Summer Song (16-7-2-3-$209,117)—all stabled north of the border—were nominated to the Distaff.
A 5-year-old Sunday Break mare, Summer Song has won the last two open stakes for fillies and mares at Hastings Racecourse, the mile and one-sixteenth Vancouver Sun and the mile and one-sixteenth Strawberry Morn. Although winless this year, Blue Sky Holiday was beaten only two lengths while finishing fourth in the 2009 Emerald Distaff.
Barbara’s Love (27-6-3-6-$312,196) has finished third in two of the last three fillies and mare stakes at Emerald Downs and Crocodile Tuff (15-2-5-3-$80,549) has raced in sharp form all season including a second to Clair Annette in the King County.
Weights will be released Saturday, Aug. 14 with entries taken Wednesday, Aug. 18. The winner will receive $41,250.
Emerald Distaff—3 and up fillies and mares—1 1/8 miles—15th Running
Nominee Owner Trainer
Barbara’s Love (5-CA) – L.T.D. Stable – John Holmes
Blue Sky Holiday (5-FLA– Bell, MacLeod & Michaud – John Snow
Borgatello (4-IOWA) – Mr. & Mrs. R.J. Bennett – Barbara Heads
Clair Annette (7-WA) – Nina Egbert – Connie Bouslaugh
Crocodile Tuff (4-KY) – Sue & Tim Spooner – Dan Markle
Gadget Queen (6-WA)– John & Janene Maryanski– Blaine Wright
Kimmyv (4-KY) – Swift Thoroughbreds Inc – Dino Condilenios
Rewritten (3-KY) – Ron Crockett Inc – Frank Lucarelli
Summer Song (5-KY) – Todd, Kinsella & Carmichael – Troy Taylor
