Party Like Grandma cuts back

The Finger Lakes meet continues through Nov. 28, but the upstate New York track’s stakes schedule wraps up Monday with the $50,000 Shesastonecoldfox, a sixfurlong sprint for statebred 2-year-old fillies.

Jeremiah Englehart trains half of the six-horse field, but has L.A. Page cross-entered in the $250,000 Maid of the Mist, a mile race on Saturday at Belmont Park. Englehart’s Party Like Grandma will likely be favored in the Shesastonecoldfox over the Linda Ricetrained Sassy Agnes.

Party Like Grandma is 2 for 3 in her career. She romped by 11 1/2 lengths in her Finger Lakes debut, then shipped to Saratoga, where she led throughout to win the $200,000 Seeking the Ante at 5-2 going 6 1/2 furlongs.

In her most recent start, the Joseph A. Gimma at Belmont Park, Party Like Grandma pressed the pace of her stablemate Cartwheelin Lulu but couldn’t get by and then weakened to finish fifth. Cartwheelin Lulu went on to win the sevenfurlong Gimma by 1 1/2 lengths and will stretch out in distance as one of the favorites in the Maid of the Mist while Party Like Grandma shortens up.

Party Like Grandma was purchased by Englehart for $8,000 as a weanling and has so far earned $134,000 for owners Flower City Racing, Christopher Meyer, and Englehart. Jockey Andre Worrie will be back aboard.

Rice shipped Sassy Agnes to Finger Lakes following a runner-up effort against maiden company at Saratoga to win the $112,000 Lady Finger. Like Party Like Grandma, she has good early speed and the two favorites may hook up early.

Sassy Agnes, a $105,000 2-year-old buy at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March auction, opened a sizable lead in upper stretch of the six-furlong Lady Finger before holding on by three-quarters of a length over Ma Meatloaf, Englehart’s third Shesastonecoldfox entrant.

Ma Meatloaf, a Mike Repole homebred by Stay Thirsty, came out of the Lady Finger to finish seventh in the Gimma. She made a four-wide bid to contention on the far turn before tiring. If things get hot up front Monday, her from-off-the-pace burst could be effective.

Oh Dilly is based at Finger Lakes with owner-trainer Linda Dixon. She will be making her second career start after running away to a 14 1/2-length maiden score in her debut. The 58 Beyer Speed Figure she earned is not all that far behind the numbers of Party Like Grandma and Sassy Agnes.

Wait a Minute comes into the Shesastonecoldfox off a twolength debut maiden win for trainer Jackie Stauffer.