Lakerball takes her game north

If Lakerball’s 33-1 upset of the $100,000 Surfer Girl at Santa Anita is any indication, the filly has found a home on the grass. Lakerball, trained by Doug O’Neill, comes north Saturday to Golden Gate Fields for the $75,000 Pike Place Dancer, a one-mile turf race for 2-year-old fillies.

In her first race on turf and at two turns, Lakerball led every step of the way and hung on to win by a nose in the one-mile Surfer Girl on Oct. 8.

“I think we’ve found a nice place for her on the turf,” O’Neill said. “We’re excited about her, and we want to see how she ships. It’s a great experience for a 2-year-old.”

Although she won the Surfer Girl on the lead, O’Neill doesn’t necessarily see Lakerball going wire to wire again in the Pike Place Dancer. She was right up on the lead in her maiden victory, which came for a $50,000 tag going 5 1/2 furlongs, and sat a few lengths off the lead in her other two races, a third in a maiden claimer and a fourth in an optional claimer/starter allowance. All three races came over the summer at Del Mar.

“I think she’s versatile,” O’Neill said.

Lakerball has five opponents in the Pike Place Dancer. Tomlin and Stealthediamonds have won two straight after losing their debuts. Gorgeous in Grey and Sneaky Dianne each is coming off a maiden win on turf, while Brahms Command won her second start after running third in her debut.

Tomlin’s trainer, Steve Specht, says there are a “lot of unknowns” for his filly, who will be racing on turf and trying a route for the first time.

She ran fifth in her debut, and jockey Frank Alvarado suggested that Specht try blinkers on the filly. She graduated in front-running style on dirt at Santa Rosa in August, beating Stealthediamonds, and then pulled away through the stretch to win a six-furlong optional claimer on the Golden Gate Tapeta on Sept. 7 in her last start.

“She’s a nice filly, good about everything,” Specht said. “She has speed, but she’s manageable.”

Tomlin has five works in the seven weeks since her last race, including a mile in 1:42.60 at Golden Gate on Oct. 13.

“I’ve tried to get her fit,” Specht said. “She got pretty tired in that mile work, but I wanted her to get tired.”

Tomlin is a sister to three runners who have won on turf, including Strike It Rich, a graded stakes winner on the surface.

Stealthediamonds, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, has won a statebred maiden race and an optional claimer, both on Tapeta at Golden Gate, since her second to Tomlin in her debut. A daughter of Unusual Heat, Stealthediamonds has the breeding to like turf and go two turns.