Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Ms Locust Point well drawn
After flashing promise at 2, Ms Locust Point has only started twice this season. On Saturday, she will return to the stakes ranks in the $100,000 Willa On the Move at Laurel Park.
The Willa On the Move, a six-furlong race for fillies and mares, is one of four stakes on the Laurel program. The other three, for statebreds, are the Maryland Juvenile Futurity, Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, and the Howard Bender Memorial.
Trainer John Servis crossentered Ms Locust Point in the similarly conditioned Garland of Roses at Aqueduct on Saturday but, after speaking with co-owner Chuck Zacney, opted to go to Laurel.
“The bottom line is I love the outside post for her,” Servis said.
A field of nine was entered in the Willa On the Move, but Absatootly is scheduled to stay in New York for the Garland of Roses. Ms Locust Point looks to be the chief speed and is a stakes winner over the Laurel surface, having galloped to a 4 1/4-length victory in the Gin Talking last December.
Servis sent Ms Locust Point to Florida after that race, and she was sent off as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Forward Gal. She set the pace to upper stretch before backing up to finish fifth.
Ms Locust Point did not race again until last month, when she scored a solid comeback win over optional-claiming company at Parx Racing.
“She was showing signs of feet issues when we got her down to Florida last year,” Servis said. “I thought we had them worked out before the Forward Gal, but when she didn’t run well, we just gave her time. She’s come back bigger, stronger. She is training really well.”
Servis said Ms Locust Point might stay in the Northeast this winter.
“I’m not sure if we’ll bring her to Florida,” he said. “That’s when things started going south for us last year, and there are some good races for her in New York and Maryland.”
Those races could include the Grade 2, $300,000 Barbara Fritchie on Feb. 17 at Laurel.
The Willa On the Move also includes two-time local stakes winner Shimmering Aspen and My Magician, winner of three of her last five starts.
Two stand out in Bender
The Bender Memorial, a sixfurlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, could come down to It’s the Journey and Lewisfield.
It’s the Journey has steadily improved for trainer Mike Trombetta. He had a four-race winning streak broken last time out in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland and is 5 for 10 on the year.
“He’s kind of exceeded our expectations,” Trombetta said. “He put together a good run at Laurel for us, but there was nothing there for us at the time, so we took him on the road.
“We kind of took a shot with him in the Phoenix, but for whatever reason, he never picked up his feet that day. I don’t know if it was the track, but he ran like a green 2-year-old.”
Trombetta said It’s the Journey came out of the race in good shape.
“I backed off him just a touch after the Phoenix and then geared him up for this,” Trombetta said. “His works have been very good.”
After losing his career debut, Lewisfield has rattled off three impressive victories for trainer Jeff Runco. He won a Charles Town maiden race by 20 lengths and has since won Marylandbred and open first-level allowance races at Laurel.
“He’s going to be taking a step up for this,” Runco said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked, and we’re going to try and take it to the next level.”