Exotic West may settle behind speed

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Wayne Catalano hopes to see Exotic West sitting in the “catbird seat” on Friday, when she stretches out to two turns for the first time in the featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park.

The conditioned allowance is for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/16 miles. The field of seven includes a number of promising prospects, including Willful Woman, Sister Annie, and Trumpet Lilly.

Exotic West also is in that group.

“We like her a lot,” said Catalano, who trains the filly for Gary and Mary West.

Exotic West enters Friday’s feature off a runner-up finish in a first-level allowance March 4 at Oaklawn. She stalked the pace and was beaten 1 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong race, which went in a quick 1:10.31. For the race Friday, Exotic West will break from post 2 under David Cabrera.

“She could be sitting right in the catbird seat,” Catalano said. “She’s got a little speed. There’s some in there I thought might want [the lead], and she could sit there in the garden spot.

“She’s a nice filly. She does everything right.”

Exotic West is a daughter of Hard Spun, a multiple Grade 2 winner at two turns who also finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Exotic West’s dam, Miss Personality, who is by Broken Vow, has produced a pair of route winners.

“She’s bred to go two turns, it looks like to me, and she acts like she’ll take it,” Catalano said.

Willful Woman is proven at two turns by virtue of her maiden special weight win at a mile Jan. 24 at Oaklawn Park. She’s raced once since, finishing a troubled seventh in the Grade 3 Honeybee on March 6 at Oaklawn.

The winner, Will’s Secret, returned to run third in the Grade 1 Ashland last weekend at Keeneland, while the Honeybee runner-up, Pauline’s Pearl, came back to win the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy at Oaklawn with a Beyer Speed Figure of 89. It’s the best number put up by a 3-year-old filly this meet at Oaklawn.

Willful Woman is a daughter of Nyquist and a half-sister to Ever So Clever, a past winner of the Fantasy at Oaklawn. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount from the rail for Alex and JoAnn Lieblong and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Sister Annie won her maiden over Pauline’s Pearl at this 1 1/16-mile distance in January at Fair Grounds. In her most recent start, Sister Annie was third at this level and distance March 11 at Oaklawn.

Joe Talamo has the mount from post 5 for Ike and Dawn Thrash and trainer Brad Cox.