Great Spirit seeking first stakes win in Its Binn Too Long * The Racing Biz

Great Spirit seeking first stakes win in Its Binn Too Long

Dr. Feelgood won four 4 ½-furlong stakes at Charles Town during a career in which he earned a spotless record at the one-turn dash distance. Saturday night, his three-year-old half-sis Great Spirit will try to add her first stakes win photo to the family album.

The spotlight will be on the state-bred three-year-old fillies when the track offers the latest renewal of the $75,000 Its Binn Too Long Stakes. It marks the third consecutive stakes Saturday at Charles Town, with the Original Gold and Confucius Say, both for older state-breds, having preceded it.

While neither the Original Gold for fillies and mares nor Confucius Say featured an odds-on favorite, the latest renewal of the Its Binn Too Long Stakes this weekend may well. Great Spirit, a sophomore daughter of Great Notion and the half-sister to the late, great one-turn sprint specialist Dr. Feelgood, has won both of her starts this year and all three in her brief career for trainer Crystal Pickett and owner-breeder Jill Daniel. She looms the prohibitive choice in her stakes debut.

Listed as the 7-5 morning line favorite, Great Spirit won her career debut last summer at age two in a one-turn maiden special weight event. After a lengthy vacation, she returned to win a first level allowance on March 4 and returned three weeks later to win another allowance dash – by eight lengths — over a sloppy track as the odds-on choice

Great Spirit has shown the ability to run on the front end or to take a stalk-and-pounce approach. Gerald Almodovar will ride.

Lightnin Runner (9-2) won the very first maiden special weight on the calendar for two-year-olds last summer, upending a number of male rivals in the process. Trained by Angel Rodriguez for owner George Nyren, Lightnin Runner returned later to capture the $75,000 Rachel’s Turn Stakes, bypassed the Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classics, and then was seventh in the Eleanor Casey Memorial in her first attempt at two turns.

This will be Lightnin Runner’s season bow, though she’s showing some fast works at Gulfstream Park, including a three-furlong move in 34 3/5 seconds April 22. She will break from the rail this weekend under David Cardoso in the one-turn Its Binn Too Long.

Stryda (7-2) arrives having won twice in four starts this year, including a sharp score on April 1, which occurred four weeks after finishing second to Great Spirit by less than a length in a one-turn allowance here. Another sophomore daughter of Great Notion bred by Jill Daniel, Stryda has won twice in five career outings for trainer Jamey Johnson and owner FTF Racing and will also seek to continue her winning ways while making her stakes debut.

Denis Araujo will ride Stryda, who leaves from the six-hole – the outside post in this compact field.

Bella Mela (5-1) arrives having won her last two starts for trainer Javier Contreras, including a victory against older males in a one-turn allowance dash here earlier this month. The sophomore daughter of Bustin Stones owned and bred by Alex Kazdan tried stakes company unsuccessfully last fall after graduating at first asking but boasts three wins in five career outings for Contreras and sharp recent form as well.

Bella Mela is 2-for-2 going one turn and will have Javier Rivera up.

Music Lass (4-1) makes her seasonal debut in the Its Binn Too Long Stakes after posting two wins from four outings last year at age two. The three-year-old daughter of Declan’s Warrior trained by Clifford Tuomisto for owner-breeder Peter Wainwright wo sandwiched wins in a maiden race and an allowance race around two stakes tries, including a runner-up finish in the West Virginia Futurity.

Arnaldo Bocachica will ride.

La Maddelena (20-1) represents Pickett’s second entry in the stakes and will likely be the longest shot on the board. The daughter of McCraken owned and bred by Schiano Racing won her seasonal debut against maiden special weight foes locally but that represents her only tally in six lifetime tries. Orlando Bocachica is named.

Named in honor of the talented filly who won the first seven starts of her career, including the Cavada Breeders’ Classic, and eight of 16 lifetime outings for owner-trainer-breeder James W. Casey, the Its Binn Too Long Stakes is the seventh race on an eight-race card at Charles Town on Saturday night with a scheduled post time of 10:02 p.m.