HOT SPRINGS -- Handicappers beware.
Nine entrants with a broad assembly of pace preferences help to deepen the field of possible contenders in the $150,000 American Beauty Stakes for fillies and mares four years old and up covering 6 furlongs today at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
The American Beauty is the eighth of nine races on Oaklawn's card, with a post scheduled for 4:16 p.m.
Joel Politi's L'il Tootsie, 11 5-1-1, trained by Tom Amoss with Geovanni Franco listed to ride, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Six in the field have displayed a front-running tendency, a form that helps Amoss' confidence.
"Any time you have a horse like Li'l Tootsie that likes to come from off the pace, the first thing you do when the entries come out is you try to decide if it looks like there will be enough speed on paper to set it up for her close," Amoss said. "It looks like the kind of race that has a little bit of everything in it, speed, middle horses and some closers. So as long as the race develops on paper like it looks like it should, then I think Li'l Tootsie has a great chance to run her race and be successful."
Li'l Tootsie is a 4-year-old daughter of Tapiture entered with wins in her past two starts, the latter against five other 6-furlong allowance runners at Oaklawn on Dec. 10. She ran in four graded stakes as a 3-year-old, with a best finish of third in the Grade II Prioress Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Sept. 4, 2021.
Alex and Joann Lieblong's 4-year-old Abrogate, 8 4-1-1, is the 7-2 second-choice trained by hall of famer Steve Asmussen. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. has ridden each of Abrogate's starts, including a fifth-of-12 finish in the Grade II Eight Belle Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., last spring.
Wildwood's Beauty, a 6-year-old daughter of Kantharos owned by William Stiritz and trained by Scott Becker, is one of three 5-1 morning-line third-choices in the American Beauty, a group that includes Sarah Harper, trained by Ron Moquett. Francisco Arrietta is Wildwood's Beauty's listed jockey and has ridden her past three starts, including a gate-to-wire, optional-claiming, 6-furlong win at Oaklawn on Jan. 2, which was her first start in more than eight months.
"She'll probably have more a stalking trip in this race," Becker said. "She's capable of throwing in a big race. She's capable, just like several of them in there. We just hope it's our day."
Sarah Harper, a 4-year-old daughter of Vancouver, led from the gate to the wire in a 6-furlong optional-claiming start at Oaklawn on Jan. 9. Jon Court is set to ride Sarah Harper, 5 3-0-2. Owners William Sparks, William Patterson, Ty Patterson and Stephen Bell, and Moquett weren't sure she would start the American Beauty until late Friday afternoon.
"We wanted to wait as long as possible because of the short time since her last race," Moquett said. "Her energy level is good, so I thought we might as well go."
Moquett spoke confidently of Sarah Harper.
"She's doing well, and she's learning," he said. "It looks like she fits with this field. I think we'll do well. We just want to get a good trip."
Ben Colebrook trains Keystone Racing's Miss Mosaic, 18 2-8-1, and said he hopes plentiful early speed helps her chance in the American Beauty. Miss Mosaic, a 6-year-old daughter of Verrazano who finished second from off the pace in the 7-furlong Miss Claus Stakes at Parx Racing in Bensalem Township, Pa., on Dec. 28.
"She's probably going to get bread this year, and we're just trying to win a stakes with her," Colebrook said. "She ran well at Parx last time. This race kind of makes sense for Miss Mosaic. We have a lot of confidence in her."