Racing

Ward Duo Looms Large in Myrtlewood

Will Stroud’s Long Neck Paula and Mrs. John Magnier and Mrs. Paul Shanahan’s White Sands, two daylight stakes winners this summer at Prairie Meadows trained by Wesley Ward, highlight a field of 12 2-year-old fillies entered Friday for the fifth running of the $200,000 Myrtlewood.

Run at 6 furlongs on the main track, the Myrtlewood will go as the eighth race on next Friday’s 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. Oct. 25 is the second-to-last day of the Fall Meet.

A winner of two of three starts, Long Neck Paula won the 6-furlong Prairie Meadows Debutante by 7½ lengths as the 1-5 favorite in a field of seven on Aug. 23. Frankie Dettori has the mount from post 12.

White Sands, a half-sister to champion Jackie’s Warrior, has raced against the boys in her past two starts. On July 6, she won the 5½-furlong Prairie Gold Juvenile by 13¾ lengths and in her most recent start on Aug. 11 at Del Mar was third in the 6-furlong Best Pal (G3). Gerardo Corrales has the mount from post 4.

Also expected to attract attention is Mike Rutherford’s Glee.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Glee was runner-up to Long Neck Paula at Prairie Meadows but came back Sept. 29 to win the 6½-furlong E.L. Gaylord Memorial at Remington Park by 15½ lengths. Erik Asmussen has the mount from post 2.

The field for the Myrtlewood, with trainers, riders and weights from the rail out, is:

PostHorseTrainerJockeyWeight
1Mischievous BriaDoug AndersonFranciso Arrieta118 pounds
2GleeSteve AsmussenErik Asmussen120
3Echo SoundRusty ArnoldIrad Ortiz Jr.118
4White SandsWesley WardGerardo Corrales120
5Dancing MagicMichael CampbellFlavien Prat118
6PrayingRobbie MedinaJohn Velazquez118
7BarbarinaJon JazdzewskiEmmanuel Esquivel118
8AndreaSaffie Joseph Jr.Tyler Gaffalione120
9Empirical MischiefJohn EnnisEdgar Morales118
10Trust Fund PhillyPeter EurtonJose Ortiz118
11Atomic CityEddie KenneallyLuis Saez118
12Long Neck PaulaWesley  WardFrankie Dettori120