2017 Winner Shimmering Aspen Among Foes in Seven-Furlong Sprint
One of Five Stakes Worth $400,000 in Purses Sunday, July 14

LAUREL, MD – Breeze Easy LLC’s multiple graded-stakes winner Late Night Pow Wow, freshened up after having a nine-race win streak snapped in her Grade 1 debut, returns to action in an effort to get back on the winning track in Sunday’s $75,000 Twixt at Laurel Park.

The seven-furlong Twixt for fillies and mares 3 and up is among five stakes worth $400,000 in purses on a nine-race Summer Sunday Stakes program presented by 14 Hands Winery, topped by the $100,000 Stormy Blues, one of three 5 ½-furlong sprints over Laurel’s world-class turf course.

Also on the card is the $75,000 Concern for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs, featuring the Maryland debut of Grade 1 winner Mind Control, and the Ben’s Cat and Jameela, both $75,000 grass stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses. First race post time is 1:10 p.m.

Late Night Pow Wow had been defeated only once in her first 12 races, a runner-up finish in the 4 ½-furlong Its Binn Too Long Stakes for West Virginia-breds last April, her third career start. From there she reeled off nine straight wins, six in stakes, including her first graded triumph in the 2018 Charles Town Oaks (G2).

Her success was not enough to earn Late Night Pow Wow the favorite’s role in the seven-furlong Madison (G1) April 6 at Keeneland, which instead went to 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Shamrock Rose. Late Night Pow Wow chased the leaders throughout and finished an even third, beaten seven lengths.

“I’m actually going to go as far as throwing that race out,” Charles Town-based trainer Javier Contreras said. “I think we might have showed up there a little too early for the race and she kind of flattened out a little bit on me. She handled the track beautifully, but I think she just got a little flat at the end. I really expected she would run a lot better than that. Still, it was a game race for her.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Fiber Sonde, Late Night Pow Wow got a short break before returning to training, posting three published works at Charles Town since mid-June, most recently going five furlongs in 1:01.80 July 3.

“She’s doing beautiful. She took a nice little break and loved it,” Contreras said. “She’s right on schedule. We gave her a little time off, but she seems to be working pretty steady so we’re going to take a shot.”

The connections had considered a shorter spot out of town before opting to bring Late Night Pow Wow to Laurel, where she is undefeated in three starts, all in stakes – the Willa On the Move to cap 2018 and What A Summer to kick off 2019, both at six furlongs, and the seven-furlong Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 16.

“We’ve run there three times and we’ve won all three times. She loves the surface. Going the seven-eighths is a little further than we wanted coming off the layoff she had, but she’s working very well for us so hopefully she can get the job done,” Contreras said. “[The time off] had to do her some good. The plans they have for her after this race, I think they might want to go to Saratoga so we’d better be tight. When you run against good horses, no matter where you go, they’re going to come running at you no matter what.”

Regular rider Fredy Peltroche will be aboard from Post 6 of 10 at 120 pounds.

Hillwood Stable’s Shimmering Aspen, whose four career stakes wins include the 2017 Twixt, returns to the dirt after a failed turf experiment where she ran 11th, beaten eight lengths, in the 1 1/16-mile Big Dreyfus Stakes June 16 at Laurel.

Twelve of 5-year-old Shimmering Aspen’s 17 lifetime starts and five of her eight career wins have come over Laurel’s main track, including the 2017 Alma North Stakes, although each of her last two wins have been at Delaware Park, the most recent coming May 8.

“She’s doing real good,” trainer Rodney Jenkins said. “She looked like she had lost a step but she’s training real good up to this race. I’m pleased with her. She’s sound and she’s ready to go.”

Rounding out the field are Peter Brant’s 2018 Azalea Stakes winner Alter Moon; Cairenn, 4-4-1 from nine career starts at Laurel including the 2018 Shine Again Stakes; Victory Rally and Yorkiepoo Princess, all of whom share topweight of 125 pounds with Shimmering Aspen; Crimson Frost, Regal Retort, So Innocent and Stormologist. Yorkiepoo Princess is also entered July 13 at Delaware Park in the Dashing Beauty Stakes, which drew a field of five.