GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (May 24, 2008) – Monday’s 12th running of the $200,000 Grade 3 Quija Board Handicap, for fillies and mares three-years-old and up, to be run at one mile over turf, features Juddmonte Farms multiple graded stakes winner Costume. Trained by Bobby Frankel, Costume will set out to win her third straight graded stakes victory after posting back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Handicap and the Grade 2 Santa Ana Handicap at Santa Anita Park in California.
“She drew a difficult outside post position, but she’s handy enough to be placed anywhere out of the gate and that can help her overcome it,” said Frankel.
A winner of three of 12 career starts with earnings of $309,464, Costume is schedule to face 10 rivals in the Quija Board. Perhaps the most notable of those is the Donnie Von Hemel-trained Brownie Points, who drew the outside post. A multiple stakes winner racing over turf, Brownie Points has won four of her nine turf starts for $281,969, and is seven of 21 overall for $686,309 in total earnings.
Also of note in the Quija Board, is the Paula Capestro-trained Forest Melody who was last seen finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita, and the Cody Autrey-conditioned Tears I Cry who was a visually impressive winner in the Irving Distaff here on April 26.
The field from the rail out, with jockey and morning line odds listed in parenthesis, consists of: My Three Sisters (Shaun Bridgmohan, 20-1); Forest Melody (Brice Blanc, 10-1); Barbette (Quincy Hamilton, 20-1); Elliecat (Carlos Gonzalez, 30-1); Super Freaky (Alonzo Quinonez, 6-1); Tears I Cry (Cliff Berry, 12-1); Emma Grace (Eddie Martin Jr., 20-1); Buddha Lady (Chris Lambert, 30-1); Candy Ball (Aaron Gryder, 10-1); Costume (Garret Gomez, 7-5); and Brownie Points (Luis Quinonez, 3-1).
Scheduled as race nine on the 11-race program, the Quija Board Handicap has an approximate post time of 5:19 P.M. CDT.
Lone Star Park, located in Grand Prairie, Texas, will run its 65-day Spring Thoroughbred Season from April 10 through July 27, and a 31-day Quarter Horse Fall Meeting of Champions from September 26 to November 29 in 2008. Additional information on Lone Star Park can be found online at www.lonestarpark.com.
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