Bella Dona (pictured) will put her six-race win streak on the line in Saturday’s 6 1/2-furlong, $100,000 Carlos Salazar Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred fillies and mares at Albuquerque Downs.
Trained by Simon Buechler for owners Robert M. Driggers, Del Rae Driggers, and Ben Lee Ivey, Bella Dona will be stretching out in distance off of her 4 1/4-length victory at odds of 3-10 in the 6-furlong, $50,000 Lincoln Stakes (R) at Ruidoso Downs on August 7. The homebred daughter of Attila’s Storm has won nine of 10 races and has earned $555,068, and her current streak started when she ended her 2-year-old campaign with a wire-to-wire, 5 1/4-length win in the 6-furlong, $100,000 New Mexico Cup Lassie Championship (R) at Zia Park.
Bella Dona drew post 2 and will be ridden by Luis A. Fuentes. The lone 3-year-old filly in the field, her six opponents include Paul Jenson’s Lemon Drop Gold, a 5-year-old Mr. Gold Mover mare who sports a two-race win streak that includes a three-quarter length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong, $100,000 Russell & Helen Foutz Distaff Stakes (R) at SunRay Park on April 23.
Lemon Drop Gold drew post 6 and will be ridden by Frank Reyes for trainer Juan Carlos Gonzalez.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
Overtide (Rigo Sarmiento), 8-1
Bella Dona (Luis A. Fuentes), 1-1
Proofsinthepuddin (Alfredo Juarez Jr.), 5-1
Quatro (Joree Scriver), 25-1
Flaxy Lady (Miguel Perez), 15-1
Lemon Drop Gold (Frank Reyes), 5-2
Shugs Charlie (Enrique P. Gomez), 10-1