ANN OF THE DANCE (English Channel), undefeated in her two career starts, and
maiden scorer NO SPIN (Johannesburg) on Saturday prepared for their upcoming
respective engagements in the 77th running of the Arlington-Washington Lassie
(G3) and the 76th renewal of the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3), both to be
contested at one mile over Arlington Park’s Polytrack on September 10.
Ann of the Dance, who has captured both of her starts on the synthetic track,
breezed five furlongs in 1:03 3/5 over the Polytrack in just her second move
since taking an optional claimer on August 14.
“She finished up good and strong this morning and that’s what we were looking
for,” trainer Jimmy DiVito said shortly after the move.
Ann of the Dance broke her maiden at first asking going five furlongs despite
being bumped at the break and then forced to steady entering the lane. She
rallied in the late stages of that June 18 affair and drew clear by a length at
the wire.
The Kentucky-bred Ann of the Dance is a daughter of 2007 champion turf horse
English Channel and gave her sire his first winner when breaking her maiden. She
was then entered for a grass race, but that event was subsequently taken off the
turf and run at 1 1/16 miles. Unhurried early that day, she advanced steadily
along the rail approaching the lane, split rivals to take clear command at the
furlong grounds and drew off for a 6 1/2-length tally at the wire.
DiVito has posted an enviable record with two-year-olds at Arlington this
season, winning with seven of his 12 juvenile starters for a 58-percent win
ratio. Ann of the Dance’s owner, William Cox, is a retired heart surgeon from
Rockford, Illinois, and brother of well-known Thoroughbred owner E. A. Cox.
Also on Saturday, Leonard Blach and Ray Willis’s No Spin drilled a bullet
five furlongs in :58 1/5 to ready for the Futurity. Trained by Tim Ice, the bay
colt broke his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths on August 7 over Arlington’s Polytrack in
a 5 1/2-furlong dash.
Ice indicated last week that he was going to bring No Spin up to the Futurity
off of works alone.
“He’s been going well lately,” he explained. “Now I’m just trying to get him
ready to go longer by getting a little air into him.”
No Spin finished third in his July 14 racing debut to Twelve Hundred (Cape
Town), who moved his record to a perfect two-for-two when returning to post an
eight-length romp in the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile.