For the Reporter

Defending champion E Z Kitty heads a list of 10 older fillies & mares nominated to the $50,000 Washington State Legislators Stakes on Sunday, June 9.

At 6½ furlongs, the Washington State Legislators is the second of four open stakes events for the older filly and mare division. The opener, the May 12 Hastings Handicap, was a thriller as E Z Kitty notched her sixth career stakes victory by two lengths over Exclusive Diva in 1:08.26 for six furlongs. A 5-year-old Washington-bred by He’s Tops-Envision the Cat, E Z Kitty is 10-2-2in 18 lifetime starts with earnings of $182,873.

In last year’s Washington State Legislators, E Z Kitty led gate-to-wire and handed Horse of the Meeting Class Included her only loss in five starts. E ZKitty ran 6½ furlongs in 1:14.61 to score the $24.60 upset.

Exclusive Diva has split two decisions this year with E Z Kitty, scoring by a neck in an April 21 allowance race and finishing second in the Hastings Handicap. A quadruple Emerald Downs stakes winner, the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred hails from the powerful Northwest Farms’ outfit whose 3-year-old fillies finished first, second and third in the May 26 Seattle Handicap.

Evelyn’s Dancer has been the belle of the ball at Hastings Racecourse, where she reeled off four stakes wins last summer and was named the track’s champion 3-year-old filly. A Kentucky-bred, Evelyn’s Dancer has made a smooth transition into the older filly and mare ranks this spring with gate-to-wire victories in the Brighouse Belles and Strawberry Morn Handicaps.

While Evelyn’s Dancer was the dominant sophomore filly in Vancouver, Champagneandcaviar took honors as Top 3-Year-Old Filly at Emerald Downs. The daughter of Van Nistelrooy capped the season with a dramatic victory over Exclusive Diva in the Washington Oaks at 1 1/8 miles, and her maiden triumph was at 6 ½ furlongs. Trained by Howard Belvoir, Champagneandcaviar is unraced since a sixth to Evelyn’s Dancer in the B.C. Oaks last September.

Castinette Dancer, a triple stakes winner in Vancouver, finished a close third to Evelyn’s Dancer in the Strawberry Morn and thrives at 6 ½ furlongs,compiling a 3-1-1 record in six starts at the distance.

=====

$50,000 Washington State Legislators Stakes
6½ Furlongs, Sunday, June 9
Horse, owner, trainer

Carrabelle Harbor (5-Ore.), Bar C Racing & Desert Rose Racing, DorisHarwood

Castinette Dancer (5-Wash.), N American Tbred Co & P Kinsella, Mike Puhich

Champagneandcaviar (4-Ky.), Fleur De Lis Stable LLC, Howard Belvoir

E Z Kitty (5-Wash.), Bruce Maller, Jeff Metz

Evelyn’s Dancer (4-Ky.), M Dedomenico/N American Tbred, Troy Taylor

Exclusive Diva (4-Ky.), Northwest Farms & Debbie Paxton, Tom Wenzel

Gosailgo (4-B.C.), Greame Hope, Robert J. Anderson

Plus One (4-Ky.), Ten Broeck Farm, Inc., Tim McCanna

Royal Moses (4-Wash.), Squatting Dog S & R G Warwick, Tim Harder

Saturday Nite Ride (4-Ky.), M Dedomenico/N American Tbred, Mike Puhich