Miss Behaviour Targets Charles Town Oaks

After three straight runner-up finishes in graded stakes races, grade II winner Miss Behaviour will try to get untracked Saturday, Sept. 20, when she's expected to face nine other 3-year-old fillies in the $500,000 Charles Town Oaks (gr. III) at Hollywood Casino At Charles Town Races.

Included in her stretch of second-place performances is a one-length loss to Sweet Reason in the Test Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course. While the Cal MacWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum homebred will be returning to that seven-furlong distance, Saturday's race will be contested around two turns on the six-furlong Charles Town oval.

Also, the daughter of Jump Start   will be racing under the lights for the first time. Miss Behaviour previously has adjusted well to new surroundings as her four career wins have come at four different tracks.

Last year Miss Behaviour capped a three-race win streak with a clear victory in the Matron Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park. This year after winning the Miss Preakness Stakes May 16 at Pimlico Race Course, she has registered seconds in the Victory Ride Stakes (gr. III) at Belmont, the Test, and the Prioress Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga.



Despite the second-best finishes, trainer Phil Schoenthal has been pleased with Miss Behaviour's recent races.



"I don't think there's any seconditis there," said Schoenthal. "If that's the way it goes, there's no shame in defeat facing those type of horses. A lot of times it's the trip and the pace and how it shakes out. She's the kind of horse that gives her best effort and is always right there."

Local rider Jevian Toledo has been named aboard Miss Behaviour from the 2 hole.

Grade III winner Size will try to return to form Saturday. The First Samurai   filly won the Iowa Oaks (gr. III) June 28 in the slop at Prairie Meadows before finishing ninth in the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider. She carries highweight assignment of 123 pounds under Junior Alvarado from post 9.

The field is limited to 10 starters and 12 are entered with two on the also-eligible list. Stakes winner Kiss to Remember is entered in the Charles Town Oaks as well as the Dogwood Stakes (gr. III) Saturday at Churchill Downs.

No filly in the field has ever previously started at Charles Town.