STREET LUTE BACK TO DIRT FOR MISS DISCO

Street Lute
Xavier Perez gives Street Lute some love after winning the Stormy Blues at PImlico in June. Photo Jerry Dzierwinski.
  • userPress Release
  • dateAugust 19, 2021

Lucky 7 Stables’ Street Lute, unsuccessful in her first try on grass and against her elders last month, returns to face her own kind on a more familiar surface in search of an eighth career stakes victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Miss Disco at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Jockey Xavier Perez has ridden Street Lute in each of her last nine races, first climbing aboard to capture the six-furlong Smart Halo last November at Laurel Park. Together they have teamed up for six wins, all in stakes, the most recent coming in an off-the-turf edition of the Stormy Blues June 13 at Pimlico, contested at five furlongs.

Other stakes wins for Street Lute came last year in the Small Wonder at Delaware and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking at Laurel, and this year in Laurel’s Xtra Heat and Wide Country, all at either six for seven furlongs. She also ran third when stretched out to a mile in the Beyond the Wire March 13 and sixth against graded company in the Miss Preakness (G3).

Trainer Jerry Robb got a chance to try Street Lute on the grass in her most recent start, where she ran sixth after chasing the pace in the 5 ½-furlong M. Tyson Gilpin July 19 at Colonial Downs, beaten a total of 2 ½ lengths.

“We were hoping she’d like the grass because she’s bred for it. We got a good break and she was right there sitting in third and when I asked her to go, she just wasn’t getting hold of the track,” Perez said. “She came out of the race like she didn’t do anything. It was a like a little workout for her. She’s been tearing the barn down since.”

Perez is also Street Lute’s regular workout partner, and said she was sharp in a final tune-up for the Miss Disco over Laurel’s newly reconstructed main track last weekend. They will break from Post 3 at topweight of 122 pounds, giving away four pounds to each of their four rivals.

“She’s all fired up. She didn’t get to do anything and she didn’t get anything out of that race,” Perez said. “She worked last week in 59 [seconds] and change and that was really impressive for her working on the new surface. She was really happy. She came back to the barn bouncing. I had to jump off of her because she was so happy.”

Perez said he was encouraged with the way Street Lute was heading into the Miss Disco, named for Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s Maryland-bred multiple stakes winner, dam of 1957 Preakness (G1) winner and Hall of Famer Bold Ruler and granddam of fellow Hall of Famer and 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat.

“She’s happy, she’s eating well, she looks great. She’s bright-eyed and just doing awesome,” Perez said. “I’m looking forward to the next race.”

Street Lute will face four rivals in the Miss Disco, including two, Malibu Beauty and Hitch a Ride, trained by Gary Capuano. Also entered are My My Girl and Response Time.

LATEST NEWS