Chickieness Tops Overflow Field of 16 in $100,000 Lassie

Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc.’s Chickieness, second in back-to-back stakes, makes her Maryland debut looking to break through with a black-type victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie at Laurel Park.

Bred, trained and co-owned by Jamie Ness, Chickieness is a daughter of Blofeld out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Chickaletta that was installed as the 2-1 program favorite in an overflow field of 16 for the Lassie.

“We bred her at our farm and we’re pretty excited to have her and get her in the race,” Ness said. “The mare was a nice hard knocker and this little filly has been nothing but good. She’s got a win and a couple seconds in stakes and she’s been moving forward into this race.”

Chickieness has raced exclusively at Delaware Park, graduating by 2 ½ lengths in a five-furlong maiden special weight second time out July 9. She ran second to Bound by Destiny in both the 5 ½-furlong Blue Hen Aug. 31 and six-furlong Small Wonder Sept. 28, though the margin of defeat shrunk from 5 ¾ to 1 ½ lengths.

“That is a pretty nice horse. She beat us pretty good the first time around and last time we closed the gap on her and we were running at the end,” Ness said. “She’s getting better with each race it seems like, so I’m pretty excited about the race this weekend. I don’t think the distance matters. She just likes to run.”

Also exiting the Blue Hen are Skylar’s Sister and Cocktail Dreaming, respectively third and seventh. Louis Ulman’s Skylar’s Sister was a debut winner on the Laurel turf Aug. 7 and followed her stakes debut finishing seventh in the Small Wonder.

“The last time at Delaware she didn’t run any good and I don’t know why,” trainer Dale Capuano said. “She seems to have bounced back. She worked well the other day.”

No Guts No Glory Farm’s homebred Cocktail Dreaming broke her maiden sprinting 5 ½ furlongs June 19 at Laurel and comes into the Lassie with five starts, most in the field along with maiden Fivecommatwo.

“It looks like a wide-open race, so we figured we’d put her in there and give her a shot,” trainer Jerry Robb said. “It always helps to have some experience in these kinds of races, and she’s had plenty of it.”

Malibu Moonshine, a six-length maiden special weight winner Sept. 11 at Pimlico for New York-based trainer Charlton Baker; Willful Desire, Lectric Rod, Bosserati, Cynergy’s Electra, Precious Avary, Shell Belle, Diamond Sue, Blome and Flamingo Faze are also entered. Maryland-bred also-eligibles are Sister Spirit and Brooklyn Girl.