Levels of confidence
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette handicapper Rick Lee is attaching a confidence rating next to his top selection in each race. Readers should consider selections with: * Educated Guess * * Things to like * * * Plenty to like ****Confident choice
Exotic wager possibilities
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette handicapper Rick Lee seeks out horses which make good “key” horses in multi-horse and/or multi-race wagers, commonly called exotic wagers.
The sixth race is a good trifecta or superfecta race because Bourbon Warfare is a good “key” horse, and contention for the bottom placing’s run pretty deep. The late Pick 3 appears a good bet because multiple contenders exist in a field of twelve in the seventh race, and the eighth can be narrowed down a little easier. The ninth and final leg has a probable winner in Dixie Lover and the race drew a full field of twelve.
LEE’S LOCK Dixie Lover in the ninth BEST BET Maximum Horsepower in the third LONG SHOT American Girly in the second MONDAY’S RESULTS 1-9 (11.1 percent) MEET 11-45 (24.5 percent)
1 Purse $18,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $12,500 **FLYING SUSPECT is a three-time beaten posttime favorite, but he benefits from a race over the track just seven days ago. He possesses early speed and represents a high percentage stable. COMEBACK CREEK was a clear second over a sloppy track in his career debut at Retama, and “typical” second-out improvement makes him a logical threat. SUMMER EPIC is void of early speed, but he owns competitive Beyer figures, and he competed against stronger fields at Churchill.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Flying Suspect Vazquez Villafranco 7-2 5 Comeback Creek Loveberry Witt 5-1 8 Summer Epic Hill Ice 9-2 7 Waytoplay Castanon Shumake 8-1 10 Poetic Poser McNeil Howard 8-1 6 Pick My Kid Kutzweiler Hornsby 10-1 11 Judge T.M. BQuinonez Martin 6-1 3 Fancy Future Rodriguez White 15-1 2 Fun Gus Amongus Flores McBride 12-1 4 Easter Sunglasses Hamilton Ives 20-1 1 Deputyartee Birzer Creighton 12-1 12 Hunting Gold Motel Esquilin Cook 30-1
2 Purse $18,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $10,000 **AMERICAN GIRLY was unable to get to a lone speed winner in a good third-place finish at Remington, and she is cutting her claiming price in half for a winning Oklahoma stable. SHE’S RED HOT has not raced since April, but her two sprint races last winter were good front-running efforts, and she appears to be training smartly for her return. COBB SUE defeated maiden allowance rivals at first asking last summer at Prairie Meadows, and early traffic trouble compromised her best when finishing less than 2 lengths behind the top selection at Remington.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
10 American Girly Wethey Young 12-1 3 She’s Red Hot De La Cruz Martin 8-1 8 Cobb Sue Corbett Von Hemel 5-2 5 Miss the Cue Castanon Shumake 5-1 9 Re Elected Loveberry Caldwell 10-1 6 Mrs. Danger LQuinonez Rone 7-2 7 Flint Hall Ocampo Milligan 6-1 11 Miss Lily Mae Flores Whited 15-1 4 Tommy’s Girl Birzer Breithaupt 20-1 1 Makin Mo Love Felix Puhl 20-1 2 Fabulous Cate Denninger May 20-1
3 Purse $18,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $12,500
***MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER had to overcome a slow start when beaten just 1 length in his first try around two turns at Fair Grounds, and the lightly raced and improving colt has winning connections and drew an advantageous post. OBAMA’S VOW did not show much in a ninth-place debut at Churchill, but recent works looks improved, and he is adding blinkers and taking a drop from $50,000. FEATHER INTHE SKY was a clear second as a post-time favorite in his final start of 2014 at Churchill, and he has earned the field’s fastest Beyer figure.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Maximum Horsepower Bridgmohan Catalano 2-1 3 Obama’s Vow Johnson Margolis 9-2 5 Feathers Inthe Sky Landeros Brennan 4-1 8 Wild N Crazy Esquivel Duncan 5-1 6 Square Bale Wethey Hall 6-1 4 Runnin Away Santana Lauer 8-1 2 Bundler Court Holthus 10-1 7 Cloak and Dagger Loveberry Caldwell 15-1
4 Purse $18,300, 5½ furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $6,250
**MR. MABEE’S BABY has pressed the early pace in consecutive victories at Hawthorne, and the consistent sprinter is taking a drop in class for winning trainer Ingrid Mason. WHEN WE BELIEVE has a very strong record at abbreviated sprint distances, and the in-form mare represents the red-hot stable of Federico Villafranco. ALL ABOUT BROWNIE has been no worse than second in 7 of 9 races at this distance and finished a close second behind the second selection at Remington.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Mr. Mabee’s Baby Felix Mason 9-2 3 When We Believe Vazquez Villafranco 5-2 5 All About Brownie Keith Biehler 6-1 4 Sparkling Ruler Court Cox 7-2 7 Miss Paxton BQuinonez Frazee 12-1 1 Valid A.J. Mello Chleborad 8-1 2 Crhossgo Birzer Martin 10-1 9 Switchen Er Up Esquivel Lynn 12-1 8 Proud Kitten Franklin Ice 12-1
5 Purse $20,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, starter allowance
**HOLA LA recorded her sixth victory of 2014 in a game effort Dec. 22 at Delta Downs, and the quick mare has winning connections and will be double-tough if the track comes up wet. INDIAN ARTIFACT has been forwardly placed in consecutive third-place allowance finishes at Hawthorne, and she may hold a bit of a class edge. ALMOST A LADY finished first or second in 8 of 10 races in 2014, and she faces similar competition and trainer Kenny Smith is off to a good start.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Hola La Rocco Autrey 5-1 5 Indian Artifact Thompson Manley 2-1 8 Almost a Lady Laviolette Smith 6-1 1 Camagin Esquivel Manley 9-2 3 Dream Sequence Santana Asmussen 12-1 7 Lena Love Borel Wiggins 8-1 6 Queen of Scioto Johnson Hartlage 12-1 2 My Place or Yours Hamilton Lynn 6-1 9 Baby Princess Birzer Ice 15-1
6 Purse $60,500, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
***BOURBON WARFARE circled rivals on the turn before kicking clear in a sharp maiden allowance sprint victory at Churchill, and the expensive daughter of Colonel John has been sharp in subsequent breezes and should love the added ground. MIRACLE RUN was narrowly defeated in a two-turn maiden allowance race last winter at Oaklawn, and she is adding blinkers after being a beaten post-time favorite twice in Kentucky. WILD RITZY has won 5 of 9 races at this standard route distance, and the recent winner at Remington may be sharp enough to move up in price and repeat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Bourbon Warfare Vazquez Gorder 3-1 10 Miracle Run Rocco Arnold 7-2 7 Wild Ritzy Mello Chleborad 5-1 11 Bethany Belle Franklin Brueggemann 8-1 1 Battle Tale LQuinonez Von Hemel 6-1 4 Bella Veloce Santana Moquett 10-1 5 Requestada Thompson Lukas 10-1 8 Devilish Reason Court Jackson 12-1 6 Valseuse Birzer Lukas 15-1 2 Sweet Ruby Kate BQuinon Ashauer 20-1 3 Sea Myrtle Johnson Fires 20-1
7 Purse $60,500, 6 furlongs, fillies, 3-yearolds, allowance optional claiming
**SCADADDLE won a fast maiden allowance sprint just two races back at Churchill, and she is returning to her best distance after a dull seventh-place stakes finish over muddy footing at Remington. OCEANWAVE nailed the leader in the final stride in a determined maiden score at Keeneland, and the lightly raced filly has recorded two sharp local workouts and figures the one to fear inside the final furlong. SANDY’S SONG may not have cared for the tight turns when tiring badly in the My Trust Cat at Delta, but the Cody Autrey trainee showed excellent sprinters speed in three subsequent races in California.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Scadaddle Mello Richard 7-2 6 Oceanwave Bridgmohan Catalano 4-1 4 Sandy’s Song Rocco Autrey 6-1 11 Lady Paislee Esquivel Robertson 6-1 8 Silver Allure Santana Hobby 6-1 3 Big Red Seven Court Fires 15-1 1 Bling It On Baby Loveberry Caldwell 6-1 10 Tiz Sexy Now Hill Mason 12-1 7 Batten Down Belle Vazquez Compton 15-1 2 Chocolate Cherries Borel Wiggins 20-1 5 Favorite Show Rodriguez Mullins 30-1 12 Listenupnow Ocampo Becker 20-1
8 Purse $62,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming ***BREWING has not raced since finishing second in the May 17 Chick Lang at Pimlico, but he won the Bachelor and Gazebo at Oaklawn, and the likely pacesetter has a series of bullet works. JAKE MO ran the best race of his career in his 2014 debut at Oaklawn, and the versatile sprinter returns fresh following a strong work tab at Fair Grounds. IVAN FALLUNOVALOT had his four race winning streak snapped when finishing fourth in a “key” Remington Park Sprint Cup.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Brewing Court Lukas 9-5 1 Jake Mo Berry Calhoun 4-1 4 Ivan Fallunovalot Borel Howard 7-2 7 Hogy Bridgmohan Becker 4-1 2 J J Garbar Franklin Brueggemann 10-1 5 Officer Alex Rocco Whiting 6-1 3 Ammaroo Mello Villafranco 15-1
9 Purse $18,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up which have never won two races, Arkansas-bred, claiming $10,000 ****DIXIE LOVER has not raced in 17 months, but she holds a clear talent advantage, and since her first published work was at five furlongs (Dec. 13), one can assume she has been in a training for some time. IMPETUOUS BAY has been freshened since a 6-length maiden allowance victory Sept. 24 at Thistledown, and this trainer-rider combination wins races at a 25 percent clip. DOWNERS GROVE was sold after the Remington meeting to winning connections, and her local works are upbeat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Dixie Lover Santana Cates 5-1 11 Impetuous Bay De La Cruz Martin 3-1 12 Downers Grove Loveberry Witt 4-1 1 Ivy Jo Mello Martin 6-1 6 Kathleen Berry Whited 15-1 2 Where’ssheat Kuntzweiler Hornsby 20-1 3 Key Agent Bridgmohan Ice 8-1 5 Cindy’s Uproar Felix Mason 10-1 7 Sophia’s Big Girl BQuinonez Ashauer 12-1 4 Bella Afleet Rodriguez White 20-1 8 Hot Shoes Flores Cannon 20-1 10 L J’s Bertie Wethey Barnes 15-1