FIRST POST — 1:30 P.M.
LEE’S LOCK Come Se Llama in the second BEST BET Sail Maker in the fourth LONG SHOT Chuck Chuck Goose in the sixth THURSDAY Races cancelled MEET 81-243 (33.3 percent)
*Educated Guess
**things to like
***plenty to like
****confident choice
1 Purse $28,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, Maiden Claiming $40,000.
**MEANBONE was forwardly placed in an improved third-place finish, and he is dropping into a race restricted to runners bred in Arkansas. BIG CREEK ROAD has been earning competitive Beyer speed figures while competing in stronger state-bred maiden allowance races. ARROGANT contested the pace before finishing a tired third in an encouraging debut, and typical second-out improvement could make him trouble for the favorites.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
11 Meanbone Santana Moquett 3-1 4 Big Creek Road Wethey Barnes 4-1 1a Arrogant De La Cruz Martin 6-1 10 Judge T.M. BQuinonez Van Berg 6-1 8 Spotsback Vazquez Page 10-1 1 Birthday Cash Loveberry Martin 6-1 2 Where’s Lewis Borel Howard 5-1 5 Comeback Creek LQuinonez Witt 12-1 6 Primary Connection Flores Dixon 15-1 9 Fun Gus Amongus Felix McBride 10-1 7 Cat Mountain Mello Martin 15-1 3 Mi Rocky Cruz Watkins 30-1
2 Purse $24,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, Starter Allowance.
****COME SE LLAMA is only a neck from having won five consecutive races, and the Chris Richard trainee is unbeaten in starter allowance races. ZENARO hit the finish line only a neck behind the top selection Jan. 29, and receives a favorable 8-pound swing in the weights. HOLLYWOOD ICE had a four-race winning streak last season, and the class dropper is back sprinting after two useful route races.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Como Se Llama Bridgmohan Richard 2-1 3 Zenaro Castanon Cox 3-1 7 Hollywood Ice BQuinonez Young 5-1 9 Royal Dehere Santana Cox 12-1 4 Space Traveler Esquivel Mullins 9-2 1 Tiree De La Cruz Martin 10-1 5 Springandaprayer Wethey Frazee 12-1 8 La Jolla Beach Canchari Litfin 15-1 6 Tensaw Mello Martin 12-1
3 Purse $21,000, 6 Furlongs, Fillies & Mares, 4-year-olds and up, Claiming $7,500.
**WITH EXCELLENCE is taking a significant drop in class for winning connections, and she is adding blinkers and cutting back to a sprint distance. TAVARA overcame a troubled start in a strong runner-up finish, and she appears sharp enough to move up and contend. SPARKLING RULER is a late-running sprinter who benefits from a recent race over a wet track.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 With Excellence Bridgmohan Richard 5-2 2 Tavara Laviolette Shorter 3-1 3 Sparkling Ruler Court McBride 6-1 4 Forever Since LQuinonez Martin 5-1 1 All About Brownie De La Cruz Puhl 15-1 8 Miss Julia Canchari Brueggemann 8-1 5 My Place Or Yours Hamilton Lynn 6-1 9 Value Your Song Wethey Martin 20-1 7 My Dear Desert Felix Mason 15-1
4 Purse $64,000, 3-year-olds and up, Maiden Special Weight.
***SAIL MAKER was compromised by a wide trip in a competitive first try around two turns, and most of his career works on a wet track have been good. ALSHUJAA has earned the fastest Beyer figures while competing at Fair Grounds, and he picks up leading rider Ricardo Santana. OLD FASHIONED KING is adding blinkers after a sharp front-running third-place route finish, and he is lightly raced and eligible to improve.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Sail Maker Bridgmohan Moquett 2-1 4 Alshujaa Santana Asmussen 9-2 7 Old Fashioned King Thompson Ice 5-2 2 Stormy Deacon Court Fires 4-1 1 Unbridledcharacter Rocco Hobby 8-1 3 Dmherewittywitty Vazquez Chleborad 12-1 5 Battleback John Canchari Von Hemel 20-1 6 Song Golden Hill Caldwell 30-1
5 Purse $22,000, 6 Furlongs, Fillies and Mares, 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races, Claiming $15,000.
**MY SISTER’S SECRET showed excellent early speed in a second-place return from an 11-month break, and she drew outside and is the one to catch. MISS QUEEN BLING is void of early speed, but she has been delivering a strong late kick and the pace figures to be honest. RAVISHINGLY was a determined maiden winner last spring at Oaklawn, and trainer Roger Brueggemann usually brings horses back fit and ready to compete.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
10 My Sister’s Secret Felix McBride 5-1 5 Miss Queen Bling Corbett Durham 9-2 4 Ravishingly Canchari Brueggemann 8-1 3 Fancier Santana Asmussen 3-1 1a Witch Alert Laviolette Smith 6-1 1 Cobb Sue Hamilton Von Hemel 6-1 8 Perfect Setting Birzer Rouck 10-1 9 Donna’sdramaqueen Esquivel Seagle 15-1 11 Expect a Prize Thompson Hiles 10-1 6 She’s Live Borel Litfin 15-1 7 A Little Unique Bridgmohan Swearingen 15-1 2 Seattle Summer De La Cruz Martin 15-1
6 Purse $25,500, 6 Furlongs, 3-year-olds, Maiden Claiming $25,000.
**CHUCK CHUCK GOOSE flopped at odds-on favoritism in a one-race experiment in blinkers, but the hood is off and he has proven wet track ability. CHANTICLEER was beaten by a diminishing head in a troubled trip Feb. 14, and he is improving for top connections. PEACH SCHNAPPS has three in-the-money finishes in three starts, and shows an ability to rate or accelerate to the front.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Chuck Chuck Goose Vazquez Smith 10-1 3 Chanticleer Santana Asmussen 7-2 5 Peach Schnapps Borel Morse 5-1 12 Four Run Shot Court Fires 8-1 2 Top Act Bridgmohan Catalano 4-1 1 Tweet Sense Canchari Robertson 12-1 11 Divine Reason Birzer Sims 12-1 10 Coolest Laviolette Smith 10-1 9 Kinetic Berry Hartman 12-1 4 Train Walk LQuinonez Von Hemel 15-1 6 Analog Man Hamilton Broberg 10-1 8 Tax Free Esquivel Cox 20-1
7 Purse $31,000, 1 1/16 Miles, 4-year-olds and up, Claiming $25,000.
**MY BORSALINO defeated $5,000 rivals by 9 lengths in his local debut, and he has the back class to move up to $25,000 and contend. ARKANSAS MARTINI finished a close second behind a front-running winner, and that horse came back to win again. KEEP ‘EM LAUGHING defeated$18,000 claimers over a wet track two back at Hawthorne, and he was claimed by a barn with an excellent eye for this game.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 My Borsalino Canchari Williamson 3-1 7 Arkansas Martini Landeros Hawley 7-2 6 Keep ‘Em Laughing Vazquez Villafranco 6-1 3 Forty Nine Watts Berry Hartman 5-1 9 He Has Bling Corbett Durham 4-1 8 Sound Effect Borel Morse 12-1 1 Nick’s Pick Loveberry Caldwell 12-1 1a Welcome Home Ryan Loveberry Caldwell 12-1 5 Bells Big Bernie De La Cruz Mullins 20-1 2 City Connect Thompson Hiles 30-1
8 The Downthedustyroad Breeders’. Purse $75,000, Fillies and Mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred.
**EASTER INDY is back in restricted company after a good effort in an “open” entry-level allowance sprint, and she is lightly raced and figures to work out an ideal stalking trip. PISTOLPACKINPENNY is the best finisher in a field with plenty of early speed, and she exits a useful second-place route finish. JAN’S PERFECT STAR is the speed and class of the field, but she was eased in her 2015 debut and she has had obvious issues since her stellar 2013 campaign.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1a Easter Indy De La Cruz Martin 4-1 10 Pistolpackinpenny Court Fires 3-1 7 Jan’s Perfect Star Berry Morse 7-2 2 Miss Beautiful Bridgmohan Adams 9-2 1x Easter Shoes Thompson Martin 4-1 1 Faith Rising Loveberry Martin 4-1 9 Miss Addicate Vazquez Villafranco 15-1 3 Little Miss Flurry Hamilton Broberg 12-1 6 Sugar Run Wild Borel Gray 15-1 5 Pistol’s Shoes Mello Martin 15-1 4 Huggins and Kissin Canchari Cates 15-1 8 Pink Flash Santana Chleborad 15-1 11 Be My Caroline Ocampo Milligan 20-1 12 Sweet Ruby Kate BQuinonez Ashauer 30-1
9 Purse $66,500, 6 Furlongs, Fillies Mares, 4-yearolds and up, Allowance Optional Claiming.
***SMARTY PARTY was beaten a neck at the hands of a sharp wire-to-wire winner, and she is taking a slight class drop and was a convincing winner in her only previous race on a wet track. RADIANT RUBY was good enough to overcome a troubled trip in a promising career debut victory, and she can show big improvement with a clean trip. RHODIUM earned a strong pace figure when defeating $10,000 claimers. The winner of two in a row might be a generous price.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Smarty Party Vazquez Villafranco 3-1 12 Radiant Ruby Court Van Meter 7-2 8 Rhodium Hamilton Manley 12-1 9 Faringdon Circle Bridgmohan Casse 5-1 11 Elaine Kowaleski Ocampo Margolis 12-1 4 Send an Angel Thompson Anderson 5-1 7 Ms. Zenergy BQuinonez Garcia 15-1 2 Our Laughing Lady Canchari Robertson 12-1 6 Northern Connect LQuinonez Hiles 20-1 1 Cocoa Cowgirl Corbett 20-1
10 Run Away’s Sis Hill Shorter 15-1 3 My Bria Mello Chleborad 20-1
Exotic 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 50-cent Pick 3 starting in the second may pay well without a big investment. In the first leg Come Se Llama may be a popular single, and the second leg is only a field of nine but is loaded with contention and the final leg (race 4) is another field of nine but several bring credentials to win. As I wrote last week, the eighth race (The Downthedustyroad) offers a rare opportunity to collect a decent amount on a “show” wager. I believe all three of the William Martin trainees running as an entry are not only capable of hitting the board, but each has a chance to win the race. And if I’m totally wrong and all three are off the board I will borrow NYRA (New York Racing Association) handicapper Andy Serling’s dunce cap and parade around the grandstand.