FIRST POST — 1:30 P.M.
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
LEE’S LOCK Funtobefast in the third.
BEST BET Be a Hero in the eighth.
LONG SHOT Snickers Creek in the fifth.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS 2-9 (22.2 percent).
MEET 111-354 (31.4 percent).
1 Purse $64,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight
***ALSHUJAA was beaten a nose by a lone speed winner going a flat mile, and the Steve Asmussen trainee gets added ground and is too talented to be a maiden for much longer. SAIL MAKER crossed the wire one position behind the top selection after getting an ideal trip stalking the winner, but he is adding blinkers and may appreciate a fast track. LAWLESS WEST was disqualified after breaking his maiden here two races back, and he drew a vastly improved post position after a wide trip and sixth-place finish.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Alshujaa Santana Asmussen 2-1 3 Sail Maker Bridgmohan Moquett 9-5 2 Lawless West Ocampo Boyd 9-2 6 Stormy Deacon Court Fires 9-2 4 Unbridledcharacter Rocco Hobby 8-1 7 Pat’s Shoes Johnson Hartlage 15-1 1 Rue de Grande Thompson Lukas 20-1
2 Purse $20,000, 1 mile, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $7,500
**TENSAW has rallied in two useful sprint races, and he is dropping into a claiming race and has proven two-turn ability. BEWARE THE TIGER is back at his best distance following an even effort sprinting, and he was a three-time winner last season and drew an advantageous post. PRIME NUMBER faltered badly as a post-time favorite on a muddy track March 15, but he finished a strong second in his previous race on a fast track and his early speed always puts him in a position to win.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Tensaw Birzer Martin 4-1 1 Beware the Tiger Loveberry Caldwell 9-2 4 Prime Number Santana Cox 5-2 7 Jack’s the Won Vazquez Hartman 3-1 9 Barrio Baby Canchari Duncan 20-1 5 Consolidation Corbett Von Hemel 6-1 6 BL’s Tsunami Hill Shorter 15-1 3 Little Red Ruler Cruz Black 20-1 8 Riseseastsetswest Rodriguez Riecken 20-1
3 Purse $20,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $12,500
****FUNTOBEFAST made a determined rally when beaten a nose in her career debut, and trainer Danny Pish has a much higher win percentage with second-time starters. INNOCENT STORM led for six furlongs before fading in a useful route race, and she finished third in a sprint against better earlier in the meeting. ESPERA contested the pace when beaten less than three lengths in an improved effort March 18, and she must have come out of the race in fine fashion to be wheeled back in seven days.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Funtobefast Loveberry Pish 2-1 7 Innocent Storm De La Cruz Wolfe 4-1 6 Espera Flores Dixon 9-2 1 Religious Borel Moquett 5-1 5 Tinsley’s District Birzer Roberts 6-1 9 Comic Band Santana Ice 15-1 3 Darnluckyducky Johnson Burgess 12-1 2 Starryeyevalentine Manrrique Seagle 15-1 8 Niquelcn Cruz Ives 20-1 10 Don’t Give Way Kelly Cook 30-1
4 Purse $26,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, starter allowance
**COWBOY ED is a two-time beaten favorite who has tired late in two wet-track races, but he is best over a fast track and is capable of his best from on or off the pace. COMO SE LLAMA is a speedy gelding who has won four of his past six races, and he appears sharp enough to move up in class and contend. WINGATE HALL made the early lead and cruised to victory in an unusually fast $16,000 claimer, which was his first under the care of trainer John Cox.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Cowboy Ed Court Holthus 3-1 7 Como Se Llama Vazquez Richard 5-2 3 Wingate Hall Canchari Cox 5-1 4 Peteizum Santana Moquett 4-1 1 Arborville Borel Whiting 6-1 2 Space Traveler Corbett Mullins 8-1 6 Kipling’s King Mello Chleborad 8-1
5 Purse $20,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $12,500
**SNICKERS CREEK is a 4-year-old first-time starter with an encouraging series of workouts, and trainer Ernie Witt II has a good record with this kind, and the filly drew into a sub-par field. SUGARSBORO raced evenly in a sixth-place debut and not a single horse from the race has come back to win, which makes this filly a vulnerable favorite. VALID DELIGHT was forwardly placed before tiring in a stronger maiden allowance field, and she may have needed the race after a long layoff.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Snickers Creek Canchari Witt 5-1 2 Sugarsboro Berry Calhoun 3-1 4 Valid Delight Loveberry Pish 9-2 5 Sly Song Indy BQuinonez Martin 10-1 11 Smokey Juels Thompson Van Berg 8-1 6 Glad Your Brassy Birzer Roberts 6-1 1 Ourlittlestorm Manrrique Seagle 8-1 10 Jitterbug Shoes Court Dixon 10-1 8 Benito Mora Cruz Rowland 15-1 3 Nicoles Bullet Wethey Cline 15-1 7 Tallapoosa Al Kelly Cannon 20-1
6 Purse $22,000,6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up who have never won two races, Arkansas-bred, claiming $15,000
**HUGGINS AND KISSIN finished second at a higher claiming price just two races back, and she possesses excellent early speed and will add blinkers. DEE’S BABY crossed the wire in front of the top selection in a fifthplace allowance finish, and she is the one to fear inside the final furlong. MISS SEVEN K broke her maiden on a fast track only two races back, and her good form is clouded by a few poor races on a wet surface.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Huggins and Kissin Santana Cates 5-2 1 Dee’s Baby Birzer Roberts 7-2 11 Miss Seven K Wethey Cline 8-1 2 R Nanalee Thompson Hale 10-1 9 Ivy Jo Canchari Martin 9-2 10 Shadynstella Mello Martin 6-1 5 Me ‘n Amanda BQuinonez Rowland 12-1 7 Bella Afleet Manrrique White 20-1 8 Country Conceited Kuntzweiler Hornsby 20-1 4 Southern Flash Ocampo Northrop 20-1 3 Lost Cat Rodriguez Whited 20-1
7 Purse $36,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds, maiden claiming $50,000
**MCMULLEN COUNTY may have been best in a troubled fourth-place finish, and the improving 3-year-old figures closer to the pace in a field void of speed. NO FUNNY BIZ came out on the losing end of a photo finish in his first try around two turns, and the beaten posttime favorite has recorded five subsequent works and appears sharp enough to handle a jump in price. TWEET SENSE was very good visually in an extremely troubled sprint tuneup, but the race fell apart late and returning horses have not raced well.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 McMullen County LQuinonez Von Hemel 5-2 3 No Funny Biz Vazquez Gorder 7-2 8 Tweet Sense Canchari Robertson 5-1 1 Don’t Hold Me Back Santana Asmussen 5-1 2 Liberty First Berry Asmussen 8-1 7 Battleback John Corbett Von Hemel 6-1 5 Union River Johnson Lukas 12-1 4 Chile Pepper Ocampo Casse 15-1 6 Ole Mo Miller Rocco Van Meter 15-1
8 Purse $67,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
***BE A HERO pressed a fast pace before drawing off in a clear entry-level allowance victory, and he has been flattered by multiple winners exiting the race. ALI’S BIRTHDAY has shown terrific early speed in two in-themoney finishes at this condition, and maybe his third start after a lengthy layoff will produce a peak effort. AMMAROO has won 4 of 7 races over this track, and he may be the best finisher in a race that should produce an honest or even fast pace.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Be a Hero Ocampo Catalano 3-1 6 Ali’s Birthday Borel Morse 5-2 7 Ammaroo Mello Villafranco 5-1 2 Bagg O’Day Bridgmohan Hobby 9-2 3 Jagger M De La Cruz Puhl 12-1 1 Well Mannered Canchari Brueggemann 15-1 4 Battier Vazquez Gorder 8-1 9 Repent With Me Hill Shorter 12-1 5 Guns Loaded Santana Hartman 12-1
9 Purse $29,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 3-yearolds and up, starter allowance
**SOME GAVE ALL was bet down to favoritism but ran a poor race over a wet track March 12, but her fast-track races are as good as any in this field and she drew a favorable inside post. REQUESTADA was a troubled second in a $30,000 conditioned claimer, and the D. Wayne Lukas trainee has had sharp subsequent breezes and she is another who prefers dry footing. BACK IN DIXIE overcame a slow start in a decisive six-length sprint victory, and she is one-half of a strong entry with COMMERCIAL APPEAL.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Some Gave All Santana Richard 9-2 8 Requestada Johnson Lukas 3-1 1 Back in Dixie Thompson Becker 5-2 1a Commercial Appeal Ocampo Becker 5-2 6 Magnolia Steel Vazquez Villafranco 5-1 7 Tizsational Bridgmohan Moquett 8-1 4 Trawee Loveberry Holthus 8-1 10 Oh My Dar Rocco Hobby 15-1 9 Stelawithanatitude Birzer Chleborad 15-1 3 Jean Z Court Fires 20-1 5 She’s Live Wethey Litfin 30-1
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 50-cent Pick 3 starting in race three seems to have a “single” in Funtobefast in the first leg, the second leg is a small field of seven but several have credentials to win, and the final leg (race five) brings 11 to the gate but only a couple may be needed to cover the race. The 50-cent Pick 3 beginning in race six starts with a big field and several contenders that could potentially light up the board. The seventh race is a smaller field but very contentious, and the wager ends in race eight, which in my mind can be narrowed down to a couple starters.