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 Jorja Grove in the second. BEST BET Terra Promessa
BEST LONG SHOT I Am Superior Too in the sixth
THURSDAY’S RESULTS 3-9 (33.3 percent) MEET 24-108 (22.2 percent)
1 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $7,500
DOC GALOR*** is a very quick mare who has won eight of sixteen races in her career, and she is dropping to the lowest claiming price of her career following a dull effort in her first race on a wet track. PRINCESS FREEBIE won consecutive races last season at Oaklawn, and the nine-year-old mare is also taking a significant drop after a decent try January 21. NEVAEHS RAE made every pole a winning one in a two turn victory at Remington, and she is a five-time sprint winner and in good hands.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Doc Galore Emigh Becker 4-1 3 Princess Freebie Canchari Stuart 6-1 6 Nevaehs Rae Vazquez Villafranco 3-1 2 Halo La Cintron Autrey 4-1 5 Rhodium Thompson Manley 6-1 9 Lacey the Spartan Sanjur Manley 6-1 1 Baby You a Song Birzer Martin 15-1 7 Daddy’s Memory Loveberry Lauer 8-1 8 Mi Tia Ocampo Garcia 15-1
2 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $20,000 JORJA GROVE**** pressed the pace in a clear second-place finish on opening day, and she appears improved for high percentage trainer Federico Villafranco, and she drew into a soft field of statebred maiden-claimers. GLAD YOUR BRASSY has not raced in 10 months, was a fast-closing third in her career debut last winter at Oaklawn and is treated with bleeder- medication Lasix for the first time. MISS SPANA crossed the wire only one position behind the top selection, despite a slow start and wide trip.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Jorja Grove Vazquez Villafranco 9-5 7 Glad Your Brassy Saez Roberts 6-1 1 Miss Spana Purcell Caudill 12-1 9 Mae B. Jones Santana Moquett 6-1 12 Van’s Flying Baby Loveberry Howard 8-1 5 Sevilla LQuinonez Witt 12-1 4 Endless Bloom De La Cruz Whited 8-1 10 Iszzy Bull Cruz Watkins 20-1 3 Wiltons Honey Rodriguez Shumake 10-1 2 Starryeyevalentine Cintron Prather 20-1 6 Vaguely Suspect Osorio Rowland 15-1 11 Nicoles Bullet Wethey Cline 20-1
3 Purse $30,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $30,000
WOODMANS LUCK** had his three-race winning streak snapped when he finished third in his local debut. He is taking a slight class drop and figures closer to the paced in a field void of speed. PURPLE SKY has been on the bench for nine months, but trainer Al Stall Jr. has saddled three winners from five starters at the meeting, and he excels with layoff runners. BOLD SHOT raced competitively against similar this past fall at Churchill, knows how to win races and drew an advantageous post position.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Woodmans Luck Loveberry Caldwell 2-1 4 Purple Sky Santana Stall 5-2 1 Bold Shot Thompson Vance 4-1 3 Awol Adam De La Cruz Puhl 8-1 2 Escape Artist Canchari Morse 8-1 7 Evan’s Calling Vazquez Richard 6-1 5 Politicallycorrect Nakatani Stuart 10-1
4 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, 3-yearolds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $20,000
DEVALLS BLUFF BILL** had little room to run on the turn when finishing third in his return from an extended vacation, and he drops into state-bred company and sits behind a possible contentious pace. THUNDER RANGER was beaten by less than a length in his last two races at Turfway, and the 26-race maiden is sharp now and may finally break through in his first try against his own kind. HOT BLOODED SONG contested the pace in an encouraging fourth-place debut finish, and “typical” second-out improvement will make him a major player.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Devalls Bluff Bill Johnson Hartlage 7-2 9 Thunder Ranger Sanjur Garcia 8-1 4 Hot Blooded Song BQuinonez Martin 6-1 6 Maize Road Saez Morse 4-1 8 Primary Patrick McNeil Hornsby 9-2 3 Carson’s Storm Loveberry Milligan 8-1 10 Dramatic Brassy Cruz Roberts 12-1 12 Superlative Top Felix Broberg 20-1 5 One Last Toga LQuinonez Prather 15-1 2 Elmo’s Journey Wethey Cline 15-1 7 Prize N a Half Auwarter Cook 15-1 11 Dontsaymyname Shino Ives 20-1
5 Purse $68,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden special weight ZONLY** has not raced since beaten a nose by Rainbow Miss winner Be My Caroline last season at Oaklawn, and her recent workouts are sharp and rider Jon Court knows her well. WOLF CITY finished third in the 2015 Rainbow Miss, and the consistent filly has finished inthe-money in eight of ten races. SEEKING ANGELS is a first-time starter who shows encouraging five-furlong works and his trainer wins with first-timers here.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
10 Zonly Court Gonzalez 7-2 7 Wolf City Mello Smith 4-1 3 Seeking Angels De La Cruz Martin 5-1 6 Sherry Berry Wine McNeil Cannon 12-1 1 Diva of Disaster Loveberry Howard 6-1 9 Bikini Creek Canchari Witt 12-1 11 May We Prosper Birzer Martin 8-1 12 Florida Bird Osorio Jayaraman 10-1 5 She’s Undawnted Hamilton Ives 15-1 2 Bright Hope Rodriguez Whited 12-1 4 Blushing Bella Wethey Cline 15-1 8 Ourlittlestorm Laviolette Whited 30-1
6 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $15,000
I AM SUPERIOR TOO* was beaten by only a length at this classification at Churchill, and she has recorded two sharp 5-furlong breezes and blinkers off is generally a winning angle for most stables. HOLD ME FAST is dropping to the lowest price of his career for winning connections, and she picks up the leading rider and is strictly the one to catch. MISTY JOURNEY raced wide and evenly in his return from vacation time, and she was a consistently competitive sprinter in 2015 and figures dangerous on the drop.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 I Am Superior Too BMcNeil Jackson 15-1 5 Hold Me Fast Santana Richard 5-2 6 Misty Journey LQuinonez Von Hemel 4-1 7 Save the Prize Vazquez Villafranco 5-1 4 Retro Citizen Laviolette Smith 6-1 3 Cajun Queen Loveberry Howard 12-1 10 Cinnamon J P Hill Caldwell 8-1 2 Discreet Charm Emigh Campbell 15-1 8 Southern Prospect Ocampo Cox 6-1 9 Mz Attica BQuinonez Oliver 20-1
7 Purse $68,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight
WORLD ELITE** is unraced since July, but she fired big in a second-place debut last winter at Oaklawn. She shows good works for red-hot trainer Randy Morse and she may also be the controlling speed. ARCH ARCH BABY is the deserved favorite following a second-place finish at 2-1 odds on Jan. 17, and she also has early speed. LEARNING CURVE was beaten by less than 2 lengths at Keeneland, and returns to a fast track after a poor performance on mud in the Delta Princess.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 World Elite Nakatani Morse 8-1 12 Arch Arch Baby Court Fires 7-2 4 Learning Curve Osorio Moquett 9-2 9 Tom’s to the Max Corbett Smith 8-1 5 Bama Mo Rocco Cox 5-1 3 Place des Vosges Vazquez Hartman 10-1 7 Conquest Fleetfeet Santana Casse 10-1 10 Boom Bam Bing Canchari Broberg 6-1 2 Lisa’s the Boss Hill Mason 15-1 6 Titled Landeros McPeek 15-1 11 Game Night Lady Loveberry Milligan 20-1 1 Charlotte Marie Laviolette Moss 30-1
8 Purse $70,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-old fillies, allowance
TERRA PROMESSA*** followed a narrow sprint defeat in her debut at Keeneland with a clear two-turn maiden victory at Churchill, and the daughter of Curlin should continue to improve for top connections. LUCKBE TANYA exits a decisive route victory at Woodbine, shows good local works and will be difficult to handle if she prefers dirt over synthetic surfaces. SMALL CITY GIRL was outfinished in her sprint tune-up, but she is bred to run this far and projects to make an easy early lead.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Terra Promessa Santana Asmussen 2-1 7 Luckbe Tanya Rocco Casse 9-2 2 Small City Girl Nakatani Asmussen 5-2 1 Cold Dish Laviolette McPeek 9-2 4 Sensuous Pat Landeros McPeek 6-1 3 Bonita Cat Emigh Campbell 10-1 1a Facets of Ice LQuinonez Von Hemel 9-2 5 Richwood Vazquez Dutrow 15-1
9 Purse $21,500, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $10,000 SCOUT LEADER* did very little running as a post-time favorite, but he takes a steep drop in class and did record a subsequent work. KINSMANOR has raced well against better on turf and he has always trained well on dirt. FORTY GRINDER has been on the sidelines for 13 months, but finished second at this level last season at Oaklawn and appears to be working well for trainer Jack Van Berg, who is off to a strong start.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Scout Leader Nakatani Autrey 9-2 2 Kinsmanor Felix Brinson 7-2 7 Forty Grinder Birzer Van Berg 2-1 3 Hope On the Ridge Mello Smith 4-1 8 Precise Shot Emigh Vashchenko 15-1 5 Sunday Hat Landeros McPeek 6-1 9 Could Be Game Saez Compton 15-1 1 Wildcard Franco Riecken 20-1 6 Pure Trust Court Lauer 15-1
Exotic possibilities
Jorja Grove looks like a likely winner in the second and putting him on top of a few long shots in the two hole of a trifecta and putting logical horses in the bottom spot provides a chance of hitting a good lick despite a winning favorite. The 50-cent Pick-3 starting in the fourth is appealing because the third race has a few price horses which can win, and the fifth race is certainly one with several contenders and the final leg to my thinking has a “live” long shot and a possible front-running winner so I’d only go two deep.