Rick Lee’s Oaklawn Park selections and analysis

FIRST POST — 1 P.M.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS 3-9 (33.3 percent) MEET 57-180 (31.7 percent)

LEE’S LOCK Desert Thief in the seventh BEST BET Dupree in the sixth

LONG SHOT Rio Norte in the first

*educated guess

**things to like

***plenty to like

****confident choice

1 Purse $37,000, 6 furlongs, 3- and 4-year-olds, starter allowance

**RIO NORTE has not raced since May, but he fired fresh in a career debut victory last April and appears to be working smartly and picks up Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens. SOUL P SAY wore blinkers for the first time and responded with a vastly improved second-place finish, and he recorded a swift subsequent breeze. ZAEVION trounced $40,000 maiden-claimers in his local debut, and he should avoid traffic from his outside post.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

4 Rio Norte Stevens Van Berg 15-1 3 Soul P Say Loveberry Milligan 3-1 7 Zaevion Eramia Moquett 3-1 1 Eternal Force Santana Moquett 5-2 5 Sing Him a Song Cabrera Puhl 9-2 2 Bye Crazy Eyes De La Cruz DiVito 8-1 6 Heavy Roller McMahon Holthus 6-1

2 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $12,500

***OLIVIA’S UNCLE has shown speed in maiden-allowance races in a four-race career, and the Steve Asmussen trainee is taking a significant drop in class and figures difficult to catch. VALLIER pressed the early pace in a fifth-place finish against better, and he is lightly raced and eligible to show more at this bottom maiden classification. FREE MUSIC tired in the stretch in his return from an 11-month vacation, and he also has speed and represents winning connections.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

7 Olivia’s Uncle Santana Asmussen 8-5 9 Vallier Cabrera Moquett 9-2 10 Free Music Vazquez Villafranco 5-1 3 Uncle Pappy Court Morse 12-1 6 Trenton Bridge Thompson Van Berg 8-1 8 Mister Grasshopper Gazader Milligan 12-1 13 Pray for Kitten Roman Litfin 15-1 5 Tre Lee Divine St Julien Litfin 15-1 11 Drama Star Morales DiVito 10-1 12 Wishes Candy Birzer Roberts 15-1 1 Speedy Dansmere Pompell Smith 30-1 2 Crossbow Cimarron De La Cruz Petalino 20-1 4 Irish City Lad McMahon Durham 30-1

3 Purse $27,000, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, claiming $20,000

**MINEFIELD set a strong pace before tiring in the stretch against stronger $30,000 rivals, and he figures fit with a race over the track and picks up five-time leading rider Ricardo Santana. RINGS OF JUPITER finished with energy in a second-place finish, and the beaten odds-on favorite appears to have landed in a field with plenty of early speed types. KAHRAMANI scored a clear front-running conditioned-claiming victory at Keeneland, and he is back at a preferred distance after a fifth-place finish going 9 furlongs at Churchill.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

6 Minefield Santana Moquett 5-2 3 Rings of Jupiter Cabrera Hartman 2-1 2 Kahramani Vergara Castillo 9-2 5 Pitchfork Mountain Eramia Petalino 5-1 4 Rio Seco De La Cruz Haran 3-1 1 Surprise Prize Prescott Sims 10-1

4 Purse $30,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $16,000

**LUVINMEISEASY is dropping to the lowest price of his career for a winning stable, and his Beyer figures are competitive, and he will also benefit from a wet track. IMPERATORE is wheeled back in another $16,000 claiming race following a sharp front-running victory, and the eight-time winner is a picture of consistency. SUPREME COMMANDER rallied to finish two lengths behind the second selection, and he drew an advantageous post and drops seven pounds with a switch to an apprentice rider.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

4 Luvinmeiseasy Sanjur Contreras 9-2 8 Imperatore Cohen Diodoro 5-2 1 Supreme Commander Morales McKnight 5-1 6 Salsa’s Return Thompson Morse 8-1 2 Carve Santana Asmussen 7-2 3 Misterbulltoyou Felix Vance 6-1 5 Repent With Me Court Shorter 10-1 7 Obvious One McMahon Caldwell 10-1

5 Purse $23,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, maiden claiming $20,000 **KOMRAD was caught wide contesting a brisk early pace in a seventh-place return to the races, and he is dropping into the maiden-claiming ranks for the first time and keeps top rider David Cabrera. MIDNIGHT LAS VEGAS has shown good early speed in two solid races at Aqueduct, and his connections spot horses where they can win. BEAT THE HEAT has earned the field’s fastest Beyer figures, and he may find himself in a perfect spot behind dueling leaders.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

9 Komrad Cabrera Moquett 7-2 8 Midnight Las Vegas Santana Asmussen 5-2 1 Beat the Heat Prescott Silva 3-1 2 Right Click Vazquez Young 5-1 6 News Box Birzer Van Berg 12-1 4 Ocala Cowboy Thompson Lukas 10-1 3 Air Power Court Frazee 12-1 7 Bank On Andy McMahon Ortiz 12-1 5 Hung Over On Gin Meche Litfin 30-1

6 Purse $34,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, claiming $30,000

***DUPREE set a rapid pace in a deceptively strong fourth-place finish, and he is switching to leading rider David Cabrera and is the one to catch. CRAWFORD has finished a competitive third in consecutive sprints at Fair Grounds, and he did break his maiden last February at Oak-lawn. BIRD ORR BRADY showed big potential in a front-running maiden victory last season at Santa Anita, and after two disappointing races he is adding blinkers and dropping into the claiming ranks.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

4 Dupree Cabrera Moquett 6-1 7 Crawford Santana Asmussen 5-2 9 Bird Orr Brady Cohen Cox 3-1 5 Oso Ready De La Cruz Garcia 9-2 2 Dos Cuernos Vazquez Villafranco 10-1 6 Love That Lute Birzer Van Berg 10-1 1 Hugh B. Prescott Sims 15-1 3 Major Munnings Court Fires 12-1 10 Tentwelvefourteen Thompson Loetscher 15-1 8 Reckling Hill Milligan 15-1

7 Purse $33,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $20,000

****DESERT THIEF won three consecutive races last season at Oaklawn, and she may be sitting on a top effort following a useful third-place front-running finish in her seasonal debut. CLEOPATRA’S GOLD crossed the wire two lengths behind the top selection after a sluggish start, and the consistent mare did win 4 of 7 races in 2017. ENCHANTING EMBRACE defeated $15,000 claimers over a muddy strip at Delta, her Beyer figures are competitive and she picks up rider Gary Stevens.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

9 Desert Thief Canchari DiVito 5-2 8 Cleopatra’s Gold Cabrera Morse 6-1 3 Enchanting Embrace Stevens Villafranco 4-1 10 Wicked West Vazquez Ortiz 7-2 5 Classic Bo Morales Anderson 6-1 2 Crack Your Whip Garcia Johnson 10-1 1 Cherokee Salute Quinonez Irwin 20-1 7 Schuyler Warrior Thompson Martin 12-1 4 Anita Marie McMahon Caldwell 20-1 6 Wilhelmina Roman Ward 20-1

8 Purse $78,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight

**POWERFUL ALLY recorded in-the-money finishes at Keeneland and Saratoga, previous to a tough-luck defeat Jan. 26 at Oaklawn, and he owns the fastest Beyer figures and deserves favoritism. FLIGHT RISK crossed the wire one position behind the top selection when making his first start around two turns, and he may turn the tables with the experience. REMEMBERING RITA was compromised by a wide trip when fourth-best in the same races as the top two, and he drew inside and should improve.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

1a Powerful Ally Cabrera Moquett 9-5 4 Flight Risk Santana Asmussen 2-1 3 Remembering Rita Canchari Anderson 8-1 9 Cumulative Cohen Diodoro 6-1 7 Camalus Laviolette Campbell 20-1 8 Super Derecho Court Fires 10-1 5 Switheral Roman Williamson 15-1 2 Moneymeister Gazader Peitz 12-1 6 Rickhouse Johnson Hartlage 12-1 1 Lighthawk Cabrera Moquett 9-5

9 The Bayakoa. Grade III. Purse $150,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

**FARRELL is a multiple Grade II winner who was sharp on the lead in winning the Pippin, and she showed versatility when coming from off the pace to win the 2017 Fair Grounds Oaks. TORRENT looked good defeating second-level allowance mares in her seasonal debut, and the steadily improving 4-year-old filly may get a perfect trip stalking a contentious pace. TERRA PROMESSA tired through the stretch as a post-time favorite in the Pippin, but she had a similar race last winter after a layoff before ripping off big victories in the Pippin and Bayakoa stakes.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

3 Farrell Hill Catalano 9-5 5 Torrent Cohen Moquett 9-2 6 Terra Promessa Santana Asmussen 2-1 4 Streamline Stevens Williamson 4-1 7 Defy Cabrera Hartman 15-1 1 Polar River Contreras Walsh 12-1 2 Sully’s Dream De La Cruz Ortiz 15-1

10 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, claiming $10,000

**AMAZE is moving up a claiming condition following a clear late-running victory at Remington, and he finished his preparations with a bullet four-furlong drill Feb. 13. MINISTER NICK wore blinkers for the first time and responded with a clear nonwinners-of-two victory nine days ago, and his connections are having an excellent meeting. LADYS LAST has been difficult to beat to the lead in a 13-race career, and one of his better races may get the job done.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

6 Amaze McMahon Howard 7-2 7 Minister Nick Cohen Diodoro 5-2 11 Ladys Last Canchari Martin 4-1 4 Score Time Vazquez Durham 15-1 1 Loyalist Cabrera Caldwell 10-1 2 Kidnap Prescott Kobiskie 6-1 9 Cannington Court Gustafson 12-1 5 Hank’s Alibi Loveberry Petalino 20-1 3 Ceeky Morales Van Berg 15-1 10 Explosive Lake De La Cruz Jayaraman 12-1 8 Flyin’ Orphan Gazader Milligan 20-1

EXOTIC POSSIBILITIES

Rio Norte should be a good price in the first race, so I’ll put him on top of three others in a first-race exacta. The sixth race starts at 50-cent Pick-3 and Dupree and Crawford are the two I’m using. The seventh has a single for me in Desert Thief, and the eighth race has at least four contenders so I’ll spread in this race.

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