FIRST POST — 1 P.M.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS 2-9 (22.2 percent) MEET 101-299 (33.8 percent)
LEE’S LOCK Sweet Tatum in the ninth BEST BET Paganol in the fifth
LONG SHOT Yankton in the seventh
*educated guess
**things to like
***plenty to like
****confident choice
1 Purse $79,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, allowance
***BURGAMEISTER has been improved vastly in two starts for trainer Chris Hartman, and the sharp 4-year-old is consistently good in one-turn races. SEVIER finished his Churchill campaign with consecutive front-running victories, and he is back sprinting after chasing a fast two-turn pace. DIVINE INTERVENTIO has not raced since Saratoga, but he raced competitively last season in New York at this level while earning Beyer figures that make him a threat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Burgameister Contreras Hartman 7-2 1 Sevier Albarado Cox 5-1 4 Divine Interventio Santana Asmussen 4-1 8 What’sontheagenda De La Cruz O’Neill 3-1 5 Doc Kane Hill Stall 9-2 7 Thorpe d’Oro Court O’Neill 8-1 3 Spur Cabrera Stuart 15-1 6 Romeo O Romeo Canchari Williamson 10-1
2 Purse $20,000, 5½ furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $6,250
**ANNOY finished in the exacta in five of seven races last season, and she is dropping in class after a second-place finish at Keeneland. LOUISE’S LEGACY possesses good early speed, and the Steve Asmussen trainee needed her last start and looks formidable at this lower claiming price. TITFORTAT has used her early speed to advantage in four consecutive in-the-money finishes, and she keeps her regular rider.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
3 Annoy Cabrera Broberg 7-2 7 Louise’s Legacy Santana Asmussen 4-1 4 Titfortat Gazader Caldwell 5-2 9 Shut the Gate Pompell Cox 12-1 6 Jean’s Beauty Canchari Martin 15-1 1 City Seduction De La Cruz Haran 8-1 11 Queen of Wildwood Vazquez Villafranco 10-1 5 Sweet Abigail Sanjur Campbell 15-1 8 Whataclassylady Thompson Donaldson 15-1 10 Pocketfullofgreen Morales Cristel 20-1 2 Dorothe Marie Prescott Cox 15-1
3 Purse $82,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
***RECOUNT has raced competitively against the best sprinters on the grounds in two starts at the meeting. He drew a good outside post and gets in light compared to other contenders. UNCONTESTED finished second as a post-time favorite Feb. 18, and he was impressive winning the 2017 Smarty Jones on a wet track. ST. JOE BAY tired after setting a contested pace in the King Cotton, and he is going in the right direction and has the class to defeat this field.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Recount Canchari DiVito 9-5 1 Uncontested Stevens Catalano 3-1 2 St. Joe Bay Cohen Miller 7-2 3 Rivers Run Deep Cabrera Hartman 6-1 4 Imma Bling Eramia Broberg 12-1 5 Bourbon Cowboy Sanjur Contreras 6-1 7 Rockshaw Santana Moquett 12-1
4 Purse $31,000, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up who have never won two races, claiming $30,000
**STRONG YEN is dropping in class after a useful sprint tuneup, and he raced well in sprint-to-route races last season. Also, note the change to the leading rider. GRANDPA’S DREAM is on the inconsistent side, but he owns the field’s fastest Beyer figures and is an obvious threat. BIG DINNER is unraced since June, but he was consistently competitive at Arlington and handled the track well last winter at Oaklawn.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Strong Yen Santana Moquett 3-1 7 Grandpa’s Dream Cabrera Hartman 4-1 2 Big Dinner Canchari Williamson 8-1 9 Heavy Roller McMahon Holthus 15-1 8 Bango Box Eramia Von Hemel 5-1 1 Factor Me In Vazquez Matthews 5-1 3 Schoenhardt Court Van Berg 5-1 6 Flat Out Fast Hill Gorder 15-1 5 Gently Tapped Birzer Frazee 20-1 10 Sidneyway Quinonez Prather 20-1
5 Purse $23,000, 1 3/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, starter allowance
****PAGANOL trounced $10,000 claimers by 10-widening lengths in his 2018 debut, and he has won 8 of 16 races and is unbeaten in four races on a wet track. WILD ABOUT YOU has rallied in consecutive second-place finishes, and he is taking a slight drop in class. He’s experienced at extended route distances. GET THAT BOX scored a wire-to-wire victory at this same level and distance Feb. 23, and he is another who handles wet footing well.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Paganol Wethey Young 4-1 3 Wild About You De La Cruz Haran 9-2 7 Get That Box Laviolette Smith 3-1 9 Star Dog Morales Van Berg 6-1 6 Dynabeaver Cabrera Martin 5-1 1 Glitnir Court Hiles 8-1 4 Tales of War Vazquez Lauer 6-1 8 The Rouge Diesel St Julien Hall 15-1 5 Husky Clipper Pompell Cox 20-1
6 The Hot Springs. Purse $125,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up
**IVAN FALLUNOVALOT has finished second as a post-time favorite in two starts at the meeting, but he is unbeaten in three wet-track races and may need only a clean start to make amends. WHIT-MORE is a multiple graded stake-winning sprinter who dominated rivals in the 2017 Hot Springs, but he may be vulnerable in his return from a vacation. WILBO finished full of run in winning the King Cotton, but he must prove himself on a wet racing surface.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Ivan Fallunovalot Court Howard 3-1 3 Whitmore Santana Moquett 8-5 6 Wilbo Cabrera Hartman 5-2 2 Warrior’s Club Stevens Lukas 5-1 1 Operation Stevie Prescott Contreras 15-1 4 Wynn Time Vazquez Robertson 8-1
7 Purse $78,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, maiden special weight
**YANKTON finished a close third behind two talented colts in an encouraging career debut, and he recorded a good subsequent workout. TAP MASTER is an unraced colt with a winner’s pedigree, and he may have tipped his hand in a bullet 5-furlong gate drill Feb. 7 at Fair Grounds. DRY LEVEE showed excellent early speed in a third-place debut, and typical second-out improvement could make him difficult to beat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Yankton Prescott Sims 5-1 4 Tap Master Santana Asmussen 3-1 10 Dry Levee Goncalves Robertson 6-1 6 Mojo Man Stevens DiVito 9-2 1 Nottoway Thompson Van Meter 6-1 2 Leinster Cabrera Lukas 12-1 13 Getting Even McMahon Holthus 6-1 14 Share the Upside Santana Asmussen 8-1 12 Pop Culture Cohen Milligan 12-1 9 Freakin Joe Vazquez Ortiz 15-1 3 Popsee Hill Stuart 15-1 11 Minecraft Maniac Birzer Anderson 20-1 5 Mogowan Quinonez Gowan 15-1 8 Home Run Trick De La Cruz Jayaraman 20-1
8 The Honey Bee. Purse $200,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies, 3-year-olds ***RED RUBY overcame early trouble to comfortably win the Martha Washington, and the lightly raced and improving filly is bred to improve as the distances increase. SASSY SIENNA is a multiple stake-placed filly around two turns, and she drew a favorable inside post and keeps Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens. AMY’S CHALLENGE is an exceptionally quick sprinter who is unbeaten in three races. She is bred to run this far but her strong pace figures have me thinking she could be vulnerable late.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Red Ruby Albarado Gorder 9-5 1 Sassy Sienna Stevens Cox 5-1 6 Amy’s Challenge Loveberry Robertson 2-1 2 Stronger Than Ever Santana McPeek 6-1 3 Cosmic Burst Eramia Von Hemel 6-1 4 Bo Peep Court Fires 12-1 7 Rahway McMahon Maker 20-1
9 Purse $22,000, 5½ furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $16,000
****SWEET TATUM lost a clear lead inside the final furlong in a clear second-place finish, and she is dropping in class and figures to lead past every pole. SHE LOOKS PROUD disappointed in her first start after 15 months on the sidelines. She had a sharp work March 3 and has the talent to win at this level. KANTASTIC was disqualified after breaking her maiden last fall at Churchill, but she has enough speed to be in a striking position turning for home.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Sweet Tatum Loveberry Robertson 8-5 4 She Looks Proud Morales O’Neill 10-1 5 Kantastic Felix Mason 6-1 6 Zoey’s My Girl McMahon Litfin 10-1 3 Nile Show Hill Catalano 12-1 1a Diastole Thompson Gleason 6-1 10 Dance Like Katie Pompell Delong 12-1 11 Despina Stevens Swearingen 5-1 9 Rosie Bear Eramia Domenosky 15-1 8 Storm Shelter Goncalves Westermann 20-1 1 Checotah Birzer Gleason 6-1 2 Jim’s Angel Bedford Hale 30-1
EXOTIC POSSIBILITIES
The fifth race starts a Pick-3 and Paganol is a single in my book, especially if the track is wet. The sixth drew only a field of six, but if Whitmore needs a race then the race is wide open. Yankton may be the right horse in the seventh, but a couple others are difficult to leave off the ticket. Sweet Tatum looks like a horse to key in ninth-race trifecta wagers. Since she will go off favored, I’ll spread in the middle and use only logical contenders in the three hole.
Leaders
Through Friday’s races
JOCKEYS
RK. NAME ST. W P S PCT. MONEY
Ricardo Santana .....167 33 27 25 20 $1,702,452
David Cabrera .........163 24 14 29 15 $975,328
David Cohen ............159 24 15 22 15 $942,399
Ramon Vazquez ......131 21 13 12 16 $736,858
Jon Court ................122 17 13 18 14 $681,424
Gary Stevens ............96 15 17 17 16 $901,678
Alex Canchari ..........138 15 20 17 11 $828,070
F. De La Cruz ...........106 15 12 9 14 $703,848
C.J. McMahon.........128 12 17 10 9 $620,214
Terry Thompson ...119 11 9 9 9 $385,656