LEE'S LOCK Mitole in the seventh
BEST BET Bebop Shoes in the 10th
LONG SHOT Futile in the fourth
FRIDAY'S RESULTS 4-9 (44.4 percent)
MEET 56-190 (29.5 percent)
****confident choice
***plenty to like
**things to like
*educated guess
1 Purse $24,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $16,000
**ARKANSAS ALLEY was forwardly placed before fading in the stretch in a stronger maiden allowance race. He has recorded improved workouts and switches to leading rider Ricardo Santana. LIVELY SPELL rallied to second in an encouraging career debut performance, and any second-out improvement will make her difficult to beat. HER KINDA CANDY lost a clear lead into the stretch in a fourth-place wet-track effort, and she has a license to improve under a kinder pace.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
6 Arkansas Alley;Santana;Cox;3-1
1 Lively Spell;Felix;Mason;5-2
3 Her Kinda Candy;Rodriguez;Caldwell;9-2
5 Easy Goin' Girl;Riquelme;Williams;5-1
4 Boss Lady Melissa;Harr;Cates;6-1
8 Jim's Angel;Fuentes;Hale;15-1
2 Scarlett J;Birzer;Barkley;8-1
1a Sing a Song Too;WDe La Cruz;Martin;
7 Daddy's Angel;Court;Prather;12-1
2 Purse $84,000, 1 mile, 3-year-olds, allowance optional claiming
***CAPTAIN VON TRAPP overcame an eventful trip in a 3-length maiden sprint victory, and the expensive son of Trappe Shot is bred to improve at this two-turn distance. TROY OUNCE was a convincing 4-length maiden winner just two races back at Churchill, and he has trained well since a poor stake race around the bullring at Delta. HIDDEN RULER showed determination in a career debut sprint victory. He figures to be pressing the pace and may be prepared to go this far.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
4 Captain Von Trapp;Vazquez;Asmussen;7-5
7 Troy Ounce;Santana;Asmussen;3-1
6 Hidden Ruler;Cohen;Stewart;4-1
1 Off Sixes;Cabrera;Hartman;5-1
5 Blue Gem;Rodriguez;Caldwell;10-1
2 Bear Trappe;Borel;Compton;12-1
3 Town Drunk;FDe La Cruz;Compton;15-1
3 Purse $22,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $10,000
**MOON UNIT is dropping to the bottom of the local maiden ranks after a fourth-place sprint finish. He has proven route ability and switches to the leading rider. MY MACHO MON finished third in his first two-turn race of the season, and the steadily improving gelding switches to a winning apprentice rider. ASSAY earned competitive Beyer figures in his races at Fair Grounds, and he may not have cared for a muddy track here Feb. 21.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
3 Moon Unit;Santana;Moquett;5-2
8 My Macho Mon;Fuentes;Morse;7-2
10 Assay;Cabrera;Hartman;6-1
2 Everado;Canchari;Zito;4-1
1 Soul Wind;Thompson;Barkley;10-1
5 Starlin;Loveberry;Lauer;20-1
6 Awesome Again Alex;Roman;Chleborad;15-1
4 Concrete Finisher;Eramia;Von Hemel;15-1
9 Anvil Rock;Wethey;Young;8-1
7 Can't Wait No Mo;Lara;Coady;12-1
4 Purse $45,000, 1 mile, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $40,000
**FUTILE raced competitively in two-turn stake races last season at Oaklawn, and he is dropping in class after a useful sprint race and will appreciate the stretch-out. SUMMER REVOLUTION is a lightly raced 6-year-old who has a talent advantage. Recent works appear strong, but taking a significant class dropper returning from a 13-month layoff seems risky. ADULATOR flashed speed before quickly fading to last on a sloppy track, but his previous fast-track races are clearly good enough to win this race.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
3 Futile;Cabrera;Hartman;8-1
2 Summer Revolution;Santana;Cox;5-2
1 Adulator;Cohen;Diodoro;7-2
1a Shut the Box;Cohen;Diodoro;7-2
7 Exemplar;Vazquez;Richard;9-2
6 Gladtobehere;WDe La Cruz;Contreras;12-1
8 D' Rapper;FDe La Cruz;Cristel;12-1
4 Hollywood Critic;Thompson;Vance;8-1
5 Picknngrinn;Rodriguez;Silva;12-1
9 Discreetness;Court;Fires;8-1
5 Purse $27,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up who have never won three races, claiming $16,000
**LITTLE MISS AMY raced well at a higher level in two races last season at Oaklawn, and she is stretching out to her best distance after showing sprinter's speed in an allowance tune-up. MURIKA rallied behind a fast pace in a clear second-place finish at this condition. She keeps the leading rider and deserves favoritism. ACORN STREET finished with energy in a sprint race Feb. 17. She is taking a slight drop and drew a favorable route post.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
11 Little Miss Amy;Morales;Contreras;12-1
6 Murika;Santana;Moquett;5-2
2 Acorn Street;Vazquez;Villafranco;9-2
10 Northern Fern;Cohen;McKnight;6-1
3 Loran Holiday;Hill;Hiles;6-1
1 Bella Moon;Eramia;Sims;6-1
9 Brown Eyed Blues;Loveberry;Robertson;8-1
7 Fringe;Lara;Williamson;12-1
5 Cowgirl Callie;WDe La Cruz;Bahena;20-1
4 Maria Rose;Felix;Jansen;20-1
8 Uno Sueno;Court;Fires;20-1
6 Purse $84,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
***RANSOMED won five races last season while competing on the tough Southern California circuit, and he appears to be working well after a poor stake performance at Gulfstream. MIZ K has been close to the pace in consecutive in-the-money finishes at Oaklawn and Churchill, and she has been consistent since focusing on sprinting. HIGHLAND LASS is another who produced some good races last season in California, and she is having blinkers removed after a disappointing one-race experiment.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
6 Ransomed;Cohen;Diodoro;2-1
1 Miz K;Valdivia;Hobby;5-1
7 Highland Lass;Cabrera;Barkley;6-1
4 World Riot;Vazquez;McKnight;5-2
8 Claire's Music;Eramia;Trout;12-1
2 The Girl Factor;Santana;Moquett;10-1
3 I'mthebossrightnow;Birzer;Chleborad;12-1
5 Can'ttouchmenow;Rodriguez;Silva;8-1
7 Purse $88,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
****MITOLE was a dominating winner in his last three races in 2018, including stake victories at Pimlico and Oaklawn. He is clearly fastest, and published works from Fair Grounds suggests he is ready to fire fresh. MAJESTIC AFFAIR won a sprint-stake last summer at Ellis, and the classy sprinter was sharp defeating starter allowance rivals in his 2019 debut. WILBO is a multiple stake-winning sprinter who ran a poor race over a wet surface in the King Cotton, but he figures to rebound over a fast surface.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
5 Mitole;Santana;Asmussen;7-5
8 Majestic Affair;Hill;Ortiz;6-1
2 Wilbo;Cabrera;Hartman;3-1
7 Gordy Florida;Birzer;Smith;5-1
4 Bourbon Cowboy;Mojica;Diodoro;8-1
1 Fort Fortitude;Elliott;Hartman;12-1
6 Sightforsoreeyes;McMahon;Quartarolo;12-1
3 Pentimento;Riquelme;Garcia;30-1
8 The Spring Fever. Purse $100,000, 5½ furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
***AMY'S CHALLENGE won the $100k American Beauty by nearly 6-widening lengths. The exceptionally quick filly has won all three of her non-graded stake races and is strictly the one to catch. VERTICAL OAK finished eighth as an odds-on favorite in the American Beauty, but she is the class of the field. She wouldn't be in the race if she had not bounced back. SHANGHAI TARIFF has been a clear allowance winner in back-to-back races, but she will be under more pace pressure and could prove vulnerable in deep stretch.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
5 Amy's Challenge;Canchari;Robertson;7-5
8 Vertical Oak;Vazquez;Asmussen;5-2
4 Shanghai Tariff;FDe La Cruz;DiVito;7-2
1 Sister Nation;Santana;Asmussen;8-1
2 Treble;Borel;Moquett;12-1
7 Swing and Sway;Cabrera;Moquett;10-1
3 Alex's Bourbon;McMahon;Broberg;20-1
6 Proper Discretion;Mojica;Quartarolo;30-1
9 Purse $35,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $40,000.
**COSMIC HALLELUJAH impressively won his only race on a conventional dirt surface, and he was claimed out of his last race at Woodbine by high-percentage connections. He has been working fast while in company with a talented sprinter. MOJOVATION has not raced since September, but fired fresh in a career debut victory at Saratoga. He sports swift breezes at Delta. NEW DANCER finished second at this condition in his first start of the season, and he has early speed and is switching to a leading rider.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
5 Cosmic Hallelujah;Fuentes;McKnight;3-1
2 Mojovation;Mojica;Diodoro;7-2
1 New Dancer;Cohen;Broberg;5-1
6 Bold Friends;Valdivia;DiVito;4-1
9 Harlanday;Lara;Williamson;12-1
8 Nomo Ron;Wethey;Young;6-1
4 Giant Pulpit;Elliott;Vance;15-1
3 Attain Success;Canchari;Anderson;15-1
7 Take Charge Now;FDe La Cruz;Martin;12-1
10 Purse $83,000, 6 Furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred Maiden Special Weight.
***BEBOP SHOES raced close to a fast pace in a deceptively good third-place return to the races, and he benefits from a race over the track and a likely easier time on the lead. DESTINEDTOBEASTAR crossed the wire only a neck behind the top selection, which followed a photo-finish loss at Delta. YOUNG BULL finished second behind a post-time favorite in an encouraging career debut, and she has looked good in three subsequent breezes.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
8 Bebop Shoes;Court;Fires;3-1
3 Destinedtobeastar;Cabrera;Dixon;4-1
1 Young Bull;Canchari;Witt;7-2
2 Drexel;Santana;Moquett;7-2
9 Leo Del Reo;Bridgmohan;Mason;5-1
6 Heisfancy;Borel;Swearingen;10-1
5 Fire To;Loveberry;Chleborad;15-1
7 It's Bellamy Time;Birzer;Roberts;20-1
4 Ray's Big Boy;Rodriguez;Wright;30-1
EXOTIC POSSIBILITIES
Arkansas Alley is taking an important drop in class in the first race, and I'll play him in a daily double with Captain Von Trapp and Troy Ounce in the second. The fourth race starts a 50-cent Pick-3 and the race may have a vulnerable favorite so spreading out may be wise. The fifth race drew a large field and favorites in conditioned-claimers can be risky so spreading out is recommended. The sixth race has a legitimate favorite in Ransomed and a possible single.
Sports on 03/02/2019