LEE’S LOCK: Ginobili in the ninth
BEST BET: Be Authentic in the second
LONG SHOT: Time Is Now in the seventh
SATURDAY’S RESULTS: 1-10 (10%)
MEET: 131-338 (34.4%)
****confident choice
***plenty to like
**things to like
*educated guess
1 Purse $18,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $10,000.
SHE MIGHT TELL** has won two of her last three dirt races, while competing at a higher class level, and a poor start may have cost her a win March 21. OPERATIC earned a strong Beyer figure in a third-place stake at Delta, and the late-runner picks up a leading rider. LADY CLEOPATRA is taking a slight drop in price following a second-place finish, and she is the speed of the speed and the one to catch.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
6 She Might Tell;Hill;McKnight;7-2
5 Operatic;Mojica;Deville;5-2
3 Lady Cleopatra;Talamo;Amoss;8-1
7 Conformation;Cohen;Diodoro;6-1
1 Check Six;Garcia;Hollendorfer;5-1
4 Bella Alicita;Santana;Asmussen;4-1
8 Moonlight Train;Quinonez;Shorter;12-1
2 Grats Road;Elliott;Vance;15-1
2 Purse $17,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $8,000
BE AUTHENTIC*** followed a 16-length maiden win with a fourth-place allowance finish at Hawthorne, while earning the field’s fastest Beyer figures. Appears vastly improved with blinkers off. HEART RIVER was a clear maiden sprint winner at Fair Grounds, and trainer Tom Amoss spots horses where they can win. JUST FOR CASEY has not raced since September, but she owns competitive Beyer figures and shows some brisk morning works.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
9 Be Authentic;Hill;Catalano;15-1
8 Heart River;Cohen;Amoss;7-2
7 Just for Casey;Eramia;Cates;12-1
6 Perfect Rush;Baze;Sadler;6-1
4 Traci’s Greeley;Harr;Thomas;6-1
2 Frontier Woman;Felix;Compton;4-1
13 Heffington;Mojica;Broberg;10-1
11 Athenasway;Lara;Acksel;12-1
12 Fairy;Roberts;McKnight;15-1
1 Vegan Goes Best;Bridgmohan;Barkley;3-1
1a Almyra;Roberts;Ortiz;3-1
10 Starvana;Birzer;Anderson;12-1
3 Western Attire;Canchari;Cline;20-1
5 Tap and Spin;FDe La Cruz;Caldwell;30-1
3 Purse $38,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, starter allowance
SACRED OATH** finished fast in a maiden-sprint victory, and he is spotted well. He is bred to carry his speed this far. PARADE FIELD has rallied to win consecutive conditioned-claiming races, and the sharp two-turn runner deserves favoritism. FRA MAURO exits a decisive 3-length route victory for top connections, and he has been versatile and consistent in a 14-race career.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
6 Sacred Oath;Cohen;Catalano;10-1
7 Parade Field;Bridgmohan;Barkley;5-2
8 Fra Mauro;Santana;Asmussen;3-1
3 Make Noise;Baze;Van Berg;8-1
4 Lngtermrelationshp;Rocco;Moquett;7-2
2 Candy Store;Talamo;Amoss;4-1
1 Astrologer;Mojica;Sadler;15-1
5 Solomonic;Quinonez;Shorter;20-1
4 Purse $20,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $25,000
PRIVATE LAKE** finished fourth in a strong field when making his 2020 debut, and he was beaten only a neck in a subsequent race against similar. JAMES’S MOONSHINE raced evenly in an encouraging fifth-place debut effort, and he is dropping in class and will be wearing blinkers for the first time. EXOTIC PEGASUS finished second in a sharp race just two starts back, and he is back sprinting after a dull two-turn performance on a muddy track.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
12 Private Lake;WDe La Cruz;Martin;3-1
2 James’s Moonshine;Elliott;Hartman;4-1
5 Exotic Pegasus;Birzer;Smith;6-1
4 Radicator;Eramia;Von Hemel;9-2
11 J’s Little Man;Vazquez;Martin;8-1
14 Bravura Creek;Canchari;Witt;7-2
1 Rock City Rocket;FDe La Cruz;Martin;10-1
13 Slightly Crafty;Harr;Cline;12-1
6 Blacks Ferry Road;Thompson;Rhea;12-1
3 Smarty Grimes;Lara;Caldwell;20-1
9 Boo Be Right;Cannon;Peitz;20-1
8 Lime Tree Valley;Felix;Jackson;30-1
10 Rich Icon;Roberts;Gonzalez;15-1
7 Papa Star;Harr;Stuart;12-1
5 Purse $18,200, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, claiming $16,000
SWEET CARLI*** has been a dominating winner in two of her three races since claimed by trainer Brad Cox, and the Fair Grounds shipper was narrowly defeated in her only race last winter at Oaklawn. TRUE CASTLE set a moderate pace before kicking clear in a deceptively sharp victory, and she is wisely placed in another conditioned claiming race. LOVE MY HONEY led past every pole in a $40,000 conditioned-claiming win last fall at Belmont, and the fresh runner is the one to catch.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
7 Sweet Carli;Talamo;Cox;5-2
9 True Castle;Mojica;McKnight;7-2
3 Love My Honey;Elliott;Vance;15-1
1 She’s a Dime;Garcia;O’Neill;9-2
10 Italian Justice;WDe La Cruz;Martin;4-1
4 M and M Girl;Cohen;Diodoro;8-1
2 Fleeta Belle;Roberts;Nelson;10-1
6 Field Daisey;Lara;Williamson;15-1
5 Storm Traffic;Bailey;Durham;20-1
8 She Be Addie;Borel;Fires;30-1
6 Purse $18,000, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $20,000
KASILOF*** finished third behind an odds-on winner in his sprint tune-up, and he owns the fastest Beyer figures and has a pedigree to run this far. QUANA DUDE brings competitive Beyer figures from Fair Grounds, and his is dropping into a maiden-claiming race for the first time, and he also drew an inside post. AGITATOR is back at his preferred distance for winning connections, and he is having blinkers removed.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
4 Kasilof;Garcia;Sharp;5-2
2 Quana Dude;Cohen;Amoss;7-2
8 Agitator;Quinonez;Broberg;10-1
7 Jasiri;FDe La Cruz;Chleborad;8-1
9 No Problemo;Birzer;Anderson;12-1
3 Proud Nation;Santana;Asmussen;6-1
11 Tranquility Base;Borel;McKnight;12-1
14 Runtech;Birzer;Richard;4-1
5 Wicked Citi;Hill;Catalano;8-1
1 Big Biz;Lara;Williamson;15-1
6 Grand Atlantic;Harr;Cates;20-1
13 Big Headed Baby;Richard;Diodoro;10-1
12 Siete Leguas;Bailey;Contreras;15-1
10 Grover Capote;Roberts;Nelson;30-1
7 Purse $60,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight
TIME IS NOW** took money in both of her dirt starts last spring at Santa Anita, and he is showing strong works dating back to January for new and leading trainer Robertino Diodoro. GOLD NOTION was beaten only 2 lengths in his return from a long layoff, and the Brad Cox trainee is very consistent and due to graduate soon. MAJOR ATTRACTION finished second behind a front-running winner in a troubled career debut, and a clean trip may be all he needs to win.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
8 Time Is Now;Mojica;Diodoro;10-1
2 Golden Notion;Talamo;Cox;5-2
7 Major Attraction;Cohen;Catalano;7-2
1 Edgemont Road;Rocco;VanMeter;8-1
9 Lemon and Diem;Baze;Asmussen;10-1
4 Bank;Santana;Asmussen;6-1
6 Derby Date;Cannon;Sisterson;3-1
5 Majestic Display;Bridgmohan;Amoss;20-1
3 Score Board;Vazquez;Lauer;20-1
8 Purse $63,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
BLUE MOONRISE** easily defeated a talented field in wire-to-wire fashion Feb. 28, and she has been very good in 9 of her 10 races. AWE EMMA lost her rider at the break in the Grade II Azeri, but she has won three of her five races at Oaklawn, and she picks up red-hot rider Joe Talamo. BLESSED AGAIN defeated second-level allowance runners in determined fashion, and she is a repeat candidate if she will rate in a field loaded with speed.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
2 Blue Moonrise;Santana;Asmussen;5-2
5 Awe Emma;Talamo;Stewart;7-2
8 Blessed Again;Thompson;Prather;4-1
3 Motion Emotion;Baze;Baltas;5-1
7 Beach Flower;Canchari;Robertson;5-1
4 English Soul;Cannon;Sisterson;5-1
6 Fugitive Lady;Quinonez;McKellar;30-1
1 Violation;Elliott;Holthus;30-1
9 Purse $61,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, allowance optional claiming
GINOBILI**** set a pressured pace when second best in the Grade II San Vicente, and notice the winner (Nadal) came back to win the $1 million Rebel for trainer Bob Baffert. MARVIN has lost a pair of photo finishes at the meeting, and the consistent runner is talented and the one to fear inside the final furlong. BIG RETURNS splashed his way to a clear entry-level allowance victory in his Oaklawn debut, and he may love this surface.
PP HORSE;JOCKEY;TRAINER;ODDS
3 Ginobili;Cohen;Baltas;5-2
9 Marvin;Canchari;Robertson;7-2
6 Big Returns;Vazquez;Villafranco;8-1
1 American Butterfly;Talamo;Lukas;4-1
7 The Great Dansky;Mojica;Sadler;10-1
10 Bel Bimbo;Hill;McKnight;20-1
11 Tumbling Sky;Santana;Asmussen;10-1
2 Sycamore Run;Garcia;Sharp;8-1
13 Zyramid;Santana;Asmussen;12-1
8 Shashashakemeup;Elliott;Desormeaux;30-1
5 Nucky;Eramia;Miller;30-1
4 Rager;Baze;Lerner;15-1
12 Katzarelli;Bridgmohan;Amoss;20-1
Exotic possibilities
The first race daily double is playable using Operatic and She Might Tell. I recommend Heart River and Be Authentic in the second. The seventh race begins a Pick-3 and spreading out in hopes of catching a big number is a proper strategy. The eighth race has several speed types and using a few horses is recommended. The ninth may have a single in Ginobili, but those with deeper pockets can spread for an increased chance.