LEE'S LOCK Biggs in the fourth
BEST BET Violent Ridge in the seventh
LONG SHOT Heffington in the sixth
MONDAY'S RESULTS 2-10 (20%)
MEET 45-137 (32.9%)
CONFIDENCE RATINGS
****confident choice
***plenty to like
**things to like
*educated guess
1 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $6,250
KALLISTE ROSE** won her last two races in determined fashion at Hawthorne. Her Beyer figures are fastest in this field, and she picks up the leading rider. SYRAH was overmatched in a two-turn race Jan. 26, but she won her two previous sprint races for a winning trainer-rider team. SHOWIT is a front-running mare dropping to the lowest price of her career, and she has a good record on a wet track.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Kalliste Rose Cohen Robertson 2-1
6 Syrah Vazquez Villafranco 5-2
4 Showit WDe La Cruz Stuart 8-1
3 Anita Marie FDe La Cruz Puhl 4-1
7 Lethal Leanne Lara Haran 9-2
2 Critter Felix Litfin 10-1
1 Wise Eyes Birzer Martin 12-1
2 Purse $30,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $25,000
KELLY BE KRUSIN** made a belated rally after a poor start in her 6-furlong debut. She is dropping in class, and she's bred to improve at route distances. DANZIG STAR raced wide and evenly in her career debut against much better. She is another bred to route, and she recorded an encouraging subsequent breeze. DAT GIRL was forwardly placed in a third-place sprint finish, and she is a logical front-running danger if she can go this far.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
11 Kelly Be Krusin WDe La Cruz Martin 3-1
9 Danzig Star Elliott McBride 8-1
5 Dat Girl Loveberry Hornsby 5-2
12 Mary Alice Birzer Smith 9-2
3 Dixie Wayne Lara Caldwell 10-1
6 Lucky Road Felix Ashauer 15-1
1 Wish for Candy Harr Roberts 12-1
2 Elusive Secret Rocco Bahena 15-1
4 Get One More Quinonez McKellar 15-1
7 Hissy Missy FDe La Cruz Hornsby 15-1
8 Nanabanana Hisby Williams 20-1
10 Laura Belle Bailey Smith 30-1
3 Purse $28,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up who have never won three races, claiming $20,000
EL ASESINO*** raced competitively at a much higher level last season at Oaklawn, and he appears the controlling speed for high-percentage connections. SWITHER'S SHORTCUT was a fast-closing allowance winner at Hawthorne, and the improving gelding has his consistent dirt form clouded by lesser races on synthetic and turf surfaces. DAHIK was a clear allowance winner at Thistledown after a similar layoff, and he has a competitive record on wet tracks.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 El Asesino Cohen Diodoro 2-1
8 Swither's Shortcut Garcia Williamson 5-1
3 Dahik FDe La Cruz Puhl 6-1
6 Lionite Baze Holthus 3-1
2 Barry Lee Elliott Morse 4-1
4 Hollywood Star Roman Von Hemel 10-1
7 Grey Mask Lara Haran 12-1
5 Blended Lute Loveberry Creighton 30-1
4 Purse $25,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $20,000
BIGGS**** chased a fast pace before finishing sixth in his first race 16 months ago, and he is adding blinkers and taking a significant drop for hot connections. BABADOOOK finished in-the-money in consecutive races last season at Oaklawn, and he has a legitimate excuse for his last four races. Furthermore, he recorded a swift wet-track work last Thursday. BLANCO BRONCO has not raced since May, but he has earned consistently competitive Beyer figures. He appears to have a good foundation of works leading up to his 2020 debut.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Biggs Talamo Cox 5-2
12 Babadoook Bailey Coady 20-1
11 Blanco Bronco Felix Gonzalez 6-1
5 Gone Dancing Cannon Fires 9-2
9 The Dark Jewel FDe La Cruz Martin 4-1
10 Bravura Creek Loveberry Witt 10-1
2 Blacks Ferry Road Birzer Rhea 8-1
3 Slightly Crafty Harr Cline 15-1
7 Reverend Don Lara Vance 15-1
4 J's Little Man WDe La Cruz Martin 20-1
6 Gotta Love Ike Canchari Martin 20-1
8 Daddy Jack Roman Petalino 20-1
5 Purse $26,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up who have never won three races, claiming $16,000
POWER SONG** is moving up a claiming condition after a decisive 7-length route victory at Hawthorne. He has excellent two-turn speed, and he has worked well in Hot Springs. GOLD BACKED has spent most of his career racing pretty well on synthetic surfaces, but he has been his best on dirt and wet tracks. TIZPURE is racing for leading trainer Robertino Diodoro for the first time, and he sports vastly improved works while wearing blinkers for the first time.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
2 Power Song Talamo Robertson 3-1
3 Gold Backed Cohen McKnight 8-1
10 Tizpure Mojica Diodoro 4-1
1a Defender Felix Mason 10-1
5 Carlos Sixes Hill McKnight 7-2
6 Zing Zang Santana Asmussen 5-1
4 Roar of the Lion Quinonez Swearingen 10-1
7 Paynt Your Eggs FDe La Cruz Van Berg 12-1
9 Rickhouse Johnson Hartlage 15-1
1 Come On Dover Baze Mason 10-1
8 Broadway Ice Cannon Deville 20-1
6 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $10,000
HEFFINGTON** rallied to fourth in her return from a four-month freshening, and the abundance of early speed should set up her late run. LIL' SHOPPER showed steady improvement throughout her 3-year-old campaign, and the presence of a leading rider instills confidence. SHESHED weakened inside the final furlong after contesting the pace in her first start of the meeting. She is dropping in price and may prove stubborn on the lead.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Heffington Harr Cline 8-1
8 Lil' Shopper Mojica Ruiz 12-1
5 Sheshed Elliott Holthus 6-1
6 Our Lizzy Lou Baze Morse 4-1
12 Starvana Birzer Anderson 9-2
14 Wheres Mom Talamo Deville 5-1
13 Little Slew Quinonez Von Hemel 10-1
3 D R C's Arm Candy Loveberry Villafranco 10-1
4 Arkyarkyarky Eramia Johnson 8-1
2 Azlynn's Dreamer Lara Matthews 8-1
10 A Real Gem FDe La Cruz Van Berg 10-1
9 Sylvia's Rocket Canchari Martin 10-1
1 Foxy Box Roman Smith 12-1
11 Plus Size Value WDe La Cruz Puhl 20-1
7 Purse $30,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, starter allowance
VIOLENT RIDGE*** defeated 11 claiming rivals in an unusually fast time in his return from a long break, and he has a versatile running style and can handle a wet track. ENDER finished full of run in a narrow defeat against similar opposition, and he has won four of nine career races on a wet track. LEWYS VAPORIZER set a strong pace and kept on running while defeating $12,500 claimers on opening day, and the wet-track specialist is always the one to catch.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Violent Ridge Mojica Diodoro 9-2
4 Ender Quinonez Loy 10-1
1 Lewys Vaporizer Talamo Amoss 9-2
2 Futile Santana Hornsby 5-1
8 Icatiro Cohen Diodoro 5-2
7 He's No Bull Felix Puhl 8-1
6 Codetowin FDe La Cruz Divito 8-1
3 Coach Adams Elliott Compton 6-1
8 Purse $86,000, 6 furlongs, fillies, 3-year-olds, allowance optional claiming
SWEET KISSES** broke her maiden last summer at Saratoga, and the front-running filly is well spotted after two stake races. KISS THE GIRL followed a debut win at Belmont with a graded stake-placed finish at Saratoga. She was a disappointment on opening day, and subsequent breezes are slow. Tough call. RAGGEDY ANNIE raced wide in a fast-closing second-place finish at this level Jan. 24, and the winner (Ring Leader) came back to win the Dixie Belle.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Sweet Kisses Cohen Englehart 7-5
5 Kiss the Girl Santana Asmussen 2-1
3 Raggedy Annie Canchari Lukas 3-1
4 Elite Song Mojica McKnight 9-2
2 Party Lights Elliott Litfin 12-1
9 Purse $46,000, 1 mile, fillies, 3-year-olds, maiden claiming $50,000
CHALDEA** finished second in her last two route races at Woodbine, and she is having blinkers removed. Moreover, she is dropping into a maiden-claimer and keeps the leading rider. AUCTION FEVER earned the field's fastest Beyer figure in a second-place run at Churchill, and the class dropper recorded a recent bullet gate work. LIL RED VETTE possesses sprinters' speed, and the experienced filly is a wire-to-wire threat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Chaldea Cohen McKnight 6-1
9 Auction Fever Garcia Fawkes 7-2
1 Lil Red Vette WDe La Cruz Stuart 6-1
6 Hungry N Scrappy Talamo Cox 5-1
10 It's All Cash Baze Hollendorfer 12-1
11 Chateau Hope Santana Asmussen 5-1
7 Elusive Ride Rocco Puhich 12-1
5 Dawdle Bridgmohan Barkley 10-1
4 Golden Lily Richard Riecken 12-1
3 Big Luck Quinonez Swearingen 15-1
2 Mi Bella Bailey Hartman 20-1
12 Cruzin Como Cannon Holthus 20-1
EXOTIC POSSIBILITIES
The first race starts a 50-cent Pick-4, and it appears to be a two-horse race. The second race has a major player in KELLY BE KRUSIN, but a few others may need to be thrown in. The third race comes down to EL ASESINO and SWITHER’S SHORTCUT. The fourth race has a deserved favorite in BIGGS, but a big price on BABDOOOK has me throwing him in. I believe HEFFINGTON can win the sixth race at a square price, so I’ll put her on top of a trifecta and spread generously in the middle and using solid contenders in the third spot.
Sports on 02/20/2020