Race 1
#2 Souper Capacity: This four-year-old ran fine his first time on dirt. Now he adds blinkers after showing good early speed last time out. One negative is 0-25 Bowen does stay aboard in the irons.
#3 Frenchie Frou Frou: This filly gets back on the dirt for the first time since the debut. Jason Barkley is 13% going synthetic to dirt with a positive ROI. These are the types that can blow up a race where everyone sees the one bad running line on dirt.
A=2-3
B=1-6
Race 2
#2 Final Form: This daughter of Point of Entry comes off the layoff to a track she adores; she is 2-2 at Oaklawn, winning 25K and 20K claimers in a different barn. She’s dropping out of a pretty salty 50K listed stake at Remington Park where the winner was solid allowance type, and 2nd was G3 placed.
#4 Raintree Starlett: This mare was on the improve in her last couple of races of 2020. She gets claimed by probably the best claiming trainer at Oaklawn right now, 32% last five years with a 3$ plus ROI when he starts horses first off the claim at Oaklawn. This one had been racing mostly allowance types, but it looks like we finally found her class level with a much-improved 2nd last time out against 16K claimers.
A=2-4
Race 3
#7 Benson: Solid win on debut back in December for this daughter of Flatter. The second and third place runners came back to run second in their next races but didn’t improve their Beyer’s, so I have no idea what she beat. Making a move into a 30K claimer seems like the right spot for the second start on the class ladder.
#4 Melting snow: She has never raced on fast dirt before but has the two best numbers in this field, albeit on a wet track. Trainer Karl Broberg is off to an icy start at the meet at 0-18. I will use her as a timid backup as I don’t want to make a mistake here since I went four deep in leg one.
A=7
B=4
Race 4
#5 Megatap: This one showed speed first time out for top trainer Steve Asmussen, and now his top rider in Santana takes the call. The Beyer comes in low but will be right there with second time out improvement, but nobody else in the race has been setting the world on fire, so this one ends up as the main single.
A=5
Race 5
#3 All Shacked Up: This Gelding came off the layoff and ran an excellent second at this level last time out. He also showed improved speed, and maybe the extended layoff was just what this old claimer needed.
#4 Kristo: this ten-year-old ran right behind our top pick in his first start in the barn of Aidan Green. The trainer was 0-17 last year, but when the Beyer’s fit and the price will be there, I will include finishing up this pick 5.
A=3-4