Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 2-Donita Rose (Race 4)
Race #1: 3-Moment’s Pleasure defeated a bulky Maiden field on April 6 after returning from an eight-month layoff for trainer Craig Lewis and now stretches back out this afternoon for her first crack against winners. Another potential forward move puts this filly right in the mix. 4-Illhaveanotherkiss moves back to the straight course on the stretch-out and class drop for Team O’Neill and projects to be on or close to the lead today with the switch to Maldonado. 5-Adelie (Ire) makes the third start of the form cycle today for D’Amato after finishing an even fourth in her most recent effort when lacking the needed stretch punch late.
Selections: 3-4-5
Race #2: The 0 for 13 2-Vegas Burner has simply run too fast not to have broken through the Maiden ranks as of yet while consistently running par or better in several of his most recent efforts. We’ll give the 4-year-old gelding one more chance this afternoon as he slides down to this $50k Maiden Claiming level. He turns back to six panels today and posted a (89) Beyer when last seen trying this distance three-back. After a tardy beginning on the March 22 debut, 7-Western Power goes turf to dirt and drops in for a tag in start number two for trainer John Sadler. This barn is a solid 3 for 9 (33%) with this maneuver, and Hernadez takes over. First-time gelding 5-Mr. Leasure returns off a five-month freshening and drops in for a first-time tag today for trainer Doug O’Neil.
Selections: 2-7-5
Race #3: 4-Grazed drops in class this afternoon and is reunited with winning pilot Umberto Rispoli, while exiting a well-beaten fifth-place finish on March 24. The 6-year-old gelding figures to be tough if able to run back to his 85 & 86 grass figures from two and three back. The lightly raced 5-Forty Niner Gold steps up off impressive looking Maiden win on March 16 and has worked four times since that win, including firing a “best of 25” bullet four furlongs in :47 flat on April 21. The speedy 7-Please Focus returns off a nine-month hiatus for trainer Doug O’Neill while dropping in for a career-low purchase price. Although his fitness and overall soundness may be questionable, the gelding deserves consideration at this reduced level as a previous allowance sprint grass winner.
Selections: 4-5-7
Race #4: 2-Donita Rose improved her Beyer figure by 20 points in start number two for trainer Peter Miller with a runner-up finish to repeat winner Whimsical Heir while also finishing in front of next-out victor Ryder’s Candy. The daughter of Stay Thirsty makes the all-important third start this afternoon, switches to Hernandez, and looks like the most logical winner on the Friday afternoon card. 8-Ace Ace Baby was no match for runaway winner Perfect in Gray on March 15 debut but ran well for the place spot and is eligible to move forward in career start number two. 10-Castagna goes turf to dirt and drops in for a first-time tag in start number three. The daughter of multiple grade 1 winners, I’ll Have Another, is certainly bred to handle the main track.
Selections: 2-8-10
Race #5: 7-Uncle Reg co-tops the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (71) and drops in for a first-time tag today for conditioner Michael McCarthy. The 4-year-old gelding returns from a 10-week freshening off a snappy worktab, which includes a pair of bullet drills. 4-Rostovsky (by Liam’s Map) debuts for the red-hot Glatt barn off a series of decent-looking a.m. drills. 3-Adebayo had a wide trip fifth place finish back on Jan. 27 turf sprint unveiling—a race that’s since produced a pair of next-out winners. The son of multiple grade 1 winner Yoshida (Jpn) adds blinkers for career start number two, which is a positive equipment change for this barn. A beaten even-money favorite in the last, 6-Quintecents makes start number 17 this afternoon and has now accumulated 9 underneath finishes. The 5-year-old gelding is due to break through one of these days but is hard to endorse on the winning end.
Selections: 7-4-6
Race #6: 10-Santarena owns the experience edge over the Baffert pair, exiting a top (93) Beyer speed figure off a recent runner-up effort on April 6 to stablemate Ball Don’t Lie. The son of Omaha Beach makes the all-important third career start this afternoon and figures to be a handful with another move forward going second-time blinkers. The Baffert duo of 1-Middleburg and 6-Parenting are hard to separate. Middleburg is $485k Keeneland purchase by Tapit. Parenting is $750k pricey colt by Justify. Both sophomore colts have trained exceptionally sharp in their a.m. drills as is typical for this top outfit. The 4-year-old colt 7-Prosper moves back to the main track for start number three and adds blinkers for Sadler. He’s shown ability in both sprint tries (dirt and turf).
Selections: 10-1-6
Race #7: 2-Lunar Impact (GB) stretches back out to a mile today over the straight course off back-to-back (84) Beyers over the downhill layout. The 5-year-old mare is a multiple winner going this one-mile trip and makes her first start for the new barn off the mini-freshening. 5-Leisurewear (Ire) drops out of a pair of grade 3 tries into this softer spot for D’Amato and projects to be on or close to the lead this afternoon with Hernandez back aboard. Her stablemate 1-Paris Secret (Ire) hasn’t been out in roughly eight months but drops out of four consecutive graded-stake affairs for today’s return effort and goes first-time Lasix. 7-Yerwanthere (Ire) is another that exits a trio of grade-three events off an eight-week freshening. This 5-year-old mare has put together back-to-back sharp four-furlong main track drills in preparation for this and has run very well at today’s one-mile distance.
Selections: 2-5-1
Race #8: 1-Indy’s Star stretches out and moves up in class while earning the field’s best last-out Beyer (78) eight weeks ago with a runner-up effort for trainer Leonard Powell. That Feb. 25 event has produced a pair of next-out winners. Dettori gets the return mount and has won with his last two starters from this barn including going 7 for 25 (28%) the past two years overall. The lightly raced 2-Fayette Fox finished third off an extended layoff for conditioner Vladimir Cerin and now stretches back out to her preferred one-mile trip. She looks primed for a big effort, making the second start off the bench. 3-Lisa’s Nonno was a beaten even-money chalk fourth in her most recent start on March 22 but cuts back to the mile where she was a winner and runner-up two and three-back for Glatt.
Selections: 1-2-3
Race #9: 1-Goodfella (Ire) makes his first stateside start off an eight-month freshening for Michael McCarthy, and this jockey-trainer combo has had good success when teamed up with long layoff grass starters. This Irish-bred import goes first time Lasix today. 5-Tracker returns as a first-time gelding off the three-month break for Sadler and drops in for a first-time tag with the return to turf. It’s not exactly what you want to see from a son of Curlin that cost $900k, but he fits nonetheless. 7-Precision Strike makes career start number 15 this afternoon but comes off a troubled trip fifth at this level on March 23 and was a good second at this same level three-back.
Selections: 1-5-7
