Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 1-Throwthefirstpunch (Race 8)
Race #1: Selections: 1-3-4
A multiple winner over the track and distance, 1-Hey Lil Lady steps up in class off a game score on Feb. 8 for conditioner Bob Hess and switches to Hernandez. The 4-year-old filly should be able to carve out a favorable ground-saving journey from the fence. 3-Miss Meagher has hit the board in four of her last five grass starts at this level with competitive Beyers and retains Berrios, who had a strong stand last week and appears to be back on track. 4-How Lovely has flashed speed and tired to third in her last pair of grass sprint tries and figures to employ similar run-and-gun tactics today. She must contend with the other outside speed Fancy Facts, however, who steps up in class off a N2L $25k claiming score on Feb. 15.
Race #2: Selections: 5-1-2
5-Singlemore flashed speed and tired to fourth, exiting the same event Feb. 6 event as Hondo Crouch, when meeting winners for the first time. Two-back, he was an impressive 9 ¾-length maiden winner. A solid gate-to-wire threat today in this short five-horse lineup. 1-Hondo Crouch usually likes to finish underneath, as evidenced by his 16-1-3-7 career mark, but drops in class, exiting back-to-back third-place finishes, when not getting the best of starts in each try. The 6-year-old gelding makes his third try of the form cycle this afternoon for the red-hot Glatt barn. Turf to dirt 2-Bolt Zapper is lightly raced for trainer Cynthia Kelley and returns to the main track, where he was a 16-1 upset maiden claiming winner two back.
Race #3: Selections: 1-3-2
The 2025 Megahertz (G3) winner, 1-Rashmi, is a 4-for-9 lifetime for trainer Jonathan Thomas and a proven miler specialist. The 5-year-old daughter of Oscar Performance draws well this afternoon off a year-plus layoff, has trained well in recent weeks for today’s return to action, and should come out running. The much-improved 3-Miss Artois steps up in class to face stakes foes after a sharp score against lesser off the mini-freshening. This filly’s speed figures have improved with each subsequent start for Baltas since last August. 2-Antifona goes two sprints to a route today for trainer Vladimir Cerin, exiting a closing third at 72-1 in the Wishing Well S. The mare makes her third try of the form cycle today, exiting a career-best speed figure.
Race #4: Selections: 4-3-5
4-Elsa Dutton was a solid runner-up off the nine-month layoff against this level on March 1 as the beaten chalk, and now goes first off the claim for trainer Isidoro Tamayo. The 4-year-old filly should prove tough to beat with any normal second-of-the-bench improvement. Maiden Special weight to maiden claiming class-dropping 3-Dad’s Bad Bunny makes her third start off the layoff today for her low-profile connections and has run competitive Beyers for this class level. 5-Manhattan Beauty goes turf to dirt on the class drop for Baltas, and her main track effort two back over the Santa Anita dirt resulted in a decent fourth with a (64) Beyer, which is above par for this class level. She’s a serious win threat in yet another small field.
Race #5: Selections: 1-5-3
1-Justivar makes career try number eight today but showed solid early zip off the five-month freshening before settling for the runner-up spot on March 1 at a mile. The Mike Puype-trained 5-year-old mare sports the field’s best last-out speed figure and figures to work out a solid journey from the fence. 5-Springline crossed the wire first in the Feb. 27 turf route, which was declared a no-contest when a runner broke through the inner rail shortly after the start. The sophomore filly by War of Will switches to Hernandez this afternoon and was a good second at this level two back. The late-running 3-Holly Goquickly is 0-for-10 for the McCarthy barn but has rallied strongly to pick up pieces of the vertical exotics in the last pair and now makes the third start of the form cycle this afternoon.
Race #6: Selections: 2-6-4
2-Pride of Queens rallied wide for the place spot at 13-1 when adding Lasix and stepping up to face winners for Team O’Neill on Feb. 28. The 3-year-old daughter of Complexity has now improved speed-figure-wise in each subsequent start and figures to be tough to beat today, making her second try off the six-month layoff. A beaten favorite in the last, 6-My Kat has flashed speed and tired in her last two most recent tries, facing better, and should benefit from today’s class plunge this afternoon. The Papaprodromou-trained filly is a serious win threat at this level, nicely drawn outside. The speedy 4-Flamingo Star goes turf to dirt on the class drop and has run well enough over the main track to merit consideration today for at least a slice of this.
Race #7: Selections: 4-6-5
4-Yacowlef got back to his winning ways when reeling in the field late over the downhill course back on Feb. 21, and has worked three times since that winning effort for conditioner Jeff Mullins. This hard-hitting 6-year-old gelding has strung wins together in the past and is a solid repeat candidate returning to the straight course. The lightly raced 6-Re Armed John has won three of four career turf tries, including a solid score March 8 when getting the best of the head bobs. A similar effort puts this gelding squarely in the mix again this afternoon. 5-Irish Royalty was overmatched in the Clocker’s Corner S. when finishing fifth (beaten by double digits) in last, but drops back down to a more appropriate level today and will be tough if he can run back to that top-winning speed figure (92) from two back, going six panels.
Race #8: Selections: 1-7-2
1-Throwthefirstpunch has not shown a whole lot in three turf sprint tries to start his career for team O’Neill, but is likely to improve substantially this afternoon, moving to the main track and dropping in class. The Sir Prancealot gelding adds Lasix, drops in for a first-time tag, and switches to the barn’s go-to pilot Jaramillo (10-5-2 last two weeks with connections), who stands atop the Santa Anita rider colony. 7-Actung Baby returns off a nine-month layoff with Lasix as a first-time gelding after facing considerably better in his dirt debut last June, including recent Louisiana Derby (G2) runner-up Pavlovian. The Pavel sophomore has trained steadily for his return to action at this reduced level for an above-average layoff barn. Reddam Racing’s 2-One Step Beyond makes career try number 12 today, but has managed to hit the board in eight of 11 tries and is usually forwardly placed.
Race #9: Selections: 6-8-5
6-Curlin Command is a seven-start maiden who finished an OK third off the six-month freshening Feb. 28, co-toping the field’s best last-out grass Beyer. He switches back to Hernandez for trainer Brendan Galvin and could turn the tables on 8-Big Bill, making his second try off the bench. This 4-year-old gelding has had several chances, including finishing second in back-to-back grass sprint tries at this level over this course. The gelded son of English Channel comes off a career-best speed figure and is a logical choice again, despite not finding what is needed to finish off rivals late. 5-Colonel Slade (by Smiling Tiger) has trained steadily for his 4-year-old unveiling for the Mullins barn and does not need to be much to compete in the Saturday afternoon nightcap that is not the strongest of MDSW fields.
