FIRST POST — 1:30 P.M.
LEE’S LOCK The Strip in the ninth
BEST BET Noon Sky in the fifth
LONG SHOT Emma Peele in the seventh
SUNDAY’S RESULTS 3-9 (33.3 percent)
MEET 122-400 (30.5 percent)
*Educated guess
**Things to like
***Plenty to like
****Confident choice
1 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $12,500 **OUR ADIEU has shown speed in two gate works leading up to her debut, and she represents a stable that wins with first-timers and she drew into a soft maiden claiming field. GLIMPSE OF GREELEY is bred to be a fast filly, and she may have tipped her hand in a bullet 5-furlong breeze Feb. 15. PARADE OF SAINTS has been competitive in both of her local sprint races, and she has an experience edge over the top two selections.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
10 Our Adieu Santana Asmussen 5-2 2 Glimpse of Greeley Vazquez Pitts 5-1 9 Parade of Saints LQuinonez Biehler 9-2 7 Sameasiteverwas Thompson Hiles 9-2 1 Psalms Loveberry Milligan 5-1 3 The Second Burst Felix Mason 10-1 8 Dreamsicle Corbett Smith 12-1 4 Smokin Red Birzer Breithaupt 15-1 6 Vivian’s Legacy Laviolette Smith 20-1 5 Olivia’s Hope Canchari Whited 30-1
2 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $8,000
**DRAMA COACH contested the pace before fading when beaten by four lengths in a much stronger field of $20,000 claimers, and she is dropping to win but catches some quick sprinters so she may have to rate. GENTLEMANS CODE looked like a winner at mid-stretch before coming undone inside the final furlong March 13, but the pace was very fast and he may go the distance with kinder handling from new rider David Mello. FLYBY DUBAI is a cut below the top two, but he can finish and the pace could be very contentious between the top two and comebacker Midland Man.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Drama Coach Santana Asmussen 9-5 7 Gentlemans Code Mello Jacquot 3-1 5 Flyby Dubai Canchari Lynn 9-2 6 Kate’s Forest De La Cruz Glyshaw 6-1 1 Star’s Valentino Loveberry Petalino 8-1 3 Midland Man Hamilton Milligan 10-1 2 Blushing Romeo Corbett Ice 10-1
3 Purse $21,500, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $16,000 ***HUNTER HENRY has been forwardly placed in consecutive third-place route finishes, and he is taking a significant class drop and figures difficult to beat if he does not lose too much ground from a poor post. DRAMATIC BRASSY made a steady rally to third in a useful sprint tuneup, and he has some route experience. CAT MOUNTAIN raced evenly in a fourth-place sprint, but he is bred to go this far and figures closer to the early lead at a route distance.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
12 Hunter Henry Kuntzweiler Moquett 5-2 11 Dramatic Brassy Mello Roberts 6-1 9 Cat Mountain Birzer Martin 6-1 5 Mr. Atomic BQuinonez Cline 4-1 6 Late Act Here Loveberry Burwell 8-1 10 Hunting Manda Ocampo Burgess 10-1 3 Seymour Red Johnson Williams 10-1 4 Wirth Road De La Cruz Martin 15-1 8 Explosive Verruga Court Wittek 15-1 1 Del Rio Leo Vazquez Gorder 12-1 2 Sure Cruz Gonzalez 30-1 7 Wekiva Hunter Manrrique Ives 30-1
4 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up who have never won two races, Arkansas-bred, claiming $7,500
**MORGAN’S CURIOSITY was carried out late on the turn in an improved second-place finish, and he is taking a slight drop in price and has raced well on wet and fast tracks. BULLERO finally broke his maiden after 24 tries two races back, and he was a competitive third at this condition March 18 and is simply a better horse than he was last season. HUNTING DIAMONDS had two sharp front-running races last fall at Parx, and he appears to be the controlling speed today and may go farther with an improved trainer-rider team.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
10 Morgan’s Curiosity Rocco Hobby 3-1 2 Bullero Court Jackson 4-1 12 Hunting Diamonds Ocampo Burgess 30-1 4 Shady Creek Borel Howard 9-2 1 We Have Rainbows Thompson Hobby 5-1 7 Naughty Moon Santana Cates 10-1 11 Devilishly Clever Birzer Roberts 12-1 3 Foxx Hollow Storm De La Cruz Martin 10-1 8 Sarah’s Swingtown Felix Smith 15-1 9 Razorback Red Canchari Moquett 15-1 6 Arwalkingdeputy Berry Creighton 15-1 5 Morluc’s Secret Manrrique Ives 30-1
5 Purse $21,500, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $16,000
***NOON SKY was beaten by less than a length in a field of 11 at Fair Grounds, and the lightly raced and improving gelding has top connections and has earned the fastest Beyer Speed Figure. BUNDLER has finished with energy in four consecutive in-the-money finishes at the meeting, and switches from an apprentice to a leading rider. SPEED EXPRESS is another Asmussen-trained colt shipping from Fair Grounds, and this one has competitive Beyer figures while being overmatched in maiden allowance races.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
9 Noon Sky Santana Asmussen 2-1 5 Bundler Canchari Holthus 9-2 2 Speed Express Vazquez Asmussen 9-2 3 Sierra Delta Loveberry Broberg 6-1 11 Midnite Haze Rodriguez Cannon 15-1 6 North of Oswego Rocco Hartman 8-1 4 Wild N Crazy Flores Duncan 15-1 12 Buckwheat Landeros Morse 15-1 10 Durantula Birzer Hall 20-1 1 Feathers Inthe Sky Court Brennan 15-1 7 Runnin Away BQuinonez Lauer 20-1 8 Lplusjones Kuntzweiler Cannon 30-1
6 Purse $21,300, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $6,250
**YOU’RE JOKING ran deceptively well over a muddy track when overmatched March 1, and he fits at this $6,250 level and should be near the lead from start to finish. MOJO WORKIN was a disappointing fifth as a posttime favorite, but he prefers a dry and fast track and may make amends for new trainer Mike Rone, who sports a good winning percentage with first-back claims. FLYIN TREY was a clear front-running winner two races back and is again projected to dictate the pace.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 You’re Joking Hamilton Young 2-1 5 Mojo Workin Loveberry Rone 5-2 3 Flying Trey BQuinonez Holthus 4-1 1 Southern Parkway De La Cruz Puhl 5-1 2 My Tip Rodriguez Creighton 8-1 6 Baloch Or Felix Duncan 8-1 4 D.C. Gene Vazquez Compton 10-1
7 Purse $27,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $30,000 **EMMA PEELE has not raced since September, but she ran well in a second-place career debut at Louisiana Downs and she figures to be stronger and faster as a 3-year-old filly. SLY STAR’s second-place debut Jan. 19 at Oaklawn is the best race run by a filly in this field, and she is dropping into a maiden claimer for the first time after a poor two-turn effort in the mud. AVENUE MONTAIGNE has been competitive against slightly better in two starts, and she is half of a strong entry with Songandaheart.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Emma Peele LQuinonez Irwin 8-1 4 Sly Star Castanon Cox 7-2 1a Avenue Montaigne Loveberry Milligan 3-1 1 Songandaheart Loveberry Milligan 3-1 9 Eco Star Canchari Williamson 9-2 6 Cocoa Bandita Corbett Ice 8-1 5 Indian Street Santana Dutrow 5-1 8 Retail Therapy Johnson Medrano 10-1 3 Flirtaway Vazquez Pitts 12-1 2 No But Hollywood Hamilton Von Hemel 12-1
8 Purse $68,500, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, allowance optional claiming
**HENRY JONES followed a game maiden allowance sprint victory last fall at Churchill with a third-place finish in a “key” allowance route at Keeneland, and if he returns fit for trainer D. Wayne Lukas he can defeat this field. TAPIT WICKED was a decisive maiden allowance winner over this track, and several subsequent works should have him ready to move up and contend. POWDER KEG won an exceptionally fast maiden claiming race by 18 widening lengths, and if he can reproduce the effort over a fast track then he can repeat.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Henry Jones Vazquez Lukas 9-2 2 Tapit Wicked Santana Asmussen 5-2 4 Powder Keg Hill Dixon 3-1 7 Ike Walker Berry Stidham 5-1 1 Caribbean Cowboy Corbett Von Hemel 8-1 8 Sports Book Loveberry Raidt 10-1 3 The Lone Roo Borel Morse 8-1 6 Captain Payback Canchari Robertson 12-1
9 Purse $66,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies, 3-year-olds, maiden special weight
****THE STRIP may have been a tad short when narrowly defeated in her return from a freshening, and she had a good subsequent breeze and figures to improve. DISTRACTION finished one position behind the top selection after setting the pace, and she drew the rail and hails from the red-hot stable of trainer Chris Hartman. CATTY N SASSY has finished with some punch in three competitive route races at the meeting, and she has finally drawn an inside post.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 The Strip Landeros McPeek 2-1 2 Distraction Santana Hartman 5-2 3 Catty N Sassy Canchari Robertson 5-1 9 You Should Be Here LQuinonez Von Hemel 6-1 8 Riding First Class Court Autrey 12-1 1a Thread of Life Rocco Arnold 10-1 1 Tuscany Rain Castanon Arnold 10-1 4 Star Canyon Vazquez Moquett 8-1 5 Lisa’s Dream De La Cruz Vance 20-1 7 Double Nas Baby Loveberry Raidt 30-1
Exotic wager possibilities
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette handicapper Rick Lee seeks out horses which make good “key” horses in multi-horse and/or multi-race wagers, commonly called exotic wagers.
The 50-cent Pick 3 beginning in Race 3 starts with a full field of 12 and if not a “single” with Hunter Henry it is a race for an upset. Race 4 is another full field with some contention, and the final leg is another field of 12 and a possible “single” with Noon Sky or a race to use several and catch a price. The seventh race has nine betting interests but is still a good exacta or trifecta race if you prefer a nonfavorite such as my selection Emma Peele.