FIRST POST — 1:30 P.M.
Levels of confidence
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette handicapper Rick Lee is attaching a confidence rating next to his top selection in each race. Readers should consider selections with:
*Educated guess
** Things to like
*** Plenty to like
**** Confident choice
LEE’S LOCK Megyns Gold in the ninth. BEST BET Prime Number in the fifth. LONG SHOT Nueshty in the fourth. SUNDAY’S RESULTS 5-9 (55.5 percent). MEET 81-243 (33.3 percent).
1 Purse $20,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 3-yearolds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $12,500 ***RAZORBACK ROCKET was one-paced in a useful sprint tuneup against stronger maiden allowance rivals, and she has always worked well over a wet track and is the one to beat at this bottom maiden classification. MORE THAN KRAZY is a 23-race maiden, but she owns seven second-place finishes and has raced very well in two races on a wet track. RUTH’S SIZZLER passed a couple of fillies in a decent fifth-place debut sprinting, and she is bred to run this far and benefits from the experience of racing.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
4 Razorback Rocket Vazquez Cates 9-5 10 More Than Krazy Court Gonzalez 3-1 3 Ruth’s Sizzler Laviolette Bordonaro 5-1 7 Stormy Trail Mello Rouck 10-1 5 Jersey De La Cruz White 6-1 8 Religious Kuntzweiler Moquett 10-1 1 Letheruckustart Ocampo Burgess 10-1 9 Indygo Meadow Birzer Roberts 30-1 6 Benito Mora Wethey Rowland 20-1 2 Niquelcn Cruz Ives 30-1
2 Purse $29,500, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, starter optional claiming
**RILEY ROCKS led past every pole but the last one in a second-place finish, and she was the easiest of wireto-wire maiden winners Dec. 13 at Hawthorne. THE LONE ROO held on to defeat a non-winners-of-two field in his local debut, and he is the only two-race winner in the field. SPORTS BOOK easily defeated maiden claimers opening weekend but was claimed by low-profile connections and shows only two subsequent works.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Riley Rocks Esquivel Mason 3-1 1a The Lone Roo Borel Morse 7-2 7 Sports Book Loveberry Raidt 5-2 6 Hitheredarling Hill McNair 12-1 9 Diesel Only Vazquez Richard 12-1 1 Bear’s the Name Berry Morse 7-2 5 Super Stroke LQuinonez Caldwell 8-1 2 Ocean Alley Landeros McPeek 6-1 3 Irish Shanachie Birzer Anderson 15-1 4 The Gorilla Man Santana Moquett 15-1
3 Purse $20,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 3-yearolds and up, Arkansas-bred, maiden claiming $12,500
**RED DEPUTY’S GIRL came out on the losing end of a three-horse photo finish in a good sprint tuneup, and she figures to be the controlling speed and has a two-turn pedigree. MISS SPANA was a fast-closing fourth in her sprint tuneup, which was her first race on bleeder medication Lasix. INNOCENT STORM has been forwardly placed and has finished well enough in three sprint races at the meeting, and in her first route she is switching to veteran rider Shane Laviolette.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
8 Red Deputy’s Girl Rodriguez Creighton 3-1 5 Miss Spana Wethey Caudill 9-2 4 Innocent Storm Laviolette Wolfe 4-1 1 Tinsley’s District Borel Roberts 5-1 10 Sea Tales Birzer Lukas 6-1 7 Miss Bellaella De La Cruz Martin 10-1 6 Runaway Mollie Kuntzweiler Hornsby 12-1 2 Nicoles Bullet Court Cline 10-1 3 Gone Bluffn Loveberry Milligan 15-1 9 Milliondollarbride BQuinonez Cline 30-1
4 Purse $22,500, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up who have never won three races, claiming $15,000.
**NUESHTY has produced clear victories at Delaware and Canterbury, and the class dropper was his own enemy when setting a suicidal pace in his local debut. RIGHTOUS PARTY has been consistently competitive at this claiming condition, and he runs well on a wet track and keeps leading rider Ricardo Santana. FIFTY PESOS has been claimed in consecutive starts at the meeting, and he was beaten only a head at this level only two races back.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Nueshty Canchari Robertson 15-1 7 Rightous Party Santana McNair 10-1 5 Fifty Pesos Loveberry Caldwell 10-1 6 Nobiz Like Sue Biz Castanon Bruegeemann 10-1 11 Trillific Laviolette Smith 9-2 3 D’ Pepjo Bridgmohan Smith 10-1 10 All Call Vazquez Richard 3-1 9 Boardwalk Baron Wethey Young 20-1 8 Bettina Brugge Johnson McPeek 4-1 2 Denali Rahy Ruler Mello Martin 20-1 12 Apple Toddy Hamilton Irwin 12-1 4 Howe Amazing Berry Whited 20-1
5 Purse $22,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $10,000
***PRIME NUMBER lost a late lead in an improved second-place finish, and he likes a wet track and has the class to move up and win. ONE VOICE finished second at this $10,000 price in his first Oaklawn race, and he was flattered when the winner came back and repeated. GIACOMO AND JACK has rallied in consecutive second-place finishes, and the pace figures to be an honest one.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Prime Number Santana Cox 7-2 4 One Voice Vazquez Lauer 4-1 2 Giacomo and Jack De La Cruz Martin 3-1 6 Lenapah Esquivel Ritter 8-1 8 Ransom Roberto Landeros Caster 12-1 5 Upright Stuff Berry Hartman 6-1 10 Lotto Cat Loveberry Caldwell 8-1 3 Zap a Prince Ocampo Van Berg 10-1 9 Diamond of Blue Felix Mason 12-1 1 Barrio Baby Canchari Duncan 20-1
6 Purse $22,000, 6 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $10,000
**LAKE CREEK put away all early challengers but was left vulnerable to a late-running winner in a sharp second-place finish on a wet track, and he is capable of victory at a decent price. SHIMMY TINJO raced competitively at a much higher price last winter at Oaklawn, and he needed his last race after a freshening and is an experienced wet track runner. STORM DEVIL has put five competitive races in succession, and he finished one position behind the top selection Feb. 1.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
3 Lake Creek Kuntzweiler Hornsby 6-1 10 Shimmy Tinjo Canchari Robertson 8-1 6 Storm Devil Birzer Von Hemel 4-1 11 Lawyer Daggett Santana Broberg 9-2 8 Gentlemans Code Corbett Atras 8-1 7 Wild by Nature Borel Litfin 15-1 4 Beware the Tiger Hill Caldwell 10-1 5 My Crafty Friend Court Anderson 12-1 2 Star’s Valentino Loveberry Petalino 6-1 9 Lawyer Clyde Vazquez Chleborad 10-1 12 Riseseastsetswest BQuinonez Riecken 20-1 1 J.Z.’s Crafty Boy Ocampo Lynn 20-1
7 Purse $64,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, maiden special weight
***SHARM finished second behind a sharp first-timer and was four-lengths clear of third in his return to the sprint game. TODAY’S AGENDA contested the lead for 6 furlongs before tiring around two turns, and he sprinted well last summer at Saratoga and is another who may appreciate sprinting. DUNBRODY has a series of encouraging works leading up to his first race, and trainer Wayne Catalano is good with this kind.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
1 Sharm Birzer Lukas 7-2 5 Today’s Agenda Santana Dutrow 6-1 2 Dunbrody Hill Catalano 3-1 10 Battleofburlington Ocampo Casse 6-1 7 Airborne Austin Vazquez Cates 10-1 8 London by Night Hamilton Hartman 12-1 9 Whoop Ti Do Bridgmohan Hiles 8-1 4 I’ll Play My Hand Castanon Brueggemann 15-1 11 Dr. Shipley LQuinonez Von Hemel 10-1 6 Doritoz Johnson Morse 12-1 3 Doodle Hopper Canchari Robertson 20-1
8 Purse $67,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming **MOLLY’S HONOUR ships from Houston on the heels of a narrow defeat in a turf stake, and the versatile front-runner can run over any surface and rider Cliff Berry knows her well. TALKIN TAYLOR is a good finisher in a field with several speed types, and she has won 3 of 6 races on a wet main track. GLORYS LAST CHANCE had a useful sprint tuneup in her return from a lengthy vacation, and she used sprint-to-route tactics when winning here last April.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
6 Molly’s Honour Berry Hartman 7-2 10 Talkin Taylor LQuinonez Broberg 10-1 2 Glorys Last Chance Thompson Hall 9-2 11 Ghost Locket Laviolette Von Hemel 9-2 5 I Am Miss Brown Castanon Cox 6-1 1 Annuity Santana Moquett 4-1 4 I Tour Wethey Jacquot 20-1 9 Trans Continental Birzer Sims 10-1 3 Cowgirl in Love Loveberry Milligan 20-1 1a Graceful Rage Ocampo Moquett 4-1 7 Wild Ritzy Mello Chleborad 20-1 8 Tiawe Borel Wiggins 20-1
9 Purse $66,500, 6 furlongs, fillies, 3-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming
****MEGYNS GOLD has used her excellent early speed to advantage during a current two-race winning streak, and winning trainer Chris Hartman has her wisely spotted in an optional claiming race. LADY PAISLEE showed speed and promise in two races as a juvenile, and she needed her 2015 debut after several months on the bench. KATHBALLU was eased in the Grade 2 Golden Rod one race after a clear maiden allowance victory, and the Ken McPeek stable has been on a good recent run and the pace figures fast enough to compliment her late run.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Megyns Gold Berry Hartman 3-2 1 Lady Paislee Canchari Robertson 5-1 3 Kathballu Landeros McPeek 8-1 6 Scadaddle Bridgmohan Richard 5-2 4 Star of Gallantry Vazquez Villafranco 10-1 5 Everything Bling Corbett Durham 12-1 2 Bling It On Baby Loveberry Caldwell 10-1 8 Rachel’s Ready Thompson Vance 15-1
Exotic wager possibilities
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette handicapper Rick Lee seeks out horses who make good “key” horses in multihorse and/or multi-race wagers, commonly called exotic wagers.
Keying non-favorites in trifectas and superfectas can get the heart pumping, and the fourth race brings a full field and a good chance of an upset winner. The 50-cent Pick 4 starting in the sixth offers great opportunity. The sixth race is a full field of 12 and a race to use several horses. The second leg is a field of 11 and contention may run three-deep, while the third leg is another contentious race that funnels into the last, which is either a “single” in Megyns Gold or a four-horse race.