Rick Lee's Oaklawn selections and analysis

FILE — Horses and jockeys break from the starting gate at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs. (Democrat-Gazette file photo)
FILE — Horses and jockeys break from the starting gate at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs. (Democrat-Gazette file photo)

LEE'S LOCK Venetian Harbor in the ninth

BEST BET K J's Nobility in the seventh

LONG SHOT Quick Decision in the eighth

THURSDAY'S RESULTS 3-9 (33.3%)

MEET 169-517 (32.7%)

CONFIDENCE RATINGS

****confident choice

***plenty to like

**things to like

*educated guess

1 Purse $17,500, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Claiming $8,000

MOONLIGHT TRAIN** won a $10,000 claiming race earlier in the meeting, and she did win all three of her sprint races last season at Remington. DESTINY'S LOVE has been a clear front-running winner of consecutive races, and she appears sharp enough to move up and contend. C P QUALITY rallied to second as a post-time favorite April 11, she owns competitive Beyer figures and is another with a late punch.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

4 Moonlight Train Quinonez Shorter 10-1

9 Destiny's Love Baze Diodoro 3-1

6 C P Quality FDe La Cruz DiVito 4-1

2 Molly's Game Bridgmohan Barkley 6-1

3 Point Streak Elliott Holthus 10-1

8 Cook Memories Lara Garcia 10-1

13 Cowgirl Callie Roberts Hollendorfer 10-1

7 Giro Kate Garcia Contreras 8-1

5 As Fast as You Can Santana Asmussen 15-1

10 Willow Moon Felix Mason 10-1

11 Westlodge Intrigue Cohen McKnight 15-1

1 Miss Ocean Express WDe La Cruz Martin 20-1

12 Gemini Journey Mojica Matthews 10-1

14 Dichotomy Bridgmohan Coady 12-1

2 Purse $18,200, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, claiming $16,000

SO ALIVE** competed well in stronger second-level allowance races at Fair Grounds, and he drew an advantageous post and picks up a Hall of Fame rider. PRAETORIAN has been forwardly placed in three consecutive second-place finishes, and he has the talent but lacks some willingness to win. TEZ defeated allowance rivals just two races back at Delta, and he is dropping in price following a late-running fourth-place finish over this track.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

1 So Alive Castellano Cox 3-1

5 Praetorian Mojica Diodoro 7-2

11 Tez Bridgmohan Amoss 4-1

3 Mo's Mojo Harr Morse 20-1

10 Coworker Elliott Hartman 6-1

9 Roar of the Lion Quinonez Swearingen 12-1

12 Peppered Vazquez Ortiz 10-1

4 Mr. Ankeny Thompson Von Hemel 8-1

13 Pioneer Dancer WDe La Cruz Martin 15-1

14 Dahik FDe La Cruz Puhl 20-1

2 Baquero Flies Mena Lukas 15-1

6 Post Close Eramia Martin 20-1

8 Colombard Roberts Mason 20-1

7 C H Jay WDe La Cruz Loy 30-1

3 Purse $61,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, allowance

THE MARY ROSE*** encountered minor traffic trouble in a clear second-place finish in the Rainbow Miss, and the class-dropper keeps high-percentage rider Martin Garcia. TOO PRETTY was pressured through fast fractions and kept on running in a deceptively strong two-turn maiden win, and the steadily improving filly may be an overlay. LIL TATER followed a 10-length maiden victory with a strong, fast-closing fifth-place finish at this level.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

7 The Mary Rose Garcia VanMeter 5-2

8 Too Pretty Thompson Peitz 5-1

10 Lil Tater WDe La Cruz Loy 9-2

2 All About Clara Harr Dixon 6-1

4 Tiddly Quinonez Witt 8-1

5 Presley Felix Ruiz 8-1

3 Lucky Every Day Cohen Milligan 10-1

1 Bettyann Birzer Smith 12-1

14 Mocha Kiss Harr Stuart 15-1

12 R Marie Canchari Swearingen 15-1

13 Jeweled Crown Baze Turner 15-1

11 Napili Vazquez Chleborad 20-1

9 Rosemary Beach Mena Davidson 30-1

6 Blue Mermaid Wales Williams 50-1

4 Purse $17,500, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, claiming $8,000

PARCHED** ships from Turf Paradise on the heels of a wire-to-wire victory against optional claiming rivals, and he is well-placed and strictly the one to catch. BUBBAS DIXIE was a four-length winner at today's claiming price just two races back, and he rallied in a third-place finish against better April 4. HINTON finished second behind the top selection as an odds-on favorite, and he carries less weight with a winning apprentice rider aboard.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

11 Parched Thompson Von Hemel 10-1

1 Bubbas Dixie Borel Borel 3-1

6 Hinton Roberts Mason 4-1

14 Powerful Ally Lanerie Fawkes 5-1

8 Dapper Jack WDe La Cruz Puhl 9-2

10 Candy My Boy Johnson Swearingen 8-1

13 All About Ashley Mena Hawley 8-1

3 Mallard's Bro Harr Cates 15-1

9 Satellite Santana Villafranco 6-1

4 H.M.S. Pinafore Cohen McKnight 12-1

5 Titochip Bridgmohan Barkley 12-1

12 Dream Baby Dream Mena Morse 15-1

2 Kristo Vazquez Green 20-1

7 Plumbago Bedford Williams 30-1

5 Purse $30,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $32,000

CROATIAN** was an entry-level allowance winner in December at Churchill, and he is finally back on a fast track after racing well against better in three local wet track races. DEGROM is taking a significant drop in price following a late-running third-place finish and has consistently earned the fastest recent Beyer figures, but he did draw a difficult post. MALIBU PRO was beaten only a length at this claiming price April 3, and he is racing for leading trainer Robertino Diodoro for the first time.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

6 Croatian Mena Hawley 5-1

12 Degrom Lanerie Fawkes 9-2

3 Malibu Pro Mojica Diodoro 4-1

1 Gigging Santana Hartman 6-1

2 Landofthepharaohs Garcia Amoss 12-1

9 Lookin for Eight Roberts Morse 8-1

7 Lngtermrelationshp Rosario Moquett 6-1

8 Colonelsdarktemper Court Fires 10-1

5 Tashkent Talamo Prather 10-1

4 Coal Truth Cohen Diodoro 15-1

11 Exemplar Elliott Vance 20-1

10 Futile Carmouche Maker 20-1

6 Purse $60,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, maiden special weight

INIS GLUAIRE** is bred top and bottom to be a quality colt, and the $825k purchase has shown talent in two recent gate works at Keeneland. Furthermore, he seems to have drawn into an ordinary field. ONAWAY broke a tad slow in a fourth-place debut, and notice the top three finishers all came back to win their subsequent race. VASARIANO earned a competitive Beyer figure in a fifth-place debut at Santa Anita, and he is back sprinting after a disappointing two-turn effort.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

12 Inis Gluaire Santana Asmussen 3-1

10 Onaway Castellano Cox 5-2

11 Vasariano Eramia D'Amato 10-1

9 Super Constitution Talamo Robertson 8-1

1 Fast Cash Baze Catalano 6-1

6 Silardi Cohen Miller 10-1

14 J Z My Man Garcia Sharp 8-1

7 Mundacious Carmouche Engelhart 12-1

3 Fleetwood Shac Birzer Chleborad 12-1

5 Kickin' Kirby Vazquez Zito 15-1

13 Toussaint Birzer Smith 20-1

8 The Feature Mojica Williamson 20-1

4 High Proof FDe La Cruz Anderson 20-1

2 Serbian Sailor Felix Ashauer 30-1

8 The Gardenia. Purse $80,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies, 3-year-olds

QUICK DECISION** is unbeaten in her two-race career while showing excellent sprinters speed, and she has a pedigree to carry her speed this far. ANTOINETTE raced close to the pace when finishing third in a graded stake at Fair Grounds, and she may have needed the race after a freshening. COMICAL recorded Grade I placings last season in California, and she appears to be recapturing her form on the heels of a second-place tuneup over this track.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

6 Quick Decision Thompson Jones 12-1

10 Antoinette Velazquez Mott 8-1

8 Comical Rosario Asmussen 15-1

3 Gingham Garcia Baffert 3-1

5 Daphne Moon WDe La Cruz Engelhart 4-1

2 Piece of My Heart Talamo Robertson 8-1

7 Strong Flag Santana Asmussen 9-2

9 Ice Princess Carmouche Gargan 10-1

11 His Glory Cohen Amoss 8-1

14 Punk Rock Princess Prat O'Dwyer 30-1

1 Black Kat Taps Hernandez Sharp 30-1

12 Shanghai Keely Elliott Pearson 30-1

13 Kiss the Girl Baze Asmussen 30-1

4 Turnstone Cannon VanMeter 30-1

10 Purse $62,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, allowance optional claiming

LA CHANCLA** followed a maiden win at Belmont with an allowance score at Saratoga last season, and she has trained impressively up to her 2020 unveiling. SPEND SPEND SPEND has not raced since last summer at Del Mar, but she owns the fastest Beyer figure and hails from a stable that excels with fresh runners. WHOLEHEARTED is back at Oaklawn after shipping to Will Rogers and winning a stake, and she is exceptionally consistent and talented enough to win.

PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS

8 La Chancla Santana Asmussen 4-1

6 Spend Spend Spend Prat Baltas 7-2

7 Wholehearted Cohen Diodoro 5-2

10 Unique Factor Thompson Lund 12-1

14 Timely Tradition Rosario Handal 12-1

1 Miss Imperial Bridgmohan Duncan 4-1

4 Full of Grace Talamo Robertson 8-1

13 Stirred Castellano McCarthy 10-1

3 Sara Sea Garcia Lukas 15-1

9 Profound Legacy Baze Puhich 30-1

11 Raintree Starlet Canchari Williamson 30-1

12 Fugitive Lady Quinonez McKellar 30-1

5 Rahway Geroux Maker 30-1

2 Violation Eramia Holthus 30-1

EXOTIC POSSIBILITIES

The first race starts a daily double and MIDNIGHT TRAIN, C P QUALITY and DESTINY'S LOVE should be able to cover the race. The second race should come down to SO ALIVE and PRAETORIAN. The seventh race starts a Pick-3 and K J's NOBILITY is a logical single. The eighth race is competitive and spreading out is highly recommended. The ninth race also has a strong favorite in VENETIAN HARBOR, but others may want to throw in BRITISH IDIOM.

Sports on 05/01/2020

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