Race 1 – 3yo Fillies, Claiming $16,000. 7 Furlongs.
5 – Hail the Queen won going away in an optional $25k event last month, and has only missed the board once in five career tries. There’s not an overwhelming amount of pace in this field, and only two of her rivals are cutting back in distance.
3 – Starr Designer mounted big rallies to break maiden on Oct. 12 and for $20k on Dec. 18. This stone-cold closer has been off since then, but she turned in a bullet on Jan. 18. Work tab indicates fitness.
7 – Call Me Jelly Roll is running right back after a game effort for $12.5k on Saturday. Since dropping out of tougher optional claimers and adopting front-running tactics, she’s held her own better. Apprentice Brittany Scampton claims a 10-pound bug.
Race 2 – F&M, Claiming $5,000-N3L. 1-1/16 Miles.
1 – Gfour lifted late from last in her last two outings over the one-turn mile, pushing clear solidly on Dec. 9 despite bearing in somewhat and overcoming road trouble to claim second on Boxing Day. Inside draw lands her close with the short run to the first turn.
3 – Bilky Bluz is one of two runners to invade from Penn National. When she and Miss Radar met on Dec. 29, she was a strong second after making steady ground mid-race. In their Jan. 18 meeting, she was rebuffed for second by only half a length by Miss Radar after making steady gains up the far side. There’s not much post differential here, and this mare seems stronger as a whole. Her 2-for-48 career record is a bit of a red flag despite 24 other ITM finishes.
5 – Vinny Gorgeous angled and sped off at a mile three back and closed from the clouds for second in a similar but shorter race two weeks ago. The switch to two turns is the main variable, but it seems she would serve a logical mid-price player in exotics after excusing outings against significantly tougher foes.
Race 4: F&M, Allowance N3X, 6 Furlongs
4 – She’s Stunning ran first or second in four of her last five at Parx and won locally over the slop in an identical race as this six back. While two of her rivals drop directly from stakes company, she maintains a clear form edge and shouldn’t have much pace pressure to worry about.
2 – Limited View faded pretty badly in the final furlong and a half of her Dec. 29 stakes assignment, but bounced back with a pair of bullet workouts this month. Morning efforts and stakes wins last fall and winter indicate she can bounce back, but value remains the big variable.
5 – Hailey’s Flip could reasonably round out exotics given proving closing ability. In her last, she rallied four-wide off the far turn into second at the eighth pole before staying one-paced from there, and she made solid ground in a comparable allowance event at Aqueduct nine days prior.
Race 5 – Maryland-Bred F&M, Allowance N1X. 1 Mile.
4 – Eighty Six Mets drops from open allowance company into this event in her second start for the Gorham barn. Since dueling for the lead and giving way above the eighth pole at this distance on Dec. 30, she drilled a :35.3 bullet just a week ago. Credible mid-price option.
2 – Spring Run cuts back to the one-turn mile after battling to just miss at a mile and a sixteenth last month. She broke maiden at this distance in the slop two back, and she proved in that most recent outing that she can hold her own with Maryland-breds.
6 – Beyond Forever rallied to win over two turns on Oct. 25 and since ran second from well off the pace against similar twice before a winter spell. She’s not incapable by any means, having handled the jump from claiming company well, but we haven’t seen anything from her since her bullet work on Dec. 27.
Race 8 – Claiming $16,000. 5-1/2 Furlongs.
7 – Tale of E Dubai won at the $25k level as recently as October, and won for Kevin Patterson in one start last fall as well. The 9-time winner now drops back into the claiming ranks after being overmatched in a Philadelphia allowance event last month.
1a – Shoe Loves Shoe seeks a third win in four starts after wiring $12.5k types just last Thursday. He just edged Jewel Heist in a conditioned $16k event at Penn National. The Ness trainee’s form cycle certainly encourages.
4 – Field Advantage wired similar on Dec. 1 in his last start for Mario Serey, and dominated $12.5k company in his final two starts of the summer at Monmouth. I’m inclined to scrap the Dec. 30 line; this field is far more manageable than that first-level allowance group, and the winner of that race came back to win his following race as well.