1st: 3-5-6
Unappetizing appetizer. Diodoro’s horse Pocket Personality appears faster than the others. No price.
Pop Culture didn’t have the smoothest trip in his Oaklawn opener.
Alexandros looked like he might be more than a beaten claimer at one point, but he isn’t.
2nd: 8-3-11
Residual Sugar has shown improved speed throughout her brief career. Wire to wire longshot at a price.
Goldie Fastlane drops to logical spot after eventful debut. The same can be said for Little Mercy.
Florida Beauty showed nothing in two outs last year but her trainer was icier than the 2019 Midwest winter. New outfit and promising workouts. All The Things bested her last year and is also a contender albeit a low price.
3rd: 7-11-10
Supercede usually fires. She was overmatched last time.
My Darling Sofia should find less company up front than when losing to Dorothe Marie last out.
Broadway Sticker has been in contention versus similar in two Oaklawn starts. Factor at a price.
Likely favorite Sweet Rhapsody got hot at Woodbine last year but has yet to find success on the dirt.
4th: 4-7-3
Shabang Baby doesn’t have the gaudy numbers of the favorites, but ran an eye-catching race last time.
Hard to get a handle on V J ‘s Bet. Connections appear to think she’s a turf router, but her one foray into a dirt sprint was successful.
Foxy Mischief broke poorly while overmatched and can better that effort.
Chauncey looks like the best horse on paper but she appears to be tailing off. Blinkers on, off, on makes me think they are grasping at straws.
5th: 12-3-1
Jeans N Boots needs to work out a trip from the poor outside post. I don’t mind wide posts quite as much in maiden races because the fields are often strung out.
Justice of War has faced two good horses and is an obvious contender. I’m a little suspicious of $550,000 purchases not nominated to the Triple Crown.
The former’s stablemate but not entrymate, Good As Money, is a Triple Crown nominee.
6th: 1-2-4
Mucha Mezquina ran well while setting the pace last time, figures to stalk today.
Merada has been going two turns and should finish fast while back to a sprint.
Lovely Flash ran fast last time but may have benefitted from the muddy conditions and sealed track.
Sheza Handfull and Headland are also contenders in this wide-open affair.
7th: 4-5-7
Street Trust and Mineyerownmalone get better post positions after losing to Doctor Lee last time. The latter is an honest sort who’s hard to ignore. If all the potential front-runners stay in the race and don’t scratch, Tonedaddy could make his presence felt down the lane.
8th: 6-8-1
Cuddle Kitten beat open claimers convincingly last time. I have always liked open claiming winners in non-winner allowance races where they go up against horses that cost a lot more, like $2 million purchase Awe Emma. She looked good winning last out but her low odds today are partly due to her price tag, which I don’t think is relevant to her ability any more.
Both halves of the entry figure to play a role for the minor placings.
9th: 10-2-3
Ordained Kiss faced multiple winners in her seasonal debut, drops in conditions to non-winners of two races lifetime. One of my favorite angles.
Owe Her One looked good in her debut and has a future.
Firewater Rocket was scratched at the gate when fractious in a stronger field than today’s. If the speed is holding she’s a major player.