Bold Look returns to turf with slight class drop

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Bold Look returns to the turf and takes a small drop in class in Wednesday’s fifth race, a competitive maiden $32,000 claiming event that looks to be one of the more bettable races on the all-claiming nine-race program at Tampa Bay Downs.

Two starts back, Bold Look finished fifth in a maiden special weight race on turf where the top four finishers were trained by Christophe Clement, Arnaud Delacour, and two runners from Chad Brown. Michael Anthony Ferraro, trainer of Bold Look, put his filly on dirt on Feb. 4, when she finished second for maiden $40,000 claiming.

“The only reason we tried the dirt is the turf races are so much tougher,” Ferraro said. “But I don’t think she handled the dirt as well as she does the turf.”

In her Jan. 20 turf race, Bold Look was far back early, tried to knife her way through horses in the stretch, and split the 10-horse field.

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“It was an extremely tough race, you had [Graham] Motion, Chad Brown, [Christophe] Clement, and she finished behind all of those, I believe, but I thought she ran a pretty good race,” Ferraro said. “We’re just trying to avoid those heavyheads.”

The caveat here is Ferraro’s turf numbers are not strong. Over the last three years, he is just 6 for 73 on turf at Tampa, 0 for 6 this year, according to DRF Formulator. The average payoff of those winners was $16.13.

Motion does have two entered in this spot. Take the Cookies, who finished fourth when dropped into this level for the first time Feb. 17, will have blinkers added to her equipment for this race. Take the Cookies finished sixth in the same Jan. 20 race in which Bold Look finished fifth. Earlier this meet, Heavenly Appointed won a maiden race when Motion added blinkers to her equipment.

Motion on Wednesday also sends out Our Prayer who was seventh here in maiden special company on Feb. 10. Our Prayer, who gets Lasix for the first time, is a half-sister to stakes winner Be My Sunshine.

Princess Aleska, third in the aforementioned Feb. 17 race in her first try on turf, and She’s So Sexy, second in this condition Jan. 5 in a slow race, are other contenders in this field, which drew 14 but can only run with 10.

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