BreezeFigs Quick-Pix, Saturday February 20th

We had hopes for our Oaklawn Pick after our single at Tampa Bay was scratched last week, but the Arkansas runners disappointed, so we enter this week hunting and pecking once again for the Great First-Timer Opportunity. There were 10 good BreezeFigs-qualified winners around the country during the week, and if you had been able to bet on the Ocala Breeders Championship Day card (no betting allowed, just the dumbest move ever at an OTB facility), you would have seen three of the four races swept by BreezeFigs-qualified horses-and place and show finishes in the fourth. Not a bad showcase for BreezeFigs at the first 2-year-old sale of the year, where we saw plenty of babies who will be ready to pop over when the juvenile season gets under way. As for today, it s another hunt-and-peck task for us (below), but the overall BreezeFigs card is loaded with opportunities. Good luck!

Before we get to the business of Pix, the 2009 sales sheet has a major addition in the SALE column: It's now labeled SALE & HIP, the "HIP" referring to the catalogue number for that horse in that sale. This reference will enable you to go to the website of the sales company involved and easily find the short video of the horse's breeze at that sale.

The web links for each sale are listed in the NOTES section of the 2009 BreezeFigs Report and you will find all the information as to why we have done this and how you can benefit from this addition to the service by downloading the document which explains it all here: and get the BreezeFigs cards.

Our rules still hold about BreezeFigs "qualified" runners: You can get a good idea of what "qualified" BreezeFigs horses are by clicking on BreezeFigs Information underneath the two BreezeFigs links in the DRF-PLUS box in the right hand column on the home page and downloading files there. Remember, keep stride length (SL) in mind when handicapping from the BreezeFigs sheet and take advantage of all the tips that we provide on those sheets as well.

If you click here you will get a document which details our latest study. The conclusion for those who like to know the bottom line fast is this: When it comes to 2-year-old racing only, horses that earned Group 1 or Group 2 BreezeFigs and had longer-than-average stride lengths at the five major 2-year-old sales of 2006-07-08, won more races, won earlier, and earned more black-type, than horses with shorter-than-average stride lengths, regardless of BreezeFigs Group. There's a lot more to it than that, and a review of this document, which is the first in a series, will strengthen your hand at the windows, or, if you are a buyer, at the sales or claim box. So, download it and absorb.

Also, refer to a study we did which shows that using BreezeFigs for 3-year-old maiden races in just as viable as using them for 2-year-old maiden races. Go to the DRF PLUS box on the .

If you'd like to learn a little more about how we come up with BreezeFigs, take a look at our new website by clicking here: .

Get out your mittens-good luck!

Fair Grounds, , Maiden Special Weight, 6 Furlongs (Dirt)

This race features four BreezeFigs horses, three of which have started and run sort of OK so far and one firster. Of the ones that have started, Leopard Rock, a $300k purchase at FTFFEB, has really disappointed in his first three starts, but a close look at his Group 1 profile shows that even though he was one-over-Par on his BreezeFig, he had a below-average stride length of 22.45 feet, and that s not exactly encouraging. Ready to Sing was bought back (RNA) for 270k at the same sale and showed in his first start that he, too, is at a disadvantage with his identical 22.45 foot SL-a fair reflection of his Group 3 three-under-Par BreezeFigs profile. Smarty s Dream had a slightly longer 22.97 foot SL in his Group 3, one-under-Par profile at OBSMAR, and showed OK in his debut. But the one to watch here is the cheapie-Holy Smokie, a mere 30k purchase at the lower-level OBSAPR sale where he had a modest one-over-Par Group 2 profile, but clocked in with a 24.79 foot SL, which was almost a foot above average for the day. He s likely to be big balloons, but he s worth looking at and might be playable as a gimmick key in what looks like a pretty modest bunch. Good luck!