Discreetly Elusive will try to improve off runner-up effort
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Defeats often come with excuses, but not always. Sometimes a horse just gets outrun.
“I thought our filly ran a big race last time,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Discreetly Elusive’s recent runner-up finish. “But the filly that won was very good that day.”
Discreetly Elusive will make her first start since More Than a Party put a 4 3/4-length whipping on her when she faces 10 other filly and mare sprinters in an optional claimer on a 10-race Wednesday card at Gulfstream Park. Pletcher said he was “really pleased” with the way Discreetly Elusive performed in her first start in nearly five months in that Jan. 10 race.
“Hopefully, she’ll run as well or maybe even move” up off that effort, he said.
First post Wednesday is 12:30 p.m. Eastern, with the featured ninth set for 4:34. The $50,000, six-furlong race carries a second-level allowance condition and a $62,500 claiming option.
There are carryovers of $160,983 into the Rainbow 6 jackpot (races 5-10) and $8,880 into the $1 Super Hi 5 (race 10).
KEY CONTENDERS
Discreetly Elusive (Last 3 Beyers: 87-84-75)
◗ This E. Paul Robsham homebred broke loose here last April with a 6 1/2-length maiden score and still hasn’t run a bad race since. She retains leading jockey Javier Castellano when breaking from post 8.
Ultimate Shopper (Last 3 Beyers: 85-86-77)
◗ This speedy gray mare makes her first start in more than seven months, so obviously the layoff is the main question. She has worked eight times since early December for Eddie Kenneally, who is winning at a 17 percent clip in 2014-15 with long-layoff types.
Bureau de Change (Last 3 Beyers: 82-83-63)
◗ This Amerman Racing homebred was third in the key Jan. 10 race behind More Than a Party and Discreetly Elusive when likely in need of a race. Trainer Brian Lynch shows positive returns on investment in both dirt races ($2.41) and sprints ($2.35) in 2014-15.
Cajun Sunrise (Last 3 Beyers: 87-85-59)
◗ This late-running Florida-bred has never been better, having posted two wins and a second in her last three non-stakes attempts. She turns back from seven furlongs and might be moving fastest of all at the finish.
Quiet Hour (Last 3 Beyers: 73-81-46)
◗ This turnback candidate is winless in eight starts since having won three in a row on this circuit, and it’s questionable whether there’s enough distance here for her. But Marty Wolfson’s work with filly and mare sprinters is superb, and she’s not one to be dismissed.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Quiet Hour. 44-14-10-6 with a $2.44 ROI over the past two years going route to sprint on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Joann's Wildcat. Trainer Larry Pilotti is 8-2-0-1 with a $3.05 ROI over the past five years following a layoff of one year or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan