Exquisite Lady bids for fifth straight in Third Chance

In the first 10 starts Exquisite Lady made at Hawthorne, her best Beyer Speed Figure was the 76 she earned for the win in December that closed out her 2014 campaign. In two subsequent races early this season, however, the now 5-year-old Exquisite Lady soared to post back-to-back Beyers of 100 and 90.

So what should bettors expect when Exquisite Lady bids for her fifth straight victory in the first of two $50,000 sprint stakes for Illinois-breds on Saturday’s card at Hawthorne?

Exquisite Lady is the 2-1 morning-line favorite and 124-pound highweight among eight fillies and mares going six furlongs in the Third Chance Handicap (race 7).

The 15-day turnaround and a front-running style that conflicts with two other contenders may make her susceptible to a regression, however.

The viable alternative looks like Scarletridgerunner, a 4-year-old who can stalk and pounce. She has won the last four sprints she has run at Hawthorne, dating back to October.

In the co-featured Robert Molaro Handicap (race 8), Luv Bandit cuts back to six furlongs following a pair of two-turn races at Oaklawn Park. The last time he sprinted, Luv Bandit won the Lightning Jet in December.

His seven rivals include Creative Art, a winner of his two most recent races against open company; Rambling Richie, an easy winner in his first start of the season three weeks ago; and Jazzy Sun, who makes the third start of his current form cycle after winning 4 of 6 starts as a 3-year-old in 2014.

Third Chance Handicap, race 7

KEY CONTENDERS

Scarletridgerunner (Last 3 Beyers: 87-52-83)

Her 6-for-9 lifetime record includes 5 wins in 6 starts at Hawthorne. Her only blemish in her last six starts dating to last August came when she shipped to Oaklawn Park for the American Beauty in January.

Exquisite Lady (Last 3 Beyers: 90-100-76)

She’s razor-sharp and dangerous if she gets an uncontested lead. But she’s likely to face early pressure from Doc Galore, who is 5 for 7 lifetime at Hawthorne. Those two could duel each other into defeat.

Karla With a K (Last 3 Beyers: 82-80-67)

She trounced open company allowance horses in February and tuned up for this with a bullet five-furlong workout on March 20. Her stalking style seems an ideal fit for the race flow.

Robert Molaro Handicap, race 8

Luv Bandit (Last 3 Beyers: 89-89-87)

Seven of his eight lifetime wins have come in routes, but he did run two solid six-furlong races last fall and trainer Scott Becker is 10 for 26 (38 percent) with horses switching from routes to sprints following a break of 31 to 60 days.

Rambling Richie (Last 3 Beyers: 87-38-46)

Looked good winning his first start since December and it’s noteworthy that trainer Carl Bigelow is 3 for 6 with last-out winners back within 21 days in sprints.

Jazzy Sun (Last 3 Beyers: 80-68-81)

Could be sitting on a peak performance for the third start of his form cycle for trainer Jimmy DiVito, who shows a 9-for-27 record (33 percent) with dirt sprinters who were in the money last time out making their third start following a layoff.

Creative Art (Last 3 Beyers: 83-80-70)

Uncoupled stablemate of Luv Bandit has won three of his last four races. He had an excuse when last in the Lightning Jet.