Gierkink's preview: High-class racing spices card

Friday, May 9 preview

There are several quality events with small fields on the nine-race card.

This early in the meet, it was encouraging to see a third-level allowance/optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles fill. Only one of the six entrants has a tag, longshot Peche Mobilee, who competes for $75,000 in the second race.

The versatile Savvy Hester should prove tough to beat off her solid turf form at Gulfstream, which included a second in a stakes. Patrick Husbands, who was aboard when she won a first-level allowance here on the Polytrack in the fall, will ride the Ricky Griffith trainee. Floral Sky’s winter form at Gulfstream wasn’t anything to write home about, but she figures to have a fitness edge on everybody except Savvy Hester, as she makes her first start on Polytrack for trainer Mark Casse.

Llanarmon, who broke her maiden in last year’s Grade 2 Natalma Stakes, is adding Lasix for her 3-year-old debut in the third, a first-level allowance/optional claimer for sophomore fillies going long. Trained by Roger Attfield, Llanarmon was a distant fifth in her lone Polytrack try in the Nov. 2 Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Her main competition could come from the uncoupled Casse duo of Ma Billet Doux and Sky America, who are both exiting a Keeneland race.

The Jackpot Hi 5 carryover for the ninth is $61,143. Storminateacup seems capable of making all the running in the 1 1/16-mile Ontario-sired allowance, if Angel With Class doesn’t try to run her into the ground early. Pretty Two Faced should be prominent in her second race off the bench, with Chantal Sutherland-Kruse picking up the mount.