The Pizza Man, La Tia solid favorites in turf co-features
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The best Illinois-bred male and female turf horses of 2013, The Pizza Man and La Tia, figure to be favored to win the richest Illinois-bred turf purses of the season Saturday at Arlington.
The Pizza Man makes his 2014 debut as the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 Black Tie Affair Handicap, while La Tia is the 9-5 choice in the $100,000 Lincoln Heritage Handicap. La Tia, the 124-pound highweight, won the 2013 Lincoln Heritage, while The Pizza Man, the 122-pound highweight, was second behind Coalport in the 2013 Black Tie Affair.
Coalport has not returned to defend his Black Tie Affair title, and despite the fact that he makes his first start since October, The Pizza Man looks like the horse to beat in the 1 1/16-mile race.
A Midwest Thoroughbreds 5-year-old English Channel homebred, The Pizza Man has been a prolific winner, finishing first in 9 of 14 races. In his loss a year ago to Coalport, The Pizza Man fell farther behind a moderate pace than would have been ideal, and his strong finish simply came up short. His long layoff is of only moderate concern since trainer Roger Brueggemann wins at a high percentage with horses returning from extended breaks and has captured past Illinois-bred stakes with similar comeback runners.
FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 The Pizza Man (7-5 morning line). Trainer Roger Brueggemann is 7 for 24 (29 percent with a $2.44 ROI) over the past five years bringing back horses in routes after a long layoff (180 days or more). Click for more details.
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The venerable 8-year-old Tazz came within a head of defeating The Pizza Man in the $75,000 Carey Memorial last October, and Tazz should improve after a useful return from a winter break when third in a one-turn Polytrack mile May 17.
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One of Tazz’s dislikes is wet turf. The Arlington course was yielding Thursday, and trainer Christine Janks is hoping for no more rain before the Black Tie Affair. “Either hard turf or off turf,” she said.
Janks has the front-running Big Looie cross-entered in the Black Tie Affair and a Saturday allowance.
Sweet Luca has an outside shot if he can improve on a decent third behind The Pizza Man on Arlington turf last September.
The possibility of a wet course concerns Armando de la Cerda, who trains Lincoln Heritage favorite La Tia, though the mare won this race last year over a yielding course. La Tia exits an impressive front-running victory in the Grade 3 Arlington Matron on Polytrack, and while de la Cerda wonders if La Tia prefers synthetics, a repeat of her 2013 Lincoln Heritage or her third in the Grade 3 Modesty would suffice Saturday.
La Tia does her best work on the front end, and de la Cerda said there’s no plan to cede the early lead to the rail-drawn Katie the Lady, a pure two-turn turf speed horse.
“My filly has got to go to the front no matter what,” said de la Cerda. “She’s in very good shape right now, galloping good.”
If Katie the Lady and La Tia battle too hard, Kepi, who won her 2014 debut in a June 5 allowance, could sweep past in the stretch.
◗ Race 5, a high-end turf allowance with a $100,000 claiming option, also came up strong and includes the millionaire 7-year-old Mister Marti Gras.