Santa Anita: Closer Looks for October 10, 2013

Race 2

Corlett Drive

Had a nice winter/spring before things tailed off at BHP and DMR; freshened since and returns to what may be a better situation - dirt and sprinting; after all, her 3 best finishes all came playing this game, and doing it here; love that 1:11.40 bullet Sept. 25, too.

All On the Table

That's a real sharp gal she chased home in that BSR stakes Sept. 20; in fact, if Conkate were in here she'd certainly be the one to beat; this gal has done some very good work on dirt and that BSR race may also be a sign she's ready to move forward; after all, it was just her 2nd start after 9 months off.

Pebble Beach Baby

Not only showed some guts prevailng on BSR dirt Sept. 11 for $32K, but that came off the claim by O'Neill and today he brings her back where he can't lose via another claim; sure, it's a tougher spot as she's also facing elders but could be O'Neill bought at the right time.

Wild in the Saddle

Something of an in-and-outer but note 2 real nice races over this track in the winter including a win; comes off a nice 3rd at BSR, too; that being said, this is a tougher spot and her 2 DMR tries at this level found her wanting; thena gain, she may be better on dirt and a bullet :34.40 blowout here Oct. 4 says she may be ready to move forward again.

Scherzinger

Considering she hadn't been seen all year and it was her first try on synthetic and vs. elders that big Aug. 31 win at DMR was awfully, awfully nice; she broke slowly that day, too, but bided her time and powered home; can certainly move forward with that race under her belt and she handled this dirt very nicely last Dec. 30; remember, though, it's first time vs. winners today so the water is quite a bit deeper, but you sure have to like the way she came back firing.

Small Moves

Sharp 2nd to the nice peer Iiotapa here Feb. 15; that run looked better, too, when you noted 2 she beat that day came right back to win; now the bad news - she hasn't been seen since; that's a bit worrisome; after all, you don't take a horse who seems to be in peak form and put her away this long without good reason; at least returns without a tag attached, she's worked steadily and has handled this place. By Michael Hammersly

Race 4

Lady of the Nile

Sire Pioneerof the Nile is 5 for first 24 (over 20%) with 2yo firsters, according to DRF sire stats; sire won 5 of 10 for $1.6 million, won G1 CashCall Futurity, G1 SA Derby, 2 G2s, also 2nd in G1 Ky. Derby; dam's 1st foal; dam was off board in 2 starts; plenty of solid works for a trainer well known for firing first out (23%).

Strollin Home

Sire Stroll is 13 for first 40 (32.5%) with 2yo firsters; sire won 7 of 16 for $795K, won G1 Woodford Reserve, also a multiple G2 SW, G3 SW; dam's 2 foals are Made to Love Her (2 wins, $157K, SW, G2 SP) and Zippingaroundtown (2 wins, $38K); dam won 4 of 24 for $76K, was SP; been working in solid fashion and Proctor quite capable first out (15%).

Gracie Ragazza

DMR debut wasn't much but hey, not only was it just her debut but it came vs. straight maidens; then dropped in for $62,500 there Aug. 30, added blinkers and ran much, much better, finishing 2nd; now gets another drop and it's very nice to see Bejarano stays with her.

Goodhumorgirl

Chased the pace in her DMR debut for $62,500 Aug. 30 but faltered to 6th (Gracie Ragazza was 2nd); she then tried straight maidens on dirt at BSR and just missed, finishing a strong 2nd (beaten a nose while 6 1/4 clear of 3rd); that was sure a nice move forward and now Bonde drops her back in for a tag; 6 of 7 sibs are winners including Yaya J (3 wins, $41K).

Shopping Savannah

$62,500 debut at DMR Aug. 30 wasn't very pretty but hey, it was just her debut and a sluggish start didn't help; she went off at just 6-1 so somebody saw something they liked; worked very nicely since (2 bullets) so there appears to be some speed and talent here, and the slight drop can't hurt; 1 of 3 sibs is winner Southern Star (2 wins, $23K).

La Casadora

No factor first time out at DMR Sept. 2 but as with a few of the others you can always forgive a debut run; it also came vs. straight maidens, some tough ones at that (runner-up Georgia came back to win nicely here last week); with that run under her belt she gets the most important drop in the game; can certainly improve, though we still don't know if there's any real talent here, do we?

For Emma

Sire D'wildcat gets over 13% 2yo debut winners; sire won 5 of 18 for $570K, won G1 De Francis Dash, also G2/G3 SW; dam has 3 winners from 4 foals including Runaway Joan (3 wins, $66K); dam won 7 of 41 for $151K, 3-time SP; been working along in solid fashion for Miller who does very nicely first time out (22%).

First Mil

Sire Flatter gets 10% 2yo debut winners; sire won 4 of 6 for $148K, was G2 SP; unraced dam's 7 foals are all winner including Gin Stinger (8 wins, $82K), Garboso (8 wins, $88K) and Added Delight (8 wins, $115K); works are steady but don't hint at a lot of speed. By Michael Hammersly

Race 5

Always a Chance

She was upset minded in her latest outing at Del Mar and this looks like a decent spot for her to get back over turf; it looks like she's trained well since her latest start and note how well she ran after a layoff at about this time last year.

English Puddin

She's by a strong turf sire, but she's also had her chances to show us what she can do, and she's going to need to step it up over what she's done so far in order to have a say in the outcome.

Pink Blossom

A case can be made for her being slightly sharper racing over a synthetic surface or dirt than she is over turf, but she did run well in a gate-to-finish score over grass when last seen; she might have a tough time avoiding an early pace dispute with Smarty Corn, and that would certainly compromise her chances.

Gittel

Don't like to see that she's seeking the first turf win of her career and she has to bounce back from a performance that was well below par for her; prefer to give the nod to others in this one.

Smarty Corn

She's proven that she can be a tough out on the front end on her best day and she does look like a solid fit at this 32-28k claiming level, but it does appear that Pink Blossom will offer up enough early resistance to make this a tough assignment for this mare.

Miss Well Molded

If this filly is able to produce a performance that is anywhere near her best she's eligible to leave this field behind to battle it out over the place prize, and like to see that she retains the services of the hot-riding Stevens; 3rd place finisher from latest won next out at BSR on 9/21 going 1 1/16m in a 50k stakes with a 79 Beyer.

Fiesta Express

Simply feel that her best effort is short of the mark of what it will take to win this, and even though she deserves credit for getting the job done in her first start after an 8k claim last out, this has to be considered a much tougher test.

Lilly's Perfect

She's really been in good form all year and it's interesting to see Kretz Racing and Mulhall reclaim her, especially when seeing how well this filly ran for them in her most recent turf attempt two starts ago; must respect.

Tanquerray

She earned a career best Beyer Speed Figure in her first start for this barn after a claim two races ago but it does look like she's going to need to be ready for an even sharper performance than that one in order to have a say in the outcome against these.

Love Tale (GB)

She's a five-time winner over turf, something that none of her rivals in here can say, and her career best Beyer Speed Figure was earned over this turf course; note that she's being reunited with Leparoux who was aboard for her most recent victory.

Town Belle

Don't like to see that she hasn't finished 1-2-3 from four turf starts, but her recent form has been her best, and she does have a solid turf pedigree, so maybe she can be given another chance to see what she can do racing over grass while making only her second start for Mullins. By Brian Pochman

Race 6

Wicked Finance

Half to $120K stakes winner Prenuptial improved when he stretched out and he comes out of a barn that is off to a good start to the meet; he didn't have any noticeable excuses when he finished behind Crucero in his latest at Del Mar, though; maybe he just didn't care for the Poly; prefer others for the top spot but can see him working his way into the exotics.

Crucero

He ran well on dirt at Calder so he won't mind the move back to dirt following a couple of productive races over Poly at Del Mar; he just missed coming off a layoff two back and he may have bounced in his latest after posting his career-best Beyer Speed Figure; Bejarano sticks and he would have to rank as a serious win candidate.

Scarly Charly

He ran well in both of his races here last winter and he showed decent speed in his second start; five-furlong move in :58.80 seconds Oct. 4 suggests he could be sitting on a big effort; the past five years Armstrong has a 14% strike rate with horses going long the first time and he's a half to 6-time route-winner Tammy's Victress; not a lot of obvious speed in the field and he could be dangerous if he breaks on top; the pick.

Secretsatmidnight

He has a solid set of works leading up to his first start since he had a rough beginning in his debut here last Jan.; Baffert can obviously have them ready to roll coming off this kind of layoff and Stevens bails on Scarly Charly to land here; first foal out of mare that won 3 races and earned $45K looks like another possibility in a wide-open race.

Bornatthetrack

Another one coming off a long layoff and the past five years Bell is 1/13 with horses returning from a layoff of 180 days or more; just one horse coming out of his last race is a winner but he's a good one, Chief Havoc, who won the Grade 2 Swaps; we're going to just watch and see how he comes back from the lenghty layoff.

Expo and Fig

He ran a decent race in his debut, rallying after getting away poorly, and note the strong recent second-start stats for D'Amato; he is stepping up and stretching out to a middle distance with just one race behind him; sibs were mostly sprinters but one did win going about a mile on the turf at the Fairgrounds; prefer others.

Sweet Sunshine

Second from Sadler didn't show much in either of his races on Polytrack at Del Mar and it is possible he'll improve with the move to dirt; all three sibs to race are winners the best being $175K route winner Celebritiy Sighting so he shouldn't mind the added distance; he will need to take a big step forward to contend here, though; passing.

Cat Burglar

He received a lot of support when he debuted at Del Mar Aug. 24 but he dropped back early and then made a nice late move before hanging late; the winner finished second in a $40K optional race here Sept. 29 and the second horse won a MSW race here last weekend; dam was unraced; lone sib is a 2-time route winner so he shouldn't mind the added distance; respect.

Just Fishin

Mostly decent races showing and the last time he ran here on the main track he just missed gong seven furlongs; the winner finished second in a $12.5K n/w/2 here last Friday and this guy's best races have been on turf, however; not sure why he needed a break between his last two races and now it's been close to two months since he last ran; he could also get a wide trip from this post; prefer others. By Randy Goulding

Race 7

High Jinks (BRZ)

Filly facing boys, perhaps for the chance to run a mile and an eighth on the grass; she will be stretching out from a mile, and could be prominent for the distance move; she also adds blinkers, and has worked sharply for what will be her first start since August; in addition, she gets in lighter than these.

Shadow Runner

He makes a couple of key moves; he's returning to the claiming ranks after a stakes-placing; he's also back on turf and three of his five career wins have come on the green; has some speed and looks like one who can be closer to the pace than most of these, perhaps tracking rail runner High Jinks.

Yomybato

The added distance this one picks up for his second start back from the freshening would seem to serve him well as he won his maiden over a mile and a quarter; the score came on turf, and this one is also returning to the grass; a concern is whether late-runner will get the kind of pace setup he needs.

Segway

He gives up recency to all of these as he has not seen action since November; was favored in his last start, when fourth at this mile and an eighth trip at SA; the race has proven to be a productive one, as the runner-up returned to take a $40K optional claimer at BHP with a Beyer Figure of 85, and the 10th-place finisher, Paratito, an allowance at Turf Paradise, with a Beyer of 76; as for this one, he shows some nice endurance works for his comeback; one to preview in the paddock.

Vibrato Jazz

He's a fresh face as this will be his first out since August; he's shortening up in distance for the return, having raced over a mile and three-eighths in his last start, a race in which he finished first but was placed second on a DQ; is a winner at this trip at SA; leading contender.

Holladay Road

He's a class play; he's the most accomplished member of the field as a seven-time winner who has run out $369K; shows some sharp works for his first start since Del Mar, and perhaps fresh horse stretching out from a mile to a mile and an eighth will be prominent; is also winner at this trip at SA; choice.

Artic North

He faces winners for the first time in this spot, but like that his maiden win came at this mile and an eighth turf route trip; he also has been flattered since the race; the runner-up returned to take a maiden allowance at SA with a Beyer Figure of 78, and the sixth-place finisher, Layton Register, a maiden allowance at CD, with a Beyer of 86; watching and learning.

Lumberyard Jack

He appears to have more natural speed than a number of these and looking for him to be prominent, perhaps tracking horses like High Jinks and Shadow Runner, who are tucked to his inside; he's also the lone horse in the field with multiple wins over the local course, at least one of them at this mile and an eighth trip; win candidate. By Mary Rampellini

Race 8

Truly Beautiful

Between horses when probably overmatched in the debut and she may not have been comfortable with the rail in last; the race came back fine as the 6th finisher took a maiden $50K claimer, 8th finisher took a MSW and the winner was 2nd beaten three quarters in an N2L Turf Paradise allowance; 1 for 3 dam earned nearly $20K; this is her first to race; she looks fit enough but has to come out running to flee the fence.

Valarta

Seldom like to see multiple beats at Fairplex; 9/8 place horse graduated next out and the winner repeated in a $12.5K N2L seller; never in the money on the main SoCal circuit; not sold on chances.

Ara Best

Mugged at the break and awarded show dough; dam was 0 for 4; all 3 siblings won; top kin Brother Ernie took 4 of 26, banked $55K; she has lost ground late in every race; would tread lightly here.

Make More Money

Over 4 clear in the June finale and she got a boost when the winner of last repeated in a $40K starter with a 75 Beyer; a couple of winners in the tree, neither was special; drill a week ago should have her on her toes; look out.

Reddaxle

The good news is that new trainer Proctor worked her longer than this race is carded; the bad news is she had to take 2012 off; dam out of the money twice; the sibling to win was just one for 11 and earned less than $500 a start; the move on the 4th screams off the canvas.

Uniformly Yours

In tight in the 2013 and never got untracked for barn that has spotted them great all year with limited starters; training forwardly for this and the winner of last clicked right back in a $40K starter, took a $50K optional, then was 2nd beaten 3 in a $40.2K NC allowance at GG; connections would love to see her start acting like top kin Sans Souci Island, who took a stakes and won nearly $230K; she has sneaky speed, note she was only a half-length off the pace down the hill.

Dulcemia

The drop can t hurt but once they start piling up 10 or 12 beats, the wind generally goes out of the sails; another slice may be the ceiling.

Big G Secret Crab

Had to see them give up clear leads like she did in last and now she has to go farther; backers can point to the fact there is a 5-time winner in the family that earned about $45K; has some things to iron out.

Harlan's Trick

Return drills are well spaced but even when she was in the money once, she didn't scare the winner; 7/13 place horse graduated next out at this level, then was a well-beaten 2nd in an $40K starter; with her style, she will need plenty of help up front.

Stormy Pleasure

Got to lugging in the debut and could not take advantage of the Pomona rail last time; dam out of the money in only start; several winners in the tree including 4 for 16 over $80K earner Queen Supreme; expect much better effort today.

Full of Spice

Still in for 11 grand more than purchase price, she has some semblance of speed but she was erratic in her last effort; 1 for 12 dam banked $50K; lone half bro to race lost three times; Gomez enticed and he s 30% for this barn in the last year or so.

Silver Gun Girl

Key off the September opener and she s a player; note the eventful trip in last; all 3 siblings did win and 2 banked at least $170K; try to get a good look at this one on the track.

Angel's Moon

Hung wide in the June return, if she can run at all she figures to show it here; last race came back fine as the place horse took a MSW next out, 5th finisher was 2nd a length in a maiden $40K claimer and the winner repeated in an N1X with a 76 Beyer; drills well spaced including the improved move on the 30th; she's live.

Indian Lotus

Apparently not much of a work horse, only a couple of moves since Del Mar closed; dam was unraced; this is her first to race; could easily be enticed into gimmick action. By Brian Mulligan