There's no dead weight in Broberg's eight-horse team

Looks like Karl Broberg, America’s most-winning trainer each of the last two years, has taken dead aim on Will Rogers Downs.

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Broberg during the early portion of the Will Rogers meeting in March failed to win a race with 19 starters, but with 25 April starters he has compiled a record of 9-5-3 to tie him with Robertino Diodoro for the most wins at the meet during the month. Last Wednesday proved especially fruitful, as Broberg won four races and finished second in two others with his six starters, and he could have a similarly successful Wednesday this week.

Broberg has horses entered in eight of the 10 races Wednesday, and nearly all of them look like contenders. Only race 3 and featured race 9 go without a Broberg-trained entrant.

Race 9, a first-level six-furlong allowance race restricted to older fillies and mares, does have a potential standout in the mare Vallestina. Vallestina, trained by Anna Meah, was shipped from Keeneland for a Will Rogers allowance on April 13, and though she wound up finishing fourth, she was probably at least second-best in that race. Vallestina broke from post 10 and was niftily guided to the fence around the far turn, but in the end the ground she saved couldn’t compensate for the trouble she found. Vallestina was blocked and stymied from the quarter pole to nearly the furlong grounds as the eventual winner, Expensive Lesson, whizzed past, outside and in the clear. Vallestina couldn’t accelerate with Expensive Lesson when she finally found room, but that race over 5 1/2 furlongs didn’t suit her as well as the six-furlong distance of Wednesday’s does. Another factor in her favor: This Wednesday’s competition is decidedly softer than last Monday’s.

Turning back to Broberg, All the Juice is 7-2 on the morning line in race 1; De Bird Is Da Word is 3-1 in race 2; The Devil’s Daddy is 5-1 in race 4; Madison’s Wild One is 3-1 in race 5 (she’ll be a shorter price and very difficult to beat); Kats Second Silver is 3-1 in race 6; Spectacular Temper is 5-2 in race 7; Aloo Ghost is 4-1 in race 8; and I’m the Best I Know is a veritable bomber listed at 6-1 in race 10. None of these horses looks especially underpriced, and even I’m the Best I Know, cozily drawn on the rail, rates a major chance. The forecast suggests another very good Will Rogers afternoon for Broberg.