Weekend Warrior for Nov. 15: Picks for Mrs. Revere, De Francis Dash, James Lewis

Although there are a number of fine stakes across the country Saturday, there isn’t a better one than the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs for 3-year-old fillies on grass.

Of those in the 14-horse body of the field – there are four more on the also-eligible list – 11 are stakes winners, with six being graded or group winners.

So, let’s get to handicapping.

Mrs. Revere Stakes

With the group so talented and appearing so evenly matched, searching for a price seems paramount. And for this horseplayer, that price horse is 10-1 outsider Sparkling Review.

Since moving to turf this past summer, she is perfect in three starts – winning a maiden race at Arlington, repeating despite a troubled trip at Kentucky Downs, and then scoring her first stakes victory in the Grade 3 Valley View at Keeneland on Oct. 17.

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What struck me about her Valley View was how much she looked like the winner even when eighth behind a slow pace after a half-mile. Jockey Julien Leparoux had her under a firm hold in traffic, and Sparkling Review seemed to be just waiting for a cue to mow down her opponents.

Once told to go, that is what happened. When a rival to her outside surged to quicken the pace on the second turn, Sparkling Review quickly followed and took the lead so quickly that she was in front even before hitting the eighth pole. Once in front, she seemed to idle, though she gradually pulled away to score by 2 3/4 lengths.

Against a better field in the Mrs. Revere, Sparkling Review likely will be pushed more toward her limit. But her limit has yet to be reached.

Frank De Francis Dash

Laurel Park has the top overall card Saturday, with six stakes, anchored by the $350,000 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash at six furlongs on dirt. My play there is the fast but inconsistent Mico Margarita, who runs Beyer Speed Figures all over the spectrum, from as low as a 79 to as high as a 104. Simply put, there are days when he feels like running and days when he doesn’t.

Mico Margarita didn’t feel much like running in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint – not that he was good enough to win that race anyway. But in running in the rear of the pack throughout, crossing the wire 12th, he turned in one of his uninspired races.

That wasn’t the case in two prior stakes wins, when he surged from behind hot splits to win races with 102 Beyers.

With an inconsistent horse like Mico Margarita, who has won 3 of 9 starts this year but has just one other top-three finish, I would rather play him off a lackluster race than off a victory. If nothing else, the price will be greater.

He seems a useful value play at 6-1 on the morning line, particularly with an abundance of speed to establish a hot pace and set up his rally.

James F. Lewis Stakes

Among the stakes on the Laurel undercard, the James F. Lewis III holds the most appeal due to the fat 6-1 morning-line price on the unbeaten Golden Years.

Perfect in two starts and a horse with a home-track edge, Golden Years looks poised to get a great outside stalking trip behind a contested pace and likely won’t receive his proper respect at the mutuel windows.

I suspect this is due to two reasons: First, his stakes win last time out came in restricted company on Maryland Million Day, and second, he’s a West Virginia-bred. He has a pedigree more like a Maryland-bred, however, being by Not For Love, one of the top sires in that state.

Some people see horses foaled outside of Kentucky and think the horse has to be of lesser quality. But a good horse can come from anywhere, lest we forget Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, who is by Lucky Pulpit out of a dam who won 1 of 6 races and $7,000.

This is not to suggest that Golden Years is the next California Chrome – just merely to point out that he could be the next James Lewis winner.