Weekend Warrior for Saturday, Jan. 13: Picks for the Silverbulletday Stakes, La Canada Stakes, Marshua's River Stakes

NEW YORK – Fair Grounds and Gulfstream have center stage Saturday with multi-stakes cards. There are six stakes at Fair Grounds, topped by perhaps the strongest-ever running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte, a Kentucky Derby points race. At Gulfstream, both stakes are graded: the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Lauderdale, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Marshua’s River.

Other races of note Saturday include the Grade 2, $200,000 La Canada at Santa Anita, and the rescheduled $150,000 Jerome at Aqueduct, which is also a Derby points event.

Silverbulletday Stakes

This is Fair Grounds’s female counterpart to the Lecomte and it attracted three Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies starters: Blonde Bomber, Wonder Gadot, and Heavenly Love.

Blonde Bomber made a four-wide run on the far turn in the Juvenile Fillies and finished a rallying third. Wonder Gadot, who has since capitalized on an extremely slow pace winning the Demoiselle, had a more eventful trip when sixth in the Juvenile Fillies. She steadied early, was five wide on the first turn, three wide on the second turn, and checked between horses in midstretch, an incident that really cost her only one placing. Heavenly Love, who was my pick in the Juvenile Fillies, packed it in after racing near the pace and finished a distant 11th.

For me, Heavenly Love’s Breeders’ Cup outing is a total throw-out because she was compromised by a track bias. I strongly believe the rail was not the place to be on the main track at Del Mar on both Breeders’ Cup Friday and Saturday. In fact, the only horse who won racing inside on either day was Gun Runner in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Gun Runner is certainly much more than even your average stakes horse, and because he was the only bias-buster that weekend, I consider his Classic to be by far the best race he ever ran.

In any case, while the ground loss incurred in the Juvenile Fillies by Wonder Gadot and Blonde Bomber (who got away from the inside down the backstretch) might encourage some to move up their performances, I feel they benefitted by being out on what was the significantly better footing. Heavenly Love, meanwhile, was on or very close to the dead rail every step of the way.

Heavenly Love impressed winning the Grade 1 Alcibiades two starts back in what was her first attempt going long on dirt. She ran away from that field late like they were standing still, and a return to that form Saturday would be good enough.

As for the Lecomte, while Principe Guilherme won his first two starts (by margins of 6 1/4 and 11 3/4 lengths) as though he could be any kind, Instilled Regard took a huge step forward most recently when elevated to second via disqualification in the Los Alamitos Futurity after being bounced around between horses in the stretch. That race got a big boost last week when McKinzie, who was moved up to first in the Los Alamitos Futurity on the disqualification of Solomini, came back to dominate the Sham with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. Trouble is, I’d be shocked if Instilled Regard is anywhere near as high as his morning line price of 4-1.

Marshua’s River Stakes

As a potential addition to the growing list of Mike Maker claims developing into graded stakes winners on turf, Gianna's Dream is scary here. She just missed in the Grade 3 My Charmer last time out in her best race yet and is adaptable to any pace scenario. That said, I still prefer DREAM DANCING.

Dream Dancing, 2 for 2 on Gulfstream’s turf course, competed against the best 3-year-old turf fillies last year and might be getting a bit of a class break here. There is enough pace to set up her late kick, and she lures Irad Ortiz Jr., who is riding in excellent form at Gulfstream.

La Canada Stakes

After making her first 14 starts on turf, Majestic Heat has suddenly morphed into a dirt monster, winning two straight since switching surfaces. But I’m still a bit skeptical as Majestic Heat was well set up in those wins, and Mopotism is the play.

Mopotism should find this spot to her liking after competing in Grade 1 events in six of her last eight starts, including a third last time in the La Brea behind the formidable pair of Unique Bella and Paradise Woods in what seemed like an obvious sprint prep for this more suitable two-turn assignment.