Whatlovelookslike comes back off bad stumble in last
?q=100)
There are three allowance-caliber events for fillies and mares on Friday at Belmont Park, including a second-level allowance/optional claimer for New York-breds, the eighth of nine races on a card with a 1 p.m. post time.
Whatlovelookslike and Dream Central are the obvious protagonists in the eighth, a one-mile turf route with a $45,000 claiming option.
Trained by Todd Pletcher for owner Barry Schwartz, Whatlovelookslike had a productive 2022 campaign, scoring twice at Saratoga before a close fourth in her first try at this level in October at Aqueduct.
When returning from a six-month break on April 27 at Aqueduct, Whatlovelookslike stumbled badly at the break before racing three wide in fourth. She went on to finish second behind favored Sanura, who had plenty left for the drive after setting soft fractions in the 1 1/16-mile tilt.
Manny Franco will ride Whatlovelookslike, a 4-year-old by the late English Channel, a sire well known for producing late developers.
Dream Central won back-to-back stakes early last summer, graduating at 39-1 in a division of the New York Stallion Stakes here before a 9-1 score in the Suzie O’Cain at Saratoga. Her two subsequent stakes starts were forgettable. She returns from a six-month layoff with Jose Lezcano aboard. Trainer Gary Sciacca has endured a slow start to the meet, but his numbers from a small sample of long-term layoff types since the beginning of last year are good.
Silken Dollar and Home for Christmas finished behind Whatlovelookslike on April 27 when both were starting for the first time this year. Unplaced Curly Girl exited that event to win an allowance at Finger Lakes on Monday.
Silken Dollar assumed an inside stalking position before awaiting room on the far turn, but didn’t have much punch in the final furlong and flattened out to finish fourth. Irad Ortiz Jr. inherits the mount from Franco on the daughter of leading New York sire Central Banker.
Home for Christmas attended the pace in the two path before fading to fifth on April 27. The 5-year-old has done the bulk of her best running as the leader and could end up in a speed duel with Cairo Sugar. Joel Rosario, who was aboard for both of her victories, has the mount.
A 3-year-old based at Parx, Cairo Sugar is competing on the grass for the first time after finishing third between two next-out winners in the March 18 Beyond the Wire Stakes at Laurel Park. She’s by the 14 percent turf route sire Cairo Prince and out of Spun Sugar, a Grade 1 winner on dirt who produced one winner from six turf starters.
Beaute Cachee is one of two Chad-Brown-trained French imports in the third race, along with Chili Flag. She should be favored in the first-level allowance going 1 1/16 miles on the inner course.
Beaute Cachee had just a maiden win to her credit in 12 starts in 2021-22 in France, but her last race there in August in a Group 3 stakes at Deauville was solid. After leading the way, she weakened to finish a close fourth behind victorious Trevaunance, who subsequently notched a Group 2 fixture at Deauville.
Ortiz will ride Beaute Cachee. Going back five years, Brown has had a 27-percent strike rate with foreign shippers exiting a six-month-plus break with Lasix added, with a return on investment of $1.51.
Chili Flag has started once on this side of the pond, finishing a wide second as the favorite in a Feb. 25 conditioned allowance-optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.
The fourth was an an extra race on the overnight and includes four scratched horses from last Friday’s third race – Ok Honey, Impazible Donna, Dancing Sophia, and Movie Moxy – who were all withdrawn because they failed to receive Lasix at the proper time.
Off a two-month absence, Dancing Sophia is seeking her fourth straight win in her third start off a bargain $25,000 claim by hot trainer Chris Englehart.
Stakes-placed Know It All Audrey could go off favored in the conditioned allowance/optional claimer over a mile on the main track.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.