RACE 6 - The Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade 1) - Eight and a Half Furlongs Dirt
A’s
# 3 Mastery (Morning Line 1-2)
B's
None
C's
# 1 Dangerfield (ML 6-1)
Mastery, having demonstrated last time out that he can win handily without blinkers, will Saturday once again be wearing the blinkers, as he did when he won his debut handily two starts back. Many have already decided that Mastery will be their Kentucky Derby horse, though it's unclear if they have done so in the hope that Trainer Bob Baffert will have figured out over the next five months whether or not Mastery runs best with or without the hood; or if they believe that the alternating blinkers on/blinkers off is the latest secret weapon in extracting peak performance from thoroughbred runners.
Somewhat more seriously, in addition to the blinkers situation, Mastery is trying two turns for the first time; so while his breeding suggests that he should handle the stretch out with no problem, it seems prudent to include at least one backup runner on our tickets.
RACE 7 - [S] (F) MSW - Five and a Half Furlongs Dirt
A’s
# 2 Divine Spark (ML 8-5)
# 6 Adios Cali (ML 3-1)
B's
# 3 Crowded Way (ML 8-1)
# 4 Radish (ML 4-1)
C's
# 7 Proper Drink (ML 12-1)
Scratch # 1 Jill Madden (ML 15-1)
Divine Spark appears to be the most talented runner in this field, but I'm not one hundred percent convinced that the cutback in distance will be enough to keep her from running out of gas before the wire. Perhaps if Divine Spark had at least one workout beyond four furlongs in the past two months I might have more confidence in her ability to make it to the wire on time today; but lacking that, it seemed like a good idea to spread here.
Adios Cali and Crowded Way are a pair of first time starters that seem well meant here. Radish has finished in the Trifecta in three of her four career starts at this class level. Proper Drink showed good early speed in her debut last time out.
RACE 8 - (F) The Starlet (Grade 1) - Eight and a Half Furlongs Dirt
A’s
# 7 American Gal (ML 5-2)
# 9 Berned (ML 8-1)
# 9 Berned (ML 8-1)
B's
# 2 Union Strike (ML 7-2)
# 6 Abel Tasman (ML 8-1)
# 8 Fact of Life (ML 8-1)
C's
None
If the Bob Baffert trained triumvirate of Mastery, Divine Spark, and American Gal should sweep the Race 6 - 8 Pick Three, we're going to look mighty foolish for having gone so deep in the latter two races of that sequence. But while American Gal should improve with a trip today that's within the same area code of the rail, I think that there are a few here that can keep this from being a cake walk.
Berned ships in from New York after having taken the Place behind next out winner Miss Sky Warrior in the Grade 3 Tempted. Union Strike won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante two starts back.
Abel Tasman graduated going around two turns two starts back, and then came back to beat winners last time out, with Post Time Favorite Fact of Life a half length behind at the wire.
RACE 9 - Md $30k - Five and a Half Furlongs Dirt
A’s
# 1 Downside Up (ML 3-1)
# 5 Yodelers Way (ML 7-2)
# 5 Yodelers Way (ML 7-2)
B's
# 2 We Go Now (ML 5-2)
# 3 Opus Dei (ML 12-1)
# 3 Opus Dei (ML 12-1)
C's
None
Downside Up has been within a length of the winner at the wire in each of his last two starts, both at this approximate class level. Yodelers Way took the Place at this class level two starts back, and looks to be the quickest in this field.
We Go Now lost all chance at the start as the Post Time Favorite last time out. Opus Dei may wake up with the class drop.
OK, that's the analysis. Playing our tickets in Crist fashion, we get:
All A Entries
$1.00 P4: 3 with 2,6 with 7,9 with 1,5 $8.00
All A Entries with All B Entries
$0.50 P4: 3 with 2,3,4,6 with 2,6,7,8,9 with 1,2,3,5 $40.00
A's with One C
$0.50 P4: 1 with 2,6 with 7,9 with 1,5 $4.00
$0.50 P4: 3 with 7 with 7,9 with 1,5 $2.00
Total: $54.00
Post Time for Race 6 is 5:58 EDT / 2:58 PDT. Good luck to all.
Peace and Love,
Jimbo
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