GROUPIE DOLL WINS THE PRESQUE ISLE DOWNS MASTERS STAKES!

Heavily favored Groupie Doll made her return to the races a successful one when she dominated ten rivals in the $400,600 Presque Isle Downs Master Stakes (gr. II) last Saturday night.

Making her first start since a stunning victory in the Humana Distaff (gr. I) earlier this year, Groupie Doll was allowed to settle into seventh place early on as It's Me Mom opened up a 4 1/2-length early lead while running the opening quarter mile in a quick :21.70 seconds. Holiday for Kitten, Interrogate, and Atlantic Hurricane were racing together in second, followed closely by Sweet Cassiopeia, Bouquet Booth, and Groupie Doll. Sally Sally, Kitty in a Tizzy, Salty Strike, and Ariana D were the early trailers.
It's Me Mom continued to lead through a half-mile in :44.65 seconds and entered the homestretch with the lead, but Groupie Doll was putting in a powerful run on the far outside. The favorite took command of the lead just inside the eighth pole and drew off strongly from there, coasting home the winner by 3 3/4 lengths under jockey Rajiv Maragh while stopping the clock for 6-1/2 furlongs in 1:16.32 seconds.

Kitty in a Tizzy outfinished Sally Sally by a neck for second, with Sally Sally a similar margin in front of fourth-place finisher It's Me Mom. Sweet Cassiopeia, Atlantic Hurricane, Ariana D, Interrogate, Salty Strike, Bouquet Booth, and Holiday for Kitten completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by William Bradley and owned by Fred Bradley, William Bradley, Carl Hurst, and Brent Burns.

-Keelerman

Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Master Stakes (gr. II), to be run on Saturday at Presque Isle Downs. The 6-1/2 furlong race has drawn an exceptional field of twelve fillies and mares, led by two-time grade I winner Groupie Doll.

1 Sweet Cassiopeia
2 Atlantic Hurricane
3 Interrogate
4 Holy Heavens
5 Bouquet Booth
6 Holiday for Kitten
7 Groupie Doll
8 Sally Sally
9 Kitty in a Tizzy
10 It's Me Mom
11 Ariana D
12 Salty Strike

-Keelerman

MUSICAL ROMANCE WINS THE PRINCESS ROONEY HANDICAP!

Last year's Eclipse champion female sprinter Musical Romance picked up the second grade I victory of her career this afternoon at Calder Race Course, wearing down pace-setting Golden Mystery and holding off a late bid from Nicole H to win the $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. I) by a half-length.

Ridden to victory by Juan Leyva, Musical Romance broke a bit slowly at the start, but quickly recovered and settled into the third position early on, about 2 1/2 lengths behind Golden Mystery. Wild Bout Tiffany was racing in second, with Bouquet Booth and Beloveda also up close. Nakano, Nicole H, and Spectacular Sky were next, while Leopard Rock, Flying Trip, and Indulgence were the early trailers.

Golden Mystery continued to lead the way through quick fractions of :21.80 and :45.10, and still held the lead in the homestretch, but Musical Romance shifted to the outside in the stretch and soon wore the front-runner down to seize command of the race. However, Nicole H soon came running from off the pace, and briefly appeared to be on her way to victory. But Musical Romance succeeded in stemming off her late bid, hitting the wire a half-length in front while stopping the clock for six furlongs in 1:10.92.

Nakano finished 2 3/4 lengths back in third, while Flying Trip, Bouquet Booth, Indulgence, Golden Mystery, Leopard Rock, Wild Bout Tiffany, Beloveda, and Spectacular Sky completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by William Kaplan and owned by Pinnacle Racing Stables and William Kaplan.

-Keelerman

Princess Rooney Handicap Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $300,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. I), to be run on Saturday at Calder Race Course. The prestigious six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares has drawn a large and talented field of eleven, including last year's Eclipse champion female sprinter Musical Romance.

1 Spectacular Sky
2 Beloveda
3 Golden Mystery
4 Flying Trip
5 Musical Romance
6 Nakano
7 Bouquet Booth
8 Indulgence
9 Nicole H
10 Wild Bout Tiffany
11 Leopard Rock

-Keelerman

BIZZY CAROLINE WINS THE REGRET!

Bizzy Caroline drew away impressively in the homestretch to defeat a classy field in the $125,000 Regret Stakes (gr. III) this afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Under M. Cruz, the filly was sent off at 4-1. She sat off of the early pace set by Bouquet Booth and Excited before drawing alongside on the far turn. She then pulled away to a commanding lead, which she maintained to the wire. Excited came home a close second over Bouquet Booth and Kathmanblu. The final time for the nine furlong turf event was 1:49.73.

-Keelerman

KATHMANBLU WINS THE RACHEL ALEXANDRA STAKES!

Kathmanblu, the heavy favorite at 3-5, rallied strongly in the homestretch to win the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III) by two lengths at Fair Grounds.

Ridden by Julien Leparoux, the filly sat fourth in the early going, well off of the pace set by Gran Lioness. Bouquet Booth was sitting in second, followed by Chloe Kate. Tapit Dancer and Inglorious trailed.

The positions remained relatively unchanged until the stretch. At that point Bouquet Booth and Kathmanblu began their bids for the lead, and Inglorious was gearing up on the outside. But Kathmanblu proved better than both of them, drawing away under urging to win. Inglorious rallied gamely for second, while Gran Lioness held third over Bouquet Booth.

The final time was 1:45.13.

-Keelerman

TRIPLE CROWN COUNTDOWN ---- January 21st, 2011

This is one of those weekends where you just know that one or more of the races will have a major impact on the Triple Crown Trail. One of the reasons that this weekend could be influential is because on Saturday at Fair Grounds, the grade III LeComte Stakes is being run. The first in a series of three major prep races for the Kentucky Derby being held at this track, it is highly possible that one or more of these horses will end up in the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) in February and the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) in March. And everyone knows that the winner of the Louisiana Derby is, barring injury, guaranteed a start in the Kentucky Derby.

Although the field for this year's edition of the LeComte has turned up a bit light, it should still have some considerable influence on the remainder of the Louisiana prep race series. That is why the LeComte is this week's feature race.

FEATURE RACE ---- The LeComte Stakes (gr. III)
Fair Grounds, 1 mile and 40 yards. For three-year-olds.
Run at the unusual distance of one mile and forty yards, the 2011 LeComte Stakes has only drawn five horses. Only one of them has ever started in a stakes race. But they are a promising group of sophomores and I highly anticipate the results.

Here are the entries. . .

Post Position/Horse/Morning Line Odds
1 Wilkinson - 7-2
2 Action Ready - 9-2
3 Mobeetie - 20-1
4 Justin Philip - 7-5
5 Pants On Fire - 9-5

The morning line favorite is Justin Philip, a son of First Samurai out of the Cryptoclearance mare Ava Knowsthecode. Purchased for $400,000 as a yearling, he finished second in his first start, a maiden race at Saratoga. He then won a similar event one month later at Belmont Park, coasting home three lengths in front under minimal urging. An allowance race at Churchill Downs was next. Sent off as the favorite in the 6-1/2 furlong event, he closed well but finished third, beaten just three quarters of a length. He was then entered in a one-mile allowance race, also at Churchill Downs, where he ran third behind Brethren and El Grayling. The performance was strong, making him the odds-on favorite in his most recent start, an allowance optional claiming race on January 1st at Fair Grounds. Sent straight to the lead, he rattled off fairly slow fractions en route to a 3 1/4 length victory. He should have every opportunity to win tomorrow, where he will be wearing blinkers for the first time. He will carry 118 pounds and will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan. He is trained by Steve Asmussen.

Pants On Fire is the second choice at 9-5. A son of Jump Start out of the Cape Town mare Cabo De Noche, he is the only colt to have previously run in a stakes race; finishing third in the Count Fleet Stakes behind Monzon and J J's Lucky Train. Trained by Kelly Breen, he broke his maiden third time out after running second and fourth in his first two attempts. In his third start, a one-mile race over a sloppy track at Delaware Park, he broke well and raced away to win by seven lengths in a wire-to-wire performance. He then was entered in a one mile and seventy yards allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct. Despite stumbling at the start, he was able to get to the lead and nearly won the race, being passed late in the race to lose by a neck. Then came the Count Fleet Stakes, where he set testing fractions before weakening to finish 4 1/4 lengths behind the winner. I like his chances here tomorrow, although I do wonder how he will fare down the long Fair Grounds homestretch. He will carry 116 pounds and will be ridden by Joe Bravo.

Wilkinson is an interesting colt. A son of Lemon Drop Kid out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Tasha's Delight, his first race was extremely impressive. In a seven-furlong maiden race at Keeneland, he managed to rally from six lengths back at the eighth pole to finish second, missing only be a head. As if that wasn't enough, he didn't even get a clean trip!

His second race should have yielded a win, but it did not. In a mile and a sixteenth maiden race at Churchill Downs, he sat close to the pace before finishing second, beaten nearly three lengths. Perhaps he lost because it was his first start on dirt. Perhaps he lost because he was too close to the pace. Perhaps he just wasn't the best horse. But he finally broke through with a victory in his third start.

Sent off as the favorite in a one mile and forty yards maiden race at Fair Grounds, he patiently waited off the pace before closing well to win by a length. The performance was nothing extraordinary, but a fine effort nonetheless.

In his most recent start, Wilkinson ran third behind Justin Philip in an allowance optional claiming race at Fair Grounds, missing second by only a nose. Overall, this colt has done nothing wrong, but simply doesn't appear to be good enough. Trained by Neil Howard, he will be ridden by Garrett Gomez and will carry 116 pounds.

This brings us to Action Ready, a son of More Than Ready out of the Wild Again mare You Again. Trained by William Calhoun, he finished fifth in his first start, a six-furlong maiden race at Remington Park. Stretched out to a mile and seventy yards at that same track, he proved victorious in a dramatic stretch duel, winning by a neck. He then ran second in a one mile and seventy yards allowance optional claiming race behind Dreaminofthewin, who just the other day ran second in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park, which bodes well for Action Ready's chances tomorrow.

Tried for the first time on turf in his most recent race, Action Ready went straight to the lead and held off all challenges, winning by a hard-fought half-length going a mile over a yielding course. Although he certainly seems like a capable colt, I don't believe that he is quite good enough to win here. He will be ridden by Anna Narpravnik and will carry 118 pounds.

Finally, we come to the longshot, Mobeetie. A son of Sky Mesa out of the Danzig mare Ashley's Crown, he has only raced once, winning a maiden claiming race at Fair Grounds on January 1st. It was an excellent performance. Going six furlongs, he rated just off the pace despite being bumped at the start and drew off to a 2 1/4 length victory. Although this will be his first race at a route distance, he is eligible to improve second time out and could run much better than expected. He was purchased for only $4,000 as a yearling. Trained by Eric Heitzman, he will be ridden by J. Campbell and will carry 116 pounds.

Here are my selections. . .

1 Justin Philip
2 Pants On Fire
3 Wilkinson
4 Mobeetie
5 Action Ready

It's a fascinating race to handicap. I found it very hard to decide between between Pants On Fire and Justin Philip. The latter has an obvious "home court advantage", as he has raced over the Fair Grounds main track and has been training there since early December. On the other hand, Pants On Fire has shown himself to be a very fine colt with some good natural speed. In the end, I decided to go with Justin Philip, due to his experience over the track and the addition of blinkers.

OTHER RACES OF NOTE

There isn't a whole lot of top three-year-old action going on this weekend, but there are several quality horses running in a variety of stakes races across the country.

One race which may yield a major impact is the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. The ninth race on the card, the one-mile turf event for three-year-old fillies has drawn Kathmanblu, impressive winner of the Golden Rod Stakes in November at Churchill Downs. That race was on dirt, but Kathmanblu has also shown great talent on turf, winning the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes and finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. II). Nina Fever may prove to be her toughest competition. Although she is coming off of a poor performance in the grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes, she has shown good speed in the past on a variety of surfaces and should be right in the mix here tomorrow. She is also coming off of a pair of good workouts.

Then there is the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds. The fillies’ equivalent of the LeComte, it has drawn a field of eight evenly-match fillies, led by Aide. She hasn't raced since finishing fourth in the Golden Rod Stakes behind Kathmanblu. It wasn't a fabulous performance, but prior to that race she had won a mile and a sixteenth allowance race at Churchill Downs by nearly 19 3/4 lengths. If she runs that well tomorrow, she should win the Silverbulletday.

Of course, if Aide doesn't run back to that effort, then Bouquet Booth will be right there in the stretch to take over. She has raced four times, winning her last two and never finishing worse than third. In her most recent race, she won the $500,000 Delta Downs Princess Stakes (gr. III) with a strong late run. I feel that she is just as good as Aide and is more than capable of winning this race.

This brings us to the Groovy Stakes at Sam Houston, a seven-furlong event for three-year-old Texas-breds. The morning line favorite in the field of twelve is Aces N Kings, a fine gelding who won his first five races, including a trio of stakes races. However, he has not had good luck lately, finishing second in the Sunday Silence Stakes; failing to finish the Delte Downs Jackpot Stakes, and coming home third in the Springboard Mile. On the other hand, he is taking a step down in class and should have every opportunity to win the race.

On a side note, Ron the Greek, winner of the 2010 LeComte Stakes, is in the eighth race at Gulfstream Park. He is the morning line second choice in a one-mile allowance optional claiming race. It will be his first start since the Louisiana Derby last year. Be sure to watch!

Enjoy the races!

-Keelerman