Ground Transport romps in Fair Grounds allowance race

Even-money favorite Ground Transport turned in an eye-catching rally to win a one-mile and seventy-yard allowance race at Fair Grounds this afternoon by about three lengths.

With jockey Mark Guidry aboard, Ground Transport settled back into third during the early stages of the race, about three lengths four lengths behind the front-running pair of Winning Note and Free World. Carson's Crown was tucked in along the rail in fourth, followed closely by Whiskey Bravo and Hawaakom.

Following fractions of :23.90, :48.76, and 1:13.94, Free World moved up to take over the lead from Winning Note, but he in turn was quickly passed by Grand Transport, who rallied quickly down the center of the racetrack to seize command of the race. He continued to extend his lead with every stride toward the wire, which he reached in the quick time of 1:43.46 seconds.

Free World held second by a large margin over Carson's Crown, while Winning Note, Hawaakom, and Whiskey Bravo completed the order of finish.

The winner is a son of Big Brown out of Extry, by Broad Brush. He is trained by Mark Stidham and owned by Jeffrey Yingling, Martin Nixon, Frank Calabrese, and Marrette Farrell.

-Keelerman

Triple Crown Countdown 2-9-13

This weekend is a bit light in terms of Kentucky Derby prep races -- actually, there are no official preps on the agenda -- so instead of simply focusing on the day's best races, we shall begin today's Triple Crown Countdown with a quick look at the first Kentucky Derby future wager pool, which opened yesterday.

My first thought upon seeing the odds was that there are several severe overlays. Imagine this -- there are twenty-four betting interests. Fully eleven of them -- Capo Bastone, Code West, Delhomme, Den's Legacy, Dynamic Sky, Falling Sky, Frac Daddy, Mylute, Super Ninety Nine, Vyjack, and Will Take Charge -- are 99-1 or higher, and a twelfth -- Uncaptured -- currently sits at 96-1.

In my opinion, the best value in the pool is Code West. What's not to like? He's trained by Bob Baffert. He has a strong mile-and-a-quarter pedigree. He just finished second in a strong allowance race at Santa Anita Park, earning a Beyer speed figure of 94. In contrast, that is a higher figure than anything Flashback (20-1), Oxbow (48-1), and Violence (9-1) have earned. Furthermore, Code West is bound for a graded stakes race next time out, and a victory -- which is certainly not out of the question -- would drastically lower his odds in future wager pool #2.

Capo Bastone, Dynamic Sky, Frac Daddy, and Super Ninety Nine also look like exceptional values. The latter colt earned a Beyer of 100 when defeating Code West in that recent allowance race, and that 100 is among the highest figures earned by a member of this three-year-old crop. And Frac Daddy -- wasn't he on everyone's Derby lists prior to his defeat in the Holy Bull? If you're willing to forgive his poor effort, which was surely the result of a hoof injury suffered early in the race, then I think now would be the time to lock in a great price.

Another colt that looks a bit high-priced to me is Holy Bull winner Itsmyluckyday, who currently sits at 20-1. In contrast, Shanghai Bobby -- whom he defeated in the Holy Bull -- is 9-1. Assuming Itsmyluckyday wins the Florida Derby, or even finishes a close second, he'll likely be a lot lower than 20-1 on Derby day.

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A couple of other things to add before we move on to handicapping today's races… First off, it has been confirmed that Uncaptured, who has been dealing with hoof issues since his victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) last November, is pointing toward a start in either the Spiral Stakes (gr. III) or the Rushaway Stakes on March 23rd. He still isn't back on the work tab, but it shouldn't be long now before he turns in his first breeze of the year.

Also, Titletown Five, who broke his maiden in spectacular fashion for trainer D. Wayne Lukas last October, turned in his second breeze of the year this morning when he traversed a half-mile in :48.20 at Oaklawn Park. It was the second-fastest of sixty-two such morning works, signaling that the colt could be back to the races within the next month or so.

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Time to start handicapping! We'll begin with the Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel, the only stakes for three-year-old colts scheduled for this afternoon.

Miracle Wood Stakes

8 furlongs on the Laurel Park main track

As I write this, two of the eight entrants have been scratched, leaving a field of just six to contest the $125,000 stakes.

Heavily favored on the morning line at 7-5 is Vegas No Show, winner of the Dover Stakes and runner-up in the Nashua Stakes (gr. II) last year. However, his two most recent efforts have been below par for him -- a 28 1/2-length defeat in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) was followed by a 5 3/4-length loss in the Jerome Stakes (gr. II). On the other hand, his last two workouts have been very sharp, including a bullet five-furlong breeze, and he looks poised to turn in a much-improved performance.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot has plenty of experience, having raced ten times as a juvenile, and enters this race off of a runner-up effort to the well-regarded Ore Pass in the Frank Whitely, Jr. Stakes here at Laurel. Previously, he had won the Maryland Juvenile Championship Stakes -- also at Laurel -- with a powerful late rally. Expect to see him rallying fast in the homestretch.

Dynamic Strike, a well-bred son of Smart Strike, has won two consecutive races at a mile in sharp fashion, but is taking a fairly substantial step up in class and will have to be sharp to beat the two favorites. Where's Dominic has won two of his three starts sprinting, but is now stretching beyond six furlongs for the first time. Lunar Rock has finished first, second, or third in nine of his ten starts, but has been beaten soundly by Alpha Mike Foxtrot in his last two starts. Rounding out the field is Yougotthatgoinforu, who wired a one-mile allowance race in December at Penn National. Obviously, he does possess some tactical speed, but this is a much tougher field than the ones he's been facing at Penn National, and he appears to be in a bit deep here.

Selections: Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Vegas No Show, Lunar Rock

Other Races of Note

At Fair Grounds . . .

Race 7: Hard to say if any Triple Crown candidates will emerge from this 8.5-furlong maiden special weight on the turf, but I'll be watching nonetheless to see if Hansen's full brother Gunderson can finally break his maiden. He lost his first two starts by a combined 30 1/2 lengths, but flashed much better form last time out to be beaten just 2 1/4 lengths on the main track here at Fair Grounds. Perhaps he won't win, but he has the speed to be a contender from the start.

Race 10: This six-furlong allowance optional claiming race marks the return of Carson's Crown, a debut winner that hasn't run since finishing a troubled second in the Hollywood Juvenile Championships Stakes (gr. III) last July. Formerly trained by John Sadler, he will make his debut for Michael Stidham in this race. Favorite Uncle, third to Malibu High in a similar event to this one in December; sharp maiden claiming winner Take It Like a Man; and the experienced Tap and Trade are other well-regarded entrants.

At Gulfstream Park . . .

Race 5: Forget the wonderful quartet of graded stakes races later on the card! The highlight of the day for the Triple Crown-obsessed is the 6-1/2 furlong allowance optional claiming race that has drawn such promising names as Little Distorted (3rd in Spectacular Bid Stakes, beat Revolutionary in debut), Declan's Warrior (1st in debut at Belmont; unraced since), Park City (Pletcher-trained maiden winner at Saratoga; unraced since); John Gordon (5th in Sanford for Dale Romans; unraced since); Almost English (5th in Gulfstream Park Derby); and Jay Eye See (7th to Majestic Hussar and Palace Malice in recent allowance; previously broke maiden by daylight.)

Race 6: Todd Pletcher has the favorite in this mile and a sixteenth maiden special weight, the colt in question being Tapulous. A son of (who else!) Tapit, the colt has only run once, finishing a so-so fourth in a six-furlong maiden special weight here at Gulfstream last month. Given that he flashed some good speed that day, I would think that Tapulous will have a good shot at stretching out and stealing this race on the front end. Wabbajack, third to Looking Cool and Doherty in a recent maiden special weight; Dyker Beach, beaten a half-length in a race similar to this one last month; the consistent O T B Bob; and the promising Chad Brown-trainee Saint Vigeur are the other main contenders, the latter colt looking especially strong.

Race 7: Todd Pletcher also has the favorite in this race, a 1 1/16th miles allowance race on the turf. His runner here is Jack Milton, who was highly impressive breaking his maiden under these same conditions last month. The possessor of an exceptional turn-of-foot, Jack Milton looks tough to beat in this spot. The speedy Play It Loud; the stakes-placed Newfound Zapper, and the well-bred stretch-out sprinter Sayaad are the other logical contenders.

At Santa Anita . . .

Race 7: Nine three-year-old colts have been entered in this six-furlong maiden special weight, with the morning line favorite being Bob Baffert's first-timer starter Zee Bros. A son of Brother Derek out of the Montbrook mare Nyanza -- a very different pedigree, don't you agree? -- Zee Bros has been training up a storm for months, and looks ready to win. To be perfectly honest, I think he may launch himself on to everyone's Derby lists tomorrow. Other notable entrants include Bench Press, third to the promising Cabello Del Cielo in a recent maiden special weight; Joelito, unraced since finishing second by a neck to Den's Legacy in a maiden race at Del Mar last summer; and Salutos Amigos, fourth to Let Em Shine sprinting six furlongs on January 19th.

-Keelerman

SCHERER MAGIC WINS THE HOLLYWOOD JUVENILE CHAMPIONSHIP STAKES!

Scherer Magic, stepping up in class off of a victory in a maiden claiming event, rallied fast on the outside to pull a mild upset in the $150,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (gr. III) this afternoon at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Ridden to victory by Joseph Talamo, Scherer Magic was content to settle in fourth early on as Amarish and Strong Wind dueled through a blazing opening quarter mile in :21.81 while seconds while leading the remainder of the field by a substantial margin. Confederate Recon was racing in third, while Carson's Crown, Just Call Me Al, and Dirty Swagg were the early trailers.

Following a half-mile in :45.70 seconds, Amarish and Strong Wind were still on the front end, but their early exertions left them with nothing in the tank for the stretch run. This enabled Scherer Magic to rally past them both on the far outside en route to a convincing 2 1/2-length victory, stopping the clock for six furlongs in 1:11.67.

Carson's Crown rallied to finish second, followed by Just Call Me Al, Strong Wind, Confederate Recon, Amarish, and Dirty Swagg. The winner is trained by John Sadler and owned by Gary and Cecil Barber.

-Keelerman

Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $150,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (gr. III), to be run on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park. The six-furlong race for two-year-olds has drawn a field of seven lightly-raced juveniles, led by the undefeated stakes winner Amarish, the promising Carson's Crown, and the impressive Strong Wind.

1 Dirty Swagg
2 Confederate Recon
3 Carson's Crown
4 Just Call Me Al
5 Scherer Magic
6 Amarish
7 Strong Wind

-Keelerman