Sunday, January 18, 2015 RACE 1: 7 WILDCATPLEASURES is turning back to 7 furlongs on the dirt after showing speed and fading vs. $30,000 ‘2-lifetime’ claimers going a mile on the GP West turf. Trainer Jorge Navarro, 24% with the surface switch, has Jose Lezcano named to ride. 5 ELUSIVE BLUEBOY, a winner of 3 of 10 career races, is dropping to the $25,000 conditioned claiming level on the dirt after proving no match for the competition in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Canterbury going 5 furlongs on the turf; Edgar Prado rides. 3 ALFREDO ROMANA will try conditioned claimers in S Fla after shipping from Laurel to Tampa and finishing a 4-wide 5th vs. $32,000 optional claimers. The winner of 3 of 9 career starts (9-3-1-2) fits beautifully with this level of competition. SELECTIONS: 7-5-3 RACE 2: 6 FOREVER FOR ALWAYS is stepping up to the next logical level after rallying 5-wide to defeat $20,000 maidens going a mile here on the grass. Trainer Jena Antonucci has Edgard Zayas going for two in a row. 9 PRINCESS ROMANA will try ‘nonwinners of 2-lifetime’ claimers after following a 6th place finish behind Forever for Always on Dec 11th with a $20,000 maiden score going 7 ½ furlongs last out. 10 CHICA CHAPINA is turning back to a mile after rallying late to finish a respectable 4th vs. this caliber of competition going a mile and a sixteenth. SELECTIONS: 6-9-10 RACE 3: 4 PIRATES VOW, a winner of 3 of 5 turf sprints vs this caliber of competition during 2014, drops after rushing up to stalk the pace and fading from contention in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Canterbury. Trainer Jorge Navarro has Rafael Hernandez atop the White Wabbit Wacing gelding. 1 CIELO CLASSIC should be primed and ready to offer a winning performance after shipping in from the Midwest to finish 3rd – beaten 2 lengths – going 5 furlongs on the grass, despite the fact that he had to alter course twice. 5 CATALACTIC is dropping to the $20,000 level, and turning back to 5 furlongs after tracking the pace and finishing 6th vs. $25,000 optional claimers going 7 ½ furlongs. Trainer Marcus Vitali has Javier Castellano in the saddle. SELECTIONS: 4-1-5 RACE 4: 6 SYLVIASGIVENANGEL moved to the Rowan Dixon via the claim after coming within a nose – as the favorite – of defeating $6,250 “3-lifetime’ claimers at the distance. 8 RUN GIA RUN is dropping into this $6,250 conditioned claimer on the dirt after facing tougher in 7 consecutive races on the turf. Trainer Kirk Ziadie, a whopping 8 for 15 (53%) with the grass to dirt angle, has Edgard Zayas at the controls. 5 LADYFROMHAVANA is stretching out to a mile after stalking the pace and hitting the board in 2 of 3 recent sprints vs similar opposition. Trainer Larry Pilotti has apprentice Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle. SELECTIONS: 6-8-5 RACE 5: 2 FANTASMAGORICO is making his first start since encountering trouble at the start (bumped), chasing the pace, and weakening to finish 4th vs multiple winners in a $6,250 claimer at GP West on Nov 15th. Trainer Efren Loza Jr. is 31% with the 61-180 days layoff. 12 LITTLE BAKER is stepping up to the next level after dueling early, getting the lead, then holding on to defeat $6,250 ‘2-lifetime’ claimers at the distance. Trainer Carlo Vaccarezza has Luis Saez handling the outside post. 7 BIG GRANDPA moved to the Kirk Ziadie barn via the claim after facing tougher during his summer/fall campaign on the local scene. Trainer Ziadie, 38% with the 61-180 days layoff, has Edgard Zayas at the helm. SELECTIONS: 2-12-7 RACE 6: 12 PEARL OF A GIRL is plunging to the $6,250 level after facing considerably tougher, with some success (6-2-2-0), during 2014. The big concern is the demanding outside post (12). 5 JESSIE CAN MAMBO is dropping to the $6,250 level on the dirt after knocking heads with tougher in 7 consecutive turf races. The mare, 7-2-1-1 on a fast main track, has Edgard Zayas handling the surface switch. 9 SKIPPY IS BACK is a stalk/close type of runner that ‘hit’ the board’ in 9 of 13 races last year, thus earning her a spot on the exacta and trifecta ticket. SELECTIONS: 12-5-9 RACE 7: 7 CONFRONTATIONAL is stretching out to a mile and a sixteenth after a promising 7-furlong career debut at GP West in which she recovered from a slow start to come within a nose of exiting the maiden ranks at first asking. Trainer Pletcher, 25% with the stretchout move, has John Velazquez named to ride. 6 SWEET CORINE, a half-sister $1.6 million dollar earner Verrazano, and a full sister to Grade 2 winner El Padrino, is making her first trip around 2 turns after finishing a workman-like fifth in the 6 ½-furlong career debut at Aqueduct on Nov 29th. Trainer Shug McGaughey has her training forwardly for her 3-yearold debut. 2 MISS PINK DIVA is returning to the dirt after following a 2nd place finish going a mile on the Churchill main track with a fast closing 3rd going a mile on the local turf. Trainer Buff Bradley adds second-time blinkers for the surface switch. Crown Tiara. Trainer Mike Pino has Joe Bravo handling the inside speed. 10 STARSHIP SHAWTY, who does her best running in the latter stages of the race, can reap the spoils if Issheit gets hounded on or near the lead. 11 SUMMERTIME MUSIC is stretching out to a mile and a sixteenth after returning from an extended layoff to set the pace and get tired late when finishing 3rd vs similar going 7 ½ furlongs. The proverbial screws should be tightened in her 2nd start back from a 3 ½-month layoff. SELECTIONS: 1-10-11 RACE 10: 8 I AM NOW is stepping up, and turning back, after encountering trouble at the ¼-pole and finishing 2nd – beaten a length – vs $35,000 optional claimers going a mile and three-sixteenths. Trainer Todd Pletcher has John Velazquez atop the daughter of Tiznow. 5 ARTEMIS will tussle with allowance level competition on the grass after facing graded stakes competition in California during 2014. Chad Brown, who takes over the training, has the daughter of Empire Maker training consistently on the Palm Meadows turf. 3 MARKET MAGIC is expected to show more after returning from the 10-month layoff, breaking from the tough Post 13, and finishing a late running fifth. Trainer Bill Mott, 36% with the 2nd start after longer than 180 days layoff, has Jose Lezcano in the saddle again. SELECTIONS: 7-6-2 SELECTIONS: 8-5-3 RACE 8: 9 GIANT CRYSTAL, a half to Wood Memorial winner Gemologist, is stretching out to 9 furlongs after a strong late rally produced a 3rd place finish – beaten a neck – in her local turf debut at a mile and a sixteenth. 5 BUGLE is another stretching out to a mile and an eighth after just getting nipped at the wire going a mile and a sixteenth here last out. Trainer Eddie Kenneally has Corey Lanerie returning on the $400,000 daughter of War Front. 6 COVER UP will be treated with Lasix after ending her freshman season with a 4th place finish going a mile and a sixteenth on the Aqueduct turf. Trainer Shug McGaughey, 23% with first-time Lasix, has Javier Castellano atop the Phipps Stable homebred daughter of Tapit. RACE 11: 9 AMAZON KING is turning back to 7 ½ furlongs after surrendering the lead to finish 4th in his local turf debut vs this level of competition going a mile. Trainer Chad Brown is 23% with the 2nd start after a 45-180 days layoff. 7 STRIKE EM DOWN will race with blinkers off after breaking from Post 10, tracking the pace, and finishing an even 5th vs maiden special weight competition going a mile and a sixteenth. Trainer Greg Sacco has Rafael Hernandez in the saddle. 2 FLASH TRADING is a $170,000 son of Broke Vow debuting in this $75,000 maiden test for trainer Chad Brown, who is 21% with his first-time starters. The colt starts his campaign with Lasix, and John Velazquez in the saddle. SELECTIONS: 9-5-6 SELECTIONS: 9-7-2 RACE 9: 1 ISSHEIT, a speedy 7-year-old daughter of Crimson Classic, is dropping to the $20,000 level , and moving to the rail, after tracking the pace and faltering vs tougher in the mile and a sixteenth $125,000 Claiming BEST BET: RACE 10 – 8 I AM NOW LONGSHOT: RACE 11 – 10 MR MONEYPANTS
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