Santa Anita Starts the Fall Meet With A "Maddy"-ing Tough Stakes

With the change in the season to fall, the Southern California circuit returns to the Great Race Place at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. This year marks the first time in 43 years that the fall racing is not run by the Oak Tree Racing Association. Santa Anita has taken the dates from them after evicting them two years ago. Opening weekend will offer seven graded stakes spread over the three days, including five grade ones. The traditional commemorative stein given away has been replaced on the calendar by an ever popular food truck festival in the infield. With all of the changes about, the stakes schedule starts off in the same way it had in recent years, with a turf sprint. The Grade 3 race figures to produce multiple starters for the Breeders' Cup. Here is some thoughts about the first stake of the Santa Anita Fall meet.

The opening day feature is the Grade 3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares three year old and up going about six and a half furlongs down the hillside turf course. The defending champion is back in Unzip Me. This Cal-bred daughter of City Zip returns to defend her crown off a fine win at Del Mar. She is five for seven (with a second) down the hill in her career. She hopes to use this race as a springboard to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint like last year, where she finished third. Her regular jockey Rafael Bejarano will be in the irons. While breaking from the inside posts is normally not ideal, the small field makes it less likely to have its normal negative effect.

The likely second choice figures to be blog favorite Tanda (right). This daughter of Sweetsouthernsaint finally broke her five-race losing streak in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap last time out, getting her first win of 2011. She moved into the Mike Mitchell barn prior to the win, and her new regular rider is Joe Talamo. It pained this blog to miss the win, but glad she made it to winner's circle.She will break to the outside of Unzip Me, hoping to get a nice stalking trip off of her. She has worked well since the win, finishing off her preparations with a bullet 5 furlong drill across town. She has a 4-2-1-0 record lifetime over this unique course. Her goal this year is the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on the main track at seven furlongs. Under the allowance conditions of this race, she gives three lbs. to Unzip Me.

The other entrants are Separate Forest, who beat the top two back in April in the Grade 3 Las Cienagas; Broken Forest & Givine, who have traded decisions with each other and Separate Forest (All 3 finished behind Unzip Me in the Daisycutter last time out); and Waveline.

This race is the first of many Breeders' Cup preps at Santa Anita the next two weekends. This season is filled with hope from all the divisions. Who will go on to glory? Can Tanda avenge her loss from April? Will Unzip Me continue her winning ways all the way to Louisville? We shall see. Good luck everybody!

Ten's Top T-breds - An Explanation

Today's post is a bit of a departure from the normal fare, as it is not talking about one specific race or topic, but a look inward at explaining one of the things about this blog. On the left side of this blog, beneath the TBA widgets is a sidebar know as Ten's Top T-Breds. This is a list of this blog's favorite horses currently in training around the nation. Some of these horses this blog has never seen before in person, others he has watched since the beginning of their careers. There is no set rhyme or reason why any of these horses ended up on this list, but they all have a spot in this blog's heart. There was just a moment in which this blog and the horse just clicked at some point, usually (but not always) early on in their career. Now the TTT-Bred list shows only five horses currently right now, but there are actually nine on that list. The reason only five are shown at one time is that listing nine ended up looking too cluttered to be effective. The horses are rotated in depending on whether they are starting soon or not. Only two horses have permanent spots on the list, Tanda and Premier Pegasus. Here are the nine horses, along with a quick bio of each.

Tanda [right](Sweetsouthernsaint - Docs Stormy Girl) is a four year old filly in the Dan Hendricks barn here in Southern California. This blog first joined the bandwagon after a nice allowance win in March of 2010 after first seeing her in her maiden win in the opening weeks of the Santa Anita meet. She then went on to win two Grade 3 races in the Santa Paula and Railbird Stakes before her 2010 year ended with a troubled third in the Grade 1 Acorn. She has made three starts this year, most recently a third in the Redondo Beach Stakes. She is pointing to the Grade 2 A Gleam Handicap at Hollywood Park this weekend.

Flat Out (Flatter - Cresta Lil) is a five year old horse in the Charles "Scooter" Dickey barn in Kentucky. This blog "clicked" with him after his maiden win at the Fair Grounds in December 2009. He went on to win the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park before finishing off the board in two stakes along the Derby trail. He was off the track from the 2009 Arkansas Derby to December 2010, when he won an allowance race at the Fair Grounds. This was followed by another layoff until a 2nd in the Lone Star Park Handicap on Memorial Day. After a dull effort in the Stephen Foster, he bounced back with a superb win in the Suburban Handicap. He is pointing to either the Iselin Handicap or the Woodward Stakes.

Premier Pegasus [right] (Fusaichi Pegasus - Street Hero) is a three year old colt in the M.K. Cho barn here in Southern California. He is 4-for-5 lifetime, with his only loss being a 3rd to the Factor in the San Vicente Stakes. His biggest win came in his most recent race, when he decimated the field in the San Felipe Stakes. Unfortunately, he was forced to the sidelines after that race due to an injury. He is due to return to training in a couple of weeks.

William's Kitten (Kitten's Joy - Blush) is a four year old colt in the Michael Maker barn. He (along with with the now retired multiple grade 1 winning & former inaugural TTT-bred Blame) caught the eye with his devastating win on the 2009 Super Derby undercard. After two so-so efforts over synthetics, he ran second to the eventual Kentucky Derby winner in the KJC. He started 2010 strong with a third in the Holy Bull, but was derailed with an injury that sideline him for a year. He has not shown the same spark this year, but this blog still cheers for him.

Wasted Tears (Najran - Wishes and Roses) is a six year old mare bred, owned and trained by Bart Evans. She caught the eye first in the 2010 Grade 3 Honey Fox, when this blog picked her to win even though she was a speed horse breaking from post 13 (She won). This blog has a soft spot for speed horses who have "come and catch me" speed AND tenacity in a stretch duel. She finished off the board in her last start attempting to stretch her speed 9.5 f in the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap. The connections are hoping to get her a grade 1 win, so if they do not head back to Del Mar to defend her title in the Mabee, maybe the Grade 1 Diana on 7/30 is the next target?

Might (Arch - Liable) is the full sister to 2010 BC Classic and Champion Older Male Blame. She is in the same barn and owned by the same people as Blame. She has been a TTT since the beginning of her career due to whom her brother is, but she has kept her place after some good efforts, including a nice win on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. She has not worked since an off-the-board finish in the Dogwood Stakes last month.

Chosen Miracle (Ghostzapper - Royally Chosen) is a three year old colt who is the newest addition to TTT. This blog talked about him before his off the board finish in the Iowa Derby last month. There are rumors he is coming to the West Coast and Del Mar for the Oceanside Stakes next week.

Beyond Loaded [right] (Lindsey's Roberto - Ready and Willing; 8yo) and Capt. Sparrow (General Meeting - J. T.'s Pirate; 7yo) are the last two horses on the TTT. Both are older Cal-bred lower-level claimers who have been around a long time on the Southern California circuits. Both broke their maiden in their respective debuts, paying boxcars, and have slid down the ranks over the years.. They are the kind of horse who are the lunch pail, hard hat, grinding type of claiming horses that make up the backbone of the game.

So there are the horses who make up the roster of Ten Top T-Breds. The love never stops for these fine animals nor any of the other runners. Good luck out there folks.

Santa Anita Derby Undercard Stakes Thoughts

Santa Anita Day brings together a solid card of action in support of the big race. Three graded stakes will help enhance the big day. First, older female sprinters will go down the hill in the Las Cienegas Handicap. Then older males go a mile on the grass in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes. Then three year old filles will go a mile and an eighth on the grass in the Grade 2 Providencia Stakes. Throw in the appearance of First Dude in allowance race (finally!) and this card lends good support to a big day. Let's start with the Las Cienegas Handicap.

This Grade 3 race down the hillside turf course marks the 2011 return of blog favorite Tanda, who has not raced since her trouble-filled third in the 2010 Grade 1 Acorn Stakes. She is two-for-three down the hill, with her only loss coming when she finished second to Rose Catherine, who would go on to be the second betting choice in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Tanda struggled to shake a foot bruise this winter, which cause her to miss the Grade 1's La Brea Stakes and Santa Monica Stakes earlier in the meet. She is over the issue, and has been working regularly towards this race. She may not be fully cranked, as this could be a prep race for something down the road, such as the Grade 1 Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard. But the favorite will be Unzip Me. This daughter of City Zip owns this turf course, with 5 wins in 6 races, with her only lose the being her first race down the hill. She has been undefeated against females in her last 11 starts, with her only two losses being against males. She already won two stakes down the hill this meet. Her success causes her to tote 127 lbs. today, 8 more than Tanda and 10-12 more than the rest of her competitors. She figures to be right upfront, and will try to continue her winning ways. These two tower over the field, and figure to dominate the wagering.

The next stake is Grade 2 Arcadia. Caracortado (right) will be the favorite to once again hold off Jeranimo, who he has bested twice this meet. "Scarface" is coming off a narrow defeat in the G1 Kilroe Mile last out. He seems to have maintained his fitness. He figures to rally from off the pace. Jeranimo will try once again to turn the tables on him. He worked well in the interim, and reunites with top jock Rafael Bejarano (who was on the winner in the Kilroe). Both will have to catch Liberian Freighter, who figures to get an easy lead. He threw in a clunker last time against the top two, but maybe was a little too fresh off the 3 month layoff. He comes back with three steady works, and should be able to control the tempo on the front end. He is a dangerous threat to wire this field.

The last undercard stake is the Grade 2 Providencia Stakes. These three year old fillies go a mile an one-eighth, a distance no one in the field has gone. Five of the 9 entrants begin their career across the pond in Europe. The favorite will be Cambina. This diminutive filly with the powerful kick won the last two stakes for this group, the Grade 3 La Habra and the China Doll Stakes. She blasts from the back of the pack, and her two works in the interim shows she has not lost a step. So Belle ran a good race in her first race in the U.S. last out, finishing second. Her pedigree suggests that the added distance will not be a problem. She figures to stalk a solid past in her 2nd start in the states. An interesting longshot is Hard To Resist (right). This daughter of Johannesburg rolled from the back of the pack into a slow pace to break her maiden last time out. She has maintained her good form since, and keeps leading rider Joel Rosario in the irons.

So there are some thoughts on the Santa Anita Derby undercard stakes. These races provide some good support to the feature. Can Tanda return to form off the layoff? Can Jeranimo finally turn the tables on Caracortado? Can Cambina keep it rolling? We shall see. Good luck everybody.

Hollywood Park meet wrap-up - Who will win the Vicy?

Another Hollywood Park Spring/Summer meet has come to a close. There were some great things (the Vanity, the concerts) and not-so-great things (large drops in handle and attendance). This post will be honoring some of the events that happened at the meet by awarding them the "Vicys", named in honor of track announcer Vic Stauffer. These awards will cover people, horses and other things that happened at Hollywood Park the last three months. Some of the awards have nominees, while others were a unanimous vote from the group of voters, which consisted of me, myself and I. (Haha)

The first Vicy goes to the jockey who gave the best ride of the meet. The nominees are:

David Flores on Awesome Gem - G1 Hollywood Gold Cup (Race 8 - July 10th)
Christian Santiago-Reyes - G2 Jim Murray Handicap (Race 8 - May 15th)
Alex Solis on Tanda - G3 Railbird Stakes (Race 7 - May 9th)

The winner is....
Alex Solis


Alex takes advantage of a tepid first quarter and an opening on the rail to take control of the race, going to the lead and never looking back. She would hold off Switch, who would come out of the race to defeat multiple Grade 1 winner Blind Luck in the Hollywood Oaks. Tanda would go onto run third in the G1 Acorn on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

The next Vicy is for the most questionable ride of the meet. This award has only one nominee, as the voting was unanimous. The winner is Rafael Bejarano for his ride on Rail Trip in the Hollywood Gold Cup. He chose to rate off of a glacially slow pace, leaving himself parked wide the entire race. This cost him the victory when Awesome Gem grinded his way to victory along the rail, leaving Rail Tip to finish second.


Next up is the Perfect Rail Trip award. This for the horse who got a dream run through on the rail. The voting was unanimous for this one (but a bit suprising, due to its recency) as last weekend's Grade 2 A Gleam Handicap provided it.


Sweet August Moon made her way from the outside to the rail, then sat just behind the pacesetters. As the race worked its way through the turn, Sweet August Moon shot through the gap at the rail and worked her way to victory. This was her first victory in 15 months, with that coming in the G3 Las Flores Handicap.

Next up is the what i like to call the "bye-bye" award (or the "FU" award). This goes to the horse who won in gate-to-wire fashion, with them never being challenged and/or blowing the doors off their competition.
The nominees are:
Acclamation in the Grade II Jim Murray Handicap(Race 8 - May 15th)
Acclamation in the Grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (Race 10 - June 5th)
Marlang in the Grade 3 Sunset Handicap (Race 9 - July 18th)
Ruination in an Cal-bred allowance/optional claiming race (Race 7 - April 23rd)

The winner is:
Acclamation for his win in the Jim Murray!


This 7 1/2 length win set a new Stakes record for the largest margin of victory. Acclamation would go on to win the Whittingham, then falter badly in the United Nations at Monmouth over the 4th of July weekend. Hopefully he will be rested and pointed to Del Mar Handicap at the end of August. Acclamation also wins the Vicy for best male.

Next up is for big disappointment of the meet. This award is shared among the following: the total decline in average handle from last meet (down 10%) and a decline in average attendance (Also down 10%). Special acknowledgment goes to the crowd sizes for the Vanity and the Hollywood Gold Cup, which were very underwhelming. Less than 13,000 for Zenyatta is just sad. Seeing most of the apron empty on Hollywood Gold Cup day was heartbreaking. Hopefully something can be done to staunch the bleeding from the crowd size, and soon.

Next up is Race of the meet, and with a unanimous (and roaring) victory, the winner is the Vanity Handicap, featuring Zenyatta's thrilling victory.


With this victory, Zenyatta remains undefeated for her career of 17 races. Her next race has yet to be determined. Zenyatta also wins the award for best female and best horse in a dramatic role.

Now we come down to the big award of the evening, Horse of the Meet:

The Nominees are (in alphabetical order):
Acclamation
E Z Gentlemen (who the won Vicy for best sprinter)
Rail Trip
Sangaree
Zenyatta

and the winner is.....

ACCLAMATION!. In a bit of an upset, Acclamation wins Horse of the Meet. His two graded stakes victories, including the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, were done in such fine fashion that even though personally he has cost me a lot of money at the windows these last 13 months, his performances were strong enough to win the Vicy for Horse of the Meet. The Cal-bred son of Unusual Heat won both of his stakes in front-running fashion for trainer Donald Warren and owners the Johnstons, for which Acclamation is a home-bred.

So there you are, the Vicys are awarded, the meet is done and now southern California racing moves its way down the 5 freeway to Del Mar. Hopefully the new meet will bring out some fresh blood, as the stars of tomorrow may debut in any number of the loaded two-year old maiden races and the large crowds come out to watch can stay a little longer down the road.

Tanda Loses - Blame to Follow?

Many big races were ran and big events occurred last weekend, and the same will happen this weekend. Last weekend, the horse racing world was turned to Belmont Park as Drosselmeyer ground his way to a victory in the Belmont, Winchester shocked in the Manhattan and the chalk prevailed in the Just a Game and Woody Stephens, with Proviso and D'funnybone prevailing, respectively. This weekend, both of last year's Horse of the Year finalists run in separate races. The winner, Rachel Alexandra, tries to get back on the winning trail in the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis. Out west, the runner-up Zenyatta tries to keep her unblemished record spotless in the Vanity. But this blog has two favorites that we shall be discussing. First, we will recap the Acorn, with this blog's favorite filly Tanda. Then we shall preview the Stephen Foster Handicap, with this blog's choice to win the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic Blame in the field.


The Acorn was a strangely run race, as the expected speed duel did not materialize. Instead, Champagne D'oro was able to cross and clear from the outside. She set a good, but not taxing, pace and was able to go gate to wire. Amen Hallelujah sat behind horses swung out turning for home but could not get by the winner and finished second. Our girl Tanda finished a gutsy third, considering all she had go against her. First, before the race even started, jockey Alex Solis was forced to the hospital due to high blood pressure. He turned out to be fine, and he rode the following day, guiding his mount Mandurah to a new world record for a mile on the grass at Monmouth Park. Mike Smith took over on Tanda, which this blog took as a harbinger of things to come.



The race itself was an ordeal as well. When the gate opened, Tanda broke a touch slow, though she had the chance to stay on the rail and move up to about 4th, the trip that #3 Dances with Ashley got. Instead, Mike decides to drop her back to last. This ends up costing her valuable ground the rest of the way, as she end up going 8-wide by the top of the lane. She valiantly tries to get be the leaders, but just cannot overcome her trip. Now, is Smith at fault? At first i thought so, but i will not hold a snap-decision over him when he had at most an hour to get to know Tanda. This blog just chalks it up to bad racing luck and will move on. We will celebrate that Tanda is now Grade 1 placed, which is a plus to her connections when it comes time to breed her.

Now we leave the past and look to the future, this Saturday's Grade 1 Stephen Foster. This well-matched field of 11 will be going a mile and eighth on the main track. Battle Plan was installed as the 5/2 morning line favorite. This royally bred son of Belmont winner Empire Maker out of the great mare Flanders. A lightly raced 5-year-old, he has quickly risen through the ranks, topping out a successful winter by winning the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap. He comes in off a brief freshening and will be winging on the front end. He looks to be the main threat to Blame.

But of course, this blog's pick is Blame. This son of Arch facilely disposed of his competition in his last start 4 weeks ago, the Donald Schaefer. He has had 2 good works in the interim, with a bullet 5 furlong drill on Sunday. Garrett Gomez stays on him, forgoing mounts at the rich Monmouth meet for this race. Blame did get a little bit of a bad break by drawing the outside post #11 for the race. But this blog feels that will not be much of a hindrance. While he was installed as the 3-1 2nd choice on the morning line, many believe he will go off favored. With his partiality toward the Churchill Downs main track, his nice works since the win and the fear of a "bounce" lessened by the lack of effort it took him to win last time out, the blog backs with him confidence.

Others who could contend in this race are (in no particular order) Duke of Mischief, who won the Oaklawn Handicap last out but has been known to throw in a clunker now and then. General Quarters, who won the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve last time out and is looking to join Lava Man as the only horse to win a Grade 1 on all three surfaces (dirt, turf, synthetic). Arson Squad won the Alysheba on the Kentucky Oaks undercard here and looks for his third straight victory. Macho Again will all but forgotten in this race tomorrow, but he is the defending champion and will valiantly try to defend the title.

With all the great racing across the country, and with most of the sport's stars running this weekend, you have zero excuse not to watch, wager and (hopefully) win!

Belmont Stakes Undercard Selections - It's Tanda Time!

Saturday brings a collection of graded stakes to fill out the undercard of the Belmont Stakes. This stakes run the gamut from 6 furlongs on the dirt to a mile and 1/4 on the turf. With this card, the end of the Triple Crown trail come about. It has a trail full of joy, pain and frustration. Let us go out with a victory!

Last blog, I wrote out my Belmont thoughts and selections here. Now, here are the other five stakes on the card, plus some thoughts on how to attack the $1,000,000 guaranteed pools. Let's start with the smallest field of the pick 6 and the 1st stake on the card.

Race 6 - Grade 2 Woody Stephens S. - 7 furlongs

This is a compact field of 5 that goes today. #1 Eightyfiveinafifty looks to be the quickest of the quick in here, but can he handle the pace pressure. #3 Discreetly Mine has a fair amount of speed, but might attempt to track just off of 85ina50. #5 D'funnybone is the selection because he will be just off the pace, harassing the leaders and then drawing clear late. The only horse i could see shocking the field is #4 Thank U Philippe. He will attempt to close into the expected fast pace, but he must answer the class question once again under new jock Garrett Gomez.

Selections:
#5 D'Funnybone
#4 Thank U Philippe
#1 Eightyfiveinafifty

Race 7 - Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes - 1 mile (turf)

This field of 6, with 5 betting interests, has a strong favorite in #5 Proviso. Last out she beat males in the grade 1 Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. But this blog likes the chances of two horses, both who are the part of the same entry, to pull the upset. #1 Cherokee Queen & #1a Speak East Gal ship up from South Florida for trainer Marty Wolfson. CQ will be sitting 3-4 lengths behind her stablemate, hoping to improve 2nd off the brief freshening after her win last time out. SEG appears to have a chance to steal this race gate to wire and at worse gives her stablemate a target to run at.

Selections:
#1 Cherokee Queen / #1a Speak Easy Gal
#5 Proviso

Race 8 - Grade 2 True North Handicap - 6 furlongs
This blog was thrown for a loop this morning as the top selection, Custom for Carlos, was scratched moments before this blog went to post. This race has become an admitted scramble to us, and will probably force the hand in the multi-race exotics to be rather aggressive in the later races. #10 Gato Go Win tries dirt once again after two failed attempts. But this blog is willing to give him another chance due to the fact that the circumstances surrounding his two dirt starts probably hurt his chances. First, he was forced to audible into the Derby Trial after being scratched the morning of the Bay Shore due to his previous trainer's actions in the detention barn. Then, while being off for two months, he underwent a trainer change and then ran, in which something happened because he was off for 7 months after that. Now at 4, he has ran twice, has found a new rating gear and just missed out in the Grade 2 Portero Grande Hcp. last time out. Freshened, has been working well and drags Mike Smith across the country to ride him are all the reason this blog needs to see. #7 Elusive Warning ran well last time out at Delaware, gets his preferred distance of 6 furlongs and looks to try graded stakes company again. He brings a bullet drill in tow from the last work and looks to strike from just off the pace. Others with a shot are #3 Bribon, cutting back from his usual distance of a mile, #5 Snapshot, looking to improve 2nd off the layoff and #8 Checklist, who looks to wire this field.

Selections:
#10 Gato Go Win
#7 Elusive Warning

Race 9 - Grade 1 Acorn S. - One Mile

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that I have been waiting, wanting, begging and pleading for #2 Tanda to run in this spot. Well, the adage be careful what you wish for rings true, as this is a tough field of 12 she has to contend with. Since Tanda's last win in the Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park, she has worked well with the same 3 work pattern before her last start. She should have no problem with distance or the surface, but she does face some problems breaking from down on the inside. If she can overcome that and this cast, like I thing she will, she will get her picture taken. Three horses are the main danger. #8 Much Rejoicing is a lightly raced filly, with only two starts to he credit. Both were winning efforts, the works are steady and she retains jockey Alan Garcia. #6 Amen Hallelujah is cutting back in distance from her two failed attempts to go 1m & 1/8th. She get back to a better distance, looks to have bounced back okay with those works and picks up top jockey Ramon Dominguez, with Julien Leparoux on the sidelines with an injury. #5 Streaker is another who is lightly raced. She has a win over the track, is well-bred (a half to Pine Island) and appears to have a load of ability. It is rare for a Phipps Stable/McGaughey horse to win 1st time out, so the fact that she did proves she could be a star in the making. A horse she defeated two-back, Acting Happy, came back to win the Grade 1 Black-Eyed Susan.

Selections:
#2 Tanda
#8 Much Rejoicing
#6 Amen Hallelujah
#5 Streaker

Race 10 - Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap - 1m & 1/4 (turf)
Last year's winner #1 Gio Ponti has returned from a good effort in Dubai to defend his crown. He has only worked twice since and this blog think he is a use on the tickets, but just barely. The top choice is #3 Pinckney Hill. This son of A.P Indy should sit just off the pace on the stretchout. He lost to horse-for-course Mambo Meister last time out in the Grade 3 Miami Mile, but that may have been at a less than optimum distance. PH has worked will in the interim ans is trained by the always dangerous Angel Penna. #2 Strike A Deal and #9 Just As Well are tow horses that this blog has a tendency to mix up. Both this veteran turf horses are coming into this race off finishing 1st & 2nd, respectively, in the Grade 2 Dixie last time out. SaD looks to move up off a top effort. He can stalk or be on the lead, but one wonders how much last time out took out of him. JaW comes into the race third off the layoff and looks primed for a good effort. He picks up jockey Kent Desormeaux with regular rider Leparoux on the sidelines. Other to consider are #8 Grand Couturier, #11 Expansion and the aforementioned #1 Gio Ponti, if only on back class alone.

Selections:
#3 Pinckney Hill
#9 Just As Well
#2 Strike A Deal


To see the Belmont thoughts, click here.

This blog has been thrown for a loop with the scratch of Custom for Carlos, so the only suggestion i can make (besides singling Tanda) in the multi-race exotics is to take a stand on the horse you like the most and the horse you think will offer the most value. For this blog, that would be singling Pinckney Hill along with Tanda in the Pick 4. However, don't force the single. While i like the entry to pull the upset in the Just A Game, i wouldn't force the single there just so I can get beat by a favorite that i respect immensely.

So with that, i wish you all good luck, good betting and hopefully there will be a glory walk to the IRS window in your future.

Tan-da! Tan-da! Tan-da!

This weekend we witnessed another sterling performance by the best three year old filly no one knows about: Tanda. She won the Grade 3 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park on Sunday. While she was the high weight of 121 and the morning line 5-2 favorite, she ended up going off as the 2-1 second choice in a field of 9, holding off 9-5 post time favorite Switch down the lane by a measured half length.



This daughter of Sweetsouthernsaint, out of the Dr. Caton mare Doc's Stormy Girl, has put together a 3 race winning streak, and has a lifetime record of 6-4-1-0 under trainer Dan Hendricks. She started this streak by winning a race on March 5th at Santa Anita going down the hillside turf course. She then stepped up to graded stakes company in the Grade 3 Santa Paula Stakes on March 28th on the Pro-Ride going 6 1/2 furlongs. Sitting off a hot pace, she won going away as the 5.90-1 longest shot on the board in the field of 5.



The sky may be the limit for Tanda. With Alex Solis willing to travel back across the country form his new base in Kentucky for her, she clearly is well thought of by the connections. She is so well thought of that she is being considered for the Grade 1 Acorn on June 5th, on the Belmont Stakes undercard. Wherever the #3 filly in the country (in this blog's opinion before today's events and certainly still after) goes to, we hope that you will pay a bit more attention to this possible future star in the making.