Mike Dempsey

Here is today's opening race from Aqueduct to get our day off to a good start:

AQU Race 1 Clm $25,000 (12:30 ET)

#1 Dublinsky / #1a Reptilian Smarts 2/1
#3 Stungbythestorm 5/2
#2 O'Kid / #2b Check It Twice 3/1
#7 East End Tap 5/1

Analysis: Dutrow sends out an entry here and they both look capable of winning here. #1 Dublinksy went gate to wire to beat Alw-3 optional claimers last out at Laurel Park off a seven week break. Third in the Hill Prince (G3) last year, the colt has been facing tougher and has landed in the exacta in 8 of his 13 career starts. This is his first go on the inner. His entrymate #1a Reptilian Smarts loves the winner surface, having won 7 of 12 career starts here. Last out against Alw-2 optional claimers the six year old was not much of a threat in a fourth place finish, catching an inside speed favoring racing strip. This guy reeled off five straight wins on the inner last season and looks well spotted here showing up tagged for $25K.
#3 Stungbythestorm is perfect in two trips on the inner, beating $7.5K and $12.5K claimers. He takes another step up in class and looks sharp enough to be competitive at this level. The Asmussen barn has been on fire at the meeting, hitting at a 43% clip.

Wagering

WIN: #1 to win at 8/5 or better.
EX: 1,3 / 1,2,3,7
TRI: 1,3 / 1,2,3,7 / 1,2,3,5,7

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:

AQU Race 4 Dearly Precious S. (1:55 ET)

#3 Wild News 4/1
#4 Gator Prowl 7/2
#2 Fuzzy Britches 5/2
#7 Judge Sonya 5/1


Analysis: #3 Wild News prompted the early pace from the outside and weakened to finish fourth last out in the Ruthless in her three-year-old debut. She looked very sharp picking up her diploma two back in her second career start. Two she beat that day came back to graduate in their next starts. The blinkers go on here and she owns solid early pace numbers and with the hood added looks like she may be the one to catch here.
#4 Gator Prowl ships in from Maryland for the Salzman barn. The filly went gate to wire to beat Alw-1 optional claimers last out at Laurel Park in a game effort. She has won 4 of 7 in her career with two of her losses coming in stakes company. She owns the top last out speed fig and comes back with just a two week break. If the NY bettors don't give the shipper respect perhaps her price will drift up a point or two, which would make her more attractive.

Wagering

WIN: #3 to win at 5/2 or better.
EX: 3,4 / 2,3,4,7
TRI: 3,4 / 2,3,4,7 / 2,3,4,5,7

Live Longshots:

These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Aqueduct

R5: #2 Bad Debt 8/1
R5: #3 Mischiefonmymind 8/1
R6: #4 News Source 20/1
R8: #5 Burning Calories 8/1
R10: #10 Siren’s Call 10/1

Good luck today!

Aqueduct Sunday

4th (1:55)
Dearly Precious S.

6 Furlongs | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $65,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Sweet Venom Hill C Contessa Gary C 116 L 15-1
2 2 Fuzzy Britches Dominguez R A Dutrow, Jr. R E 118 L 5-2
3 3 Wild News Cohen D Parisella John 116 Blk-On L 4-1
4 4 Gator Prowl Vega H Salzman, Jr. John E 118 L 7-2
5 5 Indian Burn Migliore R Hertler John O 122 L 9-2
6 6 Bellflower Napravnik A R Houghton T Bernard 118 L 10-1
7 7 Judge Sonya Lopez C C Perkins Ben W Jr 118 L 5-1

Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (4-6), Daily Double Wagers

Brian Blessing's Pick's 3-4-2

Wild news adds blinkers off a race that saw her forced to race wide. She should secure excellent position early and be a major player throughout this dash.

Gulfstream Park Sunday

8th (4:43)
1 Mile | Fillies and Mares | 4 Year Olds And Up Allowance Optional Claiming ($62,500) | Purse: $51,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Suz Slew Velazquez J R Romans Dale 120 L 12-1
2 2 Black Russian Lopez P Gulyas Peter 122 $62,500 L 6-1
3 3 Persistently Garcia Alan McGaughey III C R 122 L 5-1
4 4 Qualia Maragh R Ribaudo Robert J 120 L 5-2
5 5 Glotona Cruz M R Duco Luis 120 $62,500 L 20-1
6 6 Sheikh's Serenade Castro E Mott William I 120 L 7-2
7 7 Dangerous Diva Lezcano J Matz Michael R 120 L 4-1
8 8 Sweetsouthernqueen Prado E S Blengs Vincent L 120 $62,500 L 6-1

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / 10 Cent Superfecta / Daily Double (Races 8&9) Bet 3 (Races 8-9-10)

Battagliaspicks 3-4-7

#3 Persistently- is easily the class of this field. She broke her maiden in her second start then finished second in the grade I Matron and Frizette before finishing 5th to champion Stardom Bound in the Breeders Cup. She came here and was easily best winning by 7 going a mile and should romp over this field again today.

Santa Anita

7th (3:37)
About 6 1/2 Furlongs (Downhill turf) | Open | 4 Year Olds Claiming ($50,000 - $40,000) | Purse: $38,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Leedstheway Baze T C Mullins Jeff 121 $50,000 L 12-1
2 2 Achak (IRE) Solis A Puype Mike 121 $50,000 L 3-1
3 3 Lamm Gomez G K Mitchell Mike 121 $50,000 L 12-1
4 4 Captain Kali Valdez F S Mullins Jeff 117 $40,000 Blk-Off L 9-2
5 5 Rainbow Goose Rosario J Carava Jack 121 $50,000 L 5-2
6 6 Flashmans Papers (GB) Bejarano R Cecil B D A 121 $50,000 L 3-1
7 7 Brushburn Talamo J Knapp Steve 123 $50,000 L 12-1
8 8 Gotmymojoworkin Espinoza V Sadler John W 121 $50,000 L 10-1

$1 Exacta / $1 Trifecta $2 Rolling Double / $1 Pick Three (Races 7-8-9) $1 Superfecta (.10 Min.)

Battagliaspicks 6-2-5

#6 Flashmans Papers (GB)-had a little trouble handling the tricky down hill course but once he mastered it he showed his class. He keeps getting better and should repeat.

Courtesy of Ellis Starr

Santa Anita Race #8

#4 Striking Dancer - Fair odds 9/2
#1 Unrivaled Belle - Fair odds 9/2
#6 Pretty Katherine / #12 Spirit Seeker - Fair odds 5/1 (uncoupled entry)
#10 Miss Silver Brook - Fair odds 6/1
#8 Stardom Bound - Fair odds 6/1 (YES, 6 to 1)

Exactas: 1 over 4,6,8,10,12,13,14 and 4,6,8,10,12,13,14 over 1
#13 is Floating Heart, #14 is Pretty Unusual

In an amazingly deep 14 horse field, we’ll go six deep but key on Striking Dancer to post the upset for profit and key on Unrivaled Belle to be first or second as the exacta key.

Striking Dancer finished 2nd, beaten ¾ of a length, as a 2 year old in the Caressing Handicap in only the 4th start of her career, 2nd going long, after decimating a 12 horse field breaking her maiden by almost 6 lengths, beating Floating Heart and some other good fillies in the process. After a win on turf she failed in a stakes race then two later won as she pleased by 5 at 9 furlongs on turf, then ran poorly in grade 2. Rested 2 more months, Striking Dancer came back in a classified allowance race that just as easily could have been a stakes, for 4 year olds and upward, at a mile on turf, and in that race she was HOPELESSLY BLOCKED for 1/16 of a mile at the most critical stage of the race. She was eager and full of run and only 2 back at the 1/8 pole but had nowhere to run, and when finally angled out on the wire she GALLOPED OUT ON TOP. As a daughter of Smart Strike out of a Danehill mare she’s bred to excel at this distance on turf and with the same effort she would have put forth last out if allowed to run in this situation and with a clean trip, hopefully due to the jockey change to Solis, she can post the upset and make us a big profit on the day. Unrivaled Belle gets the ground saving rail and has done little wrong in 5 career start, never worse than 2nd in any of them including the Grade 1 Gazelle last November at this distance. Shipping from Florida and getting Desormeaux to ride, up for a win and 2 second place efforts, she should be right there at the wire today. Pretty Katherine and Spirit Seeker both come from the Hollendorfer barn, and as Jerry gets top jockey Rosario and Bejarano to ride we must take note. Pretty Katherine won when last seen over the track on 12/28 with a near stakes quality effort and could be ready for this level, while Spirit Seeker pressed the pace in the similar El Encino Stakes on 1/17 then tired, so with the jockey change to Bejarano a return to the off the pace tactics that resulted in her missing by a neck in a listed stakes before that is possible. Miss Silver Brook only won at the NW1X level last out as opposed to Pretty Katherine winning at the NW2X level but she earned a 102 figure that makes her appear competitive here with improvement, and with Gomez deciding to ride back for the red hot Julio Canani barn she’s yet another worth a look. Stardom Bound will be overbet once again and although she ran on nicely in the El Encino for 2nd she only earned a 98 figure, with her best career figure 105 winning the BC Juvenile Fillies in the fall of 2008, so even with the jockey change to Leparoux she appears to be only as good, not better than, any number of these and is a contender for any and all wagers we make involving this race, except perhaps win bets.