Lemon Drop Husker
01-10-2015, 11:12 AM
13 horses will go to the gate in this 1 1/16th mile G2 turf race. Will Za Approval romp and outclass his competition in here?
:11: Za Approval will likely be the post time favorite, and why not? This graded stakes veteran recently had a strong 2nd in the G2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar and has been training well coming into this one. The class of the field.
:3: Mshawish is a steadily improving 5YO and may be just coming into his prime winning 2 of his last 3. His win on 12/13 in the $100K El Prado at this track was visually impressive as he blew away from the field down the lane. Pletcher and Castellano are nice connections to have as well. Tough to keep out of exotics.
:12: Mutin just won an $80K OC at Aqueduct on the lawn at the 1 1/16th mile distance in his first American start after coming from across the pond. I'm still having a hard time overlooking his extremely uncompetitive races in his 4 races prior to that effort. I see this guy as likely being overbet due to the Ortiz and McLaughlin connections.
:2: Lochte is a very interesting entry. Bocachica is a better jockey than his current numbers suggest, and he has an extreme amount of experience riding this 5YO Medaglio D'Oro son. Lochte has never finished outside of the trifecta at Gulfstream and has 4 wins in 5 tries at the track and is 3 for 5 at the distance. A dangerous entry that may well be overlooked.
:9: Mucho Mas Macho is the 2013 champion of this race. However, since that race things haven't gone too well as he is 0 for 9 since that win. His most recent effort shows he could be on the upswing, and at a ML of 20/1 he is an appetizing long shot that has back class and success to show he is good enough to beat these on his best day.
:6: Mosler is where I'll be landing in this race. This lightly raced $1 million War Front son will be trying the grass for the first time while also stepping up in class to face his toughest competition to date. The biggest concern here is not only the uptick in competition, but the size of the field. Mosler has mainly ran in 6, 7, and 8 horse fields and when entered in an 11 horse field he gave forth his worst performance to date finishing dead last. Looking for the masterful veteran John Velazquez to handle this guy well and guide him to his first graded stakes win.
OTHERS: :4: Howe Great is a graded stakes veteran and has the ability to surprise. Recent form suggests him to finish well back however. :5: Fredericksburg is an intriguing long shot in here. Tough to look past his last one out after the layoff though. :7: Grand Tito looks to be an exotics play only, if at all. His 3rd place finish in his last out was his best effort in a while and still wasn't good enough in G3 company. :1: Silver Freak ships in and does get Leparoux in the irons, but looks to be short of many others in here while making a major class jump. He could be dangerous if he is let loose on the lead, and has won a number of races by significant daylight.
WP: :6:
EX: :2::6:/:2::3::6:
TRI: :2::6:/:2::3::6:/:2::3::5::6::7::9::11:
:11: Za Approval will likely be the post time favorite, and why not? This graded stakes veteran recently had a strong 2nd in the G2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar and has been training well coming into this one. The class of the field.
:3: Mshawish is a steadily improving 5YO and may be just coming into his prime winning 2 of his last 3. His win on 12/13 in the $100K El Prado at this track was visually impressive as he blew away from the field down the lane. Pletcher and Castellano are nice connections to have as well. Tough to keep out of exotics.
:12: Mutin just won an $80K OC at Aqueduct on the lawn at the 1 1/16th mile distance in his first American start after coming from across the pond. I'm still having a hard time overlooking his extremely uncompetitive races in his 4 races prior to that effort. I see this guy as likely being overbet due to the Ortiz and McLaughlin connections.
:2: Lochte is a very interesting entry. Bocachica is a better jockey than his current numbers suggest, and he has an extreme amount of experience riding this 5YO Medaglio D'Oro son. Lochte has never finished outside of the trifecta at Gulfstream and has 4 wins in 5 tries at the track and is 3 for 5 at the distance. A dangerous entry that may well be overlooked.
:9: Mucho Mas Macho is the 2013 champion of this race. However, since that race things haven't gone too well as he is 0 for 9 since that win. His most recent effort shows he could be on the upswing, and at a ML of 20/1 he is an appetizing long shot that has back class and success to show he is good enough to beat these on his best day.
:6: Mosler is where I'll be landing in this race. This lightly raced $1 million War Front son will be trying the grass for the first time while also stepping up in class to face his toughest competition to date. The biggest concern here is not only the uptick in competition, but the size of the field. Mosler has mainly ran in 6, 7, and 8 horse fields and when entered in an 11 horse field he gave forth his worst performance to date finishing dead last. Looking for the masterful veteran John Velazquez to handle this guy well and guide him to his first graded stakes win.
OTHERS: :4: Howe Great is a graded stakes veteran and has the ability to surprise. Recent form suggests him to finish well back however. :5: Fredericksburg is an intriguing long shot in here. Tough to look past his last one out after the layoff though. :7: Grand Tito looks to be an exotics play only, if at all. His 3rd place finish in his last out was his best effort in a while and still wasn't good enough in G3 company. :1: Silver Freak ships in and does get Leparoux in the irons, but looks to be short of many others in here while making a major class jump. He could be dangerous if he is let loose on the lead, and has won a number of races by significant daylight.
WP: :6:
EX: :2::6:/:2::3::6:
TRI: :2::6:/:2::3::6:/:2::3::5::6::7::9::11: