grandstander21
03-07-2015, 10:32 AM
Saturday Cross-Country Stakes Action Picks
Gotham-G3 (AQU)
This race draws the famed El Kabeir who was last seen finishing second to Far From Over in the Withers. He came out of that race fit and in shape. He is an obvious contender.
I like two of the three horses by T. Pletcher. Dontbetwithbruno ran well in the maiden-breaker February 1, and he seems to like the inner track. Blame Jim won by three lentghs in the debut at Saratoga and was put on a layoff. He came back to be runner-up in an first-level optional claimer at Gulfstream.
Classy Class looks ready to step up from that Withers loss after finishing a well-beaten third; earned a 91 Beyer.
I loved Lieutenant Colonel in his debut pulling a 10-1 upset. He's trained by Eclipse Award-winning Chad Brown. He looks ready for this kind of competition.
Selections: :4: :3: :1: :5:
Tampa Bay Derby-G2 (TAM)
In this event, Carpe Diem returns from off the layoff since November in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile when finishing second to Texas Red. He's won 2 of 3 career starts and has been training great for this.
The one-two finishers of the G3 Sam F. Davis Divining Rod and Ocean Knight return here. Both are coming out of that race sharp. Divining Rod was 28-1 in that race and set a slow pace in the early stages. In deep stretch, he was ran down and just beaten by Ocean Knight, who was the 8-5 favorite. Both of them have a chance to finish in the money, but they'll have to catch Carpe Diem.
Souper Colossal is entered in here. But he's also entered in the Swale at Gulfstream. It is unknown which race he'll be running in, but he looks good.
Selections: :3: :2: :1: , and :6: if he runs here.
Gulfstream Park Handicap-G2 (GP)
Honor Code is in okay form for this. He has not run since November but he was great as a two-year-old. His last race was when he won an second-level optional claimer at Aqueduct and earned a 106 Beyer. That was a solid performance coming off a layoff and should fire today.
Wicked Strong is a good horse. He was nice as a three-year-old having won the Wood Memorial and Jim Dandy. The KY Derby and Belmont S. were toug races for him. He was the victim of an incident in the Jockey Club Gold Cup where he clipped heels and lost rider Rajiv Maragh, but he returns here fit and ready.
Private Zone is a good sprinter but is proven at a mile. He was last seen having a five-length victory in the Cigar Mile, a day where the track was inside speed-favoring. He has some good races under his belt which can prove he's a logical contender.
Valid looks to be a dangerous horse in this spot having produced multiple triple-digit Beyers. He loves Gulfstream Park and the one mile distance. His last race was winning the G3 Fred Hooper by a neck.
Selections: :2: :5: :1: :6:
Santa Anita Handicap-G1 (SA)
This race doesn't look very interesting as most horses in here are below 10-1 on the morning line. Shared Belief and Moreno seem to be the two best horses in here.
Shared Belief. Awesome horse. No doubt about it. This tremendous four-year-old has won 9 of 10 starts and earned over $2.3 million. He ran down 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome in the San Antonio and can run well over this main track.
Moreno finished dead last in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a race with a relatively tough field. He was bumped hard coming out of the gate which could have hindered his chances. He has run some nice races, though. He was runner-up in both the Suburban and Woodward, and won the Whitney. He deserved consideration.
Bronzo doesn't look too bad. He finished fourth in the aformentioned San Antonio. The top three finishers are all great horses, especially Shared Belief who, unfortunately, Bronzo will have to face again today.
Selections: :5: :6: :11:
Gotham-G3 (AQU)
This race draws the famed El Kabeir who was last seen finishing second to Far From Over in the Withers. He came out of that race fit and in shape. He is an obvious contender.
I like two of the three horses by T. Pletcher. Dontbetwithbruno ran well in the maiden-breaker February 1, and he seems to like the inner track. Blame Jim won by three lentghs in the debut at Saratoga and was put on a layoff. He came back to be runner-up in an first-level optional claimer at Gulfstream.
Classy Class looks ready to step up from that Withers loss after finishing a well-beaten third; earned a 91 Beyer.
I loved Lieutenant Colonel in his debut pulling a 10-1 upset. He's trained by Eclipse Award-winning Chad Brown. He looks ready for this kind of competition.
Selections: :4: :3: :1: :5:
Tampa Bay Derby-G2 (TAM)
In this event, Carpe Diem returns from off the layoff since November in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile when finishing second to Texas Red. He's won 2 of 3 career starts and has been training great for this.
The one-two finishers of the G3 Sam F. Davis Divining Rod and Ocean Knight return here. Both are coming out of that race sharp. Divining Rod was 28-1 in that race and set a slow pace in the early stages. In deep stretch, he was ran down and just beaten by Ocean Knight, who was the 8-5 favorite. Both of them have a chance to finish in the money, but they'll have to catch Carpe Diem.
Souper Colossal is entered in here. But he's also entered in the Swale at Gulfstream. It is unknown which race he'll be running in, but he looks good.
Selections: :3: :2: :1: , and :6: if he runs here.
Gulfstream Park Handicap-G2 (GP)
Honor Code is in okay form for this. He has not run since November but he was great as a two-year-old. His last race was when he won an second-level optional claimer at Aqueduct and earned a 106 Beyer. That was a solid performance coming off a layoff and should fire today.
Wicked Strong is a good horse. He was nice as a three-year-old having won the Wood Memorial and Jim Dandy. The KY Derby and Belmont S. were toug races for him. He was the victim of an incident in the Jockey Club Gold Cup where he clipped heels and lost rider Rajiv Maragh, but he returns here fit and ready.
Private Zone is a good sprinter but is proven at a mile. He was last seen having a five-length victory in the Cigar Mile, a day where the track was inside speed-favoring. He has some good races under his belt which can prove he's a logical contender.
Valid looks to be a dangerous horse in this spot having produced multiple triple-digit Beyers. He loves Gulfstream Park and the one mile distance. His last race was winning the G3 Fred Hooper by a neck.
Selections: :2: :5: :1: :6:
Santa Anita Handicap-G1 (SA)
This race doesn't look very interesting as most horses in here are below 10-1 on the morning line. Shared Belief and Moreno seem to be the two best horses in here.
Shared Belief. Awesome horse. No doubt about it. This tremendous four-year-old has won 9 of 10 starts and earned over $2.3 million. He ran down 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome in the San Antonio and can run well over this main track.
Moreno finished dead last in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a race with a relatively tough field. He was bumped hard coming out of the gate which could have hindered his chances. He has run some nice races, though. He was runner-up in both the Suburban and Woodward, and won the Whitney. He deserved consideration.
Bronzo doesn't look too bad. He finished fourth in the aformentioned San Antonio. The top three finishers are all great horses, especially Shared Belief who, unfortunately, Bronzo will have to face again today.
Selections: :5: :6: :11: