Free Selections / Saturday / 3-1-2014

Saturday is an excellent opportunity to get your bankroll in order. If you think about it, can you name a time when there isn’t a good time to win? We can’t either! But with only 17 days left until spring, Derby fever is starting to hit the racing world in full effect. So let’s started, and sink our teeth into some solid racing action!

 

Aqueduct

The weather forecast calls for 39 degrees and partly cloudy.

 

Race #4 – The (G-3) Tom Fool – 6f – 1:52 pm ET

#4 – Dads Caps (7-2) – Cornelio Velasquez (18%) in the irons for Rudy Rodriguez (27%). They are winning at (22%), and make the second off the shelf effort with this son of Discreet Cat. He is 4/4 ITM at Aqueduct, and the barn comes back to win (26%) with beaten favorites. He established a nice lead, and just got bested by #2 – Candyman E. – This should be a solid effort as he tries to turn the tables on the “Candyman.”

 

Race #8 – The (G-2_ Top Flight Handicap – 1 1/16 – 3:48 pm ET

#2 – Teen Pauline (9-5) – Irad Ortiz (20%) in the driver’s seat for Todd Pletcher (24%). They are rolling to the winner’s circle together at a (21%) clip. This daughter of Tapit is 2/2 with wins at the ” Big A,” and she cuts back in distance off an impressive score by 10 lengths. Last year #4 – Summer Applause won this race, but she may need one as her last race was the Breeders’ Cup F&M Sprint. She is as a closer with Jose Ortiz in the saddle, but I think she may come up short against his brother’s mount who will dictate the pace.

 

Race #9 – The (G-3) Gotham Stakes – 1 1/16 – 4:17 pm ET

#10 – Harpoon (10-1) – Irad Ortiz teams up with Todd Pletcher, and they bring a three-year-old son of Tapit to post. He was a $500,000 sales purchase, and is 5/5 ITM lifetime. For his 2014 debut, he came flying in the Sam F. Davis, but was all over the course not getting a smooth trip. He looked like a winner at the 70 yard mark, but was four-wide down the lane getting a tough trip. After his Tampa trip, he went back to Palm Meadows to get a couple nice works, and his last was a bullet (47.4). He’s been bet heavily each start, and look back when he hooked an ultra-tough Cairo Prince where he finished a beaten chalk. He is showing a whole new dimension, and has settled down a bit to learn the skill of rating.

 

Gulfstream Park

The weather forecast calls for 81 degrees and sunny.

 

Race #8 – O.C. $100,000 N3X – 1 1/16 on the turf – 4:39 pm ET

#15 – Lochte – (5-2) – Orlando Bocachica in the irons for Marcus Vitali, and they bring this son of Medaglia d’ Oro back to race (hopefully). He is one monster of a runner, and won impressively last out. He is 4/4 ITM at GP, and drops back in class. He worked a bullet after his last win, and the barn scores at (24%) off a last race win. His biggest challenge is drawing into the race, and if he does you could expect another big run down the lane.

 

Race #9 – The (G-2) Swale Stakes – 7f – 5:10 pm ET

#1 – Havana (9-5) – John Velasquez in the saddle for Todd Pletcher (30%), and they have been winning together so long its tough to count. This son of Dunkirk has been working at Palm Meadows, and his skills have sharpened as he cuts back in distance and draws the rail with a quick turn of foot. He’s going to have company, and I look for the Pletcher charge to mature and hopefully stalk a bit if needed.

 

Race #10 – The (G-3) Palm Beach – 1 1/8 on the turf – 5:41 pm ET

#4 -Plueven (5-1) – Joe Bravo gets the nod from Chad Brown (22%). This son of Turtle Beach is getting second time lasix (31%), and came running late in the lane in the (G-3) Dania Beach. He hasn’t raced in two months, and has been working at Palm Meadows. The barn has been 3/6 ITM the last two weeks, and gets an extra 1/8th of a mile to run. Brown wins (28%) with runners coming off a rest, and after coming over from Longchamp it may take a race or two to get acclimated to the states. This may be his coming out party at a square price.