February 2012

The Saturday program begins slowly with regards to wagering value but picks up steam midway. The opener is a restricted (nw-2) $25,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares and should boil down to #2 Ziva and #5 Big Tsimmis. The former is making just her third career start so improvement is likely, and the Owens-trained filly will offer strong inside speed, while the latter should draft into a second flight, stalking position and have every chance to wear down the front runners late.

The Thursday program begins with a below average maiden sprint down the hill for fillies and mares. #4 Elusive Cookies (winless in eight starts) looks like the best of the known element, while #6 Afleet Slew has trained well enough to score at first asking but comes from a stable that doesn’t have a reputation for winning with debut runners. Of the two we’d probably prefer the newcomer but this is hardly any kind of prime play.

The Sunday opener is a middle distance mid-grade claimer for fillies and mares and in a small field the favorites seem logical. #4 R Vicarious Girl is an old pro in the Mitchell barn dropping two levels in class in her second start off a layoff and clearly looks like the controlling speed. She’s back on the main track while retaining Garcia and has a nice easy breeze since her last race.

An excellent 10-race Saturday program begins with a bottom rung maiden claimer for fillies and mares at one mile. There’s not much to work with here, but rest assured better opportunities are available later on. #2 Golden Nip is slow on numbers but comes off a decent runner up try at the level and looks pretty solid, though she’s 8/5 on the morning line and offers no value at that price. #7 Plazarita was overmatched vs. straight maidens recently but has back numbers that make her a threat and retains bug boy Flores. She could be a late threat in a weak affair.