Rick Lee’s Oaklawn Park selections and analysis
FIRST POST — 1:30 P.M.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS 4-9 (44.4 percent) MEET 87-245 (35.6 percent)
LEE’S LOCK Stealth Drone in the fourth BEST BET Pure Shot in the eighth LONG SHOT Gotta Curlin in the seventh *educated guess
**things to like
***plenty to like
**** confident choice
1 Purse $25,000, 1 mile, 3-year-olds and up who have never won two races, claiming $20,000
**MISTER HENRY LEE was forwardly placed in a pair of fourth-place finishes against better in New York. He has worked fast and often since moving into the barn of high-percentage trainer Brad Cox. SUPREME VENTURE was a troubled fourth in a useful sprint tune-up. He owns the field’s fastest Beyer figures and was claimed last time out by a sharp stable. TELLING YOU
TWICE easily defeated maiden-claimers on a muddy track in his local debut, and trainer Norman McKnight is very good with his claims.
2 Purse $20,000, 5½ furlongs, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $8,000 ***KING OF ANYTHING raced well against much better in five races last season, and he is taking a significant drop after a deceptive 4-length defeat. He was scratched Feb. 19 in favor of this spot. MUCHO MACHO DAN lost a late lead in an improved third-place finish. He is back at the same claiming price, and he does possess better early speed than he has shown of late. GOOGLEADO has recorded two useful sprint races at the meeting, and he is likely to move up on a wet track.
3 Purse $79,000, 1 mile, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, allowance
**ACUMEN has shown early speed in three competitive sprint races at the meeting. She has proven wet-track ability and has done her best running around two turns. FETCH’S MON proved stubborn on the lead in a maiden sprint victory, and two sharp recent wet-track workouts suggest she is eligible to show more. KAUAI NANA defeated conditioned-claimers by 5-widening lengths in a sprint tune-up, which earned the field’s fastest Beyer figure.
4 Purse $42,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $30,000
**** STEALTH DRONE won consecutive races in Southern California before a tough-luck defeat in her Oaklawn debut, and she is dropping in class for top connections. She figures to lead this field past every pole. DAWNMINO was beaten only 2 lengths in her first start away from Woodbine. She is dropping in class and appears a major player. ENCHANTING EMBRACE continues up the class ladder after back-to-back victories, which have both been recorded over a wet track.
5 Purse $21,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $12,500 **CAPTAIN CHAOS rallied to second in his first start after a lengthy layoff. The beaten posttime favorite is taking a slight drop in class and switches to the leading rider. TIZ FUNNY has not raced since October, but he has a series of bullet works, and he fired well when fresh last spring at Churchill. TARPYS ZIP weakened inside the final furlong in an improved front-running effort Feb. 15. He has winning connections and may be sitting on a peak race in the third start of his form cycle.
6 Purse $78,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight ***ONE RIVER PLACE has shown excellent speed in two competitive races at Fair Grounds. He picks up a Hall of Fame rider and is strictly the one to catch. GETTING EVEN showed improved early speed in a clear runner-up finish, and the steadily improving 3-year-old is a must use. MATCH PLAY has not raced since being a beaten post-time favorite in his career debut 15 months back at Del Mar, and he appears ready after a series of swift works in New Orleans.
7 Purse $23,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up who have never won two races, claiming $16,000
**GOTTA CURLIN finished third in an unusually fast $30K conditioned-claimer on opening weekend. He is back sprinting and dropping in price. Moreover, he may be best on a wet track. CASINO STAR has been on the sidelines since 2016, but he may have a talent advantage and recent works in Houston appear sharp. MUTAJADED appears to be the controlling speed, and he is another with proven wet-track ability.
8 Purse $79,000, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds, allowance optional claiming ***PURE SHOT broke his maiden at first asking last summer at Saratoga, and he defeated three next-out winners, including multiple-graded stakes winner Avery Island. TURNER TIME defeated $50,000 maiden-claimers by nearly 6 lengths in a sharp career debut victory at Fair Grounds, and trainer Brad Cox is spotting horses where they can win. BEST OF GREELEY has earned competitive Beyer figures in two local races, and he is switching from an apprentice to a Hall of Fame rider in Gary Stevens.
9 Purse $20,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $10,000 **B DUBYA has finished third best in three of his last five races while competing at a higher maiden classification, and he is moving from an extreme outside to inside post position. TO THE KING was a clear second in a similar field of maiden-claimers Feb. 18. He handles a wet track and may be going best inside the final furlong. JACOB ROCKS has the field’s fastest Beyer figures, and he owns 12 in-the-money finishes. He is winless in 32 races, and one must conclude he lacks a willingness to win.