Rick Lee’s Oaklawn selections and analysis
FIRST POST — 12:30 P.M.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS 4-9 (44.4%) MEET 115-396 (29.1%)
LEE’S LOCK Music Mistress in the eighth BEST BET Sir Otto in the sixth
LONG SHOT Accelerating Babe in the fifth
CONFIDENCE RATINGS
**** confident choice ***plenty to like
**things to like
*educated guess
1 Purse $115,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds and up, maiden special weight
MOUNT CRAIG*** was caught inside the final furlong in a clear runner-up effort in his 2024 debut, and notice the winner (Ben Franklin) won an allowance race last Sunday. MACKMAN rallied to third in a useful sprint tuneup at Fair Grounds, and he picks up leading rider Cristian Torres. CROSSING was forwardly placed when finishing just one position behind the top selection, and he carries less weight with an apprentice rider aboard.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 8 Mount Craig Vazquez Moquett 9-5 4 Mackman Torres Compton 3-1 3 Crossing Bealmear Lauer 9-2 6 Relampago Verde Landeros McPeek 6-1 2 Charleston Bejarano Fires 6-1 5 Brio Hernandez Medina 10-1 7 First of His Name Santana Brisset 12-1 1 Rocket Night Asmussen Lukas 15-1
2 Purse $30,000, 6 furlongs, 4-yearolds and up which have never won three races, claiming $7,500
FORSAKEN** defeated $20,000 conditioned claimers only two races back, and he is dropping to the lowest price of his career and figures to be close to the early lead. COMMUNICATION MEMO is a consistent finisher who has competitive Beyer figures, and he is another dropping to the lowest claiming price of his career. SPEITFUL SAM finished second in a slightly better field two races back, and he returns to the sprint game after a front-running route against better.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 9 Forsaken Bealmear Hartman 5-2 4 Communication Memo Vazquez Martin 9-5 1 Speitful Sam Bejarano Robertson 9-2 10 Invariably Pusac Rufino 6-1 7 Mister Sharpie Castillo Jordan 8-1 5 Aspen Club Bowen Hewitt 12-1 6 Warhorse West De La Cruz Rone 20-1 3 Easy Big Boy Anderson Hewitt 20-1 2 Reup Harr Cline 20-1 8 Rosie’s Boy Bailey McBride 30-1
3 Purse $30,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $12,500
ART QUEEN **** has been racing competitively and earning the field’s fastest Beyer figures, and she was claimed by a winning stable and switches to the leading rider. DANCE MY WAY finished second when dropping to this level March 1, and the 5-year-old mare has a versatile running style. PLEASINGLY led until the final furlong in a competitive third-place finish, and she looms a wire-to-wire threat with a clean break.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
5 Art Queen Torres Broberg 7-5
6 Dance My Way Bowen Puhl 3-1
8 Pleasingly Barbosa Moquett 5-2
4 Petit Jean Bealmear Jackson 10-1 3 Graceful Moon Harr Cline 15-1 9 Texas Sequoia Court Soto 15-1 1a Ready for Wine Zimmerman Martin 15-1 1 Sugar Coated Castillo Martin 15-1 7 First Class Girl Quinonez Prather 20-1 2 Sky Raven HTorres Espinoza 30-1
4 Purse $68,000, 1 1/16 miles, 4-year-olds and up, claiming $50,000
SAQEEL** has moved to the strong barn of trainer Mike Maker following two disappointing wet track races, and a return to his 2023 form will make him tough to beat. EXPENSIVE CUT has finished in the money in three consecutive races at today’s distance, and he has route speed and winning connections. RUNWAY MAGIC has competed at a higher level in his past two at Fair Grounds, and he has speed and picks up the leading rider. PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 1 Saqeel Vazquez Maker 3-1 4 Expensive Cut Bejarano Morse 7-2 6 Runway Magic Torres Sharp 9-2 7 Huge Bigly Chuan Shorter 4-1 3 Camp David Santana Maker 6-1 5 Uninvited Guest Hernandez Hartman 6-1 8 Roman Centurian Barbosa Shorter 10-1 2 Catdaddy Fuentes Petalino 20-1
5 Purse $38,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up which have never won two races, claiming $24,000
ACCELERATING BABE** set a fast and pressured early pace in a clear maiden victory last month, and note the secondand third-place finishers came back to win their next races. TOFFEE defeated maiden allowance rivals only two races back at Fair Grounds, and she is taking a significant drop after a poor effort on a sloppy surface. LAURA BRANIGAN finished a close second in her first local start at this same condition, and she was claimed by a stable that wins right back with their purchases.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 10 Accelerating Babe Hernandez Cravens 12-1 7 Toffee Torres Diodoro 3-1 1 Laura Branigan Barbosa Contreras 7-2 2 Shesasmalltowngirl Vazquez Sharp 8-1 3 Sugar Mamas Cakery Santana Asmussen 5-1 4 Lil Town Sis Asmussen Asmussen 4-1 8 Greek Heiress Landeros Schultz 10-1 9 Subway Susie Fletcher Murphy 15-1 5 Quiero Dinero Bowen Martin 15-1 6 Harmonica Bejarano Mason 20-1
6 Purse $38,000, 6 furlongs, 3-yearolds, maiden claiming $30,000
SIR OTTO **** contested a rapid pace before tiring in a deceptive seventh-place debut, and the beaten post-time favorite is dropping into a maiden claiming race and should lead past every pole. ROCKETEIGHTYEIGHT earned the field’s fastest Beyer figure in a third-place finish in December, and he returns sprinting after tiring over a muddy track in a two-turn race. PATRIOT HILLS is cutting back to a sprint following two useful front-running route races at a higher class level.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 2 Sir Otto Asmussen Asmussen 8-5 4 Rocketeightyeight Bejarano Mott 7-2 6 Patriot Hills Torres Diodoro 5-2 8 Mirage Vazquez Martin 12-1 9 This Time Blue Barbosa Hartman 12-1 3 Thanks Frank Fuentes Von Hemel 12-1 5 Quebrancho Bowen Puhich 15-1 1 Cisco Kid De La Cruz Rone 20-1 10 Konteekee Harr Cline 20-1 7 Superhero Bealmear Dixon 30-1
7 Purse $65,000, 6 furlongs, 3-yearold fillies, starter optional claiming
HUSH IT HONEY** has been a clear winner in her past two races around one turn, and she is back sprinting after giving way over a muddy track in the Martha Washington. HITTIN MY STRIDE finished second behind the top selection in December, and she has the best of connections. SPIN THE BREEZE has had an excuse in two races since a clear maiden sprint victory at Fair Grounds, and she is likely to be an overlay.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 3 Hush It Honey Bejarano Morse 2-1 7 Hittin My Stride Torres Diodoro 5-2 1 Spin the Breeze Vazquez Robertson 10-1 4 Just an Opinion Asmussen Asmussen 4-1 9 Ready for Trouble Barbosa Hartman 9-2 8 True Princess Zimmerman Briley 15-1 5 January Jubilee Bealmear Hartman 15-1 2 Idalou Landeros Schultz 20-1 6 Fully Entitled Hernandez Diodoro 20-1
8 Purse $140,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Arkansas-bred, allowance optional claiming
MUSIC MISTRESS **** defeated open company only two races back, and she was beaten only a head — while four lengths clear of third — in a slightly better field last month. SULWE has won 3 of 10 races at Oaklawn, and she is at the top of her game and figures to unleash a powerful rally. PUNCHY GIRL crushed state-bred conditioned claimers by six lengths, and she may be more effective running without bleeder medication Lasix.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS 2 Music Mistress Fuentes McKellar 2-1 1 Sulwe Barbosa Moquett 7-2 6 Punchy Girl Asmussen Morse 6-1 5 Pattern Bet Bejarano Moquett 9-2 9 One Way Or Another Torres Morse 5-1 11 Heated Argument Bealmear Gonzalez 12-1 4 Sistersouttachrome De La Cruz Haran 20-1 8 Chai Tea Landeros Anderson 20-1 7 Unbridled Twister Santana Cates 20-1 10 Run Fearless Juarez Fires 20-1 3 Summorya Hernandez Ward 30-1
9 Purse $32,000, 6 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, maiden claiming $20,000
MISS TERRE** broke poorly and was overmatched in a ninth-place debut, but the effort produced the fastest last-race Beyer figure and she is taking a considerable drop in class. CATTY CRUISE has been forwardly placed in two recent route races, and the addition of blinkers may move her up. SAFECRACKER SUE has moved into the barn of winning trainer Karl Broberg, who is dropping the filly to the lowest level of her career, and she gets the leading rider.
PP HORSE JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS
7 Miss Terre Quinonez Milligan 5-2
1 Catty Cruise Bealmear Vance 4-1
12 Safecracker Sue Torres Broberg 7-2
3 Tiz a Strategy Zimmerman Martin 6-1
9 Raetastic Hernandez Rosin 10-1
6 Red Volta Harr Cline 10-1
4 Jonesborohurricane Anderson Hewitt 15-1
5 Bee Branch Pusac Martin 15-1
13 Erumpent Vazquez Creighton 20-1
11 Bodi Odi Barbosa Northrop 20-1
8 Wild Cherokee Bowen Martin 30-1
10 Lil’ Bit of Chrome Castillo Cravens 30-1
2 First Diamond Bailey Cline 30-1