Player Quick Pick: Oaklawn 4/5/2014
by D.S. Williamson
The track should be dry at Oaklawn Park on Saturday where the feature is the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Before that, earlier on the card is a terrific $50,000 claimer that could yield a nice overlay key horse.
Oaklawn Park 5 | 4:34 pm ET Claiming (50) for 3&up going 6 furlongs
5 – All Call – There appears to be a lot of speed in this race, which means that big time dropper All Call should get the perfect trip in a stalking position. All Call not only drops out of 1 1/16 mile, $75,000 optional claiming race for trainer Chris Richards, but he also gets blinkers back on, which he wore in January when he broke his maiden. Jockey David Mello could take the lead and go on with it if they decide to go too slow.
1 – Herd Mentality – Trainer Steve Asmussen wins 30% second time off of the claim. Not only that, but even though Herd Mentality goes from $20,000 claimers to this $50,000 claiming race, the $20,000 claiming race was for open company. This is for non-winners of two lifetime. That doesn’t give Herd Mentality an advantage by any means, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be outclassed in this either.
9 – It’s a Bad Rapit – The Chris Hartman trainee is taking a slight bump up from a $35,000 n2L race, but like All Call, It’s a Bad Rapit should get a nice stalking trip outside of the frontrunners. He’s coming of a race where he ran a big speed fig, though, and sometimes, like the great Andy Beyer noticed, a horse can bounce. But he’s well spotted. So, keep him in mind when you’re working on the trifecta and Pick 3.
Oaklawn Park 9 | 6:07 pm ET G3 Fantasy for 3yo F going 1-1/16 mi.
4 – Mufajaah – 5/1 – There figures to be a scramble for the lead up front among Sugar Shock, Euphrosyne and Stopchargingmaria. Mufajaah might get the perfect trip for Shadwell Stables and trainer Danny Pietz. You have to love how this Tapit filly appears to be improving race to race. Shadwell bought her for $375,000 at the Keenland September Sale in 2012. The odds should scream overlay in this event and there’s no reason to believe she doesn’t take another step forward in this.
6 – Please Explain – Jockey Drayden Van Dyke flies in to ride this filly that finished third in the Grade 3 Honeybee in her last. Van Dyke kept her way off the pace in the early going before making a huge run to lose by only a length in that one. He should keep her closer in this. Van Dyke is turning into a terrific jockey. He rides at Turf Paradise on Mondays and Tuesdays before hitting Santa Anita the rest of the week. If he didn’t believe in this gal, he almost certainly could have picked up rides in the big events at Santa Anita today.
5 – Kiss Moon – Trainer David Vance puts blinkers on this Malibu Moon filly who made a three wide move in the Honeybee only to finish fourth by 2 ¼ lengths. Jockey Terry Thompson will definitely keep her closer to the pace in this race and she wasn’t too far off of the likely favorites in the Honeybee. She could surprise at big odds.
The track should be dry at Oaklawn Park on Saturday where the feature is the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Before that, earlier on the card is a terrific $50,000 claimer that could yield a nice overlay key horse.
Oaklawn Park 5 | 4:34 pm ET Claiming (50) for 3&up going 6 furlongs
5 – All Call – There appears to be a lot of speed in this race, which means that big time dropper All Call should get the perfect trip in a stalking position. All Call not only drops out of 1 1/16 mile, $75,000 optional claiming race for trainer Chris Richards, but he also gets blinkers back on, which he wore in January when he broke his maiden. Jockey David Mello could take the lead and go on with it if they decide to go too slow.
1 – Herd Mentality – Trainer Steve Asmussen wins 30% second time off of the claim. Not only that, but even though Herd Mentality goes from $20,000 claimers to this $50,000 claiming race, the $20,000 claiming race was for open company. This is for non-winners of two lifetime. That doesn’t give Herd Mentality an advantage by any means, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be outclassed in this either.
9 – It’s a Bad Rapit – The Chris Hartman trainee is taking a slight bump up from a $35,000 n2L race, but like All Call, It’s a Bad Rapit should get a nice stalking trip outside of the frontrunners. He’s coming of a race where he ran a big speed fig, though, and sometimes, like the great Andy Beyer noticed, a horse can bounce. But he’s well spotted. So, keep him in mind when you’re working on the trifecta and Pick 3.
Oaklawn Park 9 | 6:07 pm ET G3 Fantasy for 3yo F going 1-1/16 mi.
4 – Mufajaah – 5/1 – There figures to be a scramble for the lead up front among Sugar Shock, Euphrosyne and Stopchargingmaria. Mufajaah might get the perfect trip for Shadwell Stables and trainer Danny Pietz. You have to love how this Tapit filly appears to be improving race to race. Shadwell bought her for $375,000 at the Keenland September Sale in 2012. The odds should scream overlay in this event and there’s no reason to believe she doesn’t take another step forward in this.
6 – Please Explain – Jockey Drayden Van Dyke flies in to ride this filly that finished third in the Grade 3 Honeybee in her last. Van Dyke kept her way off the pace in the early going before making a huge run to lose by only a length in that one. He should keep her closer in this. Van Dyke is turning into a terrific jockey. He rides at Turf Paradise on Mondays and Tuesdays before hitting Santa Anita the rest of the week. If he didn’t believe in this gal, he almost certainly could have picked up rides in the big events at Santa Anita today.
5 – Kiss Moon – Trainer David Vance puts blinkers on this Malibu Moon filly who made a three wide move in the Honeybee only to finish fourth by 2 ¼ lengths. Jockey Terry Thompson will definitely keep her closer to the pace in this race and she wasn’t too far off of the likely favorites in the Honeybee. She could surprise at big odds.
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