Street Fancy shines in Starlet, Futurity on tap for closing weekend at Los Alamitos
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December 16th, 2015
LOS ALAMITOS NOTEBOOK
A Grade 1 test for two-year-old fillies was offered Saturday at Los Alamitos.
Starlet S. (G1): Agave Racing Stable’s STREET FANCY (Street Sense) split foes in the lane and closed best of all en route to a one-length tally with Mike Smith in the silks. A close third when making her stakes bow in November 15 Desi Arnaz at Del Mar, the two-year-old filly earned her first stakes victory in her third lifetime outing, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 2/5 for conditioner Phil d’Amato.
Track Stats
From a total of 34 races held over the Southern California racetrack during the past week, favorites won at a 56 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for 74 percent of the wins. Eight races were won in wire-to-wire fashion (23 percent).
We thought the oval was consistent this past week, with horses being forwardly placed early surely in with a good chance throughout. Of the eight wire jobs, four came in route runs and the other four in sprint runs.
We saw a lot of small and mostly suspect fields, yielding a lot of winning favorites. We expect more of the same during the closing week.
Meet Totals
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Races: |
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68 |
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Dirt: |
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68 |
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Favorites: |
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30 (44%) |
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2nd Choices: |
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19 (28%) |
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Dirt Wire: |
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15 (22%) |
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|
|
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HORSES TO WATCH
Thursday (12/10)
5TH – AMERICAN LEAGUE (Old Fashioned) won as expected at short odds, but we really liked the way he finished and will tab the juvenile colt as a contender next time out if placed properly. The Mike McCarthy trainee was full of run late and is bred to get a bit more distance.
7TH – CARTOONIST (Comic Strip) made pretty short work of this field for conditioner Jonathan Wong, finishing well after showing big early foot. The gelded sophomore will be a major player in his subsequent outing with a repeat of this one.
Friday (12/11)
1ST – IKE WALKER (Bellamy Road) continues to run big races for trainer Doug O’Neill, proving much the best today as he handled a rival with some form. The three-year-old gelding is impossible to ignore at this stage of his development.
2ND – NOBLE EDITION (Noble Court) was widest but tons the best at the same time in a fine debut romp for trainer Dean Pedersen. The two-year-old filly was no secret at the windows, either, and likely will not be in for a tag in her comeback attempt.
5TH – NATIVE TREASURE (Tribal Rule) made a nice move into the lane and held sway late in posting a solid tally for trainer Ed Moger. The five-year-old gelding has done some of his best work on the dirt and we hope he stays on the main oval in the near future.
7TH – SEATTLE SERENADE (Smart Strike) looks like a fantastic prospect and the $1 million purchase could be any type with more seasoning next year. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee has now dusted a pair of fields in succession and is one to surely keep tabs on as he is bred to run all day.
Saturday (12/12)
2ND – SACRED OVATION (Congrats) was not as dominant as the bettors expected, though the race winner now moved his mark to 4-for-4 on this main oval and could be a nice claim for Peter Miller.
7TH – GLORY BOUND (Heatseeker) was outmoved in the stretch of this stakes race but stayed on well to be a nice second behind a talented winner. The Craig Dollase trainee might be a very useful Cal-bred heading into his sophomore campaign.
Sunday (12/13)
8TH – Cliff Sise’s CODACIOUS (Desert Code) proved her versatility once again, taking command near midstretch and drawing off to a nice main-track tally under Edwin Alicea. The three-year-old filly might be better on the dirt but is very capable on the turf, too, and is a threat almost every time she runs when on her game.
A Look Ahead
Saturday will play host to the $350,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) for the two-year-olds.
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