Daily Racing Form expert handicapper and analyst Mary Rampellini handicaps the Friday, February 6 racing card at Oaklawn Park, including her projected 1-2-3 finishers. Her best bet of the day comes from Race 5.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Cactus Charlie (Fifth race)
Fifth Race
1. Cactus Charlie
2. Baby Vino
3. Spike the Punch
CACTUS CHARLIE is back at one turn, and he’s done his best work to date sprinting. In fact, he’s never missed a check at one turn. He’s also faced a number of quality runners in his young career, including Southwest starters Buetane and Circle Tap. BABY VINO was just edged in a promising debut and is appealing for the natural speed he showed that afternoon. SPIKE THE PUNCH hooked D’Code last out, and that one returns later on the card in the Southwest.
Here are Mary’s thoughts on the other 11 races on Friday’s Oaklawn Park card.
First Race
1. Candy Cane Crain
2. Reckless
3. Prime Suspect
It is Southwest Stakes Day at Oaklawn, where a 12-race card also features the Martha Washington. In the opener, CANDY CANE CRAIN is appealing as one who was favored last out at Oaklawn. May foal will be first Lasix, as with other newly-turned 3-year-olds in this spot. RECKLESS was favored last out at Churchill Downs. PRIME SUSPECT should be sharp for the mile trip off the sprint start. The race here will end at the sixteenth pole, as with all mile races at Oaklawn. OUT FLAT last faced Circle Tap, who runs back in the Southwest.
Second Race
1. Magic Grant
2. One Cool Dude
3. Face Value
MAGIC GRANT was second last out in a key race, with the fourth-place finisher coming back to take a $5K claimer at Delta Downs with a Beyer of 69 and the ninth-place finisher winning for the same price at Will Rogers Downs, with a Beyer of 67. ONE COOL DUDE made a rare two-turn start last out and was a promising third. FACE VALUE exits the same key race as top choice. Another capable sort is HUGE BIGLY.
Third Race
1. Gettinby
2. Nicholai
3. Lochmoor
GETTINBY dominated open foes last out while earning a career-high Beyer of 92. He moves into the Arkansas-bred ranks here, and a repeat of his effort from last time might make him tough to contain in this spot. NICHOLAI was a clear winner over statebred foes in his most recent start. LOCHMOOR is the class of the field as an earner of more than $500K. TRIPLE UP is from a mare who has produced three stakes winners, including Net Gain ($574K).
Fourth Race
1. Eglise
2. Hap Hot
3. Payne
EGLISE was a double-digit winner the last time he raced for this price. HAP HOT is cutting back to one turn after racing around two on the six-furlong oval at Delta. Horses coming off that laboring surface often fare well at Oaklawn. This one also is proven at one turn. PAYNE did not get the break when starting from the rail in a large field of sprinters last time out and did well to close for third. He draws off the fence in this spot, and his last win came when he broke from the widest gate. Another of interest is RUNAWAY JACK.
Sixth Race
1. Hit Parade
2. Counting Stars
3. Search Party
HIT PARADE is unbeaten on dirt coming into the Martha Washington, which is a points race for the Kentucky Oaks. She has tactical speed, a win at this distance, and owns the field’s co-highest last-race Beyer Speed Figure. COUNTING STARS is unbeaten at Oaklawn, where she has won an overnight stakes and a stakes by a combined margin of 10 lengths. She’s another with tactical speed and like top choice, could get a nice stalking trip. SEARCH PARTY put it all together last time with a dominant maiden win at this distance. The Beyer of 81 that she earned is tied for the best last-race number in the Martha Washington. SPITFIRE is a half-sister to stakes winner Two of a Kind ($301K). MAXIMUM OFFER is from a mare who has produced three stakes winners, including Group 2 winner Another Miranda and Stealthediamonds ($335K).
Seventh Race
1. Silver Prince
2. Crupper
3. Owie
SILVER PRINCE was second last out to D’Code, who runs later on the card in the Southwest. This one is from a Grade 3-winning mare who ran out $254K and who has produced a Grade 2 winner in Speaktomeofsummer ($266K). CRUPPER was third last out to Spirit of Royal, who is entered in the Southwest. This one has two-turn experience on top choice and is from a multiple stakes-winning mare who ran out $1.1M and who has produced a multiple stakes winner in She’s All Wolfe ($755K). OWIE has fired competitive races in each of his starts to date, and both outs have come at this mile and a sixteenth trip. BIENVILLE is out of a Grade 2 winner of $536K.
Eighth Race
1. Super Cruise
2. First Division
3. Mackman
SUPER CRUISE picks up more ground on the move to a mile and an eighth for the General MacArthur and he has a nice foundation of route races ahead of the new distance demand. FIRST DIVISION was just edged last out by a runner who likely will run back in the Razorback, according to his trainer, Asmussen. As for FIRST DIVISION, he owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure and is a half-brother to a pair of Oaklawn stakes winners led by Corningstone ($979K). MACKMAN was third last out to a Grade 1 winner in Rattle N Roll, who is bound for the Saudi Cup, according to his trainer, McPeek. GUN PARTY is from a Grade 2-winning mare who earned $1.4M. ARCHIE THE GIZA is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Harvey’s Lil Goil ($899K).
Ninth Race
1. Vital Mind
2. Heart N Soul
3. Run Jalen Run
VITAL MIND was second last out to a runner who popped a Beyer Speed Figure of 107. HEART N SOUL exits same race as top choice. RUN JALEN RUN leads the field in earnings with a bankroll of $319K.
Tenth Race
1. Tapit Quick
2. Blue Fire
3. Hush It Honey
TAPIT QUICK moves into an overnight stakes, the Bugler, after placing in the Poinsettia at Oaklawn. She seems like one who will make good use of the bit of added ground she picks up in this spot. BLUE FIRE draws just outside of her primary pace rival. HUSH IT HONEY is 4 for 6 at Oaklawn. She’s had stakes success against Arkansas-breds, while BLUE FIRE has had stakes success against Louisiana-breds.
Eleventh Race
1. Strategic Risk
2. Liberty National
3. Soldier N Diplomat
The versatility STRATEGIC RISK brings into the Southwest makes him appealing. He won the Smarty Jones over some of these on the front end last month, but before that came from off the pace to take the In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He seems like one who can adapt to whatever pace scenario might unfold, while he’s also appealing as a two-time stakes winner at this distance. LIBERTY NATIONAL was favored last out in the Gun Runner and put in a big run for second, and the start was his first against winners. He has tactical speed and could make first run at the leaders. SOLDIER N DIPLOMAT can do the same, as he, too, has tactical speed. SOLDIER N DIPLOMAT was Grade 2-placed at this distance last out at Churchill Downs. More on each of the entrants in the Closer Looks feature in Daily Racing Form.
Twelfth Race
1. Gewurztraminer
2. Money Run
3. My Noble Knight
GEWURZTRAMINER is a consistent sort as a rule. MONEY RUN won at this distance last out at Oaklawn, and he broke from a wide gate that afternoon, too. MY NOBLE KNIGHT ran second at this mile and an eighth trip at Saratoga.
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