Friday, December 18, 2015 9 MY LITTLE DARLINGS is stretching out around 2- turns after dueling throughout and finishing 2nd vs this RACE 1: level of competition going 5 furlongs on the GP West 3 VIVA BERTHA, now in the Peter Walder barn, turf. Note that the daughter of Purim is 3-0-3-0 at this makes her local debut the first start since dictating the distance. pace and defeating $16,000 claimers going a mile on the Hawthorne turf. Trainer Peter Walder, 3 for 32 SELECTIONS: 1-3-9 (9%) in turf routes, has Javier Castellano handling the RACE 4: speedster. 4 LADY’S LUNAR LUCK moved to the 2 SAFFRON HALL, who won the 2014 Claiming Gustavo Delgado barn via the claim after her 3-race Crown Emerald here a year ago, makes his local win streak ended when she finished 2nd – as the return at the $25,000 optional claiming level after favorite – going a mile on the GP West turf. The new returning from an 11-month layoff to finish a troubled connections tab Luis Saez to handle the 8-time turf th 7 (bumped start, 6-wide) vs $62,000 optional winner. 8 TOO CLEVER BY HALF is stretching out claimers going a mile on a ‘yielding’ Churchill turf. to a mile after returning from a freshening to lead Trainer Mike Maker, 77 for 376 (20%) in turf routes, every step of the way, against a stalker/closer bias, to has Javier Castellano in the saddle. defeat $20,000 claimers going a mile. She should be 6 GOLDEN RIFLE is making his first start since prominently placed throughout. th tracking the pace and finishing 4 behind multiple stakes winner Lochte, and next-out winner Dreams SELECTIONS: 3-4-8 th Cut Short, in the $75,000 Mr Steele here on Sept 27 . Trainer Marty Wolfson has Tyler Gaffalione atop the RACE 2: local stakes winner (Eight Miles East). 5 ROMEO LIMA is stretching to a mile and a 8 M C SQUARED, now in the Joe Sharp barn, the sixteenth after rallying 5-wide to finish 4th – beaten 2 speedy consistent son of Corinthian is cutting back to ½ lengths – vs first level allowance runners going 7 ½ a mile after making the pace and tiring late vs furlongs. Trainer Christophe Clement spots the son of $25,000 starter allowance competition going a mile Medaglia d’Oro perfectly vs ‘non-winners of 2-lifetime’ and a sixteenth on the Laurel turf. $50,000 claimers. 4 VEVA is stretching out an additional 1/16th of a mile after rallying to finish 3rd vs SELECTIONS: 2-6-8 ‘2-lifetime’ competition going a mile on a ‘good’ Aqueduct turf course. Trainer Bobby Ribaudo has RACE 5: Javier Castellano named to ride. 3 DOC CURLIN is 8 RAS ABROUQ is stretching out to a mile and a facing winners locally after responding to the addition sixteenth after the promising 1-mile career turf debut of blinkers by defeating a trio of next-out winners in a at Keeneland in which he finished 2nd – beaten a neck $40,000 maiden test going a mile on the Belmont turf. – in front of a trio of next-out winners. Trainer Graham Trainer Tom Bush has Jose Lezcano in the saddle. Motion has John Velazquez in the saddle. 3 OLD SPORT has trained consistently at Palm SELECTIONS: 5-4-3 Beach Downs in preparation for the first start since tracking the pace and weakening late to finish 5th RACE 3: behind Ras Abrouq at Keeneland. Trainer Todd 1 ROCKIN RONDA is stretching out slightly out to a Pletcher is 5 for 5 ‘in the money’ (5-2-1-2) with horses mile, dropping to the $16,000 level, and breaking from th shipping from Keeneland. 6 HONOR EARNED is the rail again, after tracking the pace and finishing 4 making his first start since the promising career turf – beaten only 1 ½ lengths – vs $30,000 ‘2-lifetime’ debut here on Oct 3rd in which he rallied 4-wide to claimers going 7 ½ furlongs. 3 HAPPY’S TWINS, finish 2nd vs maiden special weight competition going now in the Dave Kassen barn, is another trying a mile. Trainer Ralph Nicks is 5 for 24 (21%) with $16,000 claimers locally after rallying late to finish horses making their 2nd turf start. only ½-length behind Rockin Ronda last out. SELECTIONS: 8-3-6 RACE 6: The Kathleen O’Connell trainee can turn out to be the 10 ALL OVER IT is dropping into the conditioned controlling speed in a field that is definitely light in the claiming ranks, and returning to the main track, after pace department. tracking the pace and weakening late to get beat 3 lengths by allowance level competition in a $12,500 SELECTIONS: 5-9-3 state-bred optional claimers going a mile on the turf. Trainer Peter Walder, a strong 39% with the turf-to- RACE 9: dirt move, has Javier Castellano in the saddle. 8 DESTIN, a full brother to $1 million earner Creative 1 ALCARAVAN is dropping to the $12,500 level after Cause, who was 3rd in the Grade 1 Preakness, will breaking awkwardly at the start, stalking the pace, face winners after recovering from a troubled start (hit and finishing a distant 3rd vs $30,000 conditioned gate) to win his 7-furlong career debut at Belmont on claimers going a mile on a wet track listed as ‘good’. Oct 11th. Leading trainer Todd Pletcher is 39 for 139 4 WHITFIELDS RETURN is trying the dirt for the first- (28%) with horse making 2nd career start. time in his 8-race career after posting back-to-back 3 MR. ELLIE is making his first start since drawing off victories on the turf. His current form must be to break his maiden here in August by almost 6 respected. lengths. Trainer Ralph Nicks, having a banner year with his freshman runners, has Tyler Gaffalione SELECTIONS: 10-1-4 handling the gelding’s first start in 4-plus months. 2 PILOT HOUSE is dropping into this allowance RACE 7: optional claimer after following his impressive debut 9 ATILIUS was game in defeat when he returned victory going 6 furlongs at Monmouth with an from a 13-month layoff to finish 2nd – 2 noses in front ambitious outing behind multiple Grade 2 winner of World Leader – in their clash at this 7-furlong Mohaymen in the 1-mile (G2) Nashua Stakes. Trainer distance. The recent 3-furlong bullet work at GP West Terri Pompay adds Lasix and jockey Orlando in 36 flat indicates another solid performance is in the Bocachica to the mix. cards. 5 WORLD LEADER, a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Maram, is SELECTIONS: 8-3-2 stepping it up a notch after the solid $35,000 career debut at the distance in which he rallied late to finish RACE 10: 4th – a nose behind next-out winner Crazy Frank C. 6 NOCTURNAL Q is wheeling back in 6 days after 6 VINNY WHITE SHOES is a gelded son of Pulpit her 2-race win streak ended when she got bumped at making his career debut for trainer Todd Pletcher, the start of a $6,250 conditioned claimer here last who is 1 for 9 (11%) with debut maiden claimers. The Saturday. Trainer Antonio Sano has apprentice sophomore gets Lasix and jockey Luis Saez for this Gerardo Corrales handling the turnback from 6 to 5 ½ assignment. furlongs. 2 DANCING MY WAY was given some time off after notching her 2nd consecutive victory when SELECTIONS: 9-5-6 she shipped in from Parx to defeat $12,500 ‘2-lifetime’ claimers at GP West. Trainer Joe Orseno has RACE 8: apprentice Vicente Guidel in the saddle. 7 DICHOSA 5 BABY ANTONELLA is stretching out to a mile after is turning back to 5 ½ furlongs (9-2-1-1) after breaking last in a field of 11, and then making an surrendering a late lead when beaten a nose by outside rally to finish 3rd – beaten 2 ¼ lengths – in her Nocturnal Q at GP West on Nov 22nd. She can 6-furlong career debut vs $25,000 maidens on a reverse the previous outcome at her most sealed ‘sloppy’ track at GP West. Trainer Jose accomplished distance. Garoffalo has leading jock Javier Castellano handling the stretchout. 9 VIRGEN MORENA, 2nd in her SELECTIONS: 6-2-7 career debut at the $35,000 claiming level, is back in the selling ranks after rallying late – at odds of 63-1 – BEST BET: RACE 5 – 8 RAS ABROUQ to finish 3rd in the 1-mile $75,000 Hut Hut Stakes at GP West. 3 CRYSTAL’S CANTADA is dropping to LONGSHOT: RACE 3 – 11 STARSHIP SASSY the $35,000 level, and stretching out to a 1-turn mile, after stalking the pace and finishing 3rd vs $50,000 maidens going three-quarters of a mile. .