Nereid and Cambina reunite in a Grade I after being inseparable at the wire in last year's American Oaks.
A graded stakes double-header on Memorial Day includes the first Grade I of the meet with older females at 1 1/8-miles on turf in the $250,000 Gamely and sprinters at six furlongs on the main track in the $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap (Grade III).
After beating the boys in her final three races in Great Britain, Belle Royale debuted in the U.S. with a half length score in the American Beauty at Santa Anita against her own gender. The 4-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Val Royal is the tepid 3-to-1 choice in the Gamely and should be rolling late looking for her 10th career win from 26 starts.
The beaten favorite making her 4-year-old debut in the Wilshire (Grade III) a month ago, Nereid is the 7-to-2 second choice. The daughter of Rock Hard Ten had been a perfect 3-for-3 over this turf course including dead-heating for the win in last year’s American Oaks (Grade I).
Cambina simultaneously hit the wire with Nereid in the American Oaks, but is winless in six tries since. The 4-year-old daughter of Hawk Wing was the runner-up to Capital Plan in the Santa Barbara (Grade II) five weeks ago and both are listed as 4-to-1 co-third choices today.
The L.A. ‘Cap marks the return home for 2009 Hollywood Gold Cup (Grade I) winner Rail Trip, who won his only try sprinting many moons ago and seems under laid as the 3-to-1 second choice against some tough sprinters. The now 7-year-old son of Jump Start returns to a main track where he’s finished in the exacta in all eight tries after getting shut out in five starts on the East Coast for Rick Dutrow.
Making just his third career start, Roman Threat is the 5-to-2 favorite for Bob Baffert. The 4-year-old son of Roman Ruler posted a pair of triple-digit Beyers earlier this year at Santa Anita while breaking his maiden and running second in the Potrero Grande (Grade II).
We’re off to the races!
Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 7 (1,6,8,10) – No. 6 Castletown is the top pick on the lead off a strong try, while No. 1 Gonna Fly Now can show tons of improvement in his second career start.
Also use No. 10 Currahee getting back to sprinting and No. 8 Time Lord debuting locally for Marty Jones.
Leg 2 – Race 8 (3,4,6,7) – He’s been one of our favorites, but we have to play against No. 1 Rail Trip today and instead use No. 3 Sway Away, No. 4 Centralinteligence, No. 6 Camp Victory and No. 7 Roman Threat.
Leg 3 – Race 9 (1,2,5,6,8) – Along with No. 6 Belle Royale and No. 8 Nereid, we’ll use potential lone front-runner Quiet Oasis off her win in the Wilshire and the duo exiting the Santa Barbara of No. 1 Capital Plan and No. 5 Cambina.
Leg 4 – Race 10 (1,5,14) – Off getting beat by a nose in her last, No. 5 Zenett is strictly the one to beat, but her odds will be much lower than the 12-to-1 we would have got last time.
No. 14 Heart of a Madam drops and can track the top choice with Garrett Gomez getting the call and No. 1 Then There Was You is worth a flier in her debut.
Recap – (1,6,8,10) w (3,4,6,7) w (1,2,5,6,8) w (1,5,14) – Total cost of ticket = $120
Yesterday’s Result – (-$144)
Total for current Hollywood Park spring/summer meet – (-$1,279.40)
Total from 12/26/10 – 4/22/12 – (+$588.70)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (4,6) – No. 4 Hadfunlastnight catches a field he can clear in his first start for Bill Spawr, and No. 6 The Bien’s Gift cuts back to a sprint for the first time since breaking his maiden over this track by two lengths.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (3,5,7,8,9) – The sequence is book-ended by a split of maidens going a 1 1/16-miles on turf and the first half looks like No. 5 Rock Off will be tough on the lead after just getting run down in his last. He’s had 11 chances, but has run into some tough runners along the way.
If he just doesn’t want to win, No. 3 You Know I Know, No. 7 Aqua Revelation, No. 8 Dreamcatcher or No. 9 Toruk Makto are also possible.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (3) – No. 3 Patriot’s Voyage seems to hold all the cards alone on the lead for the potent Baffert/Bejarano duo. Only No. 6 Make Us Proud wants any part of being close to the pace with him.
No. 2 Blu Jon crushed against a bad four-horse field and No. 1 Oilisblackgold has no desire to win.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (2,3,4,6,8) – Spread with non-winners of two lifetime using No. 2 Miles Long Gone, No. 3 Last Memories, No. 4 Run for Miles, No. 6 Magic Beam and No. 8 What a Rush.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (2,3,9,10) – Another seemingly pace less heat in the 2nd half of the split and No. 3 Corinthian’s Song might be able to seize the opportunity to get to the front on the stretch out.
No. 10 Et Tu Walker also stretches out and might be hustled early byRosariobreaking from the outside. He’s trained well for Sadler.
No. 2 Qatar’s Pearl gets back to the turf and No. 9 Money Talker only needs slight improvement off his last to be right there again.
Recap – (4,6) w (3,5,7,8,9) w (3) w (2,3,4,6,8) w (2,3,9,10) – Total cost of ticket = $100
Yesterday’s Result – (-$144)
Total for current Hollywood Park spring/summer meet – (+$641.10)
Total from 7/20/11 – 4/22/12 – (+$2,150.80)
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Good luck!
