Daily Handicapping

#6 BIENHEUREUX is a consistent sort cutting back in distance after a win at Delta. #2 DON’S DARBY drops into a conditioned claimer after facing tougher in her last four and races off of a sharp work on November 12th over the FG track. #1 DIAMOND IN SAUCE has run well in her last two claiming races, finishing 3rd both times and seems well spotted here as she seeks her first 2009 win.

#6 NORTHERN GHOST tired after a wide trip in her last race and today will get first time lasix for her third lifetime start. #9 G W FIN’S also will be making her third lifetime start and her first outside of SoCal while dropping in class today; she has been training regularly over the FG track since the middle of October. #2 GONNA raced here only 8 days ago in a maiden special weight on the turf. She drops in for a tag for the first time as she also makes her third lifetime start.

#2 COTTON IDE KATE was caught late as the favorite in a race run on opening weekend and now she tries again at the same level and distance but against what appears to be a lighter field. #10 STACEY LEE hits the board often enough and today drops to her lowest level yet. #3 J. B. ‘S CHARISMA has also managed to hit the board a few times and she exits the same race as COTTON IDE KATE in which she closed to finish 5th at 16-1.

#3 LEDOUX drops in class and gets back in with state-breds for his second start of the meet. #1 JUMPIN FOR JASON drops in class, goes turf to dirt, route to sprint, and adds the blinkers. #2 WALK EASY was a wire to wire winner a LAD before turning in a poor effort at Delta last time out. He could improve getting back around a bigger oval today.

#10 LACY TOO missed as the favorite in his last but that was against open company and anybody was going to be hard pressed to beat the wire to wire winner Cowboy Poker on that day. #2 MARK SAFELY has landed in the exacta in 7 out of his 12 races this year and now drops in class after facing starter allowance company at EVD this summer. #3 PEACHIE KING has a good FG record with 6 in the money finishes to show for his 8 starts over the track and he could be a threat as he hits his lowest claiming level yet.

#4 LUCKY LULU has run in a maiden claimer before and today will be dropping back down after a couple of maiden special weight tries and it doesn’t appear that she caught the toughest field here today. #9 BETTY LOU is on the triple drop and may end up as the one to catch. #10 GO HOOTS GO should improve getting back on the grass, if we get to run on the grass after being rained off of Saturday.

#9 LAMBEAU LEGEND hasn’t shown his potential yet but you know it’s in there somewhere as part of the second to last crop of legendary sire Storm Cat and out of the dam Turko’s Turn who produced the legendary himself Classic winner and 2001 Horse of the Year, Point Given. #1 AUDITORIUM is a Fusaichi Pegasus first time starter trained by Malcolm Pierce who wins with about 20% of his first time runners. #6 BEST MAN IN TOWN ran a good race after a bad trip at RP in his debut and now cuts back in distance and gets first time lasix.

The hard-knocking #2 DRIVINGMAXANDMITZI had a 5 race win streak snapped in the Claiming Crown this year but rebounded with yet another win and now gets back on the grass (hopefully) after a subpar effort in his most recent race at Keenland which also happened to be his first try over a synthetic surface. #5 ORO TRIBUTO looks for two in a row after a series of near misses and close calls but he does usually run his race and he is out of the major producing dam Tortuga Band who is also the dam of the Louisiana stakes winners, Tortuga Flats and Tortuga Straights. #6 UNPAID CRUSADE has a recent string of near misses over the AP turf course but he is racing off of a pair of 2nds and he does take a touch of a class drop today.

Nobody would really be a huge surprise in this competitive field of two year olds but #6 JAYS WILDCAT is one of the most interesting. Claimed out of his debut for 20k, he demolished a maiden special weight field by 9 lengths in his very next start and most recently he ran an even 4th against open company in a race at LAD. #3 BOSSIER CITY hasn’t run a bad race yet never being worse than 3rd in three career starts and he runs here off of a nice maiden win at Delta where he drew off by 5 lengths. #7 DEVILISH DUE makes only his 2nd lifetime start but he beat an open company field at PID by 6 lengths and today adds first time lasix.

#3 GATE ZAPPER is a very well bred second time starter who runs here off of a nice 4th against the likes of Envoys Running and Speedacious who have both proven to be capable runners with the latter defeating a maiden special weight field by 7 lengths here on opening weekend. There is a lot to like about her but the class drop is a big question. #6 RITATINI is a first time starter from the first crop of sire Lone Star Sky, out of a stakes winning dam, and in good hands running for a trainer who regularly wins with first time starters. #12 PIA N LAURA got loose at the gate and ran off on November 14th, so obviously ended up scratched, but she has potential as her sire wins with 30% of his first time starters and her dam has had 6 winners out of 6 runners including a stakes winner.