Ladies Day: Take Your Picks

Tomorrow is Ladies Day, the first day of the Breeders Cup events and I for one and PUMPED and ready to go. On Ladies Day all Breeders Cup races, except one, are restricted to fillies and mares only, the odd ball race is the Marathon. The Breeders Cup presents the fan with excitement, passion, and the chance to see thoroughbred compete at the highest most exhilarating level. Besides all the excitement the Breeders Cup present one of the best handicapping events in America. Bettors and handicappers sit salivating at the idea of so many opportunities in one race, and I am one of those, which is why today I will be showing you my top three horses for each race!

Marathon:

1.) Mastery- At distances over 10 furlongs, his record is one of the strongest of any entries in the field.

2.) Cloudy's Knight- He has been very lightly raced this year, but in each of his two starts he has crossed the line in first. He has never competed at 14 furlongs, which could pose a problem, but as of now his form is good and there is no reason to believe he can't get the distance.

3.) Father Time- He has been the definition of consistency this year, finishing out of the top three only once. In his last he had a troubled trip and crossed the line in fourth, with a clean trip he could be right there at the end.

Juvenile Fillies Turf:

1.) House of Grace-She is unbeaten in two starts and has already proven that she can handle the distance, with two wins at 1 1/16 miles. Her last out was a score in the $150 K Jessamine Stakes.
2.) Junia Tepzia- No way am I going to leave a Euro off this list when their specialty is running over the lawn. She too is undefeated and has a win at the mile distance. Her last start was a win in the $90K P Coolmore.

3.) Tapitsfly- This filly had an unimpressive debut in a Churchill Downs Maiden Special Weight at the baby distance of 4.5 furlongs, in May. Looking at her record it seems that as the distance grows and the months pass she gets better and better. Her record in stakes read two starts, one win and one second, not bad at all. She could just peak in this race and I wouldn't want to be the one to discount her because of her record at running in shorter distances, when it is clear she prefers her race to be longer.

Juvenile Fillies:

1.) Blind Luck- What can you possibly critique about this fill? Her worst finish was a second in four starts and as of now she has a win over this track and at the distance.

2.) Devil May Care- In her two starts she is unbeaten and won the prestigious Firzette Stakes. Two time Champion Indian Blessing used that same race to springboard her to Breeders Cup stardom as a two year old as well.

3.) Negligee- She was an upset winner over in the Darley Alcibiades beating the previously unbeaten She Be Wild and the promising Beautician. My only reservation is that rarely does Keeneland form translate to good form when running over the Pro-Ride.

Filly & Mare Turf:

1.) Forever Together- She is the defending champ and has done nothing to deter me this season. She barely lost her last start after closing from 20 lengths off the pace. She will get firm turf and will be returning to the same site she won her crown last year, so I'm expecting a big performance by the champ.

2.) Pure Clan- Her turf form is absolutely amazing and she has been on her game all year, never finishing worse than third. She has proven she has the talent and the guts to possible pull a minor upset if Forever Together disappoints.

3.) Magical Fantasy- It took her a little bit to get going this year but now the California local is riding a four race winning streak coming into the race. She has a win over the track and distance and should be a tough horse to beat.

Filly & Mare Sprint:

1.) Ventura- Again I'm going with the defending champ in this race. She beat a monster three year old in Indian Blessing last year along with running a blistering final time. She has beaten the boys this year in the Woodbine Mile and is looking, if possible, even better than last year.

2.) Informed Decision- There isn't really anything you can say about this talented filly, her six for six record over synthetics pretty much speaks for itself.

3.) Evita Argentina- She will be going off at long odds, since the saying what have you done for me lately applies greatly when she is in a field of some pretty kick butt horses. In her last race she ran disappointing sixth, but she has proven the ability to have a deadly late kick when on her game. I think she comes back to run big here.

Ladies Classic:

1.) Music Note- Without Zenyatta in this race I think its all Music Note. She has been lightly raced this year but in each of her starts she has looked like an absolute monster. The Pro-Ride may not be her best surface, but she ran a good third here as a three year old and looks like she has improved since that effort.

2.) Rainbow View- Last year this filly was Europe's champion two year old and though she has not returned this year with the same dominance she still merits respect. She last ran second in the 1 million E.P. Taylor stakes at ten furlongs. I think she is rounding back into form and if I'm right she'll be very dangerous in tomorrow's Ladies Classic.

3.) Lethal Heat- This one was tough for me since I'm picking against Careless Jewel, who is by far the most talented in the field. The reason I chose Lethal Heat is because she is gutsy, consistent, and experienced. Careless Jewel ran way to greenly in her last start for me and that was the deciding factor here.


Ok everyone, these are my picks for tomorrow's races, feel free to share yours and even rake me over the coals a bit. I'll be back tomorrow to give you all my Classic picks. Good luck to all and have a great time watching these lovely ladies show the world what their made of.