April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

After Game Second Against Males, Javanica Picks Up Mike Smith For Santa Anita Oaks

Javanica, second in her last four races, all stakes and all on either synthetic surfaces or turf, steps up in company and tries dirt for the first time in Saturday's Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

Eoin Harty feels she deserves the chance.

“This will be her first time on dirt but she works great on it,” the trainer said.

“She doesn't seem to mind the kickback. She ran against colts last time out and just got beat by a good horse,” alluding to a game neck loss despite a four-wide trip on Feb. 13 to Triple Crown candidate Rombauer in the El Camino Real Derby.

Javanica is a bay daughter of Medaglia d'Oro owned and bred by Godolphin LLC, for whom the 58-year-old Harty has been training just over two decades. The native of Ireland has engaged Mike Smith to ride in the Oaks, which Smith won last year on champion Swiss Skydiver.

The Hall of Fame rider also won the Oaks on two other champions, Midnight Bisou in 2018 and Songbird in 2016.

Javanica is not one to carry her track around with her, having raced at Arlington Park, Woodbine, Del Mar, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in her six starts.

“She's been everywhere,” Harty said.

The Oaks, race six: Moraz, Juan Hernandez, 8-5; Brilliant Cut, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Soothsay, Flavien Prat, 6-1; Javanica, Mike Smith, 5-2; and Beautiful Gift, John Velazquez, 9-5.

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Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Pauline’s Pearl Inherits Favorite Role In Fantasy

Maybe the first thing you notice about Pauline's Pearl, on paper, is that she's a Triple Crown nominee. In the flesh, it's her color.

A royally bred daughter of Tapit and Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick, Pauline's Pearl possesses a gray coat, with reddish tint and a tiny white dot on her right hip.

“She's gorgeous,” Brooke Stillion said.

Stillion is the regular exercise rider of Pauline's Pearl, who is the 9-5 program favorite for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Oaklawn. The 1 1/16-mile Fantasy is Oaklawn's final major prep for the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) April 30 at Churchill Downs. Probable post time for the Fantasy, the 11th of 12 races, is 5:54 p.m. (Central).

The Fantasy will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country's biggest prize for 3-year-old fillies. Swiss Skydiver, last year's Fantasy winner, finished third behind Honeybee Stakes winner Shedaresthedevil in the rescheduled Kentucky Oaks (COVID-19) en route to an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly.

A homebred for Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke) and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Pauline's Pearl exits a runner-up finish, beaten three-quarters of a length by Will's Secret, in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 6 at Oaklawn. With Will's Secret (2 for 2 in stakes races at the meeting) passing the Fantasy in favor of the $400,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) Saturday at Keeneland, the improving Pauline's Pearl is poised to become Oaklawn's new leading lady.

“I feel like she's filled out more, just in the short time she's been here,” Stillion said. “I've heard Steve say she's kind of been a late developer. She's slowly gotten better, though. Each race she comes back better and stronger. I've breezed her and love the way she trains. It's a short field and she's beaten two of the horses, already, in there. I'm hoping.”

The Fantasy will mark the fifth career start for Pauline's Pearl, who debuted sprinting Dec. 19 at Fair Grounds. She broke her maiden at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 12 at Fair Grounds and just missed at 18-1 in the Honeybee – also 1 1/16 miles – after being in traffic on the second turn. It was her stakes debut and first start outside Fair Grounds.

“Beautiful filly that seems to be going the right direction,” Asmussen said. “We're excited about running her. Quality field.”

Also returning from the Honeybee are Sun Path and Coach, third and fifth, respectively, for trainer Brad Cox. West Side Girl, Ava's Grace, Sylvia Q and Take Charge Lorin, a stablemate of Will's Secret, complete the projected seven-horse Fantasy lineup.

“If I could, I'd come tomorrow and offside Pearl because I'm really excited about her race,” Stillion said. “Tomorrow, I have to drive home for Easter, so I'm going to miss her race. I'm really, really bummed.”

The Fantasy field from the rail out: West Side Girl, Francisco Arrieta to ride, 117 pounds, 12-1 on the morning line; Ava's Grace, David Cohen, 117, 8-1; Sylvia Q, Martin Garcia, 117, 5-1; Coach, Fernando De La Cruz, 121, 5-1; Take Charge Lorin, David Cabrera, 117, 6-1; Sun Path, Joe Talamo, 117, 2-1; and Pauline's Pearl, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 9-5.

Stonestreet, Asmussen and Santana teamed to win the 2016 Fantasy with Terra Promessa. Asmussen won Oaklawn's $60,000 Prima Donna Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters in 2010 with Hot Dixie Chick.

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Speightstown Rising Star Stays Unbeaten at Keeneland

4th-Keeneland, $79,735, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 4-2, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.76, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
CARRIBEAN CAPER (f, 3, Speightstown–Checkupfromzneckup {SP, $187,470}, by Dixie Union) romped by eight lengths on debut at Fair Grounds Feb. 13–good for 'TDN Rising Star' honors–and showed a new dimension Friday to remain unbeaten. Off at 4-5, the dark bay broke a touch flat-footed and eventually settled in to draft behind Tiz Splendid News (Maclean's Music) from third. Carried very wide by the pacesetter entering the stretch, she pulled clear midway down the lane and hit another gear late to up the winning margin to 4 1/2 lengths. Tiz Splendid News held on for second. The winner, who hails from the extended female family of A.P. Indy, has a 2-year-old half-sister by Into Mischief who was a $600,000 KEESEP yearling and a yearling half-sister by Tapit. Her dam, who sold for $825,000 while carrying Carribean Caper, most recently visited Quality Road. For more on Carribean Caper, click here. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $84,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Columbine Stable LLC.; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Albert M. Stall, Jr.

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Bell’s the One Headlines Madison

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) tops a competitive field of seven in Keeneland's GI Madison S. Saturday. Winning her first graded event at this oval in the 2019 GII Raven Run S., the bay captured the GIII Winning Colors S. at Churchill last May and checked in third behind Guarana (Ghostzapper) in last year's renewal of this event, which was held in July last year due to the pandemic. She rallied to a nose defeat of GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in Churchill's GI Derby City Distaff S., also delayed from May to September, and closed 2020 with a late-running third behind champion Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S. in Lexington Nov. 7.

The fleet-footed Kimari (Munnings) should provide the early pace Bell's the One needs, but could prove not for catching. Runner-up in the 2019 G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot, the 'TDN Rising Star' kicked off 2020 with a victory in Oaklawn's Purple Martin S. on the main track in April and returned to the Royal meeting for her next start, where she finished second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup S. June 19. Third in the grassy Music City S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 15, the bay scored a decisive win in a sloppy renewal of the Spring Fever S. back in Hot Springs Feb. 27. Kimari is three-for-three on the dirt, including her 15-length debut graduation at Keeneland in the spring of 2019.

Sconsin (Include) will likely fly under the radar due to the presence of the top two, but could certainly get a piece. Runner-up in the GIII Beaumont S. at this oval in July, the bay was third to the re-opposing Mundaye Call (Into Mischief) in the Audobon Oaks at Ellis Aug. 9. She broke through at the graded level with a rallying score in Churchill's GII Eight Belles S. Sept. 4 and was fourth in the Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint last out. The homebred prepped for this with a five-panel bullet in :59 2/5 at Fair Grounds Mar. 22.

Also worth a look is GI La Brea S. victress Fair Maiden (Street Boss), who looks to rebound off an eighth-place finish in the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 13.

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