the grass is blue | Horse Racing Free Tips

Royally-Bred Pauline’s Pearl Tabbed Morning-Line Favorite For Iowa Oaks

Sired by Tapit and out of the Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick, Stonestreet homebred Pauline's Pearl has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning line favorite for Friday's Grade 3, $250,000 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia. The 3-year-old filly, trained by Steve Asmussen, won the G3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn before finishing eighth in the G1 Kentucky Oaks.

A close second choice on the morning line at 5-2 is G2 Black-Eyed Susan winner Army Wife, trained by Mike Maker. The Declaration of War filly will break from the rail under top jockey Joel Rosario.

Winner of the listed Busanda Stakes in January, The Grass is Blue also ships west for trainer Bill Mott. The Broken Vow filly most recently finished sixth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

The full field is as follows:

Army Wife – Maker – Rosario
Pauline's Pearl – Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Sister Annie – Brad Cox – Florent Geroux
Shesa Mystery – Jeff Hiles – David Cabrera
The Grass Is Blue – Mott – Junior Alvarado
Oliviaofthedesert – Ken McPeek – Shane Laviolette
Windwill – Larry Jones – Alex Birzer

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Brown Looking for Same ‘Results’ in Gazelle

Klaravich Stables' lightly-raced Search Results (Flatter) will try to make it two stakes wins in three career starts and punch her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks for trainer Chad Brown in the GIII Gazelle S. Saturday at Aqueduct.

Unveiled Jan. 3 going six furlongs at Gulfstream, the $310,000 Keeneland September buy ran away to a four-length victory. Stepped up and stretched out to a mile in the local Busher Invitational S. Mar. 6, the dark bay responded with a hard-fought half-length victory over the more seasoned Miss Brazil (Palace Malice), earning a field-best 84 Beyer. The race was further validated when distant fifth-place finisher Make Mischief (Into Mischief) came back to annex a Big A allowance Sunday. Though she draws widest in the eight-horse field, Search Results figures to be able to work out a trip with little speed signed on to her inside.

The morning-line second choice also comes from the Brown barn in The Grass Is Blue (Broken Vow). A nonthreatening third behind her stablemate in the Busher, she previously captured the track-and-trip Busanda S. and was a fast-closing third in the Anne Arundel S. at Laurel. Mia Martina (Not This Time) has an upset chance in her dirt debut. Bought into by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners after a 21-1 debut upset on the Gulfstream West lawn, the bay scored a good-looking allowance success first out for Graham Motion Jan. 10 at Gulfstream and closed from way back to be fourth in the GIII Florida Oaks last out Mar. 6 at Tampa.

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Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Brown Enters Two In Saturday’s Gazelle

Trainer Chad Brown will send out a pair of stakes winners who are looking to take the next step up against graded company, with the duo competing as part of an eight-horse field in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 127th running of the Gazelle – offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top-four finishers to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs – is one of five stakes on a loaded Saturday at the Big, highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino for 3-year-olds going nine furlongs with the same point structure on the line for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

The day will also include the first New York Grade 1 race of the year in the $300,000 Carter for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bayshore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior for 4-year-olds and up going nine furlongs.

The Gazelle will be contested for the first time in two years, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing last year's edition to be missed. That marked the first time since the stretch between 1933-35 that the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies was not run.

But the contest's resurgence will see four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown enter the respective first and third-place finishers from the Busher Invitational on March 6, saddling Klaravich Stables' Search Results and Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue.

Search Results, unraced as a juvenile, improved to 2-for-2 in her career with a half-length score over Miss Brazil in the Busher, contested over a one-turn mile on an Aqueduct fast track. The daughter of Flatter earned a Gazelle field-high 84 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort and will now contest at two turns for the first time, with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons from the outermost post 8.

Brown is a two-time Gazelle winner, earning winner's circle trips with Awesome Feather [2011] and Lewis Bay [2016].

Ortiz, Jr., the winner of the last three Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, enjoyed a tremendous winter at Gulfstream with a record-setting 140 wins at the championship meet. He also piloted Lewis Bay to victory for Brown in the Gazelle five years ago.

Search Results, a debut four-length winner going six furlongs on January 3 at Gulfstream Park, was purchased for $310,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Her stablemate, The Grass Is Blue, ran third in the Busher, garnering a personal-best 74 Beyer. The consistent Broken Vow filly is 3-0-2 in six starts and has already won a stakes at the Gazelle distance, besting Coffee Bar by one length in the Busanda on January 24. That sophomore debut effort followed a three-race juvenile campaign in which she won her debut by 8 1/2 lengths in July at Monmouth Park before capturing a 6 1/2-furlong optional claiming sprint in October at Keeneland.

The Grass Is Blue earned her first stakes blacktype with a third-place effort in the Anne Arundel County on December 26 at Laurel to close the curtain on 2020. She will make her third consecutive start at Aqueduct, drawing post 5 with Manny Franco aboard.

Beach Haven Thoroughbreds' Maracuja broke her maiden at third asking, rallying from last-of-six to draw away to a 3 3/4-length win going 6 1/2 furlongs on February 21 at the Ozone Park course. The Rob Atras trainee has made all three of her starts over the same track, starting with a runner-up debut on December 20 before a third-place finish on January 23 stretched out to seven furlongs.

Atras said he needed to be patient with the Honor Code filly, who has been training at Belmont Park, including a five-furlong breeze in 1:03.69 on March 28 over the dirt training track.

“It took her a little time to come around with some baby issues,” Atras said. “She was figuring things out in her first couple of starts, but her last race she really put everything all together.”

Maracuja, bought for $200,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, will have Kendrick Carmouche's services from post 2 as she stretches out for the longest race of her young career.

“She acts like two turns shouldn't be an issue but it's a big ask going from six and a half furlongs to a mile and an eighth and stepping up to a big race like this. She's continued to train forwardly,” Atras said.

Mia Martina will make her main track debut after winning her first two career starts on turf ahead of a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks going 1 1/16 miles on the Tampa Bay Downs grass on March 6.

Trainer Graham Motion said Mia Martina, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi, has family history on her side in trying dirt. Out of Proud and Charming, Mia Martina's sire is Not This Time, winner of the 2016 Grade 3 Iroquois and the runner-up to Classic Empire in that year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Not This Time retired after that race due to a soft tissue injury to his right front leg, prompting a successful second career as a sire.

“We talked about it and thought this will be a good time to find out how she handles the dirt,” Motion said. “She has a dirt pedigree. She's a very straight-forwarded filly who looks like the further she goes, the better, so we thought the mile and an eighth might suit her.”

Mia Martina, who drew post 3 with Junior Alvarado set to ride, worked for the first time on dirt, clocking four furlongs in 51 seconds flat on March 25 at Palm Meadows Training Center.

“She seemed to handle it fine,” Motion said. “She's not a flashy racehorse anyway. We're taking a bit of a shot but we felt this is a good spot to do it.”

Alwayz Late didn't earn her first trip to the winner's circle until her fourth career start on February 14 at Gulfstream Park but will make her first stakes appearance with momentum. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott saw the daughter of Animal Kingdom win her second straight contest with a 1 1/2-length score traveling nine furlongs against allowance optional-claiming company on March 10 at Gulfstream, improving her record to 2-0-2 in five starts.

Alwayz Late, owned by Wachtel Stable, Pantofel Stable and TOLO Thoroughbreds, will ship to New York for the first time after continuing to train at Gulfstream. Tyler Gaffalione will ride from post 6.

Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife also won multiple races to gear up for a stakes bow, including a thrilling finish last out when she topped Happy Constitution by a nose in a one-mile optional claiming race on March 13 at Gulfstream.

Conditioned by Mike Maker, Army Wife was purchased for $190,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Trevor McCarthy will ride from post 4.

Augustin Stable's Song of Innocence made her last three starts on Turfway Park's all-weather surface and will make her first stakes start for trainer Jonathan Thomas, breaking from post X in tandem with Eric Cancel. Song of Innocence broke her maiden at third asking going one mile at Turfway on January 29.

Magic Oaks' Hybrid Eclipse, off two straight wins for trainer Linda Rice, will compete in a stakes for the first time in six career starts, exiting post X with Jose Ortiz aboard.

The Gazelle is slated as Race 9 on the 11-race program. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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The TDN Oaks Top 10 for March 4

It wasn't that long ago that the picture for the 3-year-old fillies seemed pretty straightforward. Vequist (Nyquist) was the clear leader of the division and there appeared to be a handful of other top fillies that could challenge her supremacy. Has that ever changed. Vequist did nothing right in her 3-year-old debut in the Davona Dale S., finishing ninth, 26 lengths behind the winner. Second choice Millefeuille (Curlin) didn't fare much better, finishing seventh. The winner, Wholebodemeister (Bodemeister), paid $107.60. Meanwhile, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) has not had a published workout since Jan. 25. And Malathaat (Curlin), the winner of the GII Demoiselle S., missed some training time and only recently returned to the work tab. The bottom line is that this division is a mess. Hopefully, the picture will look better after this weekend, which features the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct, the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn and the GIII Santa Ysabel S. at Santa Anita.

1) CLAIRIERE (Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini)
O/B-Stonestreet Stables (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $270,492.
Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 2nd GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 54
She winds up in the top spot after Vequist ran so poorly in the Davona Dale. That's not to say that she is a clear-cut favorite for the GI Kentucky Oaks. Anything but. But she is coming off of a win in the GII Rachel Alexandra, is in the capable hands of Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and defeated a good one in Travel Column (Frosted) in her last start. She's a late-running filly by Curlin, so distance should not be a problem for and she is likely to get better in the months ahead. Breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Monday.

2) ZAAJEL (Street Sense–Asiya, by Daaher)
O/B-Shadwell Stable (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $84,140.
Last Start: 1st GIII Forward Gal S., GP, Jan. 31
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
Really hasn't done enough to merit being second on this list, but who else is better? At the very least, Zaajel has a lot of potential. She broke her maiden impressively for trainer Todd Pletcher and came right back to win the GIII Forward Gal S at seven furlongs. Pletcher will, no doubt, pick out a route for her next start. That will be the test and if she passes it she will have proven that she belongs in the same sentence with the top horses in the division. Her dam has had five runners, with four winners, including Aljaaweed (Curlin), the runner-up in the 2019 GII Remsen S.

3) TRAVEL COLUMN (Frosted–Swingit, by Victory Gallop)
'TDN Rising Star' O-OXO Equine. B-Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker, Jr. & Denali Stud (KY). T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $850,000 ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
4-2-1-1, $269,184.
Last Start: 2nd GII Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton, FG, Feb. 13
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28, 3rd GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE, Oct. 2
Next Start: GII Fair Grounds Oaks, FG, Mar. 20
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 32
Also moves up, from fifth to third, due to attrition in the ranks. If you like Clairiere, you probably can't dislike this filly. She had the lead at the stretch call in the Rachel Alexandra before losing to Clairiere by a neck. An $850,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, she beat Clairiere in the last start at two for both of them, the GII Golden Rod S. Also comes from a powerful barn in the Brad Cox stable. As has been the case over the last few years, Cox is loaded in this division and will be looking fr his third Oaks win since 2018.

4) SIMPLY RAVISHING (Laoban–Four Wishes, by More Than Ready)
O-Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing & Nehoc Stables.
B-Meg Levy (NY). T-Ken McPeek. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '19 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-3-0-0, $414,200.
Last Start: 4th GII Golden Rod S., CD, Nov. 28
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Darley Alcibiades S., KEE,
Oct. 2, 1st P.G. Johnson S., SAR, Sept. 3
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 13
Trainer Kenny McPeek continues to take his time with the filly that won last year's GI Darley Alcibiades S., but it appears that she is getting close to a race. She worked five furlongs in :59.27 seconds on Feb. 26. Because she had an up-and-down 2-year-old campaign, she's a hard horse to gauge. What will we get this year, the horse who romped in the Alcibiades or the horse who was fourth in the Golden Road at odds of 7-10? Trainer Kenny McPeek did everything right last year with Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), but failed to win the Oaks. You know he'd like to make amends this year.

5) MALATHAAT (Curlin–Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy)
'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $1,050,000 ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $172,150.
Last Start: 1st GII Demoiselle S., AQU, Dec. 5
Accomplishments Include: 1st Tempted S., AQU, Nov. 6
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
She drops down a couple of spots because she missed a work and had to sit out the Davona Dale. Trainer Pletcher reports that it was not a significant issue and she is already back on the work tab, having breezed a half-mile in :49.21 Sunday. He said he will look for a race for her in April. Though the problem has been described as minor, it's never a good thing when a horse misses time this close to a race as tough as the Oaks. And if Pletcher sticks to his time line, she'll come into the Oaks off of one prep as a 3-year-old. That, too, is a difficult position to be in. But she is a talented, undefeated (3-for-3) daughter of Curlin and may yet be good enough to overcome the challenges that she's about to face.

6) VEQUIST (Nyquist—Vero Amore, by Mineshaft)
O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable & Swilcan Stable. B-Swilcan Stables (KY). T-Robert E. Reid, Jr. Sales History: $120,000 RNA ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly & MGISW, 5-2-2-0, $1,237,500.
Last Start: 9th GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Accomplishments Include: 1st GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, KEE, Nov. 6 1st GI Spinaway S., SAR, Sept. 6, 2nd GI Frizette S., BEL, Oct. 10
Next Start: Uncommitted
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 24
What happened to her in the Davona Dale? That's among the biggest mysteries so far this year in racing, how a horse can go from winning the Juvenile Fillies to running so dismally in a 3-year-old debut. Trainer Butch Reid has said he has found nothing seriously wrong with her, so all one can do is scratch their heads. It would be a rare feat to come back from a race that was that bad and win a race like the Oaks. But until her connections say she is off the Oaks trail, she has to be included somewhere on this list. Reid has not picked out her next start but said it definitely won't be at Gulfstream. He is concerned she doesn't like the South Florida heat.

7) KALYPSO (Brody's Cause–Malibu Cove, by Malibu Moon)
O-David A. Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch & Chad Littlefield. B-Spendthrift Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $240,000 ylg '19 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP,
5-2-2-1, $245,600.
Last Start: 2nd GIII Las Virgenes S., SA, Feb. 6
Accomplishments Include: 1st GII Santa Ynez S., SA, Jan. 3, 1st Anoakia S., SA, Oct. 18, 2nd GI Starlet S., LRC, Dec. 5
Next Start: GIII Santa Ysabel S., SA, Mar. 7
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 18
She's set to go Sunday in the Santa Ysabel, where a win would cement her status as the top 3-year-old filly in California, a division that has been hit with some fairly serious defections through injury. A $240,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale, she's proven to be a good buy. She's never run a bad race and is already a Grade II winner, having captured the Santa Ynez S. Trainer Bob Baffert is known for winning the GI Kentucky Derby, but he's hardly a slouch when it comes to the Oaks. He's won the race three times and will be going for his first win since 2017 with Abel Tasman (Quality Road).

8) SUN PATH (Munnings–Touch the Star, by Tapit)
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY). T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record:
4-2-1-0, $97,892.
Last Start: 4th Silverbulletday S., FG, Jan. 16
Accomplishments Include: 1st Allowance, FG, Dec. 18, 1st MSW, CD, Nov. 8
Next Start: GIII Honeybee S., OP, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 1
She deserves another chance. As the 7-10 favorite, she didn't run up to expectations when fourth in the Silverbulletday S. at the Fair Grounds in her last start. Before that, she looked like a serious prospect when winning an allowance race by 12 3/4 lengths. It's become unusual to see a Brad Cox-trained horse disappoint in a big race, so it would be no surprise if she were to rebound in Saturday's Honeybee S. at Oaklawn. Hasn't missed a beat in the mornings with four works since her last race. One bad sign: Florent Geroux has gotten off of her to ride Cox's other horse in the race, Coach (Commissioner).

9) WHOLEBODEMEISTER (Bodemeister–Wholelottashakin, by Scat Daddy)
O/B-Sabana Farm (KY). T-Juan Avila. Lifetime Record: GSW,
7-3-0-1, $175,922.
Last Start: 1st GII Davona Dale S., GP, Feb. 27
Next Start: GI Kentucky Oaks, CD, Apr. 30
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 52
Wouldn't have been on anyone's Oaks list before her stunning upset in the Davona Dale. Not only did she win at 52-1, but she thrashed her opponents, winning by 6 1/2 lengths. Trainer Juan Carlos Avila says she won't run her again until the Oaks. “That will be two months between races, which will be perfect for her.” Avila is setting himself up for more criticism. He took the same approach with King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) for last year's Kentucky Derby and his plan didn't come close to working out. Despite her big win, she'll still be a longshot going forward as many handicappers will likely dismiss the Davona Dale as a fluke.

10) THE GRASS IS BLUE (Broken Vow–Shine Softly, by Adebaran)
O-Louis Lazzinnaro LLC. B-Phillips Racing Partnership (KY).
T-Chad Brown. Sales History: $20,000 yrl '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 5-3-0-1, $121,978.
Last Start: 1st Busanda S., Aqu, Jan. 24
Accomplishments Include: 3rd Anne Arundel County S., Lrl,
Dec. 26
Next Start: Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 6
Equineline PPs. KY Oaks Points: 10
The jury is still out on this one. She comes from the powerful Chad Brown barn and was a solid winner when taking the Busanda by a length. But class handicappers will see that she started her career off in a $25,000 maiden claimer and has yet to start in a graded stakes. It looks like Brown made a smart move when deciding to keep her with his New York division for the winter. The New York preps for the Oaks usually don't come up that tough and there's plenty of money to be made, starting with the $250,000 Busher.

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