Saturday's Race Previews - Take Two!
Last Sunday's cancelled card is to be re-run in its entirety this coming Saturday. Here are the previews once more and, with extra study time, there are no excuses not to find the all the winners...
AMANDA’s second-place in last month’s Hong Kong Jockey Club Handicap, behind recent Oaks heroine Kloepatra, should make her a popular selection and she looks the one to beat. WIDE AWAKE made the transition to Hastings from Woodbine with little fuss and ran a creditable third to Arikara on her track debut in July. She’s definitely one for the short list. Rose of Texas looks a progressive sort and her second to Wandalita last time gives her a legitimate chance. Value seekers may want to take a chance on INDYGOGOLD, who beat Value Dancer (favoured in today’s seventh race) last time and is improving.
Not an easy heat to decipher, with any of these capable of winning on their day. KNOPFLER has been a little frustrating, but a closing third behind Von Dom and Debatable last time give him a firm chance and he ran well off the front end earlier this season in a higher grade race, which may mitigate any confusion over who leads here. DEBATABLE finished ahead of Kopfler last time, while PADDY D’ORO rarely runs a poor race and should be thereabouts.
VANCOUVER’S HUNTER finished fourth last time but was only a half-length behind the winner Jersey Lillie (with today’s rival JACOB’S CALL in second) in what was a tight finish and this represents a similar opportunity as long as the step-up in distance suits him. GUNS N AMMO finished second and then first in his two races since dropped to this level and he’s a definite contender.
CHA CHING has been swimming in deeper waters than she faces here and her third behind At Attention (second in last weekend’s S.W. Randall Plate) and Stay Fantastic last time surely give her a leading chance. PRETTY ARIA, meanwhile, beat today’s rival REA MEA and ARIKARA last time but there’s probably little between them and the order of finish could easily be different again today. Bettors can safely ignore ALOBRAH’s disappointing last effort at Stakes level and the lightly-raced import may be a lot closer today. WANDALITA’s near 6-length win over Ostracize last time puts her on the shortlist.
MATSQUI may hold the key to this 2yo fillies’ contest after chasing home Loveaboveandbeyond in last month’s CTHS Sales Stakes contest, with AIR FORCE, ISLAND LIVING and FILLY FATALE all behind. MS STANFORD, meanwhile, was third in each of her three career starts and she also saw the rear of Loveaboveandbeyond last time. It surely won’t be long before she breaks her maiden. CHI CHI’S SONG, meanwhile, was a good third to Matsqui in a maiden contest last month and is likely to improve again.
A win for KEEPINGTHEDREAM, who has finished second in his last three races and is bidding for his maiden win at the 17th attempt, would certainly not be out of turn. CATTITUDE and HARBOR STORM, meanwhile, have both had 11 shots at notching a first victory and the latter’s third last time puts her firmly in the mix. However, this is a moderate event and it might pay to take chance on a more lightly-raced contender in the shape of BEST ONE YET following her second last time. CHAMPIOSA’s third-place finish on her racing debut was a good effort and she may be closer again today at rewarding odds.
VALUE DANCER drops down a few rungs on the class ladder here and a repetition of anything close to her two previous efforts should be good enough to get the job done. CAROLINA GENT has hit the board in four of his five starts this term and he’s another who wouldn’t be winning out of turn, while CASSIDY COWBOY may appreciate this first go at 8½ furlongs.