Super Saturday preview (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of the Super Saturday preview! Today it will be about the Ladies Classic and Classic. 2 stakes, 1 on each coast per division! Lets take a look at them all.

Starting off with the Ladies Classic races.

5th Race - Belmont Park - Saturday, September 29th, 2012

STAKES. 1 1/8 Mile Dirt. Purse $400,000. Beldame Invitational S. (Grade 1). FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. (02:58 PM) (7)

Post #	Horse's Name	Age/Sex	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Go Unbridled	5/M	123	Rosario Joel	Jerkens H. Allen
2	Maristar	5/M	123	Velazquez John R.	Pletcher Todd A.
3	Royal Delta	4/F	123	Smith Mike E.	Mott William I.
4	Cash for Clunkers	4/F	123	Garcia Alan	Violette, Jr. Richard A.
5	Disposablepleasure	3/F	120	Dominguez Ramon A.	Pletcher Todd A.
6	It's Tricky	4/F	123	Castro Eddie	McLaughlin Kiaran P.
7	Acting Happy	5/M	123	Castellano Javier	Dutrow, Jr. Richard E.

This is billed as what could be one of the final races between Royal Delta and It's Tricky. The latter is a bobble away from being undefeated and the former looked very flat in the Personal Ensign. They have faced each other four other times with them going 1-2 in two of them. This will be Round 5 for them. Go Unbridled won against NYB company in her last. Her best finish against graded stakes company was last November 3^rd place finish in the Turnback the Alarm. Maristar has not run well since a runner up finish against males in the Washington Park Handicap last September. This will be her first start as a member of the Pletcher barn. Cash for Clunkers was the runner up in the Ogden Phipps, but then ran seventh in the DelCap. Disposablepleasure was the runner up in the Black Eyed Susan and Mother Goose, but hasn't run well since and finally Acting Happy whose been running in allowance races lately, but was fourth in her last stakes race. When all is said and done, it should be between Royal Delta and It's Tricky. While the nine furlongs is to Royal Delta's advantage, this is a 1 turn race, so It's Tricky has a big chance. I'm going with Royal Delta, I think whatever happened in the Personal Ensign won't carry over, but I do think It's Tricky will give her a tough time on the front end as they go into the stretch. Go Unbridled for third. Now of course if the track is muddy, then I think It's Tricky has the advantage and then I'll still have Royal Delta in the top three, but second and Acting Happy for third.

8th Race - Santa Anita Park - Saturday, September 29th, 2012

STAKES. 1 1/16 Mile Dirt. Purse $250,000. Zenyatta S. (Grade 1). FOR FILLIES AND MARES, THREE-YEARS-OLD AND UPWARD. (04:38 PM) (9)

Post #	Horse's Name	Age/Sex	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Amani (CHI)	4/F	121	Bejarano Rafael	Drysdale Neil D.
2	Love Theway Youare	4/F	124	Flores David Romero	Cho Myung Kwon
3	Switch	5/M	119	Gomez Garrett K.	Sadler John W.
4	Joyful Victory	4/F	119	Napravnik Rosie	Jones J. Larry
5	Star Billing	4/F	121	Espinoza Victor	Shirreffs John A.
6	Include Me Out	4/F	124	Talamo Joseph	Ellis Ronald W.
7	Love and Pride	4/F	124	Garcia Martin	Pletcher Todd A.
8	Via Villaggio	3/F	116	Pedroza Martin A.	Hollendorfer Jerry
9	Miss Mittagong	5/M	119	Gutierrez Mario	Cecil Ben D.A.

This is formally what was known as the Lady's Secret. You have some East Coast horses against the best of the West, should be a pretty fun race. Love Theway Youare is the only horse to defeat Include Me Out this year, but that was on a synthetic surface and she then finished fifth in the Hollywood Gold Cup against males. Amani hasn't won in the US yet, but she was third in her first US start against Include Me Out and was sixth in the Pacific Classic. The East Coasters Joyful Victory and Love and Pride are coming from oposite directions. The filly from the same owner and trainer as last year's Horse of the Year was second in the Gardenia, but was hung wide. She gets a big jockey change from Gabe Saez to Rosie Napravnik. Love and Pride got the blinkers removed for her Personal Ensign win in her last, the speed bias track that is Santa Anita will be very helpful for her. Miss Mittagong is 0 for 4 this year, but she was third in the Santa Margarita in March. However, she's only made one start since and that was a 7^th place at Del Mar in the Adoration. Via Villaggio was second in the DE Oaks and third in the Alabama in her last two starts. However last year, her trainer sent out Blind Luck to a very suprising last place finish in this race. Star Billing has never raced on dirt and is a G1 winner on turf. Her pedigree on first apprience looks like it could go either way and has a family member who did very well on dirt (Stellar Jayne) and she was second in the Hirsch at Del Mar. My gut feeling the reason why she was entered was because her trainer was also the trainer of Z, namesake of this race. Switch is more likely for the F/M Sprint then the Ladies Classic. Still, there are no true sprint prep for females in California, this was the only spot for her. 4^th in the Hirsch in her last. Finally, there is Include Me Out who has defeated almost every top quality filly in California. Ron Ellis did make some contraversial comments on Tuesday on the NTRA Teleconfernce that basically said that there is a “East Coast Bias” and that he didn't think that she was being respected enough. When going through all the information, in the end I think it comes down to a good old East vs West showdown between Love and Pride and Include Me Out. In the end, I think Include Me Out gets the job done and sends a message to the East Coast fillies that she is not to be messed with. Love and Pride for second and Amani for third.

And now the now the Classic prep races!

STAKES. 1 1/4 Mile Dirt. Purse $1,000,000. TVG Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD. (05:46 PM) (10)

Post #	Horse's Name	Age/Sex	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Ron The Greek	5/H	126	Lezcano Jose	Mott William I.
2	Stay Thirsty	4/C	126	Dominguez Ramon A.	Pletcher Todd A.
3	Ruler On Ice	4/G	126	Garcia Alan	Breen Kelly J.
4	Hymn Book	6/G	126	Velazquez John R.	McGaughey III Claude R.
5	Fort Larned	4/C	126	Hernandez, Jr. Brian Joseph	Wilkes Ian R.
6	Atigun	3/C	122	Smith Mike E.	McPeek Kenneth G.
7	Fast Falcon	3/C	122	Nakatani Corey S.	Zito Nicholas P.
8	San Pablo	4/C	126	Castellano Javier	Pletcher Todd A.
9	Flat Out	6/H	126	Rosario Joel	Mott William I.
10	Game Ball	5/H	126	Maragh Rajiv	Chatterpaul Naipaul

Fast Falcon and Atigun where 3^rd and 4^th respectively in the Travers. Ruler on Ice and Stay Thirsty who where 1-2 in last year's Belmont have not shown the same spark this year as they did as 3yo's. Even though he is the defending champ, Flat Out has not really shown the same tancity that he had shown last year, although as the year has gotten longer he's been finishing higher in the order. Hymn Book won the Donn earlier this year, but has been a little inconsistant since then. San Pablo is a bit of a dark horse as he's won his last 2 races, both of them stakes races. Game Ball has no chance in this race has he has been struggling in stakes races. Finally Fort Larned and Ron the Greek where 1-2 in the Whitney. The latter won the SA Handicap and Stephen Foster while the former has had 1 bad race this year and that was against Ron in the Foster. My pick for this race is Flat Out, he loves Belmont and has one of the most talented jockeys currently riding on his back. If it is a sloppy track that won't be a problem for him as he won on that type last year. Ron the Greek for second and Fort Larned for third. For the latter two, it might actually not be a bad thing for them to lose as they could end up being horses with a chance when it comes to Santa Anita time. With that being said, I would not be surprised if either of them wins the race as well.

10th Race - Santa Anita Park - Saturday, September 29th, 2012

STAKES. 1 1/8 Mile Dirt. Purse $250,000. Awesome Again S. (Grade 1). FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD. (05:38 PM) (9)

Post #	Horse's Name	Age/Sex	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Game On Dude	5/G	124	Bejarano Rafael	Baffert Bob
2	Winning Machine	6/G	119	Matias Javier	Lucarelli Frank
3	Nonios	3/C	116	Pedroza Martin A.	Hollendorfer Jerry
4	Groovin' Solo	3/C	116	Flores David Romero	Cho Myung Kwon
5	Suggestive Boy (ARG)	4/C	121	Talamo Joseph	McAnally Ronald L.
6	Empire Way	3/C	116	Blanc Brice	Harrington Mike
7	Richard's Kid	7/H	119	Gomez Garrett K.	O'Neill Doug F.
8	Balladry	4/C	119	Espinoza Victor	Harty Eoin G.
9	Rail Trip	7/G	119	Valdivia, Jr. Jose	Ellis Ronald W.

Formaly known as the Goodwood. Winning Machine takes a big step up in class from the Longacres Mile where he was the runner up. Balladry was third in the Cougar II. Richard's Kid was third in the Pacific Classic makes his first offical start for his new trainer. Groovin' Solo hasn't run since March and has never run well in graded stakes company. Empire Way is the full brother to Royal Delta, but he is not as talented as she is. Suggestive Boy makes his US dirt debut after his first off the board showing in the US. Rail Trip is the sentimential favorite and is already guarenteed a spot in the Dirt Mile. Nonios ran 5^th in the Travers after finishing second in the Haskell. Finally, Game on Dude was runner up in the Pacific Classic, but gets a key jockey changed from Chantal to Rafael. On heart alone, then Rail Trip wins. However, sadly that is not There happens to be a son of AA's in the race, and he is also my pick for this race. I'm going with Dude to win and position himself to be the Breeders' Cup Classic morning line favorite. Richard's Kid for second and Rail Trip for third. 

So that's it for this weekend, there are a couple of other races outthere this weekend including the Oklahoma Derby and the John Henry Turf Championship (formally known as the Clement Hirsch Turf Championship, both of those races will run on Sunday. Good luck to all the horses and may they return safe and sound.