March 16-17

LET'S GO TO THE RACES

March 16-17

A quick reference tool meant to help the newer fan (like me!)

NOTE:AFTER A RACE HAS BEEN RUN, you can return here, click on the CARD to view the Results and watch a REPLAY.

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ONE DERBY PREP AND ONE OAKS PREP, ALONG WITH A HANDFUL OF RACES FOR OLDER FILLIES/MARES

A potpourri of racing action awaits us this weekend, with a Derby prep, an Oaks prep, a Grade 1 for fillies and mares, along with four other graded stakes for the distaffers.  Throw in a Grade 2 contest at a longer distance of 1 ½ miles on the turf for older horses at Santa Anita, and we have an exciting race-filled two days!

KENTUCKY DERBY PREP:  The Grade 2 REBEL STAKES at Oaklawn Park on Saturday provides the final tuneup for the Arkansas Derby in April.  The $600,000 Grade 2 event will feature a field of eleven and is shaping up to be the deepest field of three year old’s so far this year.  Bob Baffert is back from California with SUPER NINETY NINE, who was the blowout winner of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes over the same track on Feb. 18, winning by 11 1/4 lengths. Baffert's other starter, DEN’S LEGACY, has been in the money in four straight graded stakes and finished second to Flashback in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis in February. D. Wayne Lukas also will saddle two. OXBOW, the runaway winner of the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes at Fair Grounds before finishing fourth with a wide trip in the Grade II Risen Star in New Orleans; and Lukas also has WILL TAKE CHARGE, who won the Smarty Jones stakes at Oaklawn before finishing sixth in the Southwest. Also in from Santa Anita is a Ron Ellis trainee, TREASURY BILL,  recent runner-up in the Grade II San Vicente, going 7 furlongs. A shipper from the east and making his 2013 debut, DELHOMME, a Todd Pletcher trainee who finished third behind Overanalyze and Normandy Invasion in the Grade II Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in November.   The race is worth 50 points to the winner, and 20-10-5 to the next three toward getting into the Kentucky Derby field.

KENTUCKY OAKS PREP:  ELGHAYOOR and RAILTOWN GIRL, who finished first and second in last month's Dearly Precious, will tackle five other 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $100,000 CICADA STAKES at 6 furlongs on the inner track. Both are trained by Kieren McLaughlin. Winner of the event will get 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks, with the next 3 finishers accruing 20-10-5 points.

MY MISS AURELIA makes her 2013 debut in Saturday's $150,000, Grade 3 AZERI STAKES at Oaklawn Park, going 1 1/16 miles.  TIZ MIZ SUE won this race last year and is back, but has not won in six starts in the interim. SHE’S ALL IN was second in the 2011 Azeri but also has struggled since. DON’T TELL SOPHIA has won three straight, the last two at Oaklawn. SONGS AND SONNETS, coming out of the allowance ranks, and HOLY HEAVENS round out the field.

SANTA MARGARITA INVITATIONAL, $300,000, GRADE 1, has 6 fillies scheduled to run at the 9 furlong distance on Saturday at Santa Anita. BRUSHED BY A STAR has finished worse than second only once in her last nine races and makes her first California start for trainer Eddie Kenneally. JOYFUL VICTORY, however, defeated that one handily in their last start at Sam Houston Race Course and is back for more. GREAT HOT comes off a win in the Grade II Santa Maria Stakes but had struggled in several previous starts. MORE CHOCOLATE has jumped quickly up the class ladder and comes off a win in the Grade II La Canada Stakes in January.  SNOW FALL and THE ONLY KEY round out the field.

SAN LUIS REY, G2, $150,000, 1 ½ miles, turf:  The first- and second-place finishers in the recent 1 1/4-mile, Grade II San Marcos Stakes will duke it out again in Saturday's $150,000, Grade II SAN LUIS REY at Santa Anita, with an added quarter of a mile to run on the turf. SLIM SHADEY led all the way to a 1-length victory in the Feb. 9 San Marcos, with INTERACTION falling just short after an impressive run from the back. ALL SQUARED AWAY, who finished third in the San Marcos, also is in this 9-horse field. The others include BOURBON BAY, a graded stakes winner and second in last year's running of the San Marcos; TIZ GIANNI (Giacomo), a John Shirreffs’ trainee, will have Rosie Napravnik in the saddle.

HONEY FOX STAKES,  GRADE 2, $150,000,1 mile on the turf:  CENTRE COURT is the highweight among nine entered for Saturday’s renewal of the Honey Fox at Gulfstream. She makes her seasonal debut after a 3-year-old season that saw her rise from the maiden ranks to finish second in the Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, then win the Grade II Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs. She has finished no worse than second in eight straight starts. CHANNEL LADY, a 4-year-old English Channel filly, has four wins and two seconds from seven career starts and won the Grade III Suwannee River Stakes over the course last time out. CLASS INCLUDED was always first or second during her career in the Pacific Northwest but finished seventh in two California starts late last season and tries the East Coast or the first time. SAMITAR is one to watch. An English import who had some success overseas, she ran well in three graded stakes last fall after shipping to the United States.

Sunday’s INSIDE INFORMATION STAKES, $150,000 Grade 2 at 7 furlongs at Gulfstream Park looks to have GOLDEN MYSTERY, winner of the G3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes in February, meet some of the same rivals she faced in that contest.

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Handicapping tools
TCI Insider - Jon and Joel look at the Rebel - VIDEO
That Handicapping Show - Claire Novak and Pete Denk talk about The Rebel
Jeremy Plonk's COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN - Week 11
Jeremy Plonk's Horseplayer Now       Jeremy Plonk's Derby Prep schedule
Derby prep races, results video replays
Haskin's Derby Dozen 3-11-13
The Downey Profile          Brisnet's James Scully's Derby Report - March 14
Brisnet's Dick Powell Handicapping Insights

If you are serious about keeping up with the horses, standings, race outcomes, etc. on the Derby Trail, don't miss the recap by Jeremy Plonk at DRF. Road to the Derby: Prep races, replays, leaderboard Scroll down under the Point Standings to a list of the Derby Prep races. Click on the race, and read Jeremy's re-cap. Very enlightening, because Jeremy sees things I would never see and points them out. We are moving into the next phase of the preps, where the points to be earned will put the winner in the starting gate of the KY Derby, and the secondary points to the next three finishers can earn some important points as well. From Feb. 23 thru March 24 is the first leg of the Championship Series in which the races will be worth 85 points, with 50 pts to the winner, and 20-10-5 to the next 3 finishers. I'm betting that from here on out, the starting gate for each of these races should see full or near-full fields.

For info on the Oaks prep series, go to the Kentucky Derby Oaks site: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/oaks Standings and horse profiles, along with replays can be found there.

TRIPLE CROWN: Source guide to lists of Derby qualifying races, standings, handicapping tools
DUBAI: Source Guide for Dubai World Cup Carnival

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Races listed below in time ordered format with cards. Come back after the race is run, click on the Card link and watch the replay at BloodHorse's results and video page.


FEATURED RACES
Time Ordered ENTRIES
Time Ordered LIST of races

SATURDAY

4:52 ET  Cicada S, Aqueduct, $100,000g, 3yo f, 6f  R9  CARD
5:35 ET  Honey Fox S, G2, GP, $150,000g, 4&up, f/m, 8fT  R10  CARD
6:13 ET Azeri S, G3, Oaklawn $150,000g, 4&up, f/m, 8.5f, R9 CARD
6:35 ET Santa Margarita S, G1, SA, $300,000g, 4&up, f/m, 9f R7 CARD
6:48 ET  Rebel S, G2, Oaklawn, $600,000g, 3yo, 8.5f  R10  CARD
7:07 ET  San Luis Rey S, G2, SA, $150,000g, 4&up, 12fT, R8  CARD
Bold = Derby Prep  Oaks Prep

More info on today's races:
5:35  Samitar and Pianist make strong pair for the Honey Fox
6:35  More Chocolate getting tested in Santa Margarita
6:48  Super Ninety Nine can give Baffert fourth straight win
7:07  Slim Shadey needs to break cleanly in the San Luis Rey
         Hovdey: Huntsville looks to give Abrams a thrill in the San Luis Rey

SUNDAY
5:35 ET  Inside Information S, G2, GP, $150,000g, 4&up, f/m, 7f, R10  CARD

7:07 ET  Irish O'Brien S (R), SA, $100,000g, 4&up, f/m, California-bred, 6.5f T, R8  CARD

More info on today's races:
5:35  Golden Mystery leads Inside Information pack
7:07  Irish O'Brien S start 2013 campaign for My Miss Aurelia

NEWS
UPI Weekly Racing Roundup for last weekend
My Happy Face hit with virus to mis KY Oaks
Interview with champion trainer, John Hawkes (AUS)
Paynter has first workout since recovery
Animal Kingdom web site
Buena Vista Mile no issue for Mizdirection
Mizdirection's plans call for mix of turf sprints, miles
Haskin: Stevens taking every ride as a gift
Where they're going next - Downey Profile
Bill Finley: Wise Dan vs. Little Mike - What a show that would be!
Beyer: Animal Kingdom being given chance to make history
Churchill remains comfortable with points system - Podcast
Coolmore buys interest in unbeaten Verrazano

Smile patrol:
Horse Reunion video

Upcoming North American races:

Mar. 23

GII Pan American S. GP

GIII Excelsior S. AQU

GIII Spiral S. TP

GIII Bourbonette Oaks TP

GIII Tokyo City Cup SA

Mar. 24

GII Santa Ana S. SA

GIII Sunland Derby SUN