Turfway Park, Synthetic, 1-1/8 miles, $500,000 GIII, 50 DERBY POINTS
To me, this is like the NCAA play-in games. Youngstown State vs. Quinnipiac or North Florida vs. Texas State. I’ve followed the Derby Trail my entire adult life, and how they can give this race 50 Derby points is puzzling.
#2 Soglio…..A nice Scat Daddy colt, he is a solid 6/1-2-2 career. With most of these, the Motion trainee seems to smell the honey every time out. While he hasn’t improved markedly in his last two races, Soglio had a tad of bad racing luck in those. A lifetime turf horse, my guess is that he makes a decent transfer to the synthetic surface at 6-1 ML. Trevor McCarty rides.
#4 Convict Pike…..Here’s an interesting cat coming off a $100,000 OBS….a non-wagering race….on the synth. He has competed well, mostly on turf. Trained by George Arnold, in this field Triple A players, he might do something at 8-1 ML coming off nice work and hints of improvement off his 81 Beyer.
#5 Colonel Samson….This guy is the sleeper in this race and, at 12-1, a huge must-consider coming off a ho-hum El Camino Real when he finished fifth. Blinker’s off, with trainer Eon Hardy being pretty good at getting them righted, and his work seems to indicate that the son of Colonel John is ready for this. He has won on a similar surface. Toss his Sham, and the last 4 of 5 races show his promise. Jose Lezcano drives the bus.
#6 Giant Payday…..Pay attention at 8-1 because he looks like a keeper for at least some, if not a win today. The son of the great Giant’s Causeway has proved his worth on the grass, as you might think, with the move to the fiber looking like an easy task. Chris Landeros rides for trainer Ian Wilkes.
#8 Kitten’s Cat….A turf career so far, Kitten’s Cat looks pretty good on paper for trainer Joe Sharp. KC has nailed four Beyer’s in the 80s, including an 87 two races back in his win in the Kitten’s Joy. He’s done nicely in thee graded stakes and there is no reason to think the boy won’t be there near the end at a generous 4-1. L. Saez handles the chores.
#9 Parlor….Eddie Kenneally is one of the sharper local conditioners anywhere and he has a boy in Parlor who is on the improve for this one. A career on turf at 3/2-1-1, he’s another one that appears to have the savvy to take to the surface….5-1 ML with Castanon manning the leather.
good luck always...
Hot Forum Topics
