Virignia highlights 3 yo filly milers this week

Filly milers grab the spolight in Virginia this weekend, in our marquee race, the Laguardia Turf Filly Mile.  The race challenges three year old fillies to run over a mile for a piece of the $30000 purse.  The weather has been almost spring-like, though dry, and the track will be rated as firm for the event.  Oddsmakers are calling it a tight one, with four of the seven entries squeezed between 5/2 and 4/1 odds.  A 7/1 and a pair of 10/1 entries fill out the field.  There could be some money in the exotics, with the relatively long odds favorite.

PP 1) Kendra(KY)  Sired by Eskendereya, Trained by lgbost2y  Kendra is making her tenth career start in this race.  This will be her fourth try against stakes competition and she’s still looking for her first win at this level.  Overall in her first nine, she’s gone 3-2-1-0-1 with a top speed number of 87.8 earned two starts back.  Her last race was a nine and a half furlong stakes in Upper New York, where she finished sixth, sixteen and a half out at the wire.  Her career has been about an even split between dirt and turf, and although she has more earnings on dirt, most of that came early as a two year old, and her speeds have generally been better on turf.  The mile range seems to be her best, and that’s a positive for her here.  She’s a deep closer, and while her close has been quite consistent, it’s had trouble bringing her all the way home.  She’s got a bunch of closers in this field with her, and the rabbit has the lowest average speed in the field.  She’s going to need to ratchet up her speed a notch to threaten late here.

PP 2) Dynamical(AUS)  Sired by Duporth(AUS), Trained by broohar1  Dynamical takes the gate for career run number eight here.  She has one stakes run, and she is looking to better her second place finish in this one.  She’s gone 3-1-3-0-0 in her first seven, capping her speeds with a 94.7 in her last start.  That race was an A4L in Illinois at a mile, where she settled for third in a tight race, a length out at the wire.  She a pure turfer and has never been off the grass in her young career.  She has looked excellent at a mile and is very comfortable at this distance.  She likes running from the middle of the pack, and she has stayed in contention in all but one of her starts.  Her speeds have been consistently improving with every start and she could be poised to pop a big one here.  Definitely worth a look when placing your bets for this race.

PP 3) Bulletproof Evil(IRE)  Sired by Invincible Spirit(IRE), Trained by psycho.  Bulletproof Evil takes trip number eight of her career in this start.  She takes a big jump in class here in here first three year old start.  In her first seven starts, she has a 1-2-1-2-0 record with a best speed figure of 84.0 earned two starts back.  Her last start was a nine furlong A2L where she maintained throughout, coming in fourth in a field of seven by five lengths.  She has a pair of dirt starts for comparison, but has run better on the grass.  She has a win and two places at the mile range, but it has not been against anywhere near this kind of competition level.  In most of her starts she’s broke in the rear of the pack and has shown a fairly consistent close.  She comes off a long rest and that could be be good or bad for her here.  I think the jump in class here is just too much for her at this point, and I can’t recommend her here.

PP 4) Songsational(KY)  Sired by Unbridled’s Song, Trained by mtklaz.  Songsational faces her ninth career start in this race.  This will be her third try at stakes level, and she has already notched on win at this level.  Overall in her first eight she has a 3-4-0-0-0 record, showcasing a besst speed of 96.4 last out.  That race was a nine and a half furlong stakes in Upper New York, where she squandered a big cushion late to finish second by a two and a half.  She started her career on dirt, but really blossomed with a switch to turf, and hasn’t finished out of the exacta in her last five.  She’s run well from seven through nine and a half, and this fits right up the middle of her range.  She generally likes sitting just off the lead and it has been working well for her.  In this field, that style sets up quite well for her.  Her last speed was close to eight points her best, and it’s hard to say whether it was an anomaly or a a signof maturity as she rolls into her three year old season.  In either case, she has the speed to compete and the field sets up well for her, could be one to watch here.

PP 5) Forty Moons(KY)  Sired by Malibu Moon, Trained by krfarms.  Forty Moons is making her ninth career start here.  She has had three prior stakes starts, but is still seeking that first win at this level.  She’s gone 3-0-0-1-2 in her first eight, with a top speed of 94.5 coming two starts back.  Her last run was in the Grade 3 Old Cap at six and a half on dirt, where she finished a hard closing fifth in a field of eight.  This will be her first try on turf, and looking at the sire and dam sire stats, it’s about a 50/50 proposition, she could be great or she could flop.  Distance is also a question mark here.  She seems a bit more comfortable in sprints, but she does have a win at the mile distance.  She likes running from the midpack, and she’s been off and on with her close as well.  I think most everything here will hinge on how she reacts to the more giving surface here.  I’ll reserve judgement until I see how she reacts to the grass.

PP 6) Green Gun(GER)  Sired by Monsun(GER), Trained by tilbs2.  Green Gun is the relative veteran of this field, making her thirteenth career start here.  She is no stranger to stakes competition, but she is still seeking her first win at stakes level.  In twelve starts, she has a 1-3-1-0-2 record, with a top speed of 81.2 earned last outing.  That race was mile stakes in Arkansas where she trailed a field of seven home by twelve and a half lengths.  All twelve career starts have been on turf, and as her record reflects, it’s been a mix bag.  Though here top speed was at a mile, so far she has had better success sprinting.  She’s a fast starter, but has had trouble holding a lead since she broke her maiden.  She hasn’t shown the speed she needs to be a serious threat here.  Look for her to grab an early lead, but her race is likely to be done by the half post.

PP 7) De Babe(AUS)  Sired by Encosta Del Lago(AUS), Trained by whobegotu.  De Babe takeess career start number ten in this race.  She’s a verteran stakes runner and has a pair of wins on her resume.  Overall in her first nine, she carries a 3-2-2-1-0 record, with a best speed figure of 94.1 coming late last season.  Her last start was a eight and a half furlong stakes in Michigan where she made up nearly nine lengths in the second half before running out of track, settling for third in a field of eleven.  All nine career starts have been on turf and she appears comfortable with the surface.  The distance doesn’t seem to bother her here, and she has three top three finishes in four starts in this distance range.  She’s a deep closer, and her close has bordered on spectacular at times.  Her best speed seems rather the exception than the rule, but she’s been running against top levels of competition.  There are several closer in this field, and I won’t count her out, but I’ve seen more consistency in this field, and will reserve judgement here.