Can Anyone Find Iowa?

Iowa race officials expressed mild disappointment that their Grade III Leopard Stakes attracted only five three year old fillies, but they were quite pleased with the quality.

“Skippy is a top five sprinter, and Golden Tale is coming to us off a very nice win in Illinois,” said the racing secretary.  “We think several of these fillies will soon be nationally known.”

They fillies will be competing for a purse of $150,000 as they run an even mile.

Here is a look at the field:

1. Boodha (Buddha x Belong to Me) is so lightly raced, we can cover her entire career here.  Unraced at two, she won her debut after battling a speed duel for most of the way.  Her time was a good one for that early in the season.  Now this isn’t her fault, but all but one of the thirteen fillies she beat that day remain maidens.  In her second race she drew off to a huge lead only to fade to second.  Last time out, in the American Cat, she got caught in another speed duel and was passed by several, including Skippy, who beat her by 3 ½ lengths.  Trainer Boolucas (8%) has freshened her for nine weeks, stretches her out to two turns for the first time and steps her up in class.  She should get an easy lead here – we’ll see if she’s matured enough to maintain it.  5-1.

2. In her first twelve races, Lady’s Honor (Refuse to Bend x Kris S.) finished in the money eleven times and was riding a four race winning streak, including three stakes wins.  Then she tried the Grade II Louisiana Oaks.  And she was terrible.  Golden Tale was among those who beat her and she did it by over ten lengths.  Trainer Celticcros (17%), who recently surpassed the 100 victory mark, has tried to reset the filly by resting her for eleven weeks.  The four race win streak all came at today’s eight furlong distance.  Look for her to try to rally from fifth in this five-horse race.  Celticcris is a master at finding just the right races for his charges.  Gets the top jockey despite being the third rated filly here.  5-1.

3. Skippy (Afleet x Buckaroo) has four wins in six sprints and one win in five routes.  Fourth choice in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile Filly, she’s rallied smartly in her last two races at seven furlongs, and she has run some routes that give Scout4 (8%) reason to feel good about her chances at two turns.  She ranks fifth in the sprint ratings and 11^th at the classic distance.  She is the only one in here with two 95+ speed figures, and the only one with a Grade I win.  After facing so many large and deep fields, she should like this small one.  8-5.

4. Golden Tale (Tale of the Cat x Coronado’s Quest) is coming off a very impressive win in the Grade III Jockey Guild Stakes, where she beat a very deep field and earned a field best 99 speed figure.  She sat just off the pace in that one and figures to sit just behind Broodha until jockey Offenbacher thinks it’s time to make a move.  Her only finish out of the top three in her nine races came two back in the Grade II Louisiana Oaks, where she fell far behind at the start and could not get going.  She shouldn’t have that problem today.  Trainer APNiner (14%) is having a great year, already earning over 600 breeding points.  3-2.

5. BigSteve (8%) may have seen the short field when he made a Wednesday morning entry of Year of the Spider (A.P. Indy x Majestic Light).  The filly has four in the money finishes in six dirt routes, but her two stakes races were not competitive, and she has managed only one speed figure over 82.  On the plus side, that best speed figure came last time while winning an allowance route.  6-1.

Morning Line: 4-3-2-1

Timmn’s picks: 4-2-1-3