Grade III Leopard Stakes an evenly matched race

The Grade III Leopard Stakes is the big race this week down in Iowa, and there will be ten fillies and mares going at an 8.5 furlong distance for the big $150,000 purse assigned by the racing’s secretary. If you take a look at the morning line, it should be a two-filly race, so we will try to find some betting value for all of you. Let’s take a look at the contestants:

1. New Orlean (KY) – 3 year old filly by Saint Liam – This filly has just one lifetime start, and it was a promising one, going gate to wire in a cheap conditioned allowance race. The group is much tougher today, but she showed talent in that first race, and she should continue to improve off that race. Her trainer whistler is rolling the dice with this filly, stepping her up to a graded race, just to see what’s under the hood. The logic says that she is overmatched, but stranger things have happen, and she can be any kind.
2. Snappy Hero (AUS) – 3 year old filly by Snappy Landing – Great story here. This filly ran in the $ 7,500 maiden claimers, and after winning her maiden, she came back to the same level for winners, and won again. And the best news for her trainer graywolf7 is that no one got interested in her. After this she has won four of her last five races, including two graded stakes. She loves to sit in the garden spot, gets a nice post and will be a force to be reckoned with in this race.
3. My Agent (KY) – 3 year old filly by Saint Liam – She just posted her lifetime best SF, just missing in the Morris Storms Handicap. The problem I see with her is that when she has gone two turns, her races are not as good as in sprints. She has proven to be a superb sprint closer, but this race is at a mile distance. Her trainer runaway 99 is confident that her improvement in her last race will carry her to victory. She sure is a nice prospect, but her morning line price of 5/2 is way too low for me to put a penny on her.
4. Crown Royale (KY) – 3 year old filly by Kingmambo – She is maybe the speed of the speed in this event. Her last race was a disaster, but trainer fatattack2 is telling us to treat that race as a throw out, and that we will see a much different filly this weekend. She has proven beyond doubt that she can carry her speed beyond two turns, she keeps working great at sunrise, and if she gets an easy enough lead, she will be most dangerous, at a nice 8/1 price.
5. McFly (FR) – 3 year old filly by Numerous – Filly that has run nicely going against allowance company, and now takes a big step up in quality of competition, as her trainer bbrs takes her to the graded ranks. She likes to be just behind the early leaders, stalking them from the gitgo, and then make her late push for the lead from the quarter pole on. She will need to improve on her best race to win, but she is not far from the best in this group, and we can not discard her.
6. Locked On High (FR) – 3 year old filly by High Yield – Pretty nice and consistent filly who always brings a check to the barn. She is coming from her best lifetime race, a win in the ungraded May Emblem Special in New Jersey. And she has been improving, and her trainer wdfifty is extremely confident that we have not seen the best of her yet. She likes to be on the second flight, watching the leaders go right at it, and at 6/1, she is my pick to win.
7. Slithering (JPN) – 3 year old filly by Fantastic Light – She has tried the graded ranks on her last three races, and in each one she has run poorer by the race. This filly likes to come from far away off the pace, but that late surge has not materialized lately. Trainer batesy is making a change in her training regime, looking for a little bit more speed out of her filly, but she will have to prove she belongs in this group before endorsing her.
8. Liberty Quest (IRE) – 3 year old filly by Statue of Liberty – Another filly who’s coming from her best race, a win in the Grade III Go for Broke Stakes. The problem I see with her is that this will be her fourth race in the last six weeks, so fatigue can play a role in here. Knowing this, trainer stoneface has not taken her to the track to breeze, just giving her barn walks and easy gallops for purpose of maintenance. With some more rest between races, she might have been my favorite, but I am skeptic about this.
9. Boniek (KY) – 3 year old filly by Stormin Fever – Filly coming from running in sprints, losing in races not comparable in quality with this one. In looking at this filly’s past performances, there is nothing that can lead us to think she belongs in this group. Her trainer macstake is hoping for a miracle with this filly, which will have to improve dramatically to even have a chance at the minor award in this race.
10. Barb’s Slow Cooker (KY) – 3 year old filly by Saarland – Her last race was a disappointment, running fifth in the Grade II Mellow Breeze Handicap. However, she encountered a sloppy race track, so trainer radramansn is telling us we can draw a line over that one. If we analyze her other races, we can see she should be a mayor player in this event. She will be coming from way off the pace with a flourish in the stretch and if he gets the pace needed up front, she will be in the top three in here.

MY PICKS: LOCKED ON HIGH (FR), CROWN ROYALE (KY), BARB’S SLOW COOKER (KY)