POOR MONA LISA HANDICAP Grade 3 Arkansas
It is forecast to be nice weekend at Arkansas, and a healthy crowd is expected to arrive at the racetrack on Saturday to witness the feature race of the meeting, the Grade 3, 9 furlongs dirt Poor Mona Lisa Handicap, for fillies and mares 3yo+. Twelve mares line up to take a shot at graded glory,but in an open looking race, only one of them can make off with Poor Mona Lisa.Lets take a closer look at the runners in racecard order. First up out of stall 1 we have the racecard favourite OPENINO. This 5yo daughter of Red Bullet is in fine form, having racked up 3 straight stakes wins in her last 3 races and is a credit to her trainer. Sure to get this trip and more, she is priced up 5/1 f to give trainer Deuces Grade 3 success. A Arthur takes the ride. In stall 2 is trainer Barndoor`s 4yo mare KRYPTIKOS. She was an improver over 8 furlongs recording a 104 two runs back in a small allowance before trying a surface switch,which didnt work out. She is back on dirt again but she has two big question marks hanging over her. Will she get this 9 furlong trip in what looks to be the stiffist task of her career? 9/1 says she can. TJ Johnson is in the plate. Next out of 3 is the 19/1 shot MT. PYEMORE. Trainer Pye and jockey T Maguire have teamed up in a bid to cause a bit of a surprise.This 4 yo daughter of Grand Slam has a frontrunning style and is sure to be near the front again today. On the bare stats she would need to find a little improvement to figure, but after only 14 races this isn`t impossible over what would seem to be around about her best trip. Could she be a live outsider? BOLD PEGGY is in stall 4 and represents conniecpu. This multiple stakes winner was 2nd in a Grade 2 last time out, over 1/2 a furlong less than todays trip with a sr of 103. On the pick of her 9 furlongs form, this 5 yo daughter of Fusachi Pegasus was 2nd in the Grade 3 Dell Penn Distaff last season with a 107 and would appear to have a fine chance on the book. 6/1 is the price and S Proudfoot will do the steering. Out of stall 5 is Meguire5th`s 7/1 shot CHOPPING HILL. This well bred 5 yo daughter of Woodman showed nice form last time out in a Grade 3 over 9 1/2 furlongs to finish 2 1/2 lengths off the multiple Graded winning Waki Notion, running a 105. A repeat of that would surely see this multiple stakes winner go very close. A Wheldon makes an eyecatching jockey booking. IMPOSSIBLE GIRL, trained by minnslew is out of 6. This 4 yo mare has brocken the magic 100 in her last two starts, running a cracking 108 2 runs back in allowance company over 8 furlongs. Dropped a furlong to record a 102 over 7 furlongs last time out. Nicely unexposed in her 9 career starts, this one looks similar to the horse out of 2 in that this is also her stiffist task to date and im not certain about the trip. Is certainly entitled to improve and T Thomas will be in the irons of the 10/1 shot. In 7 we have CHOCOLATE PIDGEON, running out of the Fortune500 stable. This bargain bred made the huge leap fron starter allowance to Grade 3 in one impressive step last time out and could prove to be the fly in the ointment today. She was up near the pace that day before taking it up just over halfway and running out a 1 3/4 length winner over what was the same as todays trip. She must have given connections a mighty buzz that day, and the question is can she go on and prove that win was no fluke? S Lumkin is aboard this 9/1 shot. Next out of stall 8 we have Lenny13`s nicely bred 4 yo mare VINDICATION DAY. By Vindication, this consistant 6/1 shot has broken 100 on each of her last 4 runs, racking up 3 stakes wins in the process including 2 over this trip. Usually like to race up near the pace, and has shown in the past that she can take it up and do her own donkey work if the pace is not quick enough. The experienced P Rennee takes the ride. MINNOW representing the Nikolai stable is in stall 9. This 5 yo mare has won 3 of her 11 starts and has been stakes placed in her last 2, running a 103 2 starts back over 8 furlongs before recording a 95 over 8.5 furlongs lto. This daughter of Montjeu likes to come from well off the pace, but the trip may have to be taken on trust if backing this 13/1 shot. Another that should be open to improvement, S Lowracer assists from the saddle. DONNER goes out of 10 for Sam812218. This confimed mud lover is the only Grade 1 winner in the field. Won a stakes over 10.5 furlongs lto with a sr of 97. This daughter of Thunder Gulch has enjoyed a great career, winning multiple stakes and a Grade 2 to go with her Grade 1 success. This trip may prove to be a little short for her today as she appears to like a little more ground as she has matured. It has been 2 years since she won at the trip, but there is no doubt she is,or has been the class horse of the race. 12/1 to give jockey N Rivers a grade 3 win. In 11 we have the Hansg representative FILET CHEVAL. This daughter of Mineshaft is a speedy sort and recorded a sr of 106 lto when finishing runner up in an 8.5 furlong stakes, going down by 2 3/4 lengths. Despite her style of running she has shown in the past that she does get this 9 furlong trip well and if she has recovered from her last race 3 weeks ago, then she goes with a fair chance. The inexperienced G R Larson has landed a plum ride, and goes off at 6/1 j2f And finally, in stall 12 we have MAYBE EXCEPTIONAL. Trainer Revelation will be hoping this daughter if Indian Ridge lives up to her name and continues the upward curve she showed lto when breaking 100 for the first time over the trip, and she is gonna have to if she going to figure here. A winner of 11 of her 24 races, this is another that has her toughest test to date. Like a few before likes to show early and is priced up at 13/1 to give jockey I Keever the win. Pogo Predicts A difficult race to make my roving reporting debut, with some sort of doubt over most of the runners.I think it is too short for Donner and Openino,who both have recent form over longer. Minnow, Kryptikos and Impossible Girl all have it to prove at the trip. Theres a lot of early pace here and I can see it being set up for the finishers. I am going to plump for Bold Peggy to beat Chopping Hill with Filet Cheval in third.