Ten Mares Get Dirty
It’s a lovely early spring day in the Hawkeye State and the air is bright and crisp. Ten mares have made the trek here to take on the Grade III Dirtydirtydishragyou Stakes, a Grade III affair for $125,000 at 8.5 furlongs on the dirt course.
1 TALE OF MANILA Kyracing 8/1
This Tale of the Cat mare is the veteran of 37 starts and just topped $200,000 in her bankroll. She’s coming off a huge race that could have benefited from her previous poor race on the dirt. If she could equal that feat, she’d be extremely tough here, but the circumstances here are different and she’s never really been a graded-caliber mare. A tough competitor, but not the most likely winner.
2 ALL OVER THIS Bbaffert 5/1
Bbaffert’s Aptitude mare is placed very well for this race and looks very tough. She’s been performing extremely well in ungraded stakes and managed a third in a grade II not too long ago. She’s run some of the best races of her career recently and has been very consistent about running well. She’ll sit a few lengths back early and try to take over in the stretch, something she has a very good shot of doing. Looks like close to a sure thing for hitting the board and has a good shot at the win.
3 QUEEN EDNA Jacmac 11/1
Although she’d look better if she hadn’t just bombed in a Grade III, I think this mare is a lot better than her odds suggest. She’s won five of ten life time and has an easy overnight stakes win under her belt. Although the Grade III was a disappointment, it was her first try at that level and it was an off track. At these odds, you can toss that race and give her some consideration. Her speed figures have been improving and should put her right in the mix. She likes to go straight to the front, but is capable of winning from just off the pace, too. An interesting mare at a great price.
4 SAND IN DUBAI Mp 7/1
A Grade II winner at the age of 3, this Saarland mare is coming into the race looking pretty good. Her recent graded starts have been less thrilling, but this is a relatively weak graded field. She’s been looking pretty good in recent starts, but a big question mark for her is that she has been off for almost two months. Will she need a tuneup before she can run her best? If she’s able to run her best, she’ll be right in the mix of things. She’s fairly versatile in running style which should help her out. A solid mare who certainly has a shot at the board this time around.
5 CAROL OF THE BELLS Deyoto3 9/2
The prerace cofavorite used to be truly hot stuff, but this Hennessy daughter has been struggling a bit of late. Since a poor performance on last year’s DPCD, she has floundered even in overnight stakes. But that’s just a three-race slump and the mare has only 24 starts under her belt, so it’s not time to give up yet. If she can get her old form back, she will be unstoppable in this race. If she continues with the way she’s been running lately, though, she’s more likely to be midpack. A lot of questions to answer by this talented mare, and a bit of good news is that she has a terrific jock to help her find her way.
6 PLEEZEBEBETTER Doctahg3 11/1
Pleezebebetter looked good indeed in her stakes debut, but followed up with a waaaaay back finish in a Grade II. Her connections are hoping that first graded attempt was a learning experience and are sending her back for more. Her recent stakes win was on an off track, which she won’t get here and that Grade II finish doesn’t bode to well for her either. Still, she has shown she is capable of running a very big race and if she can find that again, this stalking runner could have a shot at doing some damage in this weekend’s affair.
7 ALY CAUSEWAY Cvd3 9/2
The second cofavorite is a Giant’s Causeway mare who has been running absolutely explosive races lately. She’s been impressive in overnight stakes at this distance and has a come-from-behind style that should suit the race well. The big downside for Cvd3’s mare is that she has repeatedly failed when stepping up to graded competition. She simply may not have it in her to perform well here. But if she can find the determination to run well at this high level, she could be very tough indeed.
8 AS IS Bigiron 11/1
As Is is a four-year-old Victory Gallop filly who has exploded onto the stakes scene just very recently. Her first stakes race was in her last start, where she won handily at a mile. She’s earned the chance to move up to graded company and I think her chances are substantially better than her odds. She’ll need to answer questions about just how classy she is, but everything up until now looks very promising.
9 THIS CHIP’S CRAFTY Dozaa 5/1
This is another successful mare who is taking her first shot at a graded race. She has been consistently tough in overnight stakes, having been on the board in five consecutive stakes. She will most likel head straight to the front and then will dare her competitors to catch her. She’s improved steadily over the last few months and looks like she is poised for a big race.
10 DRAGON DAISY Opus 8/1
Dragon Daisy steadily earns paychecks in overnight stakes, but hasn’t had quite what it takes to do well in graded company. She’s tried a fair number of times and never runs terribly, but she’s never hit the board in five graded attempts. She’s a nice mare who’s competitive at the right level, but hasn’t demonstrated any desire to run at this level.
Good luck!