Eleven Is Even with Las Vegas Handicap Mares

Las Vegas Handicap

Grade III

Six and one half furlongs

Firm Turf

$125,000

Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up

PP  Horse ID  Horse  Owner  Jockey  Odds

1 8046 EYE OF THE WORLD(IRE)  shamran7  V Jef  10/1

This 4-year-old Dubawi lassie really put things together last fall, posting a big win in the World Cup Ladies Turf Sprint.  After that nose victory, she had trouble using her deep, late rush in a series of turf sprint stakes.  She tested the dirt once, then switched back to the turf two back in the Profitable Colony.  It was there she was able to finally post another victory, even though most of her races in between were formful.  She finished only 8th in the Grade 2 Castle Point last out, but once again, it wasn’t that bad of a race (and her first on a moist turf course).  It’s probably not so much that she needs to improve as that she needs to be lucky enough that they all come back to her.  Top jock V Jef can do nothing but help her cause.

2 129474 BARB DYLAN(IRE)  jakematt3  L Brenner  9/1    

Falbrav filly with a clever name is a turf sprint specialist with a versatile running style and, my, those are big speed numbers showing on her PPs!  There are a number of turf victories with one dirt failure stuck in between, but her last out on May 8th was a below-par performance in an Eastern Kentucky turf stakes.  Once again, that was an off surface, which does not seem to be quite her cup of tea.  There is obviously a lot of talent here, so the solid Brenner will have to choose the best way to harness it for this bunch.

3 35520 COZY ZIG  singleall  T Fishback  7/1    

She’s a nicely bred roan (COZZENE x AFFIRMED x DANZIG) who has been a reliable performer in the open stakes ranks, but now makes her graded debut.  She seems to be improving with age (5), posting her fastest speed, a 107, in her last.  A step back to the speeds she had been running before that still wouldn’t preclude a trip to the winner’s circle, and her mid-pack run seems nice enough for this field.  Fishback is not a liability, if not one of the top riders on this circuit.

4 110075 GANGLORD  simsters6  E N Tice  6/1    

This 5-year-old is a millionaire and a multiple Grade 1 winner.  She’s among the minority of the retired Devil’s Bag offspring that prefer turf, and her biggest wins were at 6 furlongs.  She’s been a little down from her best recently, but still solid.  Tice is one of the best jockeys, and he will likely have this one close to the pace.  She’s got a chance, but you might shop for one with better odds.

5 117769 MIRARI’S WAKE(IRE)  sender  M Cooper  8/1    

The 4-year-old is an even 10 for 20 in her career, which encompasses a World Cup Long Ladies Turf Sprint score.  One of 14 stakes winners from sire North Light’s first crop, she is scratch bred out of Carson City and Dynaformer.  She recaptured her World Cup form with a win in the Tricky Slew on March 1st, but followed that with a fading 9th in the Castle Point on a yielding surface.  A win would get her awfully close to the million dollar mark.  Cooper is a terrific rider, and she just could wire this field with a high 100 speed.

6 9794 POSITIVE DISCISION  firstmate  W Campbell  9/1  

Trainer firstmate chooses an interesting and gutsy place to give this filly her turf debut.  She’s yet another World Cup winner (the Ladies Sprint).  Pulpit offspring like her are not hopeless on the turf, and you could point to her success on wet dirt tracks as an indication she might like grass if you’re so inclined.  That said, she has to both recover her best form and translate it to turf, so I am tempted to leave her out of my trifecta.

7 125213 LACTOSA(KY)  dreamscity  C Barker  7/1    

The Gulch 4-year-old is another stepping up to graded competition from a successful string in listed stakes.  She’s as sharp as she has ever been, coming off of a solid second in a stakes at Delaware four weeks ago.  There could be traffic problems when she really starts rolling in the stretch, and the low percentage jock might not help in that situation.

8 73582 SUICIDAL TENDENCY(KY)  7cardstud  T Hutchinson  6/1

While it’s true the punky 4-year-old is also a graded stakes virgin, this one has speed numbers between 106 and 112 in four of her last five.  That group of races represents a big move forward for this Awesome Again gal, and she looks ready to enter the elite group of turf sprinters.  The concern is that she could have an incurable case of seconditis, and that there could be too much pace pressure, causing her to get nipped at the wire.  That said, she’ll be my choice on the win end.

9 63005 HOLLABACK GIRL  super23  V Swanson  6/1    

This is the one who finished on the board in the Castle Point last out, and the connections were probably praying for rain, since she has yet to finish out of the trifecta on wet turf.  Even so, she has sometimes displayed a nice turn of foot on the firm turf, including a solid run in a stakes in Pennsylvania back in December.  You probably shouldn’t count a Danzig product out of anything, and Swanson’s having a great year, but 6-1 is a low-ish price for her on a firm course.

10 111122 ROCK OF PASSION(IRE)  heubeck  F Holmes  12/1   

This is a Rock of Gibraltar 5-year-old who is pretty much of a speedball on the turf.  She was moved up to the stakes ranks last October and has three 105 numbers since then.  Despite that, she looks as likely to wire this group as to be gasping for air at the top of the stretch.  Even if she does do it, her backers are likely to be yelling “no, no, no” as they close in on her near the wire.

11 98168 CANADIAN GOLD  pher  D Wilmsmeyer  7/1    

A Grade 2 winner on dirt (the Manhattan District back in 2006), she’s been as good or better in her recent grass races.  She won a stakes in Wisconsin with a big 110 to cap her 2007 campaign, and her 4th place in the Grade 1 Ball and Chain Bullet in March was not that bad.  I’m not sure a win is in the cards for the Touch Gold 5-year-old, but her best wins it like so many others here.