The Appalooza Stakes
Saturday’s D.C. feature is the Appalooza Stakes for three-year-old fillies. The race is one mile on the firm turf, with a purse of $100,000. 1 (5/1) – LIVE YOUR DREAMS didn’t look like much in September and October last year, when she was running speed numbers in the 60s. But she spectacularly blossomed by November, when she broke her maiden with an 81. Since then she’s continued to improve, as evidenced by two solid efforts in allowance races this year. 2 (3/1) – BRUSHING RAHY is short on experience but has plenty of talent. She won three times in her four-race career and finished second once. In her most recent start, her speed number was 92 – the highest in the field. She’s making her first stakes try in the Appalooza, and it could very well result in her first stakes win. 3 (6/1) – PLAYING THE FIELD looked rather mediocre on the dirt, but she hasn’t finished worse than second ever since owner/trainer Quad494 of Candlestick Farm Stables tried her on the turf. Her speed numbers are solid – consistently in the mid to high 80s, but she’ll probably need to make a small improvement and hit a new career best if she wants to make it four wins in a row. 4 (5/2) – Lukewarm favorite CUDA WON has a sparkling race record. In nine starts, she has only been off the board once. Owner/trainer Tidy4 of Labreche Stables didn’t even bother with Maiden Special Weights or allowances for Cuda Won – every one of her races has been a listed stakes. She’s certainly not unbeatable here, but a mid-pack running could prove to be to her advantage – two of the toughest fillies in the race, Brushing Rahy and Shesapainindagrass, may have to fight each other for the lead. 5 (9/2) – SHESAPAININDAGRASS finished a strong second in her debut, and went gone on to win four races in a row, including two listed stakes. Even more remarkable is the fact that she’s on a continuing upward trend – her speed numbers have gone up in every start. If the pattern continues, she’ll hit a number in the low-90s and be a strong contender for the victory here. 6 (5/1) – LIME ZEST did quite well running on dirt – she broke her maiden in two tries and won an allowance race – but seems to have found new life on the turf. With just one start on the grass, it’s difficult to gauge whether a different surface was the only factor in her improvement, and if she’ll continue to impress, but she can’t be overlooked. If she can better her only turf speed number of 90, she should at least hit the board. 7 (14/1) – MEMORY OF YOU only has two wins under her belt – a maiden and an NW2L allowance. The Appalooza Stakes is quite a stretch for her, but there might be some potential for improvement. In her first race of 2009, she was coming off a two-month layoff, and her last race was eleven furlongs. She may find the mile distance more to her liking. 8 (14/1) – With three wins and three seconds in listed stakes races on the turf, LADY CUCAO boasts an impressive record. However, most of her success came as a two-year-old, and her most recent speed numbers show she’s improved little since last summer. This year, Lady Cucao has struggled, finishing near the back of the pack in her most recent two races. She’ll be over her head here if she runs her usual low-70s speed number, but she did put forth a solid effort in the Tired Turk Challenge at the end of January, where she posted a career-best 84 speed number. At this point, the number looks more like an outlier than anything else.