\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Don\u2019t we always just eliminate the favorites?<\/P>Gretel: You always eliminate the favorites, but you almost always eliminate the winners, too.<\/P>
Hansel:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This mare doesn\u2019t win that often either.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She won seven of her first fifteen races, but she\u2019s only won three of the nineteen since.<\/P>Gretel:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But she\u2019s one of the most consistent runners here.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She always picks up at least a piece of the purse, and when she\u2019s not facing graded company, she\u2019s a sure thing to run a speed figure over 100.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>And three out of nineteen is better than your batting average.<\/P>Hansel: It might not take a figure much above 100 to win this.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I\u2019ll grant you that.<\/P>Gretel: Look at her last runs at this distance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This is her best distance.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 3\u00a0 <\/SPAN>SISSON’S CHANT(KY)\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(WAR CHANT x MR. PROSPECTOR x NIJINSKY II) bred and trained by levers<\/I><\/B> (Binzaman Stables, 12%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 5-1<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Gretel: I know you\u2019ll like this filly.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has a ton of early speed in a race with only two early speed horses.<\/P>Hansel: Give her a lead of over 8 lengths in an allowance race and she still is almost caught.<\/P>
Gretel: A win by a quarter-length is as good as a five-length win.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s an eclipse award winner! You aren\u2019t going to question her class are you?<\/P>Hansel: She was amazing as a two-year-old. I almost picked her to win once.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But since then, she\u2019s two of twelve and fades as badly as the plaid upholstery did on the sofa in the sunroom.<\/P>Gretel: That simile was as forced as something that is really forced.<\/P>
Hansel: Brilliant!<\/P>
Gretel: Anyway, she has a very hot jockey and a favorable pace situation.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I think she\u2019s rounding into formidable form.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 4\u00a0 <\/SPAN>SALLY HEMINGS <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(COLONIAL AFFAIR x TAIKI SHUTTLE x LYPHARD’S WISH(FR))\u00a0 <\/SPAN>bred and trained by queer<\/I><\/B> (The CVBear Racing Empire, 9%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 8-1<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Hansel: At last, something I like.<\/P>
Gretel: You like this mare? She\u2019s the longest shot in the race.<\/P>
Hansel: No, I like the name.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Daughter of Colonial Affair.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>If it weren\u2019t for your family friendly theme<\/I>, I\u2019d explain it to you.<\/P>Gretel: I get the reference, thank you.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She may not win, but you have to admit she earns checks almost all the time.<\/P>Hansel: I must admit she occasionally throws in a speed figure that would allow her to get a good view of the top horses as they finish.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P>Gretel: You\u2019re too cruel. \u00a0<\/SPAN>This race is wide open.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s got a shot.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 5 GREEN EGGS N HAM(IRE) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(SHAMARDAL x SADLER’S WELLS x ROBERTO) bred and trained by conman3<\/I><\/B> (Chugalug Stables, 11%) Odds: 7-1<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Gretel: Here is the other early speed filly.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Will you pick her for this race?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Will you pick her just in case?<\/P>Hansel: No! I will not pick her for this race. I will not pick her just in case. I will not choose her for the win.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I only like her to begin.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I do not like Green Eggs N Ham. I do not like her, Gretel, ma\u2019am.<\/P>Gretel: Seriously, with so little early speed here, you have to upgrade her chances, don\u2019t you?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>And you criticize the others for not winning recently.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has lots of recent wins.<\/P>Hansel: She also has worse early speed than Sisson Chant and she gives up if she can\u2019t have the lead.<\/P>
Gretel: I like her.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In a race that will honor children\u2019s literature, what better name for a horse?<\/P>Hansel: What?<\/P>
Gretel: I mean I like the pace scenario for her, and I like her recent wins.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 6 ALL OVER THIS(KY) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(APTITUDE x UNBRIDLED x BE MY GUEST) bred and trained by bbaffert<\/I><\/B> (Bbaffert Stables, 11%) Odds: 9-2<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Hansel: Where did this horse come from? I thought the entries closed with only seven entered.<\/P>
Gretel:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Trainers named Baffert always seem to get an extra chance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This filly did just make the entry deadline.<\/P>Hansel: I like the sneaky entry.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The barn must think this is a field she can handle.<\/P>Gretel: You like something?<\/P>
Hansel: I like subterfuge.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I never said I liked this filly.<\/P>Gretel: Well, you have to like this one.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s been out of the money just once (and that time just barely). She\u2019s been rapidly improving.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has speed figures that make her an obvious choice, and you even said the early speed is likely to break down.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>What\u2019s not to like?<\/P>Hansel: Let\u2019s not get too excited. She has three wins in 16 starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>And she\u2019s eligible to bounce after a big run off a layoff.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Most importantly, I suppose, where is the children\u2019s literature reference?<\/P>Gretel: Oh, look.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Here is the next entry.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 7 NEVERLAND <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(LEMON DROP KID x DANEHILL x BE MY GUEST) bred and trained by charmer<\/I><\/B> (Galileo Stables, 14%) Odds: 7-1<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Gretel: Another perfect name from children\u2019s literature.<\/P>
Hansel: You need a better reason.<\/P>
Gretel: She ran a great race last time.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She beat a tough allowance group that included four stakeswinners.<\/P>Hansel: I think we\u2019ve seen this act before.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She beat boys in an allowance race back when she was three and followed that with two stakes tries.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She does not run well in stakes, and five-year-olds looking for their first stakes wins never find them.<\/P>Gretel: Where\u2019d you hear that?<\/P>
Hansel: Since when can\u2019t I just make stuff up?<\/P>
Gretel: Well, she\u2019s never run better than she\u2019s running right now, and a repeat of her last race at this same distance would give her a great chance here.<\/P>
Hansel: Here\u2019s the last one.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>PP 8 BONE PONY(IRE) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(MOON BALLAD (IRE) x DANZIG<\/st1:place> x CONQUISTADOR CIELO) bred by pick6king <\/I><\/B>and trained by nagnagnag <\/I><\/B>(Nagnagnag Stables, 11%) Odds: 7-1<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Gretel: Oh, I\u2019m not sure this is an appropriate name for our theme.<\/P>
Hansel: Your<\/I> theme. Just pretend her name is The Red Pony.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That\u2019s a children\u2019s book, right?<\/P>Gretel: Sure, where horse after horse dies.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It\u2019s about the saddest book in the world.<\/P>Hansel: Let\u2019s wrap this up.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This one\u2019s just a claimer.<\/P>Gretel:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She used to be.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I don\u2019t know what this trainer\u2019s secret is, but since joining this barn this pony\u2019s been great.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Did you notice the Grade II from November?<\/P>Hansel: A second at 27-1.<\/P>
Gretel: Against an extremely tough field.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P>Hansel: What about the clunker she threw in her next race?<\/P>
Gretel: She more than made up for it last time.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Since teaming up with nag3\u00ad\u00ad<\/SUP> <\/SUB>she has three wins and a second in four races at this distance.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P>Hansel:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Well, that\u2019s it.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Who do you like?<\/P>Gretel: I think I have to go with All Over This, followed by Bone Pony and Bold Peggy.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Who do you like?<\/P>Hansel: Me? I\u2019m just along to be eye candy.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I have a question about your picks: What happened to your theme<\/I>?\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I don\u2019t see any children\u2019s story angle to your picks.<\/P>Gretel: Themes are fine for literature.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This is horse racing.<\/P>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hansel and Gretel Take a Walk in the Puerto Rico Forest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}