The center of attention for this weekend\u2019s racing in Florida will be focused on the Grade III Panhandle Oaks over a mile and one eighth on the turf. The turf race, since its inception in 2000, has offered a purse of $175,000. The stakes record for the Panhandle Oaks (G3) was set just this past year at 1:47 3\/5 by Xtra Smart<\/b>, trained and owned by ejdstable<\/i>, with a speed figure of one hundred and ten. We\u2019ve been having scattered showers here at the track through the beginning of this week, which looks like will continue on throughout until the weekend. The track probably won\u2019t be soaked, but look for a turf track probably rated as good at post time. Because of the conditions for this years\u2019 running of the Panhandle Oaks (G3), the race has drawn a short field of just nine fillies for Saturday\u2019s races. Lets take a brief look at this years\u2019 runners in the Panhandle Oaks (G3).
1. To The Choir<\/b> – (Pulpit x Storm Cat x Lemon Drop Kid) – seppy<\/i> – V. Gardner – 9\/2
Drawing the rail in the Panhandle Oaks (G3) is the morning line second betting choice, To The Choir<\/b> who is being raced under the white, blue and teal colors of Seppy Stables. The brown filly made her most recent start late last month over eight furlongs on the yielding turf track of the Sun State Cup (G1) overseas in Queensland. The filly came from far off the pace in the mile long race to win the race by two and one-fourth lengths. This start in the Sun State Cup (G1) was the fillies first and only start over an off track. She recorded a one hundred nine speed figure for her effort in this race, a lifetime best speed figure for the filly. This Kentucky-bred filly may be a wise betting choice for Saturday having won three graded stakes in her career as well as recording a win over an off track. Look for this filly to be probably be rated back in the middle of the pack out of the starting gate and make a late charge in the stretch to take on the leaders for the win.
2. Crushing Ignorance<\/b> – (Pulpit x Storm Bird x Nashua) – zwango<\/i> – W. Graziano – 9\/1
In gate two we have a bit of an unknown to the world of turf racing in Crushing Ignorance<\/b>, being run by Black Label Stables. The brown Kentucky-bred three-year-old has only had one turf start in her thirteen race career. This single turf start was an allowance caliber race over eight and a half furlongs held in New Jersey last month. The filly took out of the gate on the lead and never looked back as she won in wire to wire fashion by three and a half lengths with a speed figure of ninety-nine. All of the fillies other starts came over the dirt where she was mildly successful, finishing third in the Black Middle Flower Stakes (G1) earlier this year. This Saturday\u2019s start in the Panhandle Oaks (G3) will be the fillies second turf start and the first graded start the filly has had over this surface. Look for the filly to break out of the gate on the lead and try to maintain that position until the wire.
3. Ara Pacis (FR)<\/b> – (Layman x Sadler\u2019s Wells x Buckpasser) – astinator0<\/i> – L. Buchta – 7\/2
Following in the filed is the pre-race favorite, Ara Pacis (FR)<\/b>, who will be saddled under the black and blue silks of Astins Place. The tall French-bred brown filly has made twelve lifetime career races in her lifetime. Her most recent start came early last month over ten furlongs in the Freiemuth Stakes (G3). She came out of the gate in fifth, but dropped back as the race wore on, finishing fifteen and a half lengths back in seventh in her first race over nine and a half furlongs. She will be dropping back in distance this Saturday after her performance in the Freiremuth Stakes (G3) and will be hoping to duplicate her win in the nine furlong Del Webb Oaks a few months ago when she secured victory by two and a half lengths. This filly has never raced over an off track surface. Look for the filly to come out of the gate on the pace, but probably just slightly off the lead in second or third, looking to fly past leaders in the stretch when they begin to tire.
4. Monsun JR CB (GER)<\/b> – (Monsun (GER) x Fasliyev (IRE) x Dixie Brass) – themole<\/i> – J. Nason – 5\/1
Next up and towards the middle of the track we will have the German-bred filly, Monsun JR CB (GER)<\/b>, who is being raced under the black and orange silks of Bizalls Stables. The brown three-year-old filly is out of the race-winning mare Jack\u2019s Fas CB (IRE). The filly made her most recent start earlier this month in the nine furlong QE2 Challenge (G1) where she finished fifth in the race, four and one-fourth lengths off the pace of the winner. The fillies past three races haven\u2019t been anything to write home about, with off the board finishes in all three of these races. However, the filly has made three starts on an off track during her racing career so far and has won all three times. Two of these races came in listed stakes, in the Ivan Ivankov Stakes and the King\u2019s Pye Stakes. Her other off-track win came in an eight and a half furlong allowance caliber race overseas in Dubai. Look for this filly to come out of the gates towards the middle of the pack and start to make an early move on the field and sneak up until the final furlongs where she will try to take control of the race down the stretch.
5. Someoldminer<\/b> – (Mineshaft x Danzig x Buckpasser) – danmancan<\/i> – O. Barrett – 7\/1
Again towards the middle of the track we have Someoldminer<\/b> who will be leaving gate five int he blue and red silks of Worldwide. The Kentucky-bred three-year-old had her last start over nine furlongs in the listed Fletch Lives Handicap in New York where she finished third in the race with a speed figure of one hundred six. The brown filly has raced twice over off turf tracks in her career, and both times the filly has finished in the money. The most recent of these starts was in the Ivan Ivankov Stakes over a mile where the filly was placed second in a photo finish in which she lost by a head. Look for this filly to be out of the gate and near the front of the pace, around third or fourth going out of the gate.
6. Rattyburg<\/b> – (Johannesburg x Wild Again x Saint Ballado) – darnath3<\/i> – W. Case – 11\/1
In the sixth post we will have Rattyburg<\/b>, the chestnut being saddled in the white, yellow and purple silks of Darnath Stables. The Kentucky-bred chestnut colt has made sixteen lifetime starts in her career, however, only three of these starts have been over the turf. Her most recent start came in Ontario during the I\u2019m Lost Handicap (G2) over ten furlongs. The filly finished well off the pace in this race at seventeen lengths behind the winner in seventh. She maintained a speed figure of eighty-nine in this race. However, the fillies two previous turf starts both resulted in on the board finishes with a second place finish in the Del Webb Oaks (G1) and a win in a six and a half furlong maiden special race in her turf debut. The former Bluegrass Oaks (G1) starter is now taking aim at turf races with the Panhandle Oaks (G3) being just her fourth turf start. Look for the chestnut filly to come out of the gates towards the back of the field, or possibly higher up in the middle of the pack depending upon the pace out of the gate on Saturday. She should move forward to challenge early, just before the field goes into the stretch.
7. Single White Pat<\/b> – (Gone West x Deputy Minister x Danzig) – casino<\/i> – A. Darling – 7\/1Up next we have the royaly-bred chestnut filly, Single White Pat<\/b>, who will be entered in the race under Casino Stables. The three-year-old filly is out of the graded placed mare Three D FX. The Kentucky-bred mare made her last start earlier this month in Kentucky during the nine furlong QE2 Challenge (G1) where she finished a disappointing eleventh place in the race, twelve and one-fourth lengths off the pace with a speed figure of ninety-four. The chestnut filly has made three career starts over an off track, the most recent being the Silver Spoon Juvenile (G2) over eight furlongs last year where she finished fourth. Her other two off track starts came in the listed Profitable Colony Stakes and the First Up Fluke Special Allowance. This Saturday\u2019s start in the Panhandle Oaks (G3) will be the fillies first off track start as a three-year-old. Look for the chestnut to come out of the gate towards the middle of the pack, or possibly be more forwardly rated in the race if the pace is slower.
8. Miss Sullivan<\/b> – (A.P. Indy x Unbridled x Secretariat) – paulson<\/i> – P. McJulien – 5\/1
Nearing the grandstand side of the posts we have another impressively-bred filly, Miss Sullivan<\/b>, who will be entering gate eight under the gray and white silks of Galileo Stables. The three-year-old bay filly has made fourteen career starts, mostly over the dirt. The filly has just recently went back to attempting starts over the turf. The most recent of all of her starts came last month in the Cecil Roo Classic (G1) over a mile on the dirt. The brown filly finished nine and three-fourth lengths back in seventh in this race with a speed figure of ninety-seven. Previously, the bay filly had posted three consecutive triple-digit speed figures in three turf races. These were the Roberto Clemente Handicap (G2), Lillispells Cup (G2) and an allowance caliber race over eight furlongs held in Michigan. The later two of these races resulted in on the board-finishes. Now, after her disappointment in the Cecil Roo Classic (G1) last month, she will be returning to the turf for the Panhandle Oaks (G3). Look for this filly to be rated towards the lead out of the gate, either right on the pace or right along behind in second.
9. Scarlet Red<\/b> – (Dynaformer x Mr. Prospector x Buckpasser) – bandinni<\/i> – C. Faucher – 8\/1
Reaching the final outside post on the grandstand side of the track we will have our final entry of the Panhandle Oaks (G3) in this Kentucky-bred chestnut filly, Scarlet Red<\/b>. The three-year-old filly is going into the final gate under the black and white silks of Right At Home Stables. The most recent start for this spectacular filly came last month in the six furlong listed Heliopolis Challenge in Colorado. The filly finished third in this race after setting right off the pace of the leaders out of the gate. She secured a speed figure of ninety-seven for the race. The filly has only made two graded starts in her racing career, these in the Del Webb Oaks (G1) a few months ago where she finished eleventh and the Si\u2019 Senorial Special (G3) at the beginning of the year where she finished sixth. Despite not having much success in either of these two races, she\u2019s back again in the Panhandle Oaks (G3) to try for a third time to achieve an elusive graded win. Look for this filly to be out of the gate and right on the lead, possibly going into a speed dual with the other two speed horses in this race. If need be, the filly may rate slightly off the pace in second.
Tellnotale\u2019s Picks<\/b><\/u>
Win:<\/b> To The Choir
Place:<\/b> Monsun JR CB
Show:<\/b> Someoldtimer
Good luck to all entered in this years Panhandle Oaks (G3). This is tellnotale<\/i> signing off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nine Fillies to be Tested in Panhandle Oaks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":421,"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-6739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6739","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\/421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}