Fifty Five to make first start of year in Saturday’s Plenty of Grace
Todd Pletcher saddles three contenders in first running of Bridgetown
Peter Brant’s Fifty Five will make her 2018 debut after a nearly six-month layoff, headlining a group of five older fillies and mares in the $100,000 Plenty of Grace on Saturday on Aqueduct Racetrack’s inner turf.
Carded as Race 3, the fourth running of the Plenty of Grace is one of two stakes on the day, complementing the first running of the $100,000 Bridgetown for 3-year-old sprinters in Race 8.
Fifty Five, the winner of the 2017 Grade 3 Florida Oaks, is coming off a solid 3-year-old campaign in which she was the runner-up in the Grade 3 Wonder Again, third in the Grade 3 Lake George and third in the Memories of Silver for trainer Chad Brown. The New York-bred mare by Get Stormy is 4-1-4 in 10 career starts.
Junior Alvarado will be in the irons from the rail.
Her stablemate, Uni, will also return off a freshening. After winning two of her first six races in France, the English-bred daughter of More Than Ready arrived in the United States and finished third in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 8. A strong runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 19 at Saratoga Race Course, followed by a win in the Grade 2 Sands Point on September 16 at Belmont, set her up for her 2017 finale in which she rallied from seventh to finish fourth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 14 at Keeneland.
Irad Ortiz, Jr. will have the return call from post 3.
My Impression will be making her first appearance since running third in the Forever Together on November 25 at the Big A. The 5-year-old Sky Mesa mare has posted Beyer Speed Figures exceeding 90 in six consecutive starts, including a win in the One Dreamer on September 6 at Kentucky Downs and second-place finishes in the...
Three graded or group stakes winners from the barn of trainer Chad Brown and John Oxley’s La Coronel, a three-time graded stakes winner at Keeneland in as many starts, headline a field of 11 fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 30th running of the $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1).
The Coolmore Jenny Wiley, run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, will go as the 10th race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 6:12 p.m. ET post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Brown, who won the Jenny Wiley in 2015 with Ball Dancing, will send out Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith’s Fourstar Crook, Martin Schwartz’s Off Limits (IRE) and Peter Brant’s Sistercharlie (IRE).
Fourstar Crook comes into Saturday’s race off a victory in the Hillsborough (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs March 10 in which she defeated La Coronel. Javier Castellano has the mount and will break from post position 11.
Off Limits won the Matriarch (G1) at Del Mar to close her 2017 campaign and opened 2018 with a fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Hillsborough when she was beaten by only 1½ lengths. Joel Rosario has the mount on Off Limits and will break from post position three.
Sistercharlie, a Group 3 winner last year in France, finished second in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) in July in her most recent start that also serves as her lone U.S. race. John Velazquez has the mount on Sistercharlie and will break from post position seven.
La Coronel, trained by Mark Casse, won the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) as a...
Monticello picks for our IdaBet players for Thursday, April 12th
1ST RACE: 1-5-3-4
2ND RACE: 6-1-7-4
3RD RACE: 3-7-6-2
4TH RACE: 4-2-1-8
5TH RACE: 5-2-1-6
6TH RACE: 3-6-5-1
7TH RACE: 4-6-8-1
8TH RACE: 8-3-4-2
9TH RACE: 3-7-1-6
Thank you for your support of Monticello and IdaBet.com!
Today’s “Lock” is at Saratoga Raceway on race 6 with the #5-Love Yourself-Good post draw and has speed to win for driver Billy Dobson.
Last “Lock” won again! Howard’s rRecord now stands at: 207 of 342 wins with 62 seconds and 23 thirds.
Lock it up today at IdaBet.com! Good luck!
Some insights into tonight’s racing program for our IdaBet players:
1ST RACE – (1) SCARLET CHASER sees inner half of gate for first time in many moons, so is that enough to offset 1-for-36 over past two seasons? No idea.
2ND RACE – (7) LOGETTA HANOVER draws out six places, but class dips off useful pole try versus better. Has not shown leaving, thus involvement an issue.
5TH RACE – (3) CENTURY CHURCHILL returns to town winless in 10 ’18 tries. Was against better when last seen here, surmising he goes as a bottom feeder.
6TH RACE – (3) PINGALING did lose any shot with early misbehave in last out. Has danced dance of damned twice in last three, but aptitude there if stays flat.
7TH RACE – (5) I LIKE DREAMIN’ comes off a pair of Pocono thirds, back here as bottom-of-barrel denizen. Is winless this season, but earns nod at this level.
11TH RACE – (5) SOME ATTITUDE is intriguing interloper who makes just fourth try of season. Couldn’t hack second move across river in last, but finale nod.
Posted by Carie Beard in Blog, Horse Racing & Betting News | 0 comments
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