February 8, 2012

Misremembered looks to be favored in Strub Stakes

I can remember the first time I saw Misremembered race. It was in the Grade 3 Affirmed and he had to tackle a horse named Grazen. In the end Grazen was victorious, but only momentarily. I remember hearing Bob Baffert saying something along the lines of  “Today your going to find out why I’m a Hall of Fame trainer” before Misremembered’s next start in the Grade 2 Swaps, where Grazen was also entered. Misremembered won this time by 1 3/4 lengths after grabbing the early lead.

It’s been all good things since then for the son of Candy Ride. He will have a huge shot in the Strub Stakes after finishing third last out in the Malibu Stakes. He had a bad post in that race and got a horrid trip. This distance will suit him much better. He is going to be a tough horse to beat, but there are several nice runners in here capable of doing the job.

I had my doubts about Smart Bid, but he has looked very strong since winning the Damascus on Breeders Cup day. His last race was a second place finish behind Papa Clem in the San Fernando Stakes. I wasn’t sure if this was his preferred surface, but he stayed on strong in that race after relinquishing the lead. His pedigree says he should handle 9 furlongs, but his only attempt was in the Sham where he finished 6th. He is one to keep an eye on.

Eagle Poise figures to garner plenty of support shipping in from Woodbine for trainer Bill Mott and Juddmonte Farms. Julien Leparoux will get the mount. This colt rarely runs a bad race. His most recent try was a second behind Breeders Cup Marathon runner up Cloudy’s Knight. He is the x factor for this race.

Rendezvous ran third last out in the San Fernando after racing evenlythe entire way. Rafeal Bejarano will pilot the colt. He was probably a victim of track  bias last out and will run a better race here. The extra distance will work to his benefit. His last win came by a nose in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.

It seems like Massone always runs a good race, but can never seem to win. He may fix that problem in this race. He was last seen running third in the Sir Beaufort behind The Usual Q.T. under Garrett Gomez, but he will have Mike Smith in the irons for this race. The son of Menifee will need a fast pace to chase.

Square Eddie will give it a go after finishing out of the money in four consecutive races. He is a really nice horse and I’d like to see him get a win in allowance company before trying to tackle the big boys again. He probably doesn’t have much of a shot here, but he is one of my sentimental favorites.

Viscount, Gallant Son, Diferentkindagreat, and Heavenly Wind round out the field. Who do you like?

American Lion returns in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

It seems that trainer Eion Harty has yet another fast son of Tiznow in his barn. American Lion closed furiously to take the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue in his last start at two and will be making his first start as a three-year-old this weekend in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. He appears to be training well and he should relish the extra distance. He will have to race well off the shelf if he wants to win this race like Pioneerof The Nile did last year.

Bob Baffert’s barn is stacked with three-year-olds this year; who would’ve thought? He sends out stakes winning Macias and Tiz Chrome in this race. Macias won a minor stakes event on the turf in his last trip to the track . He will have to prove he can run on the main track if he wants to win here. Tiz Chrome is a perfect two for two and has blazing early speed. I have my doubts about his ability to stretch his speed out, but I never doubt a Baffert runner.

Caracortado is the most proven runner in the field. He has won all four of his starts and most recently found the winners circle going two turns in a Cal bred stakes race. His style fits this race very well and should be a handful for jockey Paul Atkinson. Trainer Michael Machowsky also bred the gelding.

Dave In Dixie is in with a shot for trainer John Sadler and jockey Joel Rosario. He was an impressive debut winner last summer, but ran 6th in the Grade 1 Norfolk after that. This will be his first race in several months. The colt probably won’t be ready off the shelf, but nothing is impossible.

Tango Tango has been running at Golden Gate and will try to win here for Rafeal Bejarano and Jerry Hollendorfer. Domonation was last seen running third behind Conveyance in the Grade 3 San Rafeal.

Who do you like in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes? My picks and plays are available by clicking here.