8/30/2024

  5  SAR   The Saranac (GIII)       

$175.000   3yo    1 1/16m  InTurf     122lbs  +penalties

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The sophomores head to The Mellon Turf course for The Saranac (GIII), a mile and a sixteen grass stakes and I for one will not be surprised by any finish here, today.  A few of these seem to have done their best work vs. state-bred foes, but The Green Card says they like Free Agent in this one.  He was sixth in the BEL Derby (GI) and this is a bit shorter and softer than that race, so I think I see where they are going.  He won the Singletary on the SA lawn, and was second in the PEN Mile (GIII), so I see where they are coming from.  Vision Harbor has two wins and a trio of seconds from five ’24 starts, and he picks up the second spot from The Card.  He broke maiden at WO then won the NY Stallion Series over this track, closing like a freight train, that afternoon… he’s a very interesting and lightly raced horse. 

Here’s The Field –

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1		Cochabamba		Riggins Racing		Prat F		122		10/1
2		Neagh		D J C Racing Stables		Franco M		122		7/1
3		Dime Fall		Asgar		Davis D		122		7/2
4		Extreme Flyer		La Canada Racehorses		Bridgmohan S X		122		9/2
5		Vision Harbor		Riggins Racing		Geroux F		122		5/1
6		Free Agent		Fractious		Velazquez J R		122		5/1
7		Tap		Mb Stables		Buick W T		122		7/1
8		Brass Monkey		D J C Racing Stables		Lezcano J		122		8/1

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Willie’s Green Card 6 / 5

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8/31/2024

  6  SAR   The Prioress (GIII)       

$200.000   3yoF    6f   Dirt    122lbs  +penalties

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Sprinting sophomore fillies will be the name of the game in The Prioress (GIII), a six-panel dash for the 3yo ladies and The Card says Devil In High Heels is the way to go.  She just missed in the IND Oaks (GIII) but is looking for a stakes win.  She was also second in the FG Oaks (GII), and it would appear that she is ready to break out and get the party started.  Aghast is the second selection, and this filly has three wins on the season, two of those graded scores, taking the Santa Ysabel (GIII) at SA and the Selene (GIII) at WO.  She fits well and should bounce back from that tiring effort at MTH, last out.      

Here’s The Field –

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1		Creepy Alexa		TwinTowersRacing		Dettori L		122		8/1
2		Aghast		Mb Stables		Ortiz I Jr		124		3/1
3		Devil In High Heels								SCR
4		Madam Dime		Asgar		Lezcano J		122		5/1
5		Stoke		Luz International		Davis D		122		7/1
6		Wuthering Heights		Panionios Racing		Saez L		122		7/1
7		Flowering		Diablo Diablo		Van Dyke D		122		10/1
8		Line Of Flight		D J C Racing Stables		Alvarado F T		122		7/1
9		Central Star		Riggins Racing		Gallardo A A		122		4/1
10		Mardi Gras Marriage		Jive Inc.		Bridgmohan S X		122		6/1

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Willie’s Green Card 3 / 2

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8/31/2024

  7  SAR   The Spinaway (GI)       

$300.000   2yoF    7f   Dirt    119lbs

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The freshmen fillies make their way to the big stage as we catch a field of eleven set to go seven furlongs in The Spinaway (GI).  I never get it right, going for a proven youngster or one that just broke maiden and is a monster in hiding, but The Card is usually on top of these races.  They say go with the proven commodity and take Grayte Bay… she’s undefeated in two races, breaking maiden at SA, then nosing out a nice group in the Debutante at CD.  Hard to fight perfection… that’s for sure.  They also like Down On The Beat, another with a stakes win, taking The Schuylerville, over this surface, last out.  She was also second in the Astoria, here at The Spa, so home cookin’ could be her thing.   

Here’s The Field –

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1		Credit Crime		Aer Stables		Ortiz I Jr		119		7/2
2		Grayte Bay		Lazy Eye		Bridgmohan S X		119		9/5
3		Us Against The World		Mb Stables		Lezcano J		119		6/1
4		Down On The Beat		Night Mare Racing		Davis D		119		5/2
5		Stink Eye		TwinTowersRacing		Van Dyke D		119		10/1
6		Fellowship		TwinTowersRacing		Bravo J		119		10/1
7		Snow Ridge		Fractious		Jaramillo E		119		10/1
8		Chilukki								SCR
9		Elecktra		Alydar Stables		Wilson E J		119		8/1
10		Miss Laie		Big Guns Stables		Saez L		119		10/1
11		Party All The Time		Riggins Racing		Alvarado F T		119		10/1

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Willie’s Green Card 2 / 4

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8/31/2024

  8  SAR   The Flower Bowl (GII) [BC]       

$500.000   4yo&Up F&M    1 3/8m  InTurf   123lbs

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Back to the Mellon Turf course and a small field of five marathon ladies going a mile and three-eighths in The Flower Bowl (GII) and BC ramifications exist for this one.  Small field, yet a very talented field and it’s as open as an Alabama front door in August.  The Card says go to the outside and drop your money on Be Exceptional, and she certainly is sharp right now.  She won the Possibly Perfect at SA going a mile and a half, so any thoughts down that lane are gone… she was second in the Matchmaker (GIII) at MTH last out, and it looks like she will continue that fine form.  Even The Card cannot separate the remainder, so let’s just key and move along.  

Here’s The Field –

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1		Sweetness		High Voltage						SCR
2		Gaga		D J C Racing Stables		Alvarado F T		123		4/1
3		Voltaire		Threshold		Lezcano J		123		7/2
4		Untidy		Mb Stables		Ortiz I Jr		123		7/2
5		Be Exceptional		TwinTowersRacing		Bridgmohan S X		123		5/2

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Willie’s Green Card  5

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8/31/2024

  5  DMR   Green Flash Hcp (GIII) [BC]   

$150.000   3yo&Up    5f  Turf     Hcp Weights

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 To the left coast we go, and we catch a full field of twelve turf sprinters set to go five furlongs in the Green Flash Hcp (GIII) and we have BC points.  The Card says to go to the outside post and take Sacrifice A Rook at the top pick in this one.  He’s won four of his last five including three stakes scores, so you understand why he carries a 2–3-pound impost vs. this bunch.  Solid works over the track getting ready for today, so all systems are go.  Nutmeg is the second choice, and I’m scratching my head on this one as he has a single (Alw) win in ’24, switches from long to short and main track to turf.  The only thing that stays in the owner and the pilot… I guess we see.  White Sunshine is the third choice, and that one is still looking for his first win of his 5yo season.  Six lifetime wins, so he knows how, but it’s three runner-up efforts, and a third, on the season… another interesting pick, in my opinion, but I don’t question The Card.    

Here’s The Field –

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1		Lunar Watch		Black N Gold Stable		Hernandez R M		119		10/1
2		Details Matter		Alydar Stables		Smith M E		119		9/2
3		First Fleet		High Voltage		Lopez P		119		7/1
4		Indian Summer		Diablo Diablo		Gutierrez Mario		119		8/1
5		To The Mattresses		Threshold		Ferrer J C		119		10/1
6		White Sunshine		Spankys Barn		Gaffalione T		119		7/2
7		Top Of The Crop		Maxmillion Farm		Jimenez A		118		6/1
8		Riley		Royalty Stables		Velazquez J R		118		10/1
9		Flip The Plan		Gdp Inc		Prat F		119		7/2
10		Nutmeg		TwinTowersRacing		Cedillo A		118		5/1
11		Apache Tomcat		Ajm Stables		Luzzi L J		119		4/1
12		Sacrifice A Rook		Simmer Down Stable		Garcia Mar		121		5/2

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Willie’s Green Card  12 / 10 / 6

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8/31/2024

  6  DMR   Pines Stakes (GIII)

$150.000   3yoF    1m   Dirt     122lbs +penalties

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Eleven sophomore fillies set to go a flat mile on the main track here in SoCal and we look at the field for the Pines Stakes (GIII).  I’m glad that this weekend is all about The Card because I’d have no clue which way to go in this one, and even the card struggled to really put one out there as a massive favorite.  In the end, Ragnar is the key for the choices.  Her lone ’24 win came in the Ruthless at AQU and that was a DH… but she was also has a second and three thirds, and those thirds may be where she shows the edge – solid showings in the Ashland (GI) at KEE, the IND Oaks (GIII) and the MTH Oaks (GIII) are nice efforts.  They stay outside with the picks and put Pragmatic on the ticket, and that last-out second in the Pucker Up (GIII) at ELP was another solid run… but her best may have come on the weeds, so going back to the main track is interesting.  Right between those two is Spirit Storm and she’s been as solid as gold, throwing out when she faced boys in the BEL (GI).  This looks like a good one.      

Here’s The Field –

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1		Dime Type		Asgar		Lopez P		122		4/1
2		Cassandra Run		Williams9		Centeno D E		122		12/1
3		Rosi		Paradise Stable		Espinoza V		122		5/1
4		Mainstream		SamIam		Kimura K		122		9/2
5		Midnight Rumble		Riggins Racing		Velazquez J R		122		7/2
6		Lille		Smokey Stover		Desormeaux K J		122		7/2
7		Scintilla		TwinTowersRacing		Geroux F		122		7/1
8		Pragmatic		Mb Stables		Ferrer J C		122		7/2
9		Spirit Storm		Nakamura Stables		Orozco I		122		7/2
10		Ragnar		D J C Racing Stables		Hernandez R M		122		3/1
11		Cool Compress		Rock Creek		Alsagoor A		122		8/1

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Willie’s Green Card   10 / 8 / 9

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8/31/2024

  6  DMR   DMR Hcp (GII) [BC]           

$300.000   3yo&Up    1 3/8m  Turf   Hcp Weights

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The big races keep coming and we look at a field of eight set to go a mile and three-eighths on the SoCal lawn.  The Card really likes Eight West Party and he is still looking for his first win of the ’24 season.  With a second in the Brooklyn (GII) and thirds in the Razorback (GIII) and Suburban (GII), he’s run with some good horses, but does he transfer that over to the grass?  Right next to that one is Neds Influence, and he hasn’t had his picture taken since March… again, close in a number of huge races and there is no doubt that grass is his gig, so perhaps today the cards get dealt for the big win. 

Here’s The Field –

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1		Drone Strike		D J C Racing Stables		Pennington F		118		8/1
2		Neds Influence		The Sidley Stud		Gutierrez Mario		121		7/2
3		Eight West Party		TwinTowersRacing		Cedillo A		118		4/1
4		On Fire		Mb Stables		Velazquez J R		118		8/1
5		Kentucky Pharoah		Mb Stables		Franco M		118		8/1
6		Royal Squeeze		Team 7 Illusions		Prat F		118		10/1
7		Moonlight Special		Allinthegate		Geroux F		119		7/1
8		Kidding		High Voltage		Centeno D E		119		9/2

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Willie’s Green Card   3 / 2

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8/31/2024

  8  DMR   DMR Mile (GII)               

$300.000   3yo&Up    1 Turf     3yo 120lbs  older 124lbs

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We go a flat mile on the lush lawn here in SoCal and we peak at the six-pack of grass miler’s in the DMR Mile (GII).  The Card says to use the KD preps as an key set of races, and the put American Generals on top.  He was second in that flat mile race at ELP, so this certainly fits his profile.  He was up the track at SAR, prior to that, so it will be interesting to see if he holds form today.  Moving up in distance, Lantern Yard is the second selection.  He was a closing third in the Sprint version of those KD preps at ELP, so I get the idea that the additional ground will help… his recent races repeat that idea.

Here’s The Field –

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1		Sioux Arrival		High Voltage		Lopez P		124		10/1
2		American Generals		Riggins Racing		Geroux F		124		5/2
3		Eagle Mountain		Invicta Group Llc		Alvarado J		124		6/1
4		Tom Kha Gai		High Voltage		Centeno D E		124		4/1
5		Seven Is Lucky		Mb Stables		Velazquez J R		124		7/2
6		Lantern Yard		Avenue Z		Pennington F		124		3/1

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Willie’s Green Card  2 / 6

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