Laurel Park picks and ponderings March 7, 2020

Anna’s Bandit. Photo by Laurie Asseo.

In which we pick the races from Laurel Park each day…

Post time: 12:25 p.m.

Carryovers: Rainbow Jackpot Pick 6 — $9,884; Super High 5 — $436; Late Pick 5 — None

Notable:

RACE 1

1-5-3-4
#1 Ortinola (5/1): Hung in there last out at this level, prompting the pace and staying on to finish third. Worked four furlongs in a sharp 49 ⅖ seconds since her last race.
#5 Sexyama (7/5): Got caught in a duel and faded last time, but impressively beat a starter optional claiming field two races back. Any horse with the trainer/jockey team of John Robb and Xaiver Perez has to be respected. The only downside: there’s lots of speed in here for her to contend with. Can she outkick them all?
#3 Mai Sai Princess (4/1): Got a great stalking trip and drew off to win against n/w2L horses in her last race. Could enjoy a similar setup here.

RACE 2

4-5-2-6
#4 Union Annie (5/2): In a field full of well-meant firsters, this one gets the edge. She’s been firing tons of bullets at Fair Hill as of late, with three of her last four workouts being the fastest of the day at the distance. Gets Cintron aboard for her debut.
#5 Tale of Perfect La (5/2): Linda Rice sends this one down from New York. Ran a decent brisnet figure of 73 in her first race off a long layoff last out, and could be ready to take a step forward in the second start of her sophomore campaign.
#2 Amanite (2/1): McCarthy and Motion team up for this firster, who comes in with a string of loping five-furlong workouts. Might need to get a few races under her belt before she fires her best effort, but in a field full of inexperienced horses, maybe she can work out a win.

RACE 3

3-5-6-1
#3 Yesterdaysplan (5/2): Raced wide throughout while going long last time and flattened out. Gets hot apprentice Charlie Marquez aboard, and has great late pace figures in a field loaded with cheap speed. Should take advantage of a hot pace and pounce.
#5 Call Me Jelly Roll (3/1): Returns to the Linda Albert barn, for whom this filly won a race last fall. She’s got speed, but has enough endurance to hang around. Should battle early, dispose of her rivals, and at least get a piece against the closers.
#6 Annika Gold (8/1): Goes first off the claim for Tim Kreiser, who hits at 28% with that angle. Will seek to recover the good form she had at Parx back in the fall.

ANALYSIS

RACE 4

5-2-4-6
#5 Lion Lord (9/5): Robb/Perez gelding has been on a tear as of late, winning four in a row. He soundly beat a n/w1x allowance field at Charles Town last out, now drops in for $12,500 after two wins at the $16,000 level earlier in the year at this track. He’ll try to wire this group, and he’s got enough early speed and back-class that he should be able to do so.
#2 Jack Straight (5/2): Got a perfect trip in his last start, which he won easily for $8,000, and was claimed by Richard Sillaman. Has up-and-down figures, and he’s an unknown at today’s distance, but should get a great stalking trip and pounce if Lion Lord stops.
#4 Lord Simba (6/1): Don’t know what happened in his last race, when he was flat as a pancake, but had won two in a row prior to that. Can he bounce back here? You’ll get good odds if you believe.

RACE 5

6-1-5-2
#6 Last Chukker (2/1): Lightly-raced gelding gets a jockey upgrade to Angel Cruz, off a solid second at the level last out. He had to steady in the stretch, but still came on well. This is just his second start at the class, so he’s far from a proven loser.
#1 McLean House (8/1): Has had some even finishes in his last few, and should be able to pick up a check at a good price.
#5 Rumson Rally (8/5): Ran a big brisnet figure of 82 when winning against n/w2L foes last out, which is the best last-out figure in the race by six points. The problem is that he’s got no early speed whatsoever, putting him at a big disadvantage early. He did make up eighteen lengths in his last race to win by three, but it’s a big ask to do it again.

RACE 6

5-7-2-1
#5 Bird Traffic (6/1): Raced wide on both turns last out while going 1 1/16 miles, and unsurprisingly gave way. Had shown good form in one turn races earlier this year, with back-to-back figures of 84. Going back to seven furlongs here, she profiles as a contender.
#7 You Made It (4/1): Withstood lots of early pace pressure and drew off to a claiming win last out. She was claimed out of that race by Wasabi Stables, for trainer Jesus Cruz. Cruz is 22% first off the claim.
#2 Little Miss Raelyn (5/2): Bounced back sharply in her second race off the layoff, crushing a field of Maryland-breds by 3 ½ lengths. Have to imagine McCarthy will be gunning early.

ANALYSIS

RACE 7

3-7-5-8
#3 Prime Time Man (3/1): Goes down to a restricted level after a try against open $5,000 claimers. Should be an attendant to the pace, and will take advantage if things fall apart.
#7 Sir Douglas (4/1): Deep closer has put in fantastic runs in his two races, but has left himself with just a bit too much to do each time. He’s an excellent horse to use underneath, and if Russell can time the rally just a bit better, good things will happen.
#5 Finbar (15/1): Gets a big jockey upgrade to McCarthy, and has great late pace figures. Wouldn’t be surprised to see some big improvement from this longshot.

RACE 8

7-8-4-6
#7 Combat Queen (5/2): Boxed in against similar last out, and lost by a head. She’s improved her figure in each of her three starts, and should keep getting better second off the bench.
#8 Magical Luna (7/2): Will try to clear to the lead from the outside post and go as fast as he can, as far as she can.
#4 Pretty Luna (9/5): Impressed in her second start, which was just eight days ago. She recovered nicely after a bad break, stalked, moved four-wide and drew off. Gets the biggest class test she’s faced so far.

RACE 9

1-7-6-3
#1 Khalos Vision (6/5): It’s hard to take a horse who’s recently lost at the level at low odds, but at least she’s fairly lightly raced, and this is an easier field than last time.\
#7 Adabel (4/1): Canadian invader makes her seasonal debut here. She had good form over the summer, then began tailing off near the end of the Woodbine season. Workouts have not been that sharp since coming here, so she might need a race.
#6 Broadway Trouper (2/1): Battled on well last out, before losing by less than a length. The 0-for-19 career mark is not inspiring, though.