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Ginger Punch even-money on Apple Blossom morning line Eclipse Award winner GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) has been installed as the even-money favorite on the morning line for Oaklawn Park's $500,000 Apple Blossom H. (G1). The chestnut racked up four graded wins last year en route to being named champion older mare, including three straight in the First Flight H. (G2), Go for Wand H. (G1) and Ruffian H. (G1). On Saturday, the Bobby Frankel charge will seek to continue a new win streak she began in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) and carried on into this season with a 6 3/4-length score in the Sunshine Millions Distaff on January 26 last out. Ginger Punch's only off-the-board placing came while she was trying to break her maiden in 2006, but those days are long behind her as she tops this field of six. New rider Ramon Dominguez will guide her from the rail post, a draw which pleased Frankel. "Perfect," the trainer said. "The inside is the place to be at Oaklawn." "From post 1, I expect she will sit second behind the speed, and make her move about the three-eighths pole," added Frankel's long-time assistant and lead exercise rider, Jose Cuevas. "She is a push-button mare. She'll do whatever Ramon asks." The five-year-old mare will be conceding six to 12 pounds to her rivals as the 122-pound highweight. ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) is one of those getting six pounds, as the John Shirreffs trainee will carry 116 pounds in just her fourth career start. The undefeated four-year-old will be making her dirt bow in this spot, having captured her first two starts on Hollywood Park's Cushion Track before adding the El Encino S. (G2) over Santa Anita's version of that synthetic surface to her line on January 13. In each of those starts, the dark bay lass ran in last during the early part of the races before coming with a rush late to take the victory. Mike Smith, who has won four Apple Blossoms, including three consecutive runnings aboard Azeri (2002-2004), has the call on Zenyatta. The Azeri S. (G3), named for the 2002 Horse of the Year, counts as the final local prep for the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom. In their last race, the rest of Saturday's field -- BROWNIE POINTS (Forest Wildcat), CLEVER STRIKE (Smart Strike), KETTLEONEUP (Victory Gallop) and LEMON DROP MOM (Lemon Drop Kid) -- finished in that order behind Azeri winner Hystericalady (Distorted Humor), who will not compete on Saturday. Kettleoneup ran second in last year's edition of the Azeri but skipped the Apple Blossom. She would go on to capture the Sixty Sails H. (G3) and Autumn Leaves S. prior to ending her four-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length score in the Falls City H. (G2). The chestnut mare began 2008 with a 2 1/4-length win in the Pippin S. and will keep Calvin Borel, a two-time winner of the Apple Blossom, in the saddle. The complete field for the Apple Blossom, with riders, weights and odds, is Ginger Punch; Brownie Points, Luis Quinonez, 114, 4-1; Lemon Drop Mom, Clinton Potts, 112, 20-1; Kettleoneup, 116, 3-1; Clever Strike, Shaun Bridgmohan, 110, 20-1; and Zenyatta, 7-2.
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