Railbird

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

The Bob Baffert-trained INSPIRING (Golden Missile) heads a field of eight
sophomore fillies in the $100,000 Railbird S. (G3) at Hollywood Park on Sunday.
The chestnut broke her maiden going five-eighths over the Inglewood, California,
oval last summer, recording a huge BRIS Speed rating of 104 in the process. She
came back to win the 6 1/2-furlong Sorrento S. (G3) in her second lifetime
start, then took the winter off and returned in the April 2 Santa Paula S. at
Santa Anita, finishing a solid third after pressing the pace for much of the
way. Inspiring blitzed a half-mile in :46 3/5 on April 27 and appears sharp for
this seven-furlong contest with David Flores returning to the irons.

SHORT ROUTE (Mud Route) owns a stakes win at seven furlongs, annexing the
Cover Gal S. last fall as a juvenile. The Joe Herrick trainee also has
experience at Hollywood, finishing just a half-length back in the Moccasin S., a
race run at the Railbird distance, two starts back. The chestnut failed to fire
in the stretch run of her seasonal bow, the Sunshine Millions Oaks, but may have
needed that start and we like her chances here and will use her in all levels
of the gimmicks.

Bruce Headley will saddle DONNA’S DOLL (Pleasant Tap) for the Railbird off a
sharp maiden score at Santa Anita. The bay won going away in that 6 1/2-furlong
test and is a serious contender to get up for part. We’ll have her completing
the trifecta.

ISLAND ESCAPE (Petionville) has been more successful at shorter distances,
taking the 6 1/2-furlong Cactus Cup H., but also finished second by a nose in the
one-mile Corte Madera S. The bay wants nothing beyond eight furlongs, as she has
finished no better than third in three tries at 1 1/16 miles. We’ll have the
classy Marcelo Polanco trainee in the bottom of the exotics.

GOOD LORD LAURIE (Truckee) won by eight lengths last out and could steal it
on the front end. The bay easily rates our longshot special. CONVEYOR’S ANGEL
(Conveyor) is Grade 3 placed on the turf but switches back to the dirt here and
we can’t endorse her chances.

Baffert also has PEGASUS ROSE (Fusaichi Pegasus) in the Railbird as part
of an uncoupled entry and the dark bay should enjoy the shortening in distance
after finishing fifth in the WinStar/Sunland Park Oaks last out. Pegasus Rose is
a talented filly but we’ll have to give her a race against this level of
competition. OFF THE RICHTER (Richter Scale) enters off two wins in a row but
appears
a level below these and we’ll have to go against.