Razorback

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Followers of Oaklawn Park racing should be quite familiar with the cast
assembled for Saturday’s $150,000 Razorback H. (G3) at 1 1/16 miles. Several of
these older horses have been knocking around Hot Springs for years, and by and
large they’ve maintained their form even as they’ve advanced in age. The choice
is JONESBORO (Sefapiano), who seeks to become the first back-to-back Razorback
winner since Mr Ross (2001-02).

After taking last year’s Razorback by a comfortable margin as the odds-on
choice, Jonesboro went through a three-race funk that covered races both at
Oaklawn and Churchill Downs. The last of these, a sixth-place effort in the
Stephen Foster H. (G1) at 91-1, wasn’t that bad considering the competition he
was facing, and a brief layoff and a reduction in class helped him finish 2008
with three wins in his final four starts. He kicked off this season with a
runner-up effort in an allowance, a race he likely needed after nearly three
months on the shelf. He posted a bullet five-furlong work on Monday and should
be ready to roll here.

PROM SHOES (Include) is a logical threat based on his victory in the Essex H.
last out, plus he handed Jonesboro a beating in the Fifth Season S. here at the
conclusion of the 2008 meet. A noted good finisher, Prom Shoes was let go at
11-1 and 10-1 in those two respective appearances, so we’ll take the approach that since we
missed the wedding, we won’t get caught at the funeral. However, another victory
by this Jinks Fires charge would not surprise.

SHIM’S PRIDE (Awesome Again) makes a rare stakes appearance, deservedly so
following his January 18 allowance score over Jonesboro and SPOTSGONE (Bright
Launch). Another veteran with strong BRIS Late Pace figures, he showed good
class overcoming a slow pace in his recent victory and has as good a record over
the track as many of these. Spotsgone, on the other hand, has been in quite a
rut since taking the 2008 Essex. He looks extremely dangerous as the speed of
the speed, but even soft fractions has not been able to lift him up to
prominence in two starts this meet.

CATMANTOO (Vision and Verse) is a hard-knocking allowance type who also makes
a rare stakes attempt here. Unfortunately, he was only fifth in the Claiming
Crown Jewel last summer after a poor start, and that race is little more than a
glorified starter allowance. He should find things more difficult here. SILVER
EDITION (Silver Deputy) was the runner-up in three graded stakes last year,
including a neck defeat in the Hirsh Jacobs S. (G3) at Pimlico, but so far has
proven only to be an effective late-closing sprinter. We’ll wait and see how he
handles two turns. LET IT ROCK (Trippi) lacks the triple-digit BRIS Speed
figures that is likely required to win a race of this caliber.