Clark – E

TRACK BANDIT GRADED PREVIEWS

The 14-horse brigade set to go postward in Friday’s Clark H. (G2) is one of
the better fields we’ve seen assembled for this race in recent memory. Three
Grade 1 winners, a trio of impressive sophomores and a budding superstar make up
half of the dynamic field.

TIMBER RESERVE (Forest Camp) is our longshot deluxe in this field for trainer
John Kimmel, and we envision this one running huge on or just off the early
tempo. The inconsistent dark bay has previously shown he belongs with this type
but has not endured a productive 2009 campaign as of yet, although he’s had some
excuses. The natural route horse has been sharpening up his speed in one-turn
events as of late, registering commendable BRIS Speed and Early Pace numbers,
and this trip seems ideal for him. Kent Desormeaux will guide our upset
selection.

Sentimental favorite EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) is the class of the group
but had the misfortune of drawing the widest post in here for Helen Pitts-Blasi.
The multiple Grade 1 hero will likely be making his final race in an illustrious
career on this day, and it would be very fitting for him to go out on top after
proving his mettle on all ovals and surfaces. We’ll toss the poor showing by the
dark bay in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and expect something close to his
best with Rajiv Maragh.

MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno) has earned our respect in a big way this season for
trainer Dallas Stewart, taking the Stephen Foster H. (G1) and finishing big
seconds in both the Whitney H. (G1) and Woodward S. (G1) among his seven starts.
The underrated gray has posted triple-digit BRIS Speed figures in four straight
and has three wins and a second in five tries locally. His best puts him right
there under Robby Albarado.

Budding star BLAME (Arch) has yet to finish worse than third and looked the
part in defeating a nice one in the Fayette S. (G2) at Keeneland last out for
Albert Stall, Jr. The rising sophomore has handled everything thrown at him to
date and has faced serious competition along the way, earning BRIS Speed ratings
of 105 and 103 in his last two dirt starts, and we can’t dismiss him in here in
his toughest test yet. The Claiborne homebred is an obvious threat with Jamie
Theriot.

GIANT OAK (Giant’s Causeway) has run big races in his last two on dirt and
could close for a share if a fast pace ensues. The lengthy sophomore was a bit
of a disappointment in his three-year-old campaign to this point, but a big
effort last out coupled with a bullet five-furlong drill entering this race
gives us the impression that he’s put it all together. The colt is Grade
2-placed over this oval and must be considered for the gimmicks under Shaun
Bridgmohan.

ETCHED (Forestry) was extremely impressive from a visual standout in the
recent Meadowlands Cup S. (G2) in his latest try to run his record to
five-for-six for Darley Stable. The Kiaran McLaughlin charge has a world of
ability and is a perfect in the United States, but the size and talent level of
this field is something new to him and we’re a bit concerned about backing him
at possibly overbet odds. The superb chestnut could still easily win and we’ll
include him in our multi-race plays, but we’d be more confident if he were
donning the royal blue of Godolphin in this event. Alan Garcia will guide the
contender.

Whitney H. (G1) victor BULLSBAY (Tiznow) was outrun in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt
Mile (G1) on synthetics but returns to his preferred strip here for Graham
Motion. A Grade 3 hero over the dirt oval and a close fourth in the Stephen
Foster this season, the talented bay has three wins from four Churchill tries
and is another logical threat in this fine field. The hard-trying ANAK NAKAL
(Victory Gallop) was third in the Meadowlands Cup last out in his first start
since returning from Dubai, but the one-run closer will need a lot of luck and a
lifetime best to pull out this win. We will still consider the late runner a
threat for the bottom of the tris and supers.

MISREMEMBERED (Candy Ride [Arg]) passed his first dirt test with flying
colors when acing the Indiana Derby (G2) most recently and has worked very fast
in the interim for Bob Baffert. The chestnut sophomore has excellent positional
speed and should be involved throughout, giving him a big edge on the closers in
such a bulky field. However, with his low BRIS Speed figured and a potentially
low price, we feel compelled to play against him at this juncture. YOU AND I
FOREVER (A.P. Indy) flashed brilliance on occasion at times at three but has yet
to build upon that momentum for Marty Wolfson, who has campaigned the
four-year-old in 2009. We don’t like the rail draw in such a big field, and the
fact that the colt has been soundly defeated by lesser foes is another serious
concern.

New Jersey standout KISS THE KID (Lemon Drop Kid) is capable on his best day
and isn’t that far behind the best in this field for conditioner Amy Tarrant,
but he may be more comfortable at a mile or 8 1/2 furlongs. DUBIOUS MISS (E
Dubai) has never proven that he belongs on this stage. We acknowledge his
four-for-five mark at Churchill Downs for Paul McGee, but we can’t budge on our
opinion that he is a cut below. Ack Ack H. (G3) star DEMARCATION (Gulch) aced
his first dirt try over the past two seasons, but still looks like a one-run
closer who will have too much to do late. ANARKO (Chi) (Sir Cat) looks like an
outsider against these.