Full fields drawn for Spiral, Bourbonette Oaks

Tamarando has prior experience on Polytrack thanks to a win in last year’s Del Mar Futurity (Benoit Photos)

Full fields of 12 sophomores have been entered for both the Grade 3, $550,000
Spiral and its sister race, the Grade 3, $125,000
Bourbonette Oaks, on Saturday
at Turfway Park.

Each race will be worth points on a 50-20-10-5 basis, with the Spiral
scheduled on the Road to the Kentucky Derby series and the Bourbonette Oaks part
of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

The Spiral is the main event and has drawn a competitive group of
three-year-olds headlined by 3-1 morning-line favorite Tamarando. Trainer Jerry
Hollendorfer shipped the dark bay son of Bertrando from the West Coast in search
of a second straight graded victory. The colt captured the Grade 3 El Camino
Real Derby over Golden Gate Fields’ synthetic Tapeta on February 15 but is no
stranger to the all-weather Polytrack, having scored in the Grade 1 Del Mar
Derby over that surface
last season.

Tamarando currently boasts 12 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, thanks to his El Camino Real Derby win and a third in last year’s Grade
1 FrontRunner, and sits in 19th on the leaderboard. A win in the 1 1/8-mile
Spiral, which will be his first start outside of the Golden State, would ensure the
California-bred a place in the Derby starting gate on May 3.

Solitary Ranger will attempt to complete the Battaglia/Spiral double (John Engelhardt/Pat Lang Photography)

Solitary Ranger easily got the best of stablemate Poker Player in the 8
1/2-furlong Battaglia by 4 3/4 front-running lengths. It was another five
lengths back to Harry’s Holiday, who sprinted 6 1/2 furlongs for an eight-length
score in the 96Rock Stakes one month prior.

Solitary Ranger actually broke his maiden last September in the Grade 3
Arlington-Washington Futurity prior to a subpar ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’
Futurity at Keeneland in October. The well-traveled U S Ranger colt returned to
competition at Fair Grounds for trainer Wayne Catalano on January 5, capturing a
one-mile turf affair, and added the Battaglia to his resume last out under
regular rider Florent Geroux, who stays in the saddle. The duo are listed at 6-1
on the morning-line.

Poker Player will be trying Polytrack for the third time on Saturday. The
Catalano-trained son of Harlan’s Holiday opened his career on turf and was
scheduled to make his stakes bow in the grassy Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland last
October. That race was moved to the main track, but Poker Player still pulled
off the victory in the 1 1/16-mile contest. The gray colt shipped to the West
Coast for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, where he finished eighth in his
juvenile finale, and could improve in this spot in his second start of the year.
Channing Hill retains the mount on Poker Player, who is 5-1 on the morning-line.

We Miss Artie is looking to get back on the winning track in the Spiral (Keeneland/Coady Photography)

There are two runners in the Spiral who are exiting subpar efforts in the
Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on February 22.

First up is We Miss Artie, who captured last season’s Breeders’ Futurity and
stalked the early pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile prior to fading to seventh
on the wire. The Artie Schiller colt held the lead in the stretch of the grassy
Kitten’s Joy Stakes while making his sophomore debut at Gulfstream but was just
caught to be second by a head on the line. We Miss Arite never factored in the
Fountain of Youth, finishing eighth, and will need to move forward if he hopes
to compete here for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez.

Almost Famous lived up to his name by being the “it” horse in the Street
Sense Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs. The Pat Byrne trainee could only
manage fourth behind Coastline on that day, but returned two weeks later to romp
by six lengths under the Twin Spires. Thus far in two tries as a sophomore, the
Unbridled’s Song colt has been fourth in the Grade 2 Holy Bull after contesting
the early pace and never factored after a steadying start to be 11th in the
Fountain of Youth. Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel has been aboard
Almost Famous for his two races this year and has the call on Saturday.

Swiss Lake Yodeler could make some noise in the Bourbonette Oaks (Benoit Photos)

The Pletcher-trained daughter of Giant’s Causeway easily broke her maiden at
first asking on January 19 before romping by 9 3/4 lengths last month in just
her second start. Both times the gray filly was the post-time favorite but will
likely face some competition for that honor in Saturday’s Bourbonette Oaks.
Velazquez takes the reins for the first time on Sloane Square.

Aurelia’s Belle and Swiss Lake Yodeler could be the ones vying for favoritism
following nice efforts against graded competition in their last races. The
former filly, who is trained by Catalano, has placed in the Grade 2 Davona Dale,
Grade 2 Forward Gal and Grade 3 Old Hat in her past three, and will tote the
same 118-pound impost as Sloane Square.

Swiss Lake Yodeler will be giving those two rivals six pounds after being
assigned 124, most of which will be taken up by Baze. The Hollendorfer miss
captured a pair of state-bred stakes last year and enters the Bourbonette Oaks
off a third in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel.