Dogwood

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

A field of nine three-year-old fillies will travel one mile in Saturday’s
$100,000 Dogwood S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. We view this race as pretty wide
open and will take a shot with LADY’S LAUGHTER (Distorted Humor).

The Charles Lopresti trainee exits a fourth-place finish in the Eight Belles
S. (G3) in the slop over this oval, but we expect a big turn-around in here
beneath Robby Albarado. The dark bay lass was a smart maiden winner at this
track and distance in the fall and has run well since, including posting a
Keeneland allowance win and a runner-up showing in the Gowell S. at Turfway
Park. We love the addition of blinkers and the outside draw.

LUSTER (Touch Gold) was an impressive 6 1/4-length allowance heroine for Al
Stall Jr. last out and should vie for favoritism in this spot. The talented
chestnut would be especially tough if she were to repeat her last, but she may
have been racing on the dream part of the oval on Derby Day and could regress
some if pressured early. We’ll definitely use the Kentucky-bred but will side
with others on top.

HIGHTAP (Tapit) looked the part in her stylish allowance win at Fair Grounds
two back, but the Steve Asmussen pupil showed little when trounced in the
Honeybee S. (G3) in her latest endeavor. The talented gray is an obvious threat
in here with something resembling her earlier form under Shaun Bridgmohan.

AFFIRMED TRUTH (Proudest Romeo) has plenty of early speed — she led at the
first and second call of the Martha Washington S. ahead of Rachel Alexandra
(Medaglia d’Oro) earlier in the year — and the Arkansas-bred appears to be well
placed for conditioner Tim Ice. The chestnut has experience at the stakes level
and had a useful five-eighths breeze over this surface, so if she clears this
group early, she can surely hang on for a share.

PERFECT FOR YOU (Giant’s Causeway) appears to be coming to hand right now for
Rusty Arnold, posting two wins in succession in the Bluegrass State. The
Kentucky-bred filly looks slower than most of these, but she figures to relish
the added ground. We will not discount her rallying for a minor award late under
Jon Court.

DAVE’S REVENGE (The Cliff’s Edge) was a smashing maiden winner last summer
and finished a big fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in her
subsequent try, but the Bob Hess Jr. charge has not hit the board in six
straight since then. The dark bay showed little in the Eight Belles and can’t be
endorsed on this day.

SLIDES CHOICE (Devil His Due) has five wins and a second from six career
starts and will try open company for the first time after dominating Ohio-bred
competition for Tim Hamm. The bay has low BRIS Speed figures and will likely
have to rally from off the pace to win this, so we’ll let her beat us.

TWEETER (Unbridled’s Song) was ambitiously spotted in the Kentucky Oaks (G1)
off a maiden win on Polytrack for D. Wayne Lukas, and while she fits better in
here, the well-bred miss still looks a cut below others at this stage of her
development.

Stakes queen WALLOON (Alphabet Soup) was second in a maiden claiming event on
this oval in her lone dirt outing, all of her other starts having come on
Polytrack for Katherine Ball. The gray filly drew the rail in here and will be
equipped with blinkers for the initial time, but we’ll have to see her do it on
dirt before backing her.