TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS
| BAYOU BREEDERS’ CUP H. (G3), 9TH-FG, $125,000, 4YO/UP, F/M, 1 1/8MT, 4:22 P.M.
CST, 2-19 |
||||
| PP | HORSE | TRAINER | JOCKEY | WT |
| 1 |
SISTER SWANK |
ASMUSSEN STEVEN M |
MECHE D J |
120 |
| 2 |
IDE BE A LADY |
SPRINGER FRANK R |
HERNANDEZ B J J |
115 |
| 3 |
CAPE TOWN LASS |
MCGEE PAUL |
LANERIE C J |
114 |
| 4 |
MAY GATOR |
FLINT STEVE |
MARTINEZ J R JR |
117 |
| 5 |
SHADOW CAST |
HOWARD NEIL J |
ALBARADO R J |
119 |
| 6 |
HUMOROUS MISS |
SPRINGER FRANK R |
GRAHAM J |
116 |
| 7 |
BIJOU |
WINFREE DONALD |
MARTIN E M JR |
115 |
| 8 |
MY MISTY PRINCESS |
KEEN DALLAS |
PERRODIN E J |
116 |
Eight fillies and mares will contest Saturday’s $125,000 Bayou Breeders’ Cup
H. (G3) at the Fair Grounds. The nine-furlong grassy affair has drawn the
versatile four-year-old SHADOW CAST (Smart Strike), and we find it hard to go
against the chestnut.
Trained by Neil Howard and piloted by the meet-leading
Robby Albarado, Shadow Cast has the same winning connections as 2003 Horse of
the Year Mineshaft, who recently had a race renamed in his honor here in the Big
Easy. Shadow Cast has one win from one start over the Louisiana track’s turf,
taking the one-mile Pago Hop S. two back. Most recently, she won the Truly Bound
H., a 1 1/16 mile dirt contest in which the filly recorded a BRIS
Speed rating of 102. If she can transfer that closing speed back to the lawn,
Shadow Cast will be the one to beat.
SISTER SWANK (Skip Away) did beat our top selection in the Valley View S.
(G3) last October at Keeneland, but was outfinished in her latest by that
same rival in the Pago. The four-year-old has been off for two months, though,
and despite her new found success since switching to the turf, we’ll have the
Steve Asmussen trainee just below our first choice in the exotics.
MAY GATOR (Green Alligator) makes her 2005 bow here for trainer Steve Flint
and may need one start before making it to the winner’s circle at this level of
competition. Still, the bay is coming off a nice six-furlong work and we’ll have
to use her in the gimmicks.
CAPE TOWN LASS (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) will be there in the end as the filly
closes like a freight train. She appears outclassed, here, however, and we’ll
have to use her in the very bottom of the exotics.
Conditioner Frank Springer has two fillies in this contest, including recent
optional-claimer winner IDE BE A LADY (Ide). The bay four-year-old steps up to
the graded level here, and we can’t see her even upsetting our top four.
Springer will also saddle HUMOROUS MISS (Distorted Humor) for her first start of
2005 in the Bayou, and we’ll give the bay one start before we recommend.
BIJOU (Cozzene) steps up here and we’ll let her beat us. MY MISTY PRINCESS
(Acceptable) ran eighth in her last start, an optional claimer that Bijou won, and we have to go against.
| TRACK BANDIT SELECTIONS:
|
1st-SHADOW CAST | |
| 2nd-SISTER SWANK | ||
| 3rd-MAY GATOR |