Juvenile spotlight: Thursday's 3rd race at Churchill Downs
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The Derby City 6 jackpot Pick 6 on Thursday at Churchill Downs begins with the third race, a 5-furlong dirt race for 2-year-old fillies. Without past performances for many of these entrants, these baby races can be a challenge to decipher for many handicappers. Pedigree, workouts, purchase price and trainer stats all can be important clues when examining these young horses on paper.
Horse Racing Nation’s First Timer Insights Report provides valuable clues about which debut runners are well-intentioned.
Click here for Churchill Downs entries and results.
No. 2 Fun Money (4-1 ML) is by freshman sire Mrazek out of Saudi Chroma, a dam who won her debut as a 2year-old. This is her first foal, but that early precocity bodes well for Fun Money. She has two gate works, one of which equals the time of her last work, 4 furlongs in 48.80. This indicates that she’s able to break well and her workout times aren’t compromised by starting gate trouble. Trainer George Arnold is only 4 percent with his first-time starters. With such limited pedigree data and lower trainer stats, this might be a toss.
No. 3 Chiquita Mosca (20-1 ML) is by Commissioner out of Kilcoole Miss, a dam who won on debut. Trainer Ishmael Bahena is 0-for-9 with his debut runners. Chiquita Mosca’s workouts are slow in comparison with others in this field, and she has yet to record a work over the Churchill Downs surface or from the starting gate. She was a $5,500 Fasig Tipton October yearling sale purchase and would surprise with a victory in here.
No. 4 Song of Storms (20-1 ML) is by Mor Spirit out of Lemon Frosted. Like Chiquita Mosca, Song of Storms has no works at Churchill Downs, though she does have a gate work going three furlongs in 38.30 seconds. She sold for $3,500 at the Fasig Tipton October yearling sale, which is less than the stud fee for Mor Spirit ($5,000). Half sibling I’ll Figure It Out has won on both dirt and synthetic, so with some pedigree on the dam side and such a low purchase price, there have to be some questions. Trainer Avery Faircloth is 0-for-12 with first time starters. This is another who would surprise if successful in this spot.
No. 5 Mo Bonita (8-5 ML) is by Uncle Mo out of Beau Watch, a dam who won eight times in her career. Two of her foals have won so far, but neither of them were winners as 2-year-olds. Purchased for $200,000 at the Fasig Tipton November mixed sale, she has been working well at Keeneland. Trainer Steve Asmussen is 16 percent with his first-time starters, and she seems like a contentious player.
No. 6 Catherine Blaze (8-1 ML) is the interesting price play in this field. The dam Carrie’s one win was as a 2-year-old, and this is her first foal. Sire Cross Traffic is 7 percent with his debut runners and trainer George Leonard is 11 percent with first timers. The HRN impact score is +119 percent for this trainer, indicating that his horses are being overlooked frequently in the wagering and could provide significant value. Catherine Blaze has worked at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Churchill Downs, and jockey Reylu Gutierrez gets the mount.
Completing the field, No. 7 Frango Electrico (15-1) is by Tourist out of Helen Sung. With no gate works and no works over the Churchill Downs surface, she’ll be up against it. Purchased for $4,000 as a yearling at Fasig Tipton October, she sold for less than Tourist’s $5,000 stud fee. Trainer Ishmael Bahena, who also sends out Chiquita Mosca, has yet to have a debut winner in nine starts. As the first foal for a dam who ran twice without hitting the board, Frango Electrico is a toss here.
Picks: 1, 5, 6
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