Keeneland 13 April 2013
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OFF THE PAGE finished a neck second in better company at Gulfstream Park when last sighted and he's expected to regain the winning thread with more improvement to come. Strong Response and Special Jo are others to note.
SILVER VALUE has shaped with promise in both starts to date and connections appear to have found him an ideal opportunity. Jagger M and Early Success can also make the frame.
APEX has finished runner-up in all three of his career starts since August last year and is entitled to have stripped fitter for his Gulfstream Park reappearance last month. Steel Dust Dancer and Overwhelming can also make the frame.
IMAGINING finished a creditable fifth in the Grade 2 Nijinsky when last sighted and should prove too good for these rivals if ready to roll on his reappearance. Treasury Devil and Burn The Mortgage are also given a chance.
RED RIFLE created a favourable impression when scoring at Gulfstream Park on his racecourse debut and he's taken to go from strength to strength. Perfect Title and Hard Aces rate best of the rest.
BERNIE THE MAESTRO bolted up in a competitive starter allowance contest at the beginning of last month and can score with a repeat of that performance. Handsome Mike and Bind can also make their presence felt.
Troy Stakes runner-up PERFECT OFFICER most certainly sets the standard in this renewal and Anthony Dutrow's charge will prove tough to beat if producing his best. Something Extra and Next Question are other interesting contenders.
A wide-open renewal in which plenty have claims, not least former Brian Meehan inmate SHUMOOS, who won a Group 3 as a juvenile and returned from a long layoff to post a creditable third at Santa Anita last month. That first run since finishing second in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint was entitled to be needed and Ben Cecil's representative is fancied to build on that effort. Holiday For Kitten is the obvious threat but she's better over shorter and hasn't competed since disappointing in the Presque Isle Masters back in September. Fantasy Flight and recent Gulfstream third Jamaican Smoke complete the shortlist.
DAISY DEVINE is fancied to join Bobby Frankel's Intercontinental as the only mare to win back-to-back renewals of this prize. Andrew McKeever's five-year-old has won three times since taking the race 12 months ago and looked in great shape when last seen, accounting for the reopposing Ausus when beaten just a head at Fair Grounds last time. Samitar hasn't done much wrong since joining the Brown camp and rates a major threat but she was only third behind Centre Court, who made a winning return at Gulfstream last month and looks a bigger threat to the selection.
The countdown to the 2013 Kentucky Derby continues and UNCAPTURED can put himself firmly in the picture for 'The Run For The Roses' by returning to winning ways. The son of Lion Heart has recorded six victories from his last eight starts, including the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in November, and although beaten a length and a half on his seasonal bow at Turf Paradise last month, connections have since suggested he has come on "a ton" for the run. Rydilluc came out best in a clash with Charming Kitten at Gulfstream last month and looks the main threat, while Java's War is also capable of making a splash on the pick of his 2012 exploits.
This represents a dip in class for DUBIOUS MISS and although well held in a Grade 3 handicap event at Fair Grounds last time out in January, his 2012 form looks strong enough to take this contest. Saint Of Saints and Gung Ho are accorded plenty of respect.
KATOUNI improved markedly on her debut effort when beaten just a neck over 1m at Tampa Bay last month and although another switch in track is hardly ideal, she's clearly progressing and can get off the mark at the third time of asking. Liz Pendens is another evidently going the right way, while Abbey Street has had a few chances now but her form stacks up well.
