February 6, 2010

Down and Derby - Female Style

How about a little love for the ladies? Today ZATT forsakes the boys and takes a look at the fairer sex, with my first Kentucky Oaks list. Although, with the recent success shown by the girls in the Triple Crown races, some of these may be looking at the Derby as well. Enjoy these talented young ladies.

The Top 10

1 Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision - Lucky One by Best of Luck)
We will have to wait just a little bit longer for the 2010 debut of Blind Luck, as today’s card at Santa Anita has been washed away. The Jerry Hollendorfer miss finished off last year with a devastating display in the Hollywood Starlet. She has a firm hold on my number one position with a bullet and all accounts have her in fine fettle in Southern California. Let the Derby whispers begin.

2 Christine Daae (Giant’s Causeway - Descapate by Dehere)
Two races and one win, lands her this lofty position? Well, yes. Anyone who saw her return to the races in a maiden special weight at Gulfstream three weeks ago, knows that she is the real deal. Expect her ascent up the sophomore filly division to be as swift as she was in her win. She will jump right into a graded stakes next in the Davona Dale and her experienced trainer Patrick Biancone sees big things in her future.

3 Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union - Above Perfection by In Excess)
The unquestioned leader of the juvenile filly division through September, has been away from the races for five full months now. Her work schedule has started to gear up in New Orleans, so hopefully her three-year-old debut is not too far away. If she can reproduce her brilliance this year and carry it around two turns, she will be a force to be reckoned with in the division.

4 She Be Wild (Offlee Wild - Trappings by Seeking the Gold)
The Eclipse Award winner got off to a rocky start to her sophomore year. It was her first race since the Breeders’ Cup and her first career try on dirt, so I am willing to overlook that one, and give her another chance. One more dull effort on the dirt will make us wonder if she is more of a synthetics horse, but right now I still believe she will be able to handle the dirt and run much better next out.

5 Biofuel (Stormin Fever - Ms Cornstalk by Indian Charlie)
When last seen this Canadian based filly was closing like a freight train in the Breeders’ Cup, only to sideswiped by Negligee. Once she regained her stride, she was again flying towards the leaders, but a little too late. She has not worked yet this year, so it looks like her debut will still be a little bit down the road. She may very well appreciate the 9 furlongs and the Churchill Downs strip come Oaks Day.

6 Bickersons (Silver Deputy - Dancehall Floozy by Paramount Jet)
Who was that blur that absolutely ran away with the Forward Gal last week and in the process left champion She Be Wild in the dust? None other than the Kelly Breen trained, and well traveled, Bickersons. I like this filly a lot and she provided me with my biggest wagering score of the year so far, but I have a feeling that her best races will be at one turn. Still, her performance last week was so good, it secures a solid position on this list.

7 Negligee (Northern Afleet - Naughty Notions by Relaunch)
I easily could have ranked this daughter of the same sire who brought us Afleet Alex higher. She was a surprise winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades last Fall and followed that up with a very good run in the Breeders’ Cup, despite running an erratic course. She is now working well in Florida for her return, and although I still rate her lower than six others, I will not make the mistake of underestimating her again.

8 Amen Hallelujah (Montbrook - Sara’s Success by Concord‘s Tune)
I am not sure about the distance capabilities of this Rick Dutrow trained filly, but she was quite impressive in her recent win in the 7 furlong Grade 2 Santa Ynez. It was her second race in Southern California after missing her expected run in the BC, and showed marked improvement over her first race back. She has yet to race on dirt, but opportunities are wide open for this improving daughter of Montbrook.

9 Devil May Care (Malibu Moon - Kelli’s Ransom by Red Ransom)
This Todd Pletcher trainee stepped up in a big way last Fall, when she won the Grade 1 Frizette after only one lifetime start. She did not do well on the synthetic surface of the Breeders’ Cup, but it was a lot to ask of such an inexperienced filly. She has been working steadily in Florida for a return to the races soon, and I see this one as a filly who should love the longer distances to come.

10 Awesome Maria (Maria’s Mon - Discreetly Awesome by Awesome Again)
The Stanley Hough trained, gray daughter of Maria’s Mon was impressive in her steady climb up the ranks of the best juvenile fillies on the East Coast last year. She won the Matron and did not have the best of it, when 2nd in the Frizette. She has not worked out at all this year, so we will have to wait and see on this talented filly who is bred to appreciate the extra ground when she stretches out.

Don’t forget, Zipse at the Track contributes to the Derby Dozen over at Steve Munday’s WirePlayers.com A consensus of ten racing experts creates the Derby Dozen, and Steve will have the list up and running every other Tuesday evening. Check out the current Derby Dozen now: http://wireplayers.com/blog/1656-derby-dozen-volume-ii.html

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was disappointed to see Santa Anita cancel thier live racing today. Blind Luck in the Las Virgenes was one of the races I was most looking forward to seeing.
Bickersons is my number one 3 year old filly right now. Her Forward Gal win was ultra-impressive and she wasn't being pressed in the least. Looking at pictures of the race you can see the riens are actually hanging loose on her neck, that's how unpressured she was.
I'm not sure what to make of Christine Daae right now. I don't think she's done enough for me to consider her in the top three yet, but she looks talented enought to easily secure one of those spots. Looking forward to seeing her in the Davonna Dale.
Great list, I wouldn't be surprised (bar any injuries) to see all these fillies end up in the gate for the Kentucky Oaks this spring.

Sarah Grice said...

Yes! I'm most excited to see what Christine Daae and Biofuel do over the next few months! There's so much potential there! I need to check out Bickersons. Thank you for this article Brian!

Brian Zipse said...

Thanks railrunner and Sarah! Trust me I like Bickersons too, but I really think she is best at one turn. We shall soon see.

Unknown said...

Hot Dixie Chick is my pick all the way. i think she can handle two turns, just fine. but, i don't think we should discount Negligee, or Biofuel...i see potential. we'll see what the next few months tell us.

Silent Sunday said...

Christine Daae is the one who, to me, carries the intrigue factor. Can't wait to see what she does next time out.

Horse Racing Nation said...

Great list. I can't wait to see Awesome Maria. She is full of talent and totally agree she had a rough trip in her last.

It was interesting that they decided to skip the BC, but I think it's because they knew they had a real good one on their hands that they wanted to be patient with.

Brian Zipse said...

Seems like we all have our own favorite...makes it all the more interesting, don't you think?

NetworkEmpowerment said...

The top two are very deserving of their status. Blind Luck easily had the best performance of any two year old last year, and if that explosivness can be transferred to dirt, oh lord have mercy on the rest of the field, as she blows them off their feet. Christine Daae, wow, wow, wow. Big, B-E-A-utiful (taking a line from Bruce Almighty), fiery red chestnut. I'm a push over for the reds and that win did me in.

Anonymous said...

can it be ??? can it be christine ???

Sarah Grice said...

she may not remember me, but i remember her...

joani said...

Hot Dixie Chick caught my attention in the paddock. One of those that has "that look". Will she have "blind luck"?!! good list here!