Fred Cappy Capossela
Aqueduct, ninth race. Purse: $100,000. Six furlongs, 3-year-olds. Post: 4:52 p.m.
LOWDOWN:
Clawback ran well to finish second in his first two starts at Saratoga and over the main track at Aqueduct, but when trainer Rick Violette tried him on Aqueduct’s inner dirt, the son of Put It Back transformed into a monster, breaking his maiden by three lengths in 1:10 1/5, then winning the Jimmy Winkfield by five in 1:09 3/5. Who knows if Clawback will continue to develop when the inner dirt track closes, but until then, he should make hay while the sun shines. TV: HRTV, TVG, NYRA Channel 1994
GULFSTREAM PARK HANDICAP
Gulfstream Park, 10th race. Grade 2. Purse: $300,000. 1 mile, 4-year-olds and up. Post: 5:35 p.m.
LOWDOWN:
Discreet Dancer looked like the second coming of his sire, Discreet Cat, winning his first two starts for Todd Pletcher last winter at Gulfstream by 9³/ and 5 1/2 lengths before finishing third as the odds-on favorite in the Fountain of Youth. Sidelined for a year after that effort, he returned to win sprinting at Gulfstream on Feb. 6, making him 3-for-4 over this oval. Class-wise and figure-wise, he doesn’t measure up, so far, to Fort Larned, who is making his first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but the same could be said for Pletcher’s Graydar, who crushed them in this year’s Donn. Besides, Fort Larned is giving Discreet Dancer nine pounds. TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 1994
SAN FELIPE
Santa Anita, seventh race. Grade 2. Purse: $300,000. 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds. Post: 6:35 p.m.
LOWDOWN:
Goldencents, an underrated colt trained by Doug O’Neill, at this stage of his career rates comparisons to last year’s Derby-Preakness champ I’ll Have Another. The son of Into Mischief is 3-for-4, with victories in the Delta Downs Jackpot and Sham, with his only loss a second behind champion Shanghai Bobby in the Champagne. He faces a tough foe here in Bob Baffert’s undefeated Flashback, but Goldencents rates a slight edge in experience, and he should be half-past fit with six straight bullet works at six furlongs under his belt.
TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 1994
LAST WEEK: At Aqueduct, Comma to the Top won the Tom Fool paying $6.30, $4.30, $3.40; Overanalyze (8-5) was fifth in the Gotham; at Santa Anita, Ron the Greek (5-2) was fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap.