An Absolute Treat

Go ahead, breeze through the entries index for Churchill's Friday card. Zenyatta, One Caroline, Rachel Alexandra, Justwhistledixie, Macho Again, BULLSBAY and Mambo in Seattle among others.

The undefeated Zenyatta will run at the undefeated One Caroline.

Winning of four straight, Rachel Alexandra will be stalked by winner of five straight Justwhistledixie.

Our Bullsbay will get his chance to show he belongs amongst his division.

Those first two highlight Oaks day, while we'll gladly include-scratch that, favor the last.

In the GII Louisville Zenyatta is expected to return from a long winter off, to face the newcomer, One Caroline. The latter has won three times since Zenyatta was seen last. All three in impressive fashion. The last was a dominating wire-to-wire effort in the GII Rampart. The gray is yet another Unbridled's Song to erupt this season.

Zenyatta, the queen. She is 9-for-9 and has never won by less than a 1/2 length. She is by top stallion Street Cry, 6-for-6 at the distance and 1-for-1 on traditional dirt.

One Caroline's come-and-get-me front running style counters Zenyatta's patented here-I-come late move.

I can't wait for the eighth pole.

The Oaks. Rachel Alexandra could run and challenge for the top spot in the Saturday's Derby. Jockey Calvin Borel hasn't budged in three consecutive starts. She has torn up Oaklawn Park and the Fair Grounds all winter. Her pedigree pretty much reads, 'run all day'. She'll try 1 1/8 miles for the first time Saturday.

Justwhistledixie, quietly has won five in a row. She is putting in a quietly dominant east coast campaign. I'm her connections like it that way. She has not faced anything close to 'Rachel', but you may be able to say the same thing for her main rival. After this one, we'll know exactly what the 3YOF division looks like.

Sandwiched between those two events is GIII Alysheba, where Bullsbay follows up his win in the Harrison Johnson. He loved the slop that day and the forecast is calling for some rain. He does not NEED mother nature on his side. He's 3-for-3 at the 1 1/16 miles distance. While he's 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs. Nobody has stepped up in this division yet and they seem to take turns beating each other. Jeremy Rose will ride for the third straight time. Post time: 3:54 PM EST.

The last time I talked up a day was the Florida Derby and the match up between Quality Road and Dunkirk. How'd that turn out?

Head out to your local track Friday, if you really can't make it, settle for Saturday's Derby day. I don't have to talk that one up...Do I?





Bullsbay (middle) peaks his head through before
his second place finish in the John Campbell.

Keeneland Flies By, Churchill On Horizon

Mack Robinson's Cherokee Artist picked up his second straight allowance score on Friday at Keeneland. The Cherokee Run 4-year-old returned off an impressive win at Santa Anita over the same 1 1/16 miles distance. He is now 4-for-6 at that distance.

The bay stalked throughout and responded well when jockey Ramon Dominguez asked to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

The following race marked the return of Better Talk Now in the closing day's feature, The Fifth Third Elkhorn.Making his first start since October's Breeders' Cup, the 10-year-old gave a nice run at them but finished sixth. The field was no slouch, with the horses like Spice Route, Champs Elysses, and Buddy's Humor.

Glad to have 'Blackie' come back to the barn with a race under his belt.

Another veteran making his return this past weekend was Independent George in Pimlico's Saturday feature, the Henry Clark. The 6-year-old gelded son of Cozzene made his first start since August an optimistic one. He came late from off the pace to grab second, missing the top prize by 1 1/4 lengths.

Now Tell Us Why

After the closing of our first poll on 'Take A Seat', you're voices have been heard....sort of. We asked you who you're favorite active stakes winners were in our stable. Many of you chimed in. Now we want to know why?

What makes that horse your favorite?

If there was a moment that made him/her your favorite, share it. We'd love to hear about it.

Results:

Better Talk Now- 28
Rebellion- 10
Ballast- 8
Icabad Crane- 7
OTHER- 5
Drop A Line- 4
African Violet- 3
Saucey Evening- 3
Caprice- 2
Miss Lombardi- 1

Augustin Among Us

George Strawbridge's Augustin Stables have had themselves quite the Keeneland meeting. They crossed the wire first in another graded stakes yesterday with Winter View in the Bewitched.

Winter View is a half sister to champion European two-year-old Rainbow View (also Augustin). Yesterday's Grade III was the 5-year-old's first stakes win and just second win stateside. Our very own Caprice finished fourth.

Augustin's champion Forever Together returned without problem in a dominating performance in the Jenny Wiley. The gray hadn't ran since her win in the BC Filly & Mare Turf, but showed no ill-effects in a galloping win.

Another part of the onslaught was Informed Decision, who won the Grade I Vinery Madison on Friday April 10. Informed Decision, like Forever Together, was making her first start since the fall. She set a track record on the Keeneland poly then, and beat the Breeders' Cup F&M Sprint champion this time.

Innovative, our Johannesburg 3-year-old filly returned to the winner's circle donning the Augustin green and white silks just two days ago.

On opening day Smart Bid, also trained by Graham, finished second in the G III Transylvania. To add to the fray, Kurbat (Augustin & Motion) finished second in the Fort Harrod.

Congratulations to Mr. Strawbridge and Graham's old boss, Jonathan Sheppard for an outstanding and well-deserved Keeneland season.

How Are They Running?

Bold Abbott got us off the Keeneland hook with his excuse-me win in Saturday's second race. The 5-year-old showed his grittiness once again splitting two horses at the top of the stretch. Over the winter, he won on the Gulfstream turf showing no fear shooting up the hedge. "The bott", as his exercise riders call him is out of Ms. Isadora, who is a sister to Sweet Eloise who dropped our very own Winsome Ways. Cool huh?

Enjoy the Win broke her maiden with ease at Philly Park in her eighth career start last Monday. She also got scooped up by Galena Springs Farm for $12,500. Best of luck to the 3-year-old.

Cozy Cottage. Geez, Cozy Cottage. Talk about having to earn it. The gray 4-year-old made her third career start and each time has had to overcome hurdles like she was McDynamo. In her debut, she broke slowly and closed like a car door for a close fifth. Second time out, she was as far as 10-lengths back, progressed well then had had to steady sharply at the top of the stretch. She finished a length back for second. Thursday she lost the bob like a la Mambo In Seattle. Let's hope the Florida bred can find more luck away from home this spring.

Absolute Heaven improved to 2-for-2 at 7-furlongs and at Woodbine when she won on Friday. As even places like Keeneland have experienced purse cuts, Woodbine is a place that purses are sitting nicely.


* * * * * * * *

Busy week coming up as Caprice is entered for Thursday's Bewitch at Keeneland and Better Talk Now is expected to return in Friday's Elkhorn.

Keeneland Catch-up

* With 5 seconds(Rebellion and Kurbat in stakes) from 11 starts at Keeneland, it's starting to sound eerily similar to Keeneland fall. Where's the racing luck? So the horses were running well then and are running well now, the difference is the summer is upon us, instead the winter. I'll take where we're at!

* Better Talk Now breezed 6-furlongs in 1:19 over the yielding Keeneland turf this morning in prep for his return to the races.

* Sweet Tune is 10-minutes from her race as I type. Keeneland.com is clutch! Especially when you're TVG-less.

* Tomorrow we have action throughout the day. Larry Johnson's Mizz Magician is going in the first race, making her second start. She ran well in her debut going 5 1/2 on the Laurel turf. She'll stretch out to 7-furlongs tomorrow.

Namcook Stables LLC's Slam Dunk is entered in the 7th race. He's half of a coupled entry with the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee, Big Stick. Slam Dunk has ran well in his two Santa Anita starts (both thirds) since being transferred to Graham.

Winsome Ways is scheduled for tomorrow's 8th. Boy this is a tough allowance race. A couple stake winners sprinkled in there, including a Grade I winner. Welcome to Keeneland!

The 9th race is the Doubledogdare, a Grade III over the poly track. Both Drop A Line and Sefroua are entered for tomorrow's stake. Drop A Line finds herself in the thick of things every time she goes. She's always close. She dead-heated Awesome Ashley (also entered for the Doubledogdare) at Keeneland last April.

Sefroua is making her third U.S start and is still somewhat of an unknown. Her pedigree is out of this world. She's by Kingmambo, out of Sophisticat, who is a daughter of the champion Serena's Song. Sefroua ran very well in her stateside debut (third in the GIII Nobel Damsel at Belmont) and then solidly against GI company in the fall. She broke her maiden in France at Friday's distance of 1 1/16 miles.

* Exercise rider Vicki King's 'Chevy SUV' Bold Abbott finds himself in a short field, finally, on Saturday. His last couple tries he has found himself on the outside of big allowance fields. Saturday he'll break from the rail on the poly track. The poly is a new surface for him, but his sire Mizzen Mast's offspring seem to handle everything.

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A couple shots of some of the crew at Palm Meadows. Better Talk Now has since shipped to Keeneland, leaving 13 at the Boynton Beach facility.


Caught With A Mouth Full.

Dancerama (Dance Master) with Jill as they head for their
gallop together. The 3-year-old filly finds to time to pose for
the camera, regardless of a mouth full of hay.



Whenever You're Ready, Champ.

Johnny waits for Better Talk Now to tell him he's ready for
his gallop.