by George
Happy Mother’s Day! It’s supposed to be warm and sunny (just like Mom!) and it should be a gorgeous day at the track. We’re used to ASD opening on Mother’s Day, but it just happened to fall within the second weekend of live racing this year. Fine with us! Warmer weather!
[youtube] http://youtu.be/N1yzUMenGTc [/youtube]
There will be prize draws for a $500 gift package courtesy of Travelodge East, as well as for gift cards from Posh Nails, Fabutan, Shapes, Vitality Wellness Centers and Lesley’s. Plus it’s Sunday, which means Family Fun Day: free pony rides, a petting farm, inflatable bouncers for the kids and more.
My Ponies Painted. Sayler smooch.
The feature race of the day is fittingly for the female set and nine of the fastest 3-year-old fillies on the grounds will go to post for the seventh race. A number of these equine ladies will become Mom’s themselves one day, so we thought we’d pay them a visit.
First stop was trainer Aaron Sayler’s barn. The younger Sayler (son of trainer Ardell Sayler) will saddle the two favorites in the feature including She’s Copacetic, a classy type who was claimed for $32,000 out of her last race at Tampa Bay. A road warrior, She’s Copacetic has already run south of the border at Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park, Calder, Ocala Training Centre and Delaware Park. ASD will be the sixth track on her resume.
Aaron’s second entry in the seventh race is My Ponies Painted, a stakes-placed bay that comes by her name honestly. Check her out in the paddock and you’ll see why. My Ponies Painted hasn’t run this year but Aaron’s horses have been ready to roll and he’s already won two races from limited starts.
Ardell Sayler also has two fillies in the seventh, Miss Cataville and Ezlovinsosexylookn. You have to wonder who the latter was named after, and it just so happens that she was the cuddly one. Ezlovinsosexylookn will have hot jockey Robert Reeves Jr. in the saddle on Sunday. Reeves won four races on Saturday night and he now has seven wins, four more than Paul Nolan. Miss Cataville didn’t really want to socialize, preferring instead to concentrate on her race. Neither of Ardell’s fillies has run this year but both are coming into the race off wins last year.
Purple Barbie & Curtis Gamble.
Next up was Purple Barbie at the Tom Gardipy Jr. barn. Purple Barbie sports a solid form from south of the border and she looked happy, healthy and ready to roll in her first local start for one of the sharpest trainers on the grounds. You’d like to think a horse named Purple Barbie would have an odd personality but that obviously wasn’t the case as she got cozy with groom Curtis Gamble. This was relationship built on communication and it was working.
The same could be said for the bond between trainer Jim Smith and It’s Wine Time, who was up for a little nuzzling and kibitzing with her trainer. It’s Wine Time is another who hasn’t run this year, but she looked good last year when she won in her second lifetime start and the morning line has her at 7/2. Smith never has too many horses, but he knows how to get one ready to win. Among horses making their first starts of the year he often has an edge.
Heavenly Lioness is the filly Jennifer Reid is talking about in the video above. The “Lioness” was enjoying her walk in the sun with trainer Murray Duncan when we caught up with her. The chestnut daughter of Lion Heart has been facing some good company south of the border at Oaklawn Park and her best race is good enough to win this if Duncan can somehow find away to coax the best out of her. Jennifer Reid has already proven she can win on longshots. Last year she rode Borrachito (who ran last in Race 4 here on Saturday with a different jockey) to win at Woodbine. The odds? 73-1!
The only horses we didn’t get to meet were the two from the Jerry Gourneau barn. Sea of Beauty and Perfect Eclipse both have a chance in this wide open race, yet they’ll probably be longshots. Gourneau scored his first win of the ASD meeting Saturday night and both of his fillies have already run this year. Gourneau can sometimes work magic with horses he purchases south of the border so these two just might be your longshot plays if you like the looks of them in the paddock.
It's Wine Time nuzzles Jim Smith.
If you’re looking for a betting tip on this race you won’t find it here. Every horse has a shot to win. Check out the paddock. Pick the prettiest, the liveliest, or simply the name that suits your life. The only thing we really learned from this excursion was that these trainers have a special place in their hearts for their fillies.
Especially Mom.