Notes on the Lane’s End (G2) Day Program

By Jude T. Feld

Parade Clown needs a good ride from Eibar Coa to win the Lane’s End (G2) Saturday.
Pat Lang Photo

Today is Turfway Park’s day to shine. Lovely spring weather and a great card – can Keeneland be far away?

TP 7TH) MUSIC CITY is an ultra-fast three-year-old who can carry his speed a mile. He drops back to six furlongs this afternoon, but his :34 2/5 blowout indicates he is sharp and ready for Hansel Stakes. KING PUMA probably need his race in Ocala and should be much tighter today. He has posted three “best of the morning” works for sharp trainer Kelly Breen since his last start and looks like the major competition.

TP 8TH) On paper, the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) shapes up as match race between FITZ JUST RIGHT and INSTRUMENTALIST. Although the latter is undefeated, she has never been farther than six and a half furlongs. Turfway Park is ordinarily a “finisher’s” racetrack and she will have to be dead fit to win. FITZ JUST RIGHT has won twice at a mile or more and showed she could rate a bit in the Busanda Stakes at Aqueduct. That gives her a huge edge in this field.

TP 9TH) NO INFLATION is not nominated to the Triple Crown. He has run bang-up races on the turf and on Polytrack, but failed miserably at 3-1 in his only try on dirt, an allowance race at Churchill Downs. Perhaps that is why trainer Tom Proctor opted to save the $600 nomination fee. The son of Repriced won his three-year-old debut on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs. He has had a month to recover and fired a bullet work at Turfway on Wednesday to tip us off that a top effort in the Rushaway is immanent.

TP 10TH) Local horse PARADE CLOWN was the victim of a bad trip in the Battaglia Memorial. Clear sailing is all the son of Distorted Humor needs to punch his ticket to Louisville. WEST SIDE BERNIE made a premature move in the Holy Bull (G3), running on a speed favoring track. He should appreciate Turfway’s fondness for closers and could win the Lane’s End (G2) with some help up front. BITTEL ROAD is the “wise-guy” horse but he seems better on turf.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Selections. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.