horse info

[JoeyOh]

not sure what this is if helpful. it was emailed 2 me and i dont really do the ponies.

ARLINGTON PARK 18 September: Ticker Tape - who was only a nose away from her second Grade 1 win when runner-up in the Del Mar Oaks last month – makes a surprise trip to Chicago this weekend, to take part in the 9-furlong Pucker Up (G3).

NORMALLY, a filly of her class would be heavy favorite in an event like this, but Ticker Tape will face one serious threat, the impressive Lake Placid (G2) winner Spotlight.

BOTH THESE FILLIES raced in England as juveniles, when Spotlight’s form was by far the best. She had five runs last year though, compared to Ticker Tape’s three outings. The third was a fine second in the Miesque Stakes (G3) - when she was still a maiden. She has done nothing but improve since, and Ticker Tape will be tough to beat at Arlington. Spotlight looks the only serious opponent, a quartet of improvers promising to stay the trip look very playable to complete our trifecta plan.

GLOBEFORM RANKING
THE PUCKER UP STAKES (G3)
Arlington Park 18 September 2004 – 1 1/8 miles dirt

Top ranked horse on 100 with others ranked down in pounds (1 length = 2lb).
Horses presented with sire, best Globeform, rider, weight

100 - TICKER TAPE (Royal Applause) GF 114 / K Desormeaux, 122
..97 - SPOTLIGHT (Dr Fong) GF 111 / R Douglas, 122 ..90 - LENATAREESE (Broad Brush) GF 102+ / B Blanc, 120
..91 - KEY TO THE CAT (Tale of the Cat) GF 99+ / D Coa, 116
..89 - HUMOROUS MISS (Distorted Humor) GF 99 / J Graham, 118
..89 - CODE OF ETHICS (Honor and Glory) E Razo Jr, 116
..88 - UNBRIDLED ECHO (Unbridled’s Song) GF 96+ / J Campbell, 116
..88 - ERHU (Tactical Cat) GF 96 / T Molina, 116
..87 - SISTER SWANK (Skip Away) GF 95+ / F Lovato Jr
..87 - BONANZA JELLYBEAN (Parade Ground) GF 95 / E Fires, 116
..84 - SKIP POKER (Skip Away) GF 92 / C Marquez, 116
..78 - DANCING LIEBLING (Lord Avie) GF 86 / L Sterling Jr, 116

TICKER TAPE PERFORMED TO GLOBEFORM 114 as she swept to a decisive win over the top Japanese filly Dance in the Mood in the American Oaks (G1) at Hollywood Park in July. She had consistent form going into the race, and she had won the Providencia at Santa Anita, but her success at Hollywood Park did take some improvement. The step up to 1 ¼ miles was clearly to her liking. She was given a break, and resurfaced in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) over 9 furlongs on August 21. Amorama, who had been behind her at Hollywood Park, caused an upset – as she beat Ticker Tape by a nose. Amorama was a smart filly in France last year is now beginning to run up to expectations. Ticker Take once more performed to GF 114 at Del Mar. She may or may not be capable of better but, unless one of the more lightly raced runners (such as Unbridled Echo or Lenataresse) improve considerably, GF 114 means she only has Spotlight to worry about.

SPOTLIGHT, a useful performer when trained by John Dunlop in England, has improved Stateside. After cruising home in an allowance race over 9 furlongs (soft) at Belmont in July, she stepped up to Grade 2 company at Saratoga in August. She was again running over 9 furlong and she proved far too strong for Mambo Slew - who is fairly consistent and provides a link to the best 3yo fillies seen on turf this year. She was the one who beat Ticker Tape in last year’s Miesque (G3) and she ran fifth in the Garden City (G1) at Belmont last Sunday. Using Mambo Slew as yardstick shows that Ticker Tape is much better than Spotlight, but Spotlight was assessed to GF 111 when she ran out a visibly impressive winner of the Lake George Handicap (G2) at Saratoga. She scored by 3 ½ lengths from Mambo Slew (who was conceding 4lb) and looked a progressive sort. That rating may be a shade high, but even a slight drop makes her clear second best in the Pucker Up. She was taken out of the Garden City
(G1) at Belmont Park last Sunday, to go for this instead.

THE DISTANCE IS THE KEY to solving the Pucker Up. Ticker Tape and Spotlight are both guaranteed not only to see it out, but to relish the 1 1/8 miles. It is unusually close between the others. Bar one horse, they are rated within 6lb (equals 3 lengths) and four of them are within 2lb on our ratings. The first step is to eliminate and these names are dropped; Dancing Liebling (not good enough), Bonanza Jellybean and Erhu (dubious stayers), and Skip Poker (will stay, but tough post, must improve and not likely to). This leaves us with seven “fillers” to play in combinations with the top two. Four of the seven make more appeal than the others and are given C-ranking: Sister Swank, Humorous Miss, Unbridled Echo and Lenatareese.

SISTER SWANK, Steve Asmussen’s contender has met some smart fillies in her eight-race career, yet she has hit the board seven times. She came back after a near five-month break when she won an allowance race here at Arlington four weeks ago. Tackling 1 1/16 miles, she raced quite prominently throughout and beat Lifting the Veil by nearly two lengths. The Pucker Up is step up in class, and distance, but looking further back in Sister Swank’s PPs we see that she was third in a Grade 2 in February (behind Shadow Cast, recently fourth to Stellar Jayne in the Gazelle, G1).

HUMOROUS MISS is coming off a 1 ¼-length win over Code of Ethics in the Hatoof – run over 1 1/16 miles here in August. The runner-up is 3lb better off now and has theoretical chance of turning the tables, but Humorous Miss is much more likely to relish the step up in distance. She should uphold the form with Code of Ethics. Humorous Miss has won three of her five races at this track and she has been in the first four in all of her last five races. She is very game and consistent.

LENATAREESE is very interesting, as she has won the last three starts like a graded stakes winner waiting to happen, and as she has reached such level of form in just six starts. She took the Audobon Oaks at Ellis Park last time out, when she finished very strongly from off the pace, to beat Key to the Cat by half a length. She tries 9 furlongs for the first time here but this daughter of Broad Brush is just the type to prove even better with a test of stamina. She has also won two decent races at Churchill Downs, so this trip to Arlington is not a step up from a smaller to a bigger track – it is just a return to where she belongs. It is very tempting to draw up a betting plan with Lenatareese as a sole C-rank.

UNBRIDLED ECHO, another lightly raced and very likeable filly, must also enter calculations. She is not as obvious as Lenatareese, but she has won both her starts on turf (at Ellis Park) and is improving fast. She stayed on well when winning an allowance heat over 1 1/16 miles last month, returning GF 96+. Unbridled Echo is not sure to appreciate 1 1/8 miles but female family says she will and her sire won the Florida Derby. Her morning line looks way out at 30-1 - if she is half that price she is a must bet across the board.

GLOBEFORM SELECTIONS:

A: TICKER TAPE
B: SPOTLIGHT
C: LENATAREESE *, SISTER SWANK, HUMOROUS MISS, UNBRIDLED ECHO
D: KEY TO THE CAT, CODE OF ETHICS, MS. LYDONIA

RECOMMENDED BETS:

EXACTA BOX: 10 and 12

14 TRIFECTAS:

A1: 10 with 12 with 9 (1)

A2: 10 with 12 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 (6)

B: 10 with 9 with 12 (1)

C: 10 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 with 12 (6)


60 SUPERFECTAS:

A: 10 with 9, 12 with 9, 12 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 (12)
A: 10 with 9, 12 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 with 9, 12 (12)

B: 10 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 with 9, 12 with 9, 12 (12)

C: 9, 12 with 10 with 9, 12 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 (12)
C: 9, 12 with 10 with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 with 9, 12 (12)