00:00So the race that we're going to start to preview is going to be race number eight, and it's going to be the Royal North, the grade three Royal North.
00:07So these are horses going six and a half furlongs on the turf, fillies and mares, and we got a big field to meet in here, Alexa.
00:14We can start things out with Metaphysical, who comes off of a win most recently, but Metaphysical hasn't raced since December and is 0 for 6 on the turf.
00:24So I feel like I kind of want to see a race on this surface and maybe want to see a race from this horse.
00:30She hasn't raced in over five months now.
00:33Yeah, she won in her 2024 debut against Easier Company going seven furlongs and then won at the end of the meet again, like you said.
00:41But the stakes races in between really weren't strong and, like you said, has not run on the turf course.
00:47So kind of a wild card, probably not strong enough for this field.
00:51The number two, Tupi, I think is one of the major players in here.
00:55I've seen her out here in Southern California.
00:57She's run really well at Santa Anita, down the hill, going six and a half furlongs.
01:01So she likes this trip, Alexa, and she's a grade three winner.
01:05She just feels like a player in here.
01:08Yeah, she was really game in the grade three Giants Causeway last out at Keeneland.
01:13Hasn't won on like a flat turf race since June of 2024 because at Santa Anita, those are downhill on the turf.
01:19But I think it's really probable that she'll duel with the likely favorite, Earhart, for the early lead.
01:26And she has class, she has speed, and she gets Lasix.
01:30Number three, Freedom Speaks, is a stakes winner who will put the blinkers on in here.
01:35She's actually entered in this race and then another race over the weekend.
01:39Do you think she has a shot?
01:40I mean, she's been winless since 2022, and it's her third different barn since then.
01:47So, I don't know.
01:49None of that speaks super promising for her.
01:52So since that race in 2022 when she won at Kentucky Downs, she's faced six stakes races.
02:00She's faced stakes horses six times.
02:03And she has not really been close, like, in most of these races.
02:07So that's my problem.
02:08She has a tendency to be in the right position but not be able to outfinish the competition.
02:13So this is a really competitive group, too, as we move to Dancing Duchess.
02:17She's a multiple stakes winner.
02:18She had a nice win in the Alley Wow stakes.
02:20That was last year at Woodbine going six and a half on the turf.
02:24So you know she can win a race like this.
02:26But kind of another one who, since that win, hasn't really been in her best form.
02:31Yeah.
02:31She ran at Goldstream in Keeneland to start the season.
02:34Had a pair of fourth-place finishes.
02:36Has finished fourth in all of her four-career efforts against older horses and faces this
02:42open competition, which means it's probably a tougher competition in this spot as an Ontario
02:47bred.
02:49Yeah.
02:50I don't think she's likely to be quick enough to get the position on the lead that she probably
02:55wants.
02:56Of course, who I think is very sneaky in this race, is number five ready to jam.
02:59She's going to come second start back now after a six-and-a-half-month break.
03:03And if you look at her races throughout her entire career, Alexa, she just doesn't really
03:07want to go longer.
03:08So you can cross out the races when she races a mile, because that's too far for her.
03:12You can really look at her form.
03:14She's very good sprinting.
03:16She has both of her career wins over this turf course.
03:19And she can be a little bit closer early on in this race.
03:21I'm going to use her in the mix.
03:23What do you think about ready to jam?
03:25You know, you talk about her.
03:26I like her, too.
03:27I didn't actually end up using her, but I think she makes sense in here.
03:30She ran once at Woodbine at age three and one going six furlongs on the turf against
03:34much easier.
03:35But that was a career best figure.
03:36So I think she's an improving type who can pass, you know, horses in these short races.
03:41So if the pace is really fast, she could definitely hit the board.
03:44Should be a really fair price, too.
03:46Like, she's 12 to one on the morning line.
03:48I could see her being somewhere in, like, the eight to one and above range.
03:51That's really fair value for her.
03:53A ticker tape home is a grade three winner on the synthetic.
03:57Feels like she's been a little bit better on that surface, though, versus the turf.
04:00Yeah, she ran against Earhart in the grade three whimsical stakes, who's the favorite
04:05in here.
04:06Kept up with her most of the way before fading.
04:08So she did win third off the layoff at age three and then fourth off the layoff at age
04:14four.
04:14So she could still fire in here.
04:16I think she'll want to be near the pace and make a run.
04:19Husbands and Cassie, her connections, have won the last two renditions of this race combined.
04:24So they're both looking for their sixth career Royal North victory Saturday.
04:31Both ticker tape home and Miss Tart finished behind Earhart.
04:35So Miss Tart was third in that race in the whimsical, but she's another who I think is
04:40a little bit better on the synthetic.
04:42And if Lucia, producer, wants to pull up our replay of Earhart, we can take a look because
04:47they're all coming out of that same race.
04:48So Miss Tart is finishing third in here, you can see.
04:51And then the winner, Earhart, who's drawing off and winning this race really easily.
04:56She's the eight who we'll talk about next.
04:58And she's just really good right now, Alexa.
05:01She's won three of her four races and it's just tough to knock what she's done overall.
05:05But as we see, this is not the grass that they're running on.
05:07It's the synthetic.
05:08So she has to prove she can run on the turf, but her damn one on the turf and she feels like
05:13she should be fine on it with her pedigree.
05:14Yeah, I mean, Earhart, I think, is really strong.
05:19I'll just pass over Miss Tart in here.
05:21I mean, was shot at a cannon in that race, one wire to wire, and may have been approaching
05:26No Balls track record.
05:28No Balls is another really great horse if she wasn't geared down in the late stretch there,
05:32as you saw.
05:33But like you said, making a turf debut where trainer Josie Carroll has zero wins in the
05:38last 24 starters.
05:40But this is a much better horse.
05:43This is a really strong horse.
05:45So, and she's won in all of her three starts where she's gotten an uncontested lead.
05:51We Hawken comes up next.
05:53The last two races were, the last two times we saw her on the turf at Woodbine, actually
05:59pretty good efforts.
06:00And she's won three of her five races on the grass.
06:03But recently, since she's changed barns, she hasn't been in as good of form.
06:08And she's trained now by one of the best trainers in the game, Safi Joseph Jr.
06:12So she's one that I kind of going back and forth on.
06:15Just doesn't seem like she's in her best of form.
06:17But we know she does like this turf course.
06:20Yeah.
06:20I mean, all four of her lifetime wins have been recorded at Woodbine.
06:24So, you know, horse for the course, right?
06:26But I don't think her speed figures really line up with competitively with some of the
06:33other ones in here.
06:33So it's definitely going to be a tough placing.
06:35And you see that in the odds at 20 to one or plus 2000.
06:39We round out the field with the number 10 gal in a rush.
06:42And this one, I think we have to mention Alexa.
06:46She is trained by Miguel Clement.
06:48We don't see the name Christoph Clement.
06:50He actually passed away just last week.
06:52One of the best trainers in the game in this generation, who we remember from winning big
06:57races, like the Belmont stakes with Tonalist.
06:59He actually passed away recently.
07:01And the horses now that were in his name will be transferred over to others.
07:05A lot of them will go to the Miguel Clement barn and gal in a rush will now be running
07:10under that name.
07:11There'll be a lot of people rooting for this horse too, for Christoph Clement, who was a
07:16trainer who was very, very well respected.
07:19Yeah.
07:19See if Miguel can kind of carry on as, you know, father's legacy, but gal in rush actually
07:24is my top pick in here.
07:26Finished second behind Earhart in the whimsical and returns to the turf for the first time
07:31since the second place effort and the grade two in her continental stakes at Saratoga last
07:34two.
07:36So yeah, I mean, I think she has a tremendous amount of grit and experience.
07:42So we'll see.
07:43Yeah.
07:43As we pull up selections, we'll go through them.
07:45And then as we get ready for our break, we'll actually show you how you guys can follow
07:49along with the past performances.
07:50You can check out some of the race of the day stuff at drf.com.
07:54But Alexa, your selections, lots of similar numbers for us in the mix there.
07:59You're going to throw the 10 on top and I can understand because she actually might be
08:02better getting back to the turf.
08:04Yeah.
08:05I like gal in a rush.
08:06I'm putting her on top, get some price there at a six to one.
08:09And then I have to be air heart and ticker tape home underneath.
08:13Yeah.
08:14Lots of similarities to you.
08:15I think the only different horse that we have Alexa throws in the six, I throw in the
08:19five on top, hoping we can get a little value there for ready to jam who is 12 to one on
08:24the morning line.
08:25After that, we both have a two B in the second spot, the eight horse also has a major, major
08:30player, uh, your heart.
08:32And then we all throw in gallon of rush in the mix as well.
