JICHA’s BC FRIDAY ANALYSIS

Juvenile Turf Sprint

KIMARI trailed throughout, was still last in midstretch of Keeneland’s Indian Summer, then blew away a quality field. Only blemish in five starts is a second in a 25-horse field at Ascot. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, the other Wesley Ward, was decisive winning Futurity but he had a perfect trip against a less accomplished field. A’ALI had a gutsy win in a Euro stakes.

The top horse might be worth a single in multiples but I don’t see any value as a short price in a field with so many unknowns.

Juvenile Turf

STRUCTOR isperfect in two starts, both at 1 1/16ths. Chad Brown in a turf stakes. Enough said. ARIZONA has been wrangling with Pinatubo, a 6-for-6 killer, who is being mentioned in the same breath as Frankel. But he hasn’t raced beyond 7 furlongs or around two turns. FORT MYERS is the longer-priced stablemate of Arizona from Team Aidan O’Brien. Baffert isn’t the only one who can click with “the other” horse.

Like the turf sprint, this is another crap shoot with a lot of variables. There are better opportunities to get heavily involved. If Structor goes off at his morning line 5-1, he’s worth a win bet.

Juvenile Fillies

BAST and BRITISH IDIOM are hard to separate. Slight edge to Bast on the home course-Baffert factor. How cool would it be if Irish-bred Arizona wins the preceding race and All-American British Idiom wins this one. FRANK’S ROCKETTE is a late-runner who had no shot against an unchallenged leader in the Frizette.

I intend to zero in on only the top two going forward in multiple-race bets.

Juvenile Fillies Turf

SWEET MELANIA demolished the Jessamine field. Her Triple Crown winning sire American Pharoah never raced on the grass but his offspring have been sensational in the infield. CRYSTALLE ran down Sweet Melania in the P.G. Johnson but her out-of-the-clouds style could be compromised in a big field. SHARING is the sleeper, although I wish he had drawn further inside. Rather than take on the heavy heads at Belmont and Keeneland, Graham Motion chose an easy prep at Laurel. He’s been making a lot of good calls this year.

I’ll use these three as well as Euro ALBIGNA, who I doubt will go off the favorite despite the morning line,in the middle leg of Pick 3’s. Also win bet on Sharing.

Juvenile

Bob Baffert and Dale Romans complained that this should be a Saturday race. They are right. It’s the one people will be talking about and making reference to for the next six months. I’m going against the Baffert-home course edge with EIGHT RINGS, opting for DENNIS’S MOMENT. He’s looked like one of the ones in his two winning races. How ironic that both have been defeated only once, each when they lost their rider. The scratch of MAXFIELD makes this look like a two-horse race for the big money.

I’ll close a pick three, Bast and British Idiom to Sweet Melania, Crystalle, Sharing and Albigna to Dennis’s Moment and Eight Rings. That’s $16 for a dollar. I’ll buy an extra $1 ticket with only Dennis’s Moment on the back end.