Second choice on the morning line at odds of 4-1 is Todd Pletcher’s aforementioned Grade 1 winner, We Miss Artie. Last out, this son of Artie Schiller finished eighth, 17 lengths behind winner Wildcat Red, in the Fountain of Youth (G2) over the Gulfstream Park dirt Feb. 22. His best races have come on the turf or all-weather surfaces, so a return to the Polytrack should be to his liking. He’ll reunite with jockey John Velazquez for the ride.
Wayne Catalano will send out the first and second place finishers from the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes that ran at Turfway Park Mar. 1—Solitary Ranger and Poker Player. Although both will face a tougher field, their prior experience over the surface is an advantage.
An interesting longshot play is Mark Casse’s Coastline. With Brisnet speed figures in the high 90s for both of his two wins in six lifetime starts, this son of Speightstown boasts the best speed numbers in the field. He gained his highest Brisnet speed figure, a 98, when breaking his maiden over Keeneland’s Polytrack Oct. 5, his only start not on dirt. Casse holds a 23% win record when switching runners from dirt to all-weather surfaces. Additionally, Coastline has competed against the likes of Almost Famous, Tapiture, Tanzanite Cat, and Rise Up.
The field of 12 from the rail out, with odds, is Big Bazinga 30-1, Asserting Bear 12-1, Poker Player 5-1, Tamarando 3-1, Coastline 8-1, Smart Cover 20-1, All Tied Up 12-1, Solitary Ranger 6-1, Almost Famous 6-1, Harry’s Holiday 20-1, We Miss Artie 4-1, and Arctic Slope 30-1.
The Spiral Stakes is the 11th race on Turfway’s Saturday card with a scheduled post time of 6:28 p.m. EST. It can be seen on HRTV and TVG. Free PPs provided by Brisnet.
Photo: TurfwayPark.com
