Three Year Old Fillies head to Arkansas for the Caveman Bones Turf Filly Spint

Caveman Bones Turf Filly Sprint

 

Today I am heading back to Arkansas where the Caveman Bones Turf Filly Sprint going 6.5 furlongs will be running for a purse of $100,000.  The sun should shine for these 3 year olds fillies as they take to a Firm Turf track.  Back in my old college days a few of my friends and I would head down to Hot Springs and make our way to Oaklawn Park.  We loved to go when our favorite horse Heatherten would be running.  She was a big grey mare that I saw run upon several occasions.  Her odds never good for betting as you knew this horse was there to win.  In 53 career starts she won 21 of her races and was a million dollar mare.  In 1984 I was there to see her win the Apple Blossom Handicap of which she set and still holds the track record for 1 1/6 miles (8.5 furlongs).  As her jockey, Sam Maple drove her down the stretch with no other horse in sight he stood in the saddle and waved to the crowd in the grand stands and still brought her across the wire for that track record Heatherten still holds today almost 25 years later.  So today I am headed back to old memories not yet forgotten to Arkansas to see the running of the Caveman Bones Stakes.  The morning line is out for this group of 3 year old filly contenders.  Let us take a look as to how they stack up.

 

 

Horse/Odds                                                       Owner                                  Jockey

 

1.  Selin  74/1                                                      gorosco                                TJ Johnson

 

This Turkish bed filly comes in as the big long shot in this race today and grabs the first gate.  She is going to need all the advantages she can get against this tough little crowd today.  She has a few stakes attempts under her belt but none of which have been fruitful.  In her last outing she ran back in January 2018 in a NW3L at $14,600 in Indiana which she placed a disappointing 8^th in that race 7 ¾ lengths back.  She is coming off a near 6 month layoff which will hopefully help her.  She needs to find some speed to contend here today.

 

2.  Symbolic Dane  5/1                                    mnmracing5                      J Blake

 

She seems to like running in this distance range and come in with some good stakes experience and results in her last two outings.  On 05/26/2018 she ran in the Lactosa Turf Filly Spint in Florida where she chased the leader and was bested only by a neck at the wire.  In the Miss Hockey Turf Filly Special on 03/16/2018 she was foiled at the wire by 1 ¾ lengths.  She has shown she has the goods as a stakes contender and I would expect her to be again today.

 

3.  Army Pilot  4/1                                             pigletstable                        V Jennings

 

Another stakes placing horse in this field of seven fillies.  She is coming off a nice win at 7 furlongs in a NW4x Allowance in Kansas where she showed them home to win at the wire by 1 ¾ lengths.  She jumps back up in class today for another stakes attempt.  She comes in off a short rest which could hurt her.  I question her stamina to compete at a peak performance today.

 

4.  Index Finger  3/1                                        gowans2014                       S Proudfoot

 

Found her way to hit the triple digit speed of 101 for the first time in her last race back on 06/08/2018 in New Jersey where she ran a NW2L Allowance to take the win at the wire by ¾ of a length.  This will be her first stakes attempt as she steps up in class.  She is here to prove she has the goods to compete with more experienced fillies and could very well be a horse to watch in this race.  She seems to have a good breeding line and I think she has the goods to compete with this field.

 

5.  Witches Wind  3/1                                      ruledgeranch                     A Arthur

 

She comes in to this field with a pretty consistent Allowance career.  She has 13 career starts and 7 wins to her credit.  She had been on a streak winning five races in a row until her last outing in a $45,000 Allowance in Washington at 6.5 furlongs of which he came up short at the wire by ¼ length to come up 3^rd and get a Show placing at the wire.  She steps up today for a first time stakes attempt.  She is a fine looking Bay filly that will be here to prove she has the goods to step up in class.

 

6.  Believin Awish  5/1                                    dinky                                     S Aaron

 

She has been on a Hot Streak with three wins in her last three outings.  In these races she has won for a combined eight and three quarters lengths showing the fields no mercy.  She has only one prior stakes attempt where she ran in the MNTB Juvenile Miss Turf back in December of last year of which she showed up 5^th at the wire and 1 ¾ off the lead.  That is her only career start of which she has not found her way to be in the money when she hit the red tape.  She has 6 wins in 11 starts and the morning line took note of that today.  She steps back up to foil this field today of which she needs to prove herself a worthy contender.  She likes to run up front and will most likely be the rabbit in this race while others try to catch her coming down the stretch.

 

7.  Canny Horse  3/1                                        commonwealth                                A Weldon

 

The only Stakes winner in this field of seven will be trying to chalk up another big win here today.  With 11 career starts and 7 wins  and the second best top money winner in the field you have to give her a look in this race.  She has done well in her prior stakes attempts but found Graded company a little tough to handle.  Back in March of this year she won the Might Just Be Glue Dirt Filly where she ran 6.5 furlongs to best the field by 1 ½ lengths.  In her last outing in the Stonethwaite As Dirt Filly Sprint she came up short at the wire in this 5.5 furlong outing to place 3^rd some 2 ½ lengths off the leader.  This horse was claimed back in May of last year and has taken well to her new stable.  But I do have a big concern with her today.  She has never raced on the turf.  A very nice horse and she could make a nice change to a different surface.  Will see if she has that ability to make that switch to the grass and challenge this field.

 

 

Good luck to all horses and all owners of this race.  Most importantly have fun!!!

 

 

Skippy’s Picks

 

1.  Believin Awish:  Looks good for the race and comes off three nice wins.

 

2.  Witches Wind:  Hard to look past this top money winner today.

 

3.  Canny Horse:  Going to give her a chance to prove she can handle the grass surface.

 

Tarton’s Long Shot

 

Symbolic Dane:  At 5/1 you have to include in your scheme of betting today and could have easily been in my top three picks for this race.  There are just too many evenly matched horses today to get them all into my top three spots.

 

 

 

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