Grade 1 Apple Blossom, G3 Count Fleet Headline Oaklawn’s Saturday Card; Full card Selections

By Bob Hill
Tracksideview Feature Writer —-

Oaklawn Park Picks – April 18, 2020

The shortage of races, combined with an uncertain future, has given us outstanding fields for the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap and the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap to be contested at Oaklawn Park on Saturday. The undercard is competitive, even if it lacks the presence of the best horses on the grounds at the Hot Springs venue.

Last weekend we experienced the two ends of the multi-race wager spectrum. The early and middle Pick 4s were chalky all the way, producing minimal payouts. Then it started raining and the late Pick 4 and Pick 5 blew up into mega payouts as one unlikely winner stacked on top of another, and then did so again. Undeterred, we’ll keep on trying.

Race 8: Count Fleet – G3, 6 furlongs for 3yos and up 7-9-2-3

The intriguing colt in this race is the 4yo Bill Mott trainee Hidden Scroll (7). He did not live up to early expectations as a 3yo as a classic-distance racer, but Mott seems to have settled on his being a sprinter this year. His eye-popping win in allowance company at Gulfstream Park was a gate-to-wire romp where he led every step of the way. He has not won when he did not run on the lead, but the presence of other formidable foes that have that same style will keep him from running away uncontested in the Count Fleet. I’m going to play him to win, believing that he might just be very special and capable of stalking just off the pace of a couple of others. Whitmore (9), now a 7yo, broke a long winless streak in his most recent race last month, and he has 8 wins in 13 races on this track. He and Flagstaff (2) should battle for the second spot on the assumption that the Bobby’s Wicked One (4) has tired from a hot pace up front. Hog Creek Hustle (3) is a get-up-late candidate to pick up the pieces.

Race 10: Apple Blossom – G1, 1-1/16 miles for FM 4yos and up 11-1-14-5

The bad news for Serengeti Empress (11) is that there is a lot of other speed in this race. The good news is that the other want-the-lead type, Cookie Dough (10), is drawn just inside her. Unlike her last race, Empress will not make an early uncontested lead, so Joe Talamo will have to avoid using too much too soon. If he can do so, she will win. Two West Coast shippers are the most likely ones to try to overtake the early leaders. Ollie’s Candy (1) will be able to save ground from her inside post-position draw, while Victor Espinoza will have to work out a trip for Ce Ce (14) from the far outside. Point of Honor (5) will come from farther back, and if the race were to fall apart totally, she could even win in a big upset.

Full Card Selections

Race 1: 10-3-4-5

Race 2: 9-2-3-1

Race 3: 9-10-1-2

Race 4: 10-2-9-11

Race 5: 3-9-4-5

Race 6: 5-4-12-3

Race 7: 5-1-2-8

Race 8: 7-9-2-3

Race 9: 6-8-4-1

Race 10: 11-1-14-5

Race 11: 8-10-1-2