Mamie Eisenhower and John Wayne Stakes Preview

Mamie Eisenhower

Likely Winners:

#3 Someplace Else (IA) – It’s pretty hard to go against her in this spot.  She’s already beaten almost every horse in the field at one point or another, and looks to be in fine form this year.  She ran extremely well in her season debut in March at Oaklawn Park, where she finished second in a tough allowance race.  Her other start this year was here at Prairie Meadows where she defeated Sakakawea, who had only lost one time in nine starts at Prairie Meadows.  Leading Prairie Meadows jockey Terry Thompson was aboard for both of those starts, and returns to ride in this race as well.  All signs point to a victory.

Exotic Plays:

#5 Sakakawea (IA) – If you follow Iowa Bred racing, you know all about this one!  Sakakawea has won this race two straight years, and has won eight out of ten races over this track.  You can’t help but love her consistency, but you have to wonder if her age may be taking a little bit away from her.  Her only start over the track this year was a loss to Someplace Else in a race where she had the lead to herself and was unable to hold off the winner going five and one half furlongs.  This race is six furlongs, and with the presence of Cream of Soup as well as a better prepared Ginger Added, the pace might quicken up on her.  Look for her to run well, but most likely fade at the end.

#6 Cream of Soup (IA) – Anything Chris Richard sends to the track at Prairie Meadows has to be respected.  Cream of Soup is three for four against state bred competition, with her only defeat coming against Someplace Else in an allowance last year.  This will be her first try against stakes company, and she hasn’t raced in nearly eleven months so she may not be ready for this kind of race just yet.  Her workouts leading up to the race have been pretty solid, so expect her to be in the mix right from the start.  Her presence in the race could hurt Sakakawea, as it looks as though this horse might be able to put on a little pressure up front.

Party Crashers:

#1 Ginger Added (IA) – Very dangerous horse here that can probably be had at a pretty good price.  She is five for seven lifetime, with three Iowa Bred stakes race victories under her belt.  Her race on opening night was her first since August of last year, and it wasn’t too bad of an effort as she finished 3rd to Sakakawea and Someplace Else.  I expect her to be in much better form this time out, and could definitely pull the upset.

Throw Outs:

#2 Medical Angel (IA) – Longest shot on the board, but did win her only start of 2012 over this track by a neck.  Is most likely a cut below the top four in this group, but could sneak into the trifecta if a couple of those horses have off days.

#4 Rico’s Posse (IA) – She’s one of the veterans in this group, but looks to be a class below the others.  She was defeated in an earlier allowance race by Ginger Added, Sakakawea, and Someplace Else.

John Wayne

Likely Winners:

#7 Wings of War (IA) – None of the horses in this race are running better than Wings of War right now.  He won two of three races against open company at Oaklawn, and beat an allowance field in his only start at Prairie Meadows.  In that race he defeated fellow John Wayne runners Cresco Direct Hit, Mutti Blues, One Hundred Proof, West Albany, Launch Light, and Dynamic Within.  The scary thing is He won that race fairly easy, and did not look to be fully extended.  Even though he finished fifth in this race last year, I view this one as his to lose.

#6 Father Wayne (IA) – You had to be impressed with Father Wayne’s last race as he dominated an allowance field of Iowa breds by four lengths.  It was his first start in over six months, so it was surprising to see him that sharp for his first race back.  He’ll most likely face a little more pace pressure in this one, but if he can run back to that last race it will be tough for the others to catch him.  He looms as a dangerous threat in this here, as he looks to be a horse that is red-hot coming into the race

#8 Cresco Direct Hit (IA) – There are a lot of things to like about him.  In his first race in over eight months he finished second to Wings of War, and was only defeated by just over one length.  I felt like the effort was extremely well considering the layoff, and you have to think he’ll move forward off that race.  I also like that leading jockey Terry Thompson has signed on to ride again.  Thompson probably his choice amongst a few in this one, so him picking Cresco Direct Hit says a lot about his chances.  This one looks to be a major player.

Exotic Plays:

#4 Kate’s Main Man (IA) – I’m really not sure what to make of this horse.  He headed to Prairie Meadows last year running better than ever, but really struggled against horses he should have been able to handle.  This year he’s been average at best, so maybe age has gotten the best of him.  I do like the cut back in distance for him in this race.  That could make a big difference as he is a front-runner that has been getting caught in the stretch in most of his races.  Maybe he can hold the lead in this one, but I’m guessing he won’t be able to do much better than third or fourth.

#1 Cainam (IA) – Really solid horse that will give you an honest effort, but I don’t think he’s a logical win contender.  I’d play him on the bottom of your exotics because he’s the type of horse that could burn your tri’s or super’s, but I wouldn’t play him on top.

Party Crashers:

#10 Mutti Blues (IA) – Very dangerous horse in my opinion!  Mutti Blues won this race last year in an impressive performance, and his last start suggests he might be rounding into form.  He was only beaten a little over two lengths by my top selection last time out, so with a little improvement he’ll be right in the mix.  If you study his past performances you’ll realize that he’s an all or nothing type horse.  If he runs his best race in this one, he could cause major problems for the rest of the field.

#11 One Hundred Proof (IA) – One Hundred Proof exits the same race as Wings of War, Cresco Direct Hit, and Mutti Blues, as he finished fourth, but was only beaten two and a half lengths by the winner.  Just like Mutti Blues, it looks like this horse is starting to round into form, so it would be wise to take a hard look at him.  Logical longshot, and could be had a great price.

Throw Outs:

#2 Runaway Walkaway (IA) – Out of my four throw outs I like him the best, but it’s still hard to imagine him making much noise in this spot.  He was beaten four lengths by Father Wayne last time out.

#3 West Albany (IA) – He’s been through the battles throughout his career, but is simply out-classed in this race.

#5 Launch Light (IA) – This horse finished fourth in the John Wayne last year, and looks to be struggling so far this year.  Easy throw out in tough race.

#9 Dynamic Within (IA) – Could very well be the longest shot on the board.  I don’t blame his connections for trying this race, but looks to be overmatched in a tough Iowa Bred field.