Dogwood

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

A field of nine three-year-old fillies will travel one mile in Saturday's

$100,000 Dogwood S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. We view this race as pretty wide

open and will take a shot with LADY'S LAUGHTER (Distorted Humor).

The Charles Lopresti trainee exits a fourth-place finish in the Eight Belles

S. (G3) in the slop over this oval, but we expect a big turn-around in here

beneath Robby Albarado. The dark bay lass was a smart maiden winner at this

track and distance in the fall and has run well since, including posting a

Keeneland allowance win and a runner-up showing in the Gowell S. at Turfway

Park. We love the addition of blinkers and the outside draw.

LUSTER (Touch Gold) was an impressive 6 1/4-length allowance heroine for Al

Stall Jr. last out and should vie for favoritism in this spot. The talented

chestnut would be especially tough if she were to repeat her last, but she may

have been racing on the dream part of the oval on Derby Day and could regress

some if pressured early. We'll definitely use the Kentucky-bred but will side

with others on top.

HIGHTAP (Tapit) looked the part in her stylish allowance win at Fair Grounds

two back, but the Steve Asmussen pupil showed little when trounced in the

Honeybee S. (G3) in her latest endeavor. The talented gray is an obvious threat

in here with something resembling her earlier form under Shaun Bridgmohan.

AFFIRMED TRUTH (Proudest Romeo) has plenty of early speed -- she led at the

first and second call of the Martha Washington S. ahead of Rachel Alexandra

(Medaglia d'Oro) earlier in the year -- and the Arkansas-bred appears to be well

placed for conditioner Tim Ice. The chestnut has experience at the stakes level

and had a useful five-eighths breeze over this surface, so if she clears this

group early, she can surely hang on for a share.

PERFECT FOR YOU (Giant's Causeway) appears to be coming to hand right now for

Rusty Arnold, posting two wins in succession in the Bluegrass State. The

Kentucky-bred filly looks slower than most of these, but she figures to relish

the added ground. We will not discount her rallying for a minor award late under

Jon Court.

DAVE'S REVENGE (The Cliff's Edge) was a smashing maiden winner last summer

and finished a big fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in her

subsequent try, but the Bob Hess Jr. charge has not hit the board in six

straight since then. The dark bay showed little in the Eight Belles and can't be

endorsed on this day.

SLIDES CHOICE (Devil His Due) has five wins and a second from six career

starts and will try open company for the first time after dominating Ohio-bred

competition for Tim Hamm. The bay has low BRIS Speed figures and will likely

have to rally from off the pace to win this, so we'll let her beat us.

TWEETER (Unbridled's Song) was ambitiously spotted in the Kentucky Oaks (G1)

off a maiden win on Polytrack for D. Wayne Lukas, and while she fits better in

here, the well-bred miss still looks a cut below others at this stage of her

development.

Stakes queen WALLOON (Alphabet Soup) was second in a maiden claiming event on

this oval in her lone dirt outing, all of her other starts having come on

Polytrack for Katherine Ball. The gray filly drew the rail in here and will be

equipped with blinkers for the initial time, but we'll have to see her do it on

dirt before backing her.