Ginger Punch even-money on Apple Blossom morning line

Eclipse Award winner GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) has been installed as the

even-money favorite on the morning line for Oaklawn Park's $500,000 Apple

Blossom H. (G1). The chestnut racked up four graded wins last year en route to

being named champion older mare, including three straight in the First Flight H.

(G2), Go for Wand H. (G1) and Ruffian H. (G1). On Saturday, the Bobby Frankel

charge will seek to continue a new win streak she began in the Breeders' Cup

Distaff (G1) and carried on into this season with a 6 3/4-length score in the

Sunshine Millions Distaff on January 26 last out.

Ginger Punch's only off-the-board placing came while she was trying to break

her maiden in 2006, but those days are long behind her as she tops this field of

six. New rider Ramon Dominguez will guide her from the rail post, a draw which

pleased Frankel.

"Perfect," the trainer said. "The inside is the place to be at Oaklawn."

"From post 1, I expect she will sit second behind the speed, and make her

move about the three-eighths pole," added Frankel's long-time assistant and lead

exercise rider, Jose Cuevas. "She is a push-button mare. She'll do whatever

Ramon asks."

The five-year-old mare will be conceding six to 12 pounds to her rivals as

the 122-pound highweight.

ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) is one of those getting six pounds, as the John Shirreffs trainee will

carry 116 pounds in just her fourth career start. The undefeated four-year-old

will be making her dirt bow in this spot, having captured her first two starts

on Hollywood Park's Cushion Track before adding the El Encino S. (G2) over Santa

Anita's version of that synthetic surface to her line on January 13. In each of

those starts, the dark bay lass ran in last during the early part of the races

before coming with a rush late to take the victory. Mike Smith, who has won four

Apple Blossoms, including three consecutive runnings aboard Azeri (2002-2004), has the call on Zenyatta.

The Azeri S. (G3), named for the 2002 Horse of the Year, counts as the final

local prep for the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom. In their last race, the rest of

Saturday's field -- BROWNIE POINTS (Forest Wildcat), CLEVER STRIKE (Smart

Strike), KETTLEONEUP (Victory Gallop) and LEMON DROP MOM (Lemon Drop Kid) --

finished in that order behind Azeri winner Hystericalady (Distorted Humor), who

will not compete on Saturday.

Kettleoneup ran second in last year's edition of the Azeri but skipped the

Apple Blossom. She would go on to capture the Sixty Sails H. (G3) and Autumn

Leaves S. prior to ending her four-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length score in

the Falls City H. (G2). The chestnut mare began 2008 with a 2 1/4-length win in

the Pippin S. and will keep Calvin Borel, a two-time winner of the Apple

Blossom, in the saddle.

The complete field for the Apple Blossom, with riders, weights and odds, is

Ginger Punch; Brownie Points, Luis Quinonez, 114, 4-1; Lemon Drop Mom, Clinton

Potts, 112, 20-1; Kettleoneup, 116, 3-1; Clever Strike, Shaun Bridgmohan, 110,

20-1; and Zenyatta, 7-2.