Madison -- journal

AMERICAN GRADED STAKES PREVIEW

A well-matched field of 11 will travel seven furlongs in hopes of bagging the

first prize in the $200,000 Madison S. (G2) at Keeneland on Wednesday. LOOKY

YONDER (Johannesburg) won her lone start over this oval last spring, is well

drawn on the rail and will be making her third start of the year on this

occasion, and we like her at a price (12-1 morning line). Now in the hands of Richard Dutrow, the

dark bay filly looked good in an easy allowance win at Gulfstream Park last out

and sports a solid 5-3-0-1 mark at this distance. Julien Leparoux has the call.

WILD GAMS (Forest Wildcat) will make her first start of the year on this day

for trainer Ben Perkins Jr. The bay mare has compiled an excellent 3-1-2-0 mark

on synthetic ovals, which includes a win in the Thoroughbred Club of America S.

(G3) over this oval last fall, and she shows a trio of useful works in advance

of this. We don't like the five-year-old to win on this day because she facing

many sharp runners, but she's a logical exacta filler under Ramon Dominguez.

VENTURA (Chester House) looked superb in her U.S. debut for Bobby Frankel,

crushing third-level allowance foes in a downhill sprint at Santa Anita. The

Juddmonte homebred has won or placed in seven of her nine career starts, and

Garrett Gomez has teamed with Frankel to win at a 46 percent clip over the last 60 days,

so it would be unwise to omit this one.

The light switch went off for WINDYINDY (A.P. Indy) sometime last summer,

with the four-year-old winning three-of-four since for conditioner Carl Nafzger. The

well-bred dark bay has a nice turn of foot and owns a good second on this oval,

so she's another who could impact the mutuels (15-1 morning line) with the right set up. Javier Castellano will be in the irons.

CARRIAGE TRAIL (Giant's Causeway) had a solid prep for this in a turf

allowance at Gulfstream and owns a win in her lone try over this oval for

conditioner Shug McGaughey. The bay mare has posted BRIS Speed numbers of 97 or

better in her last five starts and hails from a barn that always fires in

Lexington, Kentucky, so we'll use her in the gimmicks as well. Edgar Prado will be in the

irons.

Grade 2 victress MINI SERMON (Pulpit) broke her maiden over this surface and

has been freshened for this race by Todd Pletcher. The well-bred gray is

equipped with good tactical speed and this distance should suit her just right,

but she will need luck like many of these evenly matched fillies. John Velazquez

will ride the Virginia-bred, who will be in the mix with her best.

DAWN AFTER DAWN (Successful Appeal), winner of the La Canada S. (G2) two

back, was no match for Nashoba's Key (Silver Hawk) in the Santa Margarita H.

(G1) last out but could be live in this spot. The John Sadler charge was a close

third in the Ashland S. (G1) over this oval last spring and she's in good form.

Add the four-year-old to the long list of contenders in this affair beneath

Robby Albarado.

Beaumont S. (G2) vixen STREET SOUNDS (Street Cry [Ire]) has faced some solid

competition in her career but ended 2007 on a sour note for Michael Matz, and we

can't endorse her in here. The four-year-old has trained well in advance of

this, though, and will be guided by Jose Lezcano. CHANGE UP (Distorted Humor)

hasn't progressed much since a fine juvenile campaign and is poorly drawn in

this one.

ZADA BELLE (Indian Charlie) has been brilliant in her two lifetime tries, but

she hasn't proven that she can rate and she is in the widest post. V. I. P.

PRINCESS (Thunder Gulch) looks a cut below this group but has won three of her

five synthetic races.