Rampart

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

TESSA BLUE (Awesome Again), an electrifying winner of two stakes last fall,

makes her seasonal debut Sunday at Gulfstream Park in the $200,000 Rampart H.

(G2). The Rampart, at 1 1/8 miles, drew a field of seven older fillies and

mares, and while there appears to be an abundance of speed, an inside post and a

versatile running style may help propel Tessa Blue to victory.

Tessa Blue's breakout performance last fall was a runner-up finish in the

Prairie Meadows Oaks, a race where she dueled for the lead much of the way

through fast fractions. That race set her up well for her next start, the

Indiana Oaks (G3) at Hoosier Park, where Tessa Blue tracked in third for a

half-mile before making a bold move around the far turn for the lead, which she

extended to 7 1/4 lengths at the wire. Tessa Blue earned a career best 103 BRIS

Speed rating for that win, and bettered that mark to 112 when 12 1/2 lengths

best in the Inside Information S. during Breeders' Cup week at Monmouth Park.

Tessa Blue regressed in her 2007 finale when a tiring fourth in the Falls City

H. (G2) at Churchill Downs, a race she led until the top of the stretch despite

setting a slow pace.

Tessa Blue drew the rail for the Rampart and should be able to save plenty of

ground. Trainer Frank Brothers has put in a solid foundation of works into the

filly at Palm Meadows, with her last four drills ranging from six furlongs to a

mile. Mike Smith, who rode Tessa Blue to her two stakes wins last fall, returns.

GOLDEN VELVET (Seeking the Gold) will be stretching out to two turns after

racing Lady Marlboro (Smoke Glacken) to a dead heat victory in the one-mile

Sabin H. (G3) at Gulfstream opening weekend, an effort made even more impressive

when it was subsequently revealed she had raced with a sponge inserted in her

nasal cavity. An investigation by Gulfstream officials into the sponging

incident is ongoing. The Darley Stable colorbearer has

made three stateside starts after racing previously in France and Dubai, with

the Sabin being her second United States win. In her only other stakes appearance, Golden Velvet

was third last fall in the Top Flight (G2) at Aqueduct, also at a mile, but in

France she won as far as nine furlongs and was a close second going 1 1/4 miles.

The up-and-coming SPRING WALTZ (Silver Charm) figures to be a prominent

threat in the Rampart, especially if she comes close to repeating her latest, a

13-length thrashing of five rivals in a nine-furlong allowance/optional claimer at

Gulfstream last month. The late blooming five-year old has been first or second in

all eight career starts, and has taken a strong liking to dirt since moving to

Florida from Canada, where she raced exclusively on the Woodbine Polytrack. A

fast, contested pace would make her a strong factor.

West Coast invader BALLADO'S THUNDER (Saint Ballado) should provide some of

that pace. Unraced since July, Ballado's Thunder was unsuccessful in three

starts over the Hollywood Park Cushion Track last summer, but has won two of six

overall on dirt including her last start on the surface in the restricted Santa

Lucia H. at Santa Anita  last April.

ALTESSE (A.P. Indy) was an unlikely pacesetter in the optional claimer won by

Spring Waltz, and proved no match for that rival after dueling through fast

splits. She may revert to her traditional stalking tactics in the Rampart

breaking from post 7, but she's never really fit that well in previous

graded stakes attempts.

PEACH FLAMBE (Flying Chevron) is another front runner who seemingly lacks the

class to beat graded company. Peach Flambe set the pace for the Eclipse Award-winning Ginger Punch in the restricted Sunshine Millions Distaff, and held

second at odds of 42-1. CAT CAN DO (Adcat), who finished behind Spring Waltz and Altesse last time,

is listed stakes quality at best, but may find her way onto exotics tickets in

the event of an off track, where her record is four for six.