The 2011 version of the Chicago Handicap leaves the gate right after 4:00 PM this Sunday at beautiful Arlington Park! The seven furlong sprint should feature pace-a-plenty as these specialists take to the all-weather track.
9-5 morning line favorite Tidal Pool makes only her second start on the all-weather track and first start at Arlington. This entry is also D. Wayne Lukas’ first Arlington runner of the year as well. Her recent wins have come on routes at Oaklawn Park and drops into Grade 3 company after both a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprint. She definitely has the ability to flash some early speed here.
Second choice Dr. Zic puts her blinkers on for the first time for trainer Joan Scott. Shipping in from Keeneland, she also makes her first ever start on the Arlington polytrack. Expect her to also flash some early speed as the sprint distances definitely fits her style. Hitting board 50% of the time on the synthetic surface, she should contend here with aggressive jockey E.T. Baird.
A perfect 4-for-4 in the money on Arlington’s all-weather track is Michael Reavis’ 5 year old mare Hooh Why. This horse also beat fellow entry Home’s The Best by a just a nose last out in an optional claimer also at 7 furlongs. She had a good work on 6/26/11 breezing 5 furlongs in 1:01 and appears to be ready to fire again here with Jozbin Santana aboard. Speaking of Home’s The Best she has hot the board an astonishing 13 of 16 times on Arlington’s all-weather!! While the longer distances seem to suit her better, at 10-1 (morning line) she may be worth a shot; at least underneath.
One other horse to consider here is 7-2 choice Devil By Design with Corey Nakatani aboard. She really seems to like the seven furlong distance as she has won 4 of 6 races at that distance!
I think that there will be a majority of the runners here vying for the lead or sitting just off the pace. Because of the speed involved, I would expect the winner to wire the field or come from just a few lengths back at most.