May 8, 2024

Texas Mile

Last updated: 4/29/05 6:00 PM


TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

TEXAS MILE S.
(G3), 9TH-LS, $300,000, 3YO/UP, 1M, 5:19 P.M. CDT, 4-30
 
PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1
YESSIRGENERALSIR

KEEN DALLAS

FIGUEROA O
118
2
TORATORA

SHEENA KAMEL S

MURPHY B G
116
3
SUPAH BLITZ

O’NEILL DOUG

ESPINOZA V
120
4
SNORTER

NORMAN COLE

THERIOT H J II
118
5
HIGH STRIKE ZONE

LABORDE AMOS

FAUL R J
118
6
TWILIGHT ROAD

FAWKES DAVID

TEATOR P A
118


Six milers led by SNORTER (Awesome Again) will contest Saturday’s Texas Mile
S. (G3) at Lone Star Park. A classy horse who formerly was under the tutelage of
Bobby Frankel until he was switched to the shedrow of Cole Norman, Snorter won
in his first race for his new trainer last time when defeating optional-claiming
foes at Oaklawn Park. From five starts at a mile, the five-year-old owns two
wins and may have needed that last race to get back into the same form he was in
when annexing the Berkeley Breeders’ Cup H. (G3) last spring. The bay rates
our top choice.

In his last 17 starts, HIGH STRIKE ZONE (Smart Strike) has missed the
board only once. At Lone Star, the gelding has recorded a line of 8-1-4-3, and
the five-year-old is undefeated at one mile. He may be a sleeper and
easily rates our longshot special, as well as a must-use in all levels of the
gimmicks.

Doug O’Neill sends Del Mar Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) hero SUPAH BLITZ (Mecke) for
the Texas Mile. Throw out a bad run in the Santa Anita H. (G1) two back and the
five-year-old has been an excellent runner since switching trainers last fall,
entering this contest off a three-length victory in the Tokyo City H. (G3). At
8-5 on the morning line, though, we’ll bet against him and hope he doesn’t catch
us with his lethal late kick.

YESSIRGENERALSIR (Patton) won a Grade 3 over this surface when taking the
Lone Star Park H. (G3) last May, and was only second by a neck in his seasonal
bow, the one-mile Premiere S. The five-year-old has an affinity for the Grand
Prairie, Texas, surface, showing a record of 6-2-2-1, and we’ll have to use the gelding
in the exotics.

Last out in the Skip Away H. (G3), TWILIGHT ROAD (Cahill Road) ran a huge
BRIS Speed Rating of 108 when finishing second by a half-length. The
eight-year-old is due for a win, and he almost got it in the Skip Away, but
we’ll let the inconsistent gelding beat us.

TORATORA (With Approval) enters off an impressive nine-length victory over
allowance rivals but may be tested for class against these.




TRACK BANDIT SELECTIONS:   1st-SNORTER
    2nd-HIGH STRIKE ZONE
    3rd-SUPAH BLITZ