A Gleam

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

For one of the top filly and mare sprints of the summer, Saturday’s $150,000
A Gleam H. (G2) at Hollywood Park has attracted surprisingly few speed elements.
Indeed, the seven-furlong contest might fall right into the hands of DEAREST
TRICKSKI (Proudest Romeo), who has the ability to bolt out of the gate and never
look back. Despite the seemingly advantageous circumstances, Dearest Trickski
drew the far outside post in the field of 11 and there is surely better value to
be found elsewhere.

A filly who it appears could not be approaching this race any better is DAWN
AFTER DAWN (Successful Appeal), who has turned in three bullet works in
succession and has the necessary class to win this. Heroine of the La Canada S.
(G2) earlier this year, she has primarily been competing in two-turn races for
much of the campaign, and these turn-back types often do well in elongated
sprints such as this. Dawn After Dawn was a distant second to the late Nashoba’s
Key in the Santa Margarita Invitational H. (G1), and most recently was two
lengths back in third in the Hawthorne H. (G3) despite her saddle slipping underneath
Victor Espinoza. For the A Gleam, Dawn After Dawn will be reunited with Garrett
Gomez, who has ridden the filly in her last two victories, and she should be
well-placed early tracking Dearest Trickski.

SPENDITALLBABY (Unusual Heat) is appealing at a price. The four-year-old has
won her last two synthetic track sprints, including the B. Thoughtful S. at 12-1
over TIZ ELEMENTAL (Cee’s Tizzy), and her form has since been clouded with
off-the-board finishes in a pair of turf stakes. While her form against open company
has historically not been as strong as against California-breds, her best race
fits against this field and the possibility of a quick pace would also help her
chances.

Dearest Trickski, who was claimed for $10,000 in April 2007, finished first
or second in nine consecutive races ending with scores in the La Brea S. (G1)
and Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint. That streak came to an end on May 17
with a fourth-place effort in the Desert Stormer H., but Dearest Trickski was
returning from a layoff of nearly four months that day and could be sharper for
this race.

The filly with perhaps the most raw talent in the field is the undefeated
MAGNIFICIENCE (Stormy Atlantic), the 2007 Santa Paula S. (G3) winner who
recently returned from a layoff of more than a year to win a second-level
allowance by a nose. She seemed to win that race purely on class as she was
conceding not only recency but experience over a synthetic surface. She might
simply be the best horse in the race, but at a short price we’ll take a stand
against her.

Tiz Elemental has finished worse than second only once in eight career
starts, and that was on the turf. She earned come-from-behind wins in the Honest
Lady S. and Las Flores H. (G3) at Santa Anita earlier in the year, but was
beaten a length in the B. Thoughtful S. and will be conceding even more
weight to Spenditallbaby this time around.

The unheralded INTANGAROO (Orientate) is a half-length away from being
undefeated in her last four starts, including a 26-1 shocker of the Santa
Monica H. (G1) and a 14-1 upset of the Humana Distaff S. (G1) on dirt. The price
on her is unlikely to approach double-digits this time, and she is the kind who
needs a pace meltdown to get up, and we just don’t envision a field of this
quality completely falling apart.

ASHLEY’S KITTY (Tale of the Cat) is certainly worth a look if going deep in
the exotics. Her greatest successes have come over this track, with victories in
the 2007 Railbird S. (G3) at this trip and most recently a half-length triumph
in the Desert Stormer H. ROMANCE IS DIANE (In Excess [Ire]) is another whose
best days have occurred in Inglewood, California, but those have been in two-turns races
like the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and Bayakoa H. (G2). She was seemingly
entered here more as a means to avoid Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) than for her
sprinting prowess.

The outsiders in the field are MISSVINSKI (Stravinsky), a winner over
Polytrack who is generally better on grass, and the allowance caliber duo of
PETITE CHERIE (Ire) (Fasliyev) and POLITICAL WEB (Petionville).