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By J. Keeler Johnson ("Keelerman") Twitter: @J_Keelerman Two of the most talentedsprinters in the country are slated to compete in separate races this Saturday.Ironically, neither of the races are graded stakes, so if you're looking forshort-priced singles to build multi-race bets around, these speedy sprintersare excellent candidates. The first is #3 Skelly (4-5), who looks downrightformidable in the $275,000 Aristides S. sprintingsix furlongs at Churchill Downs. Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer SteveAsmussen, Skelly has won each of his last nine U.S. starts in gate-to-wirefashion by margins from 1 1/4 lengths to 4 3/4 lengths. His win streak wasinterrupted only by a runner-up finish in the Feb. 24 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3)in Saudi Arabia. Skelly has stayed busy sincethe Riyadh Dirt Sprint. He seems to thrive on frequent racing, and his last twostarts have been impressive. In the April 13 Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3) atOaklawn Park, he set blazing fractions of :21.52 and :43.88 before cruisinghome on top by three lengths, a performance that earned him the Equibase chartcomment "blistered opposition."
Skelly was arguably evenmore remarkable in the May 4 Lake Hamilton S. at Oaklawn. Despite breakingslowly, he recovered to claim the lead through a sensational :21.34 openingquarter-mile. He widened his advantage to three lengths through half a mile in:44.33, then held off a late runner to score by 2 1/4 lengths.
None of the other Aristidesentrants have shown the same pacesetting speed as Skelly. Assuming Skelly bringshis best effort while shipping from Oaklawn to Churchill, potential pace rivalslike Churchill Downs (G1) runner-up #8Here Mi Song (6-1) and recent $100,000 allowance optional claiming winner #4 Angkor (4-1) are likely to becompromised.
Therefore, I envision Skellyleading all the way to win the Aristides over #1 Tejano Twist (5-1), a Grade 1-placed stretch runner who has metSkelly on several occasions in the past. He closed from more than a dozenlengths behind to finish second in the Count Fleet Sprint H., and if Skellyburns out the other speed horses at Churchill Downs, Tejano Twist can onceagain rally to complete the exacta.
The other sprinter I want tohighlight this week is #6 Ova Charged (1-1),a talented Louisiana-bred who figures to start as an overwhelming favorite inthe 5 1/2-furlong $100,000 LouisianaLegends Mademoiselle S. against fellow Louisiana-breds at Evangeline Downs.
Ova Charged has enjoyed herstrongest success on grass, a surface over which she's undefeated in fourstarts. Against non-state-restricted competition this year, she's won the 51/2-furlong Mardi Gras S. at Fair Grounds by 5 1/4 lengths and the 51/2-furlong Unbridled Sidney (G3) at Churchill Downs by a neck.
The Louisiana LegendsMademoiselle is taking place on dirt, but that shouldn't bother Ova Charged.She's not undefeated on dirt, but her 9-for-12 tally over the surface is packedwith stakes wins against Louisiana-bred competition, including a 6 3/4-lengthdrubbing of the Jan. 6 Bob F. Wright Memorial S. dashing six furlongs at FairGrounds. Plus, as a three-year-old in 2021, Ova Charged finished second in the6 1/2-furlong Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont Park, beaten only by next-out Test(G1) runner-up Souper Sensational.
Ova Charged has already conqueredmany of the rivals she'll face in the Mademoiselle, so she'll be difficult orimpossible to defeat while returning to the Louisiana-bred ranks. Who has thespeed to oppose her? Likely no one. Look at the Brisnet E1 and E2 Pace ratingsOva Charged has produced in her last three starts: 104 and 113, 104 and 114,and 105 and 110. None of her rivals at Evangeline Downs can boast numbers likethose. The only one who has posted numbers anywhere near as fast in recentstarts is #5 Charlie T (7-2), andshe faded to finish 20 1/2 lengths behind Ova Charged after chasing thelatter's pace in the 5 1/2-furlong Page Cortez S. at Fair Grounds in March.
If you asked me to identifythe most likely runner-up, I might point you toward stretch-running #3 Blessed Assurance (15-1), whose4-for-7 record over the Evangeline Downs dirt includes a third-place finish(beaten 1 1/2 lengths) in the 5 1/2-furlong Creole Lady S. last time out. IfOva Charged carves out a hot pace, Blessed Assurance should have every chanceto pick up the pieces and record a top-two finish.
But mostly, I would focus onsingling Ova Charged in multi-race wagers. The Mademoiselle is the first of sixconsecutive stakes on Evangeline's Saturday card, and it's going to be adelightful day of Louisiana-bred racing action.
Hopefully, by the timeevening falls on Saturday, Skelly and Ova Charged will have delivered resoundingvictories. Skelly is already shaping up as a formidable Breeders' Cup Sprint(G1) contender, and the multi-surface versatility of Ova Charged could make hera danger in either the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) or the Breeders' CupFilly & Mare Sprint (G1).
Now it's your turn! Who doyou like in the Aristides and Mademoiselle?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as "Keelerman") is a writer, videographer, voice actor, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. fa*ger to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite.
