The race to focus on at Digiturf for January 13th’s claiming action is the $15 2yo Claimer (Grade 2) which takes place over 2850m on the dirt at 17.25 GMT where there are two interesting prospective purchases.
The first and most straightforward recommendation is number seven on the card, Horse Heaven Hills’ filly, Fast Fannie. This horse has zero wins from four graded race starts but is one from one in claiming events, making her effectively a winner without a penalty and all her conditions as yet unused. Fast Fannie’s only previous attempt in claiming grade (also a $15 affair) resulted in a very comfortable success, dominating a field of eight runners and coming home more than a length clear of her nearest rival under Abel Torres. Subsequently, Fast Fannie would appear to have had her limitations exposed when finishing third in a fourteen runner nursery under Heinrich Nicholaus. That appears to have been an above average event for the grade however with both the first two home looking useful and even the fourth place finisher appears to be above average. Based on these two efforts, Fast Fannie should prove more than capable of picking up a couple of graded race successes and when the time comes to drop back into claimers, is likely to prove very tough to beat.
The second selection from the same race is a little more speculative in nature. Cheeseuscrymonie, hailing from the Onestinger Stables yard has failed to hit the board so far in each of his six attempts at the track. Two placed efforts are the best results the two year old has achieved to date. One of those efforts was a fourth of fourteen under Jack Ford is not the type of result that would usually inspire confidence. However, this horse has not yet been gelded and so any placed effort under these circumstances reads very well indeed. A third of five under Zarina Al-Omani doesn’t look too bad in this context either. In fact, it is unusual to find any horse running ungelded that does not finish stone last. In two races this horse has also run shoeless and still performed to a reasonable standard. Gelding and shoes don’t always produce the desired result but at just $15 this one looks worth taking the risk.
There is likely to be plenty of claiming interest in this race, as there often is with unexposed and lightly raced juveniles so get your claims in and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck!
