Monday June 9

Race 1

Colonial is Colonial even when it doesn't look like Colonial.

The track best known for 14-horse turf fields with crazy prices opened its 2008 season with an uncharacteristic 5-horse maiden-claimer on dirt. Value still players rejoiced soon after the gate opened when 6-5 favorite Scrub Island and 9-5 Little Tip Top, the apparent lone speed, both broke slowly, setting up a stirring stretch duel between longshots Sweetest Sin and Trip to the Moon. Sweetest Sin ran down Trip to the Moon in the final strides to finally break through in her 25th start and key a nice $179.60 trifecta.

Race 2

Our first turf race evoked memories of so many races the last few years with a D. Michael Smithwick-trained class dropper carrying the maroon and white David A. Ross silks powering to an easy victory. Tux n' Tales seemed to benefit from the two-month freshening, breaking alertly to track the lead before taking over at the three-eighths pole and widening his advantage in the stretch. The claim game got off to a quick start this year with Ferris Allen reaching in for Tux n' Tales at an apparent bargain $7,500.

Race 3

Great start for Allen, the all-time leading trainer here. One race after watching his first claim of the meet air, he gets his first win of the meet with 16-1 shot Louzeeanna Swing. The Louis Quatorze filly was making her first start for Allen.

Two dirt races down, and two longshots winning while rallying widest and latest. Way too early to draw any conclusions but its worth following.

Race 4

The first pick-4 of the meet starts off formfully with 2-1 Elchase leading a field of maidens on a merry chase around the Secretariat Turf Course. Elchase led the whole way, cutting slow early fractions under James Lopez to complete the 1 1/4-miles in 2:05.06.

Race 5

Three straight favorites as Hurricane Carousel splits horses on the turn to command turning for home and break the race wide open in midstretch. Daylight Fire closed from far back for second, almost getting trainer Donald Yovanovich of his 0-2008 schneid.

Race 6

Favorites finally fail as Sonic Charm benefits from a beautifully paced Carlos Quinones ride to steal race 6 at 22-1 and give Yovanovich his first win of the year. Sonic Charm shot to the lead through a reasonable 24.xx opening quarter and was able to slow the pace to an absolute crawl through a half in 51.79, three-quarters in 1:19.33 and a mile in 1:44.85. Not surprisingly, Sonic Charm plenty left to prevail by a length in 2:09.35, a full four seconds slower than the other 1 1/4-mile maiden two races ago.

Race 7

Smithwick and Lopez pick up their second win of the day with Jib, who was bet down to 5-2 favoritism from a 6-1 morning line. Jib broke extremely slowly to spot the field several lengths but was able to circle the whole field with an explosive stretch kick, running down 25-1 shot Je Suis Prest inside the sixteenth pole. It was a classic meltdown race with the top three finishers running 11th, 9th and 10th at the 5/16s pole.

Race 8

Speed finally holds on the dirt as Get a Lil In goes gate to wire for a facile victory in 1:10.47. This $10,000 maiden claimer went significantly faster than the other six furlong races on the card.

Race 9

Lopez caps a riding triple in his first day at Colonial with a frontrunning score in the nightcap aboard Frankie W. It was a particularly auspicious start given that he only had four mounts and his lone loser was a 54-1 longshot. Lopez also proved his versatility by winning for three different trainers, on dirt and turf and at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/4-miles.