CC Jewel

                                  12/3/11 Fair Grounds

                           Three-Year-Olds and Upward

                                   1 1/8 Over the Dirt

                                     Purse: $150.000

       Requirement: Must have raced for a claiming price

                              of $35.000 or less in the last year

The 8th running of the $150.000 CC Jewel will be held Saturday at the

Fair Grounds, and this year a field of seven look to come away with the

win in the 1 1/8 race over the main track. The race has a restriction that

these three-year-olds and up must have all raced for a claiming tag of

$35.000 or less at some point in the last year, which means that the field

looks wide open as the restricted claiming stakes often do.

While many of these boys will be making their stakes debut here Saturday,

Mardelatranquilidad, trained by Angelos Stable has a bit of a leg up on the

competition. This five-year-old gelding is the only stakes winner in the field,

and has two stakes wins, one of those a graded. This will be the 12th stakes

start for the son of Sea Of Secrets, and although he has not raced on dirt on

over a year, he could add a third stakes win to his resume after CC Jewel.

Also with a chance here is four-year-old gelding Jamaican Me Mad, sent out

by trainer Riggins Racing. This son of HRP-Jamaico makes his 4th career start

in stakes company here, and although looking for his first stakes win, this guy

has been ultra consistent; having finished in the money in thirteen of his last

fourteen races.

Another who looks to have a legitimate shot at the win is the Crazy Gnarls.

He will be making his second start for trainer Dynark Stables, who claimed 

this three-year-old colt for $50.000, on 10/28/11. His last start was at this

1 1/8 distance on dirt in the $150.000 Rose Handicap, where he led most

of the race before tiring, but he is in against a softer field here, and if he

can lay off the pace, he could get the distance and run well.

These three all look good, but in a race where an upset is a real possibility,

the four other horses in the field can't be shrugged off. Your safest bet may

be to put down some money on every horse in the CC Jewel field, because

with this group, anyone of the seven could come home the winner!

The Field:

1   Crazy Gnarls: Trained by Dynark Stables, this three-year-old

     colt by Gfw 85, will be making his six career stakes start here,

     and looking for his first stakes win.

     Comes into the race following a 2nd place finish on 11/12/11

     in the $150.000 Rose Handicap, run at this distance over the

     Calder dirt. Crazy Gnarls was sent to the lead early, and led

     the race until just before the end, where he tired and faded to

     finish four lengths back in 2nd. His most recent win came on

     7/16/11 in a $30.500 Allowance race run at Arlington Park, at

     1 1/16 on dirt.

    -He has three starts at this 1 1/8 distance on the dirt, and in all

     three, distance proved a bit too long. However, Crazy Gnarls has

     been sharp lately and in this field, if he can just lay off the pace,

     he could run a huge race in the CC Jewel on Saturday.

2   Hollywood Luvvy: The first of two entries in the race for trainer

     Chili King Stables, this four-year-old gelding by Mr Hollywood is

     making his 3rd stakes start Saturday, and looking for his first

     stakes win.

     Last time out finished 5th in a one mile dirt $28.000 Allowance

     race at Golden Gate on 11/13/11. Hollywood Luvvy has two races

     at this 1 1/8 distance on the dirt, the most recent being 7/25/11,

     at Saratoga, in a $50.000 Allowance race, where he finished 5th,

     and the distance was too long for him. His last win was 6/9/11,

     in a $50.000 Optional Claiming race at Calder for FL Breds, where

     he won by a neck in the field of four.

    -Looks like this might be a tough spot for Hollywood Luvvy. He has

     struggled a bit, finishing in the money just once in his last six races

     since his win in June. The distance here could be a bit too long for

     him, as it has been his two prior career starts at 1 1/8 on the dirt.

3   Mardelatranquilidad: Trained by Angelos Stable, this gelding is

     a five-year-old by Sea Of Secrets, and is making his 12th stakes

     start here. He has two stakes wins, one of them graded, which

     came last year as a four-year-old.

     Coming off of a win on 11/10/11 in a $32.000 Claiming race run

     at 1 1/8 over the Churchill Downs turf, earning him an impressive

     speed figure of 105. Last year on 10/17/10, Mardelatranquilidad

     won the Grade III Knickerbocker Handicap run at 1 1/8 over the

     Belmont turf. His other stakes win came two years ago at age 3,

     when he won the $70.000 HOO Breeder Sophomore run at 1 1/16

     over the Hoosier Park dirt.

    -Has not raced over dirt in over a year, but Mardelatranquilidad is

     the only stakes winner in the field, and one of his stakes wins

     came on dirt. Has three starts at 1 1/8 dirt, and in all three, the

     distance was a bit longer than he wanted to go, but those races

     were at age three and four, and think he could get the distance

     without issue in the CC Jewel.

4   All Is Liu: Trained by Whitewater Stables, this lightly raced colt

     is a three-year-old by Liu Kang. This will be his second stakes

     race, and he looks for his first stakes win here Saturday.

     Last raced on 10/29/11, at Santa Anita where All Is Liu came

     home 2nd in the $175.000 CA Cup Classic, run at 1 1/8 on the

     turf for CA State Breds. Last win came on 9/24/11 at Woodbine

     in a $70.300 Allowance at 6F on dirt. Longest race on dirt was

     run at one mile, where the distance looked a bit long for him.

    -Has never won going longer than 6 1/2F on dirt or turf, so the

     1 1/8 distance over the Fair Grounds dirt may be an issue for

     All is Liu. Has beautiful conformation, but it looks like the turf

     may be his best surface. Think he is one to watch in the future,

     as just a lightly raced three-year-old, he looks like he could be

     getting better with experience.

5   Continuum: Trained by Unreal Racing, this four-year-old gelding

     by HRP-Ambrose Light is lightly race for his age, and is making

     his stakes debut Saturday in the CC Jewel.

     Comes off of a win in his last start, just eleven days ago, 11/22/11

     when Contimuum won a 6F dirt $40.000 Optional Claiming race

     run over the muddy PHA track, earning a career high speed figure

     of 96. Has two wins on the dirt at a mile or longer, but has never

     raced as far as 1 1/8. In his last six starts, Continuum has three

     wins and has finished off the board only once.

    -A bit worried Continuum may be a little tired, after having raced

     just eleven days ago. Broke his maiden at 1 1/16 on dirt, and has

     a recent win at one mile and seventy yards on the dirt, so if he is

     not tired with the quick turnaround, we could see a big race from

     him here.

6   Lepus: The second entry in the field for Chili King Stables, this

     five-year-old gelding by Constellations, will be making his stakes

     debut Saturday in the CC Jewel.

     Last ran on 10/29/11, where Lepus won a $12.500 Claiming race

     run at 1 1/16 over the dirt at Golden Gate. That was the longest

     distance he has won at on dirt, and he also has a win at one mile

     over dirt, but has never raced as far as 1 1/8. Career high speed

     figure of 98 came at Hollywood Park on 7/7/11, in a 1 1/16 dirt

     $25.000 Optional Claiming race for CA Breds, where he was 2nd.

    -His last race was his only win in over a year, and came in a low

     level claiming race, but Lepus has been running consistently and

     finishing in the money more than not. Although he has never run

     as far as this distance, if he closed like he has been in his last

     several race, this distance may not be a problem. Could run well

     here.

7   Jamaican Me Mad: Trained by Riggins Racing, this gelding is

     a four-year-old by HRP-Jamaico, who will be making his 4th start

     in stakes company here, and looks for his first stakes win.

     Coming off of a win in a one mile $48.000 Allowance race, run on

     11/9/11 at Churchill, over the dirt track listed as Good. Jamaican

     Me Mad has never raced longer than one mile and seventy yards

     on dirt, but he has won at that distance. In his last fourteen races,

     he has only finished out of the money once, which was in the one

     mile $85.000 Sands Handicap on 9/3/11 at Del Mar, where he tired

     near the end.

    -Distance her may be a touch long for Jamaican Me Mad, but he

     has been running very well, and is about as consistent as they

     come. Recently worked a very sharp one mile over the Churchill

     dirt in 1:35.66, so this talented gelding looks ready to turn in a

     huge performance Saturday.

                                Cyn's Picks: 3 - 7 -1