HORSE RACING

The Pennsylvania Nursery

Parx Racing, Race 8 - Post 3:22

$75,000, 2 y.o., Pa. Breds, 7 fur.

1. Sailor's Revenge. . . Jose Flores. . . 15-1

2. Officer Alex. . . Stewart Elliott. . . 5-1

3. Siete do Oros. . . Angel Arroyo. . . 10-1

4. For Scipion. . . Clinton Potts. . . 12-1

5. Gray Not Bay. . . Kennel Pellot. . . 10-1

6. Southern Honor. . . Frankie Pennington. . . 9-2

7. Res Judicata. . . Jeremy Rose. . . 3-1

8. Uptown Boy. . . Matthew Rispoli. . . 2-1

9. Van Persie. . . Oscar Flores. . . 30-1

Res Judicata could not have been any more impressive when he won a Parx stakes 20 days ago. His turn acceleration was breathtaking. What makes this colt even more fascinating is that he is a son of Smarty Jones who won this race 9 years ago on the way to his unforgettable 2004 campaign. That he is also trained by John Servis and owned and bred by Pat Chapman only adds to the intrigue. If he wins this race with some style, Servis plans to take him to Florida to get ready for a serious 2013 assault. Winning, however, won't be easy. Southern Honor finished in front of Res Judicata on Oct. 21 and is trained by Tony Dutrow who clearly has been pointing for this race since then. Uptown Boy has been first or second in six of seven races. No reason to think he won't fire. The pace should be hot and contested, the race quite revealing.

* D.J.'s picks: 1. Res Judicata

2. Southern Honor

3. Uptown Boy

The Queens County

Aqueduct, Race 8 - Post 3:48

$75,000, 3 y.o. & up, 1 1/8 mi.

1. Indy Scent. . . Ariel Smith. . . 15-1

2. Arch Traveler. . . Eddie Castro. . . 12-1

3. Tonto Fontenot. . . Joshua Navarro. . . 6-1

4. Gallant Fields. . . Junior Alvarado. . . 4-1

5. San Pablo. . . Chris DeCarlo. . . 3-5

6. Isn't He Perfect. . . Mike Luzzi. . . 5-1

San Pablo is an old-school horse that just finds a way to get to the wire first - 8 wins in 14 starts with 3 seconds. He is a cut below graded stakes horses, but, in these kinds of spots, he is very hard to beat. Isn't He Perfect is another pro, but he can't beat San Pablo. He has tried him five times in the last year and been beaten every time. Gallant Fields just ran third on Thursday in a $75,000 claimer. If this was any trainer other than Rick Dutrow, you figure the horse would be scratched from this race. But Dutrow has been known to do very strange things, including running horses with little or no time between races.

* D.J.'s picks: 1. San Pablo

2. Isn't He Perfect

3. Gallant Fields

The Hollywood Starlet

Hollywood Park, Race 9 - Post 7:35

$500,000 (Grade I), 2 y.o. fil., 1 1/16 mi.

1. Pure Fun. . . Garrett Gomez. . . 6-1

2. Miss Empire. . . Kevin Krigger. . . 15-1

3. Scarlet Strike. . . Joe Talamo. . . 8-1

4. Blonde Fog. . . Martin Garcia. . . 3-1

5. Midnight Ballet. . . Julien Leparoux. . . 6-1

6. Executiveprivilege. . . Mike Smith. . . 6-1

7. Renee's Titan. . . Tyler Baze. . . 15-1

8. Rhodium. . . Rafael Bejarano. . . 20-1

Executiveprivilege was the only Bob Baffert horse to run to form Breeders' Cup weekend. She never stopped trying when second to Beholder, but could not overcome the speed bias at Santa Anita. Hard to imagine she won't run great against this field. Blonde Fog was brilliant in her debut, winning by 12 1/2 lengths for Baffert. But this race is not about her. Pure Fun blew up when racing on dirt for the first time since her debut. Trainer Ken McPeek was so impressed he sent her from Louisville to Los Angeles for this race.

* D.J.'s picks: 1. Executiveprivilege

2. Blonde Fog

3. Pure Fun

- Dick Jerardi