After 10 tries, they finally can't deny Admitit

Asked nine times at Woodbine, the filly never fully responded to the question, finishing second or third eight times. But on the 10th try, Admitit perhaps came to grips with the truth that winning is the answer.

The filly who had been runner-up five times and had finished third on another three occasions at ages 2 and 3, finally ran a dull race in her ninth lifetime start, finishing off the board for the first time on May 27. But she bounced right back in $40,000 maiden-claiming company on Friday (June 3), looping the field six-wide under Luis Contreras and scoring by a length and a quarter for owner Saffie Joseph Jr. and trainer Ricky Griffith. Final time for seven furlongs over the all-weather surface was 1:24.85.

Admitit (E Dubai-Fine Day, by Fantastic Light) was bred in Kentucky by Hot Pepper Farm. Also placed on turf, she now has a 1-5-3 record from 10 starts for $71,110. She becomes the 84th maiden-breaker from my 187-horse list of juvenile sales recommendations in 2010; that's 44.9 percent.

Despite the frustrating near-misses on the way to breaking maiden -- including a loss by a nose in her debut on June 25, 2010 -- it would be hard to suggest the filly hasn't worked out for Saffie. She was bought for $20,000 as Hip 1046 at last year's Ocala April sale, a price I called "phenomenal" after the filly's 9 4/5 eighth-mile breeze and despite her status as the first foal out of a mare who only raced once. Her second dam was a French Group 3-placed half-sister to MARQUETRY and SPAIN LANE, and to the dam of FIVE STAR DAY. Certainly she was worth a try at the price.

Admitit's win was part of a very successful Friday for my 2010 sales-tip class, a day on which G1-placed juvenile Alienation returned to the races for Bob and Natalie Baffert with a 7 1/4-length romp in an all-weather allowance at Hollywood Park and Lake Believe following up with a 2 1/2-length victory at nearly 10/1 odds in a claimer later on the Hollywood card. Omega Storm was second beaten only a half-length in his 3-year-old debut at Hollywood Park, nearly giving the class a "triple" there. Black Tulip came in second for the third time in her last four tries on turf (including a DQ from a win in Tampa), this time in an allowance at Indiana Downs. Third-out filly Decennial was third in a starter allowance at Belmont Park.

The Bafferts acquired Alienation for $60,000 as Hip 719 at Ocala April and she's certainly panned out, earning $135,800 from two wins and two stakes-placings in five starts thus far. Her victory at Hollywood Friday came in a fleet 1:09.23 for six furlongs.

Lake Believe is a Louisiana-bred that I think would benefit greatly from being sent home to Cajun country. She has two wins and three other placings from seven starts in Southern California, where the open competition is probably at least a bit tougher than statebred fields in Louisiana. Lake Believe has earned $36,820 toward repaying the $37,000 paid for her as Hip 32 at that same OBS April sale that produced Admitit and Alienation.

The rest of the weekend wasn't victorious in North America, though the class did get a pair of "maiden seconds" on Saturday (Christmas Angel first on turf and debuting Elusive Land in maiden special weight company at Woodbine), a maiden-third at Arlington (Seeking the Coach) and another near-miss third by $7,000 2-year-old purchase Alstom, who apart from a win and a stakes-fifth from five starts, has finished in the show-spot in allowance company at Oaklawn and Churchill by the grand total of a length.

You can follow the entire 187-member Sales-Tip Class of 2010 at this link.

Say 'Hi' to winner No. 73

Sand Hi outran his odds of nearly 14/1 Friday at Busan in Korea Friday to nab a half-length victory over second-favored Book Seven (13/2), in the process becoming the 73rd horse to break maiden worldwide from my Sales Tip Class of 2010.

I shortlisted the gelding by Stormy Atlantic-Hay Lauren, by Hay Halo, for a client at last May's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training at Timonium, Md., where I considered him a "Priority 3" priority on my 48-horse list. The Murray Smith consignee sold for $20,000 at EASMAY, and was shipped to Korea, as were a number of my selected bargain hopefuls from several of last year's sales.

His first win came in his sixth start, with two prior third-place efforts to his credit. He has now earned $27,265. Sand Hi becomes the fifth of 12 sales selections sent to Korea to break maiden there, in a jurisdiction where 2-year-olds routinely race against older horses and maidens sometimes run against winners until those winners have banked enough bucks to move up out of "Class 4."

Sand Hi's win could have been just the first of many over the weekend for my sales-tip class, but fate wasn't on their side in races all over the United States and Canada. The class had seconditis this Saturday and Sunday, with five maidens finishing second in their respective races over the two dates: Abrianna by a length and a half among special weights at Keeneland; Vital Victory by a half-length for a tag at Gulfstream; Admitit by a length for a $50K tag at Woodbine, her fifth "place" to go with three "shows" from eight lifetime starts; Mugsy Dehere losing by two lengths among special weights at Charles Town (his sixth time in eight starts); and Uncle Carm being beaten a neck among special weights at Keeneland on Sunday.

Admitit, a $20,000 OBSAPR purchase, has earned $51,460 and Mugsy Dehere, who went for $40K at EASMAY, has banked $30,680, each without winning a race.

The seconditis this weekend extended to races among winners, as well, with Black Tulip being beaten a half-length among $50K claimers on turf Sunday at Keeneland.

Meanwhile, at Oaklawn Park Saturday, a late-running Alstom had his momentum stemmed coming off the turn for home, and by the time he angled out to find running room, he ran out of ground before grabbing a piece of the pie in the $100,000 Northern Spur Stakes. The $7,000 EASMAY purchase broke maiden at first asking earlier in the Oaklawn meeting among special weights, collected a fast-closing third beaten less than a length for first in allowance company next-out, and finished just a nose and a neck out of third in a stakes field in his third-ever start. I'm none-too-secretly hoping his owners, TBS Farms LLC, will send the son of Silver Train to Belmont and Saratoga for the rest of spring, summer and fall, so he can compete among his NY-bred brethren, as he's done well already in open company and there should be money to be banked in his home state.

With its 73rd winner, the Class of 2010 now boasts 39 percent winners from all 187 selections.

While the link does need some updating, you can follow the Class of 2010 here.