Eight To Post in Movieland Turf Cup
In an afternoon of what is assured to be some exiting graded races in California this Saturday, the first Grade I race on the card is the Movieland Turf Cup (G1) at a mile and a quarter. The race is set to go off at 3:00 pm EST and is open to three-year-olds and up. It has been a sunny week leading up to the race this weekend, and though it looks to be overcast on Saturday, there is no rain on the horizon, leaving the turf track firm for post time. We’ll have a smaller field going to the gate on Saturday, with eight horses going to the post. Let’s take a look at the field.
- Premium Trade (FR) – orderofstgeorge – T. Loesch – 10/1
Drawing the inside rail will be this French-bred longshot, who is out of the Grade II winning broodmare English Surname. The four-year-old bay colt is looking for his first graded win, though he is graded placed. The most recent start for the colt was in his native France in an allowance race over a mile and a quarter, the same distance he will be running this Saturday. After going straight to the lead out of the gate, the colt faded in the stretch to cross the wire in second, off the pace by a quarter length and setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twelve. In his prior start, also in an allowance race in Deauville, the colt settled just off the pace in second before coming home to win by an impressive three lengths. The colt is graded placed in The Saint Cloud (G1), finishing second as a two-year-old. This Saturday marks the colts first start in the United States.
2. Michael’s Edison (CAN) – myoldmoonfarm – J. Castillo – 10/1
Second up is another longshot in this Canadian-bred Grade II winning six-year-old gelding. The most recent start for the son of Edison was here in California during an allowance race over a mile and three quarters. The gelding set off the pace just off a lone front runner out of the gate, but gradually lost ground throughout the race, finishing in third with a speed figure of ninety-seven. The most recent win for the gelding was in March of last year overseas in Japan during The Nikki Show (G2) at a mile and five-eighths. The gelding will be the oldest contender going to the post on Saturday.
3. Aspirationofpraise – willyam37 – W. Kewmwa – 7/2
The first of the million dollar club going into Saturday’s race will be in the number three slot. The five-year-old horse is out of the Grade I winning broodmare Prayingwithimpact, who has produced two Grade I winners, both earning over one million in lifetime earnings. Ranked at #7 in local rankings in Hong Kong, the horse last went to the post there in The Queen’s Spring Cup (G1) at a mile and a quarter. Set out of the gate towards the back end of the field, the horse started picking off other tiring runners halfway through the race, finishing three lengths back in third and setting a speed figure of one hundred twelve. His most recent win was June of last year during the Prince of Whales (G1), also over ten furlongs.
4. Rock The Shire – redhill4 – D. Ledwith – 9/2
Trying for his first Grade I win coming off his first graded career win, the five-year-old gelding is the second horse in field sired by Flintshire. The bay gelding is coming off a run in The Ambrosia (G3) in Italy over a mile and quarter. Held off the pace mid-pack in a large field, the gelding rallied late down the stretch to win by two and a quarter lengths, setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. The gelding has made only one prior Grade I start, this last year in Japan during The Fall Tent Show (G1) where the gelding finished second.
5. Kent Shampact (IRE) – kentred – J. Ledwith – 3/1
In the five post, the five-year-old bay horse is coming off three consecutive wins and is the only offspring out of the Grade I winning broodmare Bristol Impacter, who herself earned over a million in lifetime earnings. The horse is out of Shamardal and saw his most recent victory in New Zealand at a mile and a quarter in his last start, the Chaucer Gold Cup (G3). The horse won in wire-to-wire fashion by a length and three-quarters while setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred nineteen. The horse had also previously won a listed stakes and an allowance race over the same distance of ten furlongs.
6. Noble Lemons – dalegland – H. Harzheim – 7/1
The only horse going to the gate this weekend not to have be graded winning or graded placed, the five-year-old bay horse made his most recent start in a listed stakes in Colorado over a mile and one quarter. The horse was pulled off the front-running pace to settle just behind in fourth, the the horse started to fade later on in the race to cross the wire in eleventh, thirteen and three-quarter lengths off the pace. The horse set a speed figure of one hundred one. His most recent win was in a mile and five-sixteenth allowance race in Ohio. The horse has only made one prior attempt at graded company, this as a three-year-old in the Big Red Stakes (G1) over ten furlongs where the horse finished fifth.
7. Tropical Blythe – kingranch – T. Ace – 7/1
Easy to pick out of the field with his stand-out roan coat, this four-year-old son of top sire Tapit is out of the Grade I winning broodmare Tejas Slew, who has produced several graded winning and placed offspring to date. The colt is still looking for his first graded win, though he has come close recently to the coveted graded prize. His most recent start was in The Woody Ford (G1) over a mile in one-eighth. The colt took a step back in this race in what appeared to be a bounce of his prior start. The colt was uncharacteriscly far off the pace out of the starting gate and never rallied, crossing the wire a well beaten twelfth, off the pace by fifteen and a quarter lengths and setting a speed figure of one hundred four. The colt was much more impressive in his prior start, the Sydney Cup (G1) over a mile and one quarter, in which the colt was settled back in the middle of the field and urged forward in the stretch to finish second with a speed figure of one hundred eleven.
8. Blodwolf (FR) – fairhaven – L. Radzinski – 7/1
The finial horse going to the post on Saturday and the second horse in the field to earn over a million in lifetime earnings, the French-bred four-year-old bay colt is ranked at #4 in South Africa. He is coming off a third-place finish in Australia during The Aussie Queen (G1) at a mile and one quarter. The colt was settled off the pace early on in second, but finished one and a half lengths behind in third, while setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twenty. His most recent win was the Mr. Met Cap in South Afirca on a good turf course at ten furlongs. Again, sent out of the gate and stalking behind in second, the colt this time got the jump on the rest of the field to win by one and three-quarter lengths.
Flrancho’s Picks
Win: Blodwolf (FR)
Place: Kent Shampact (IRE)
Show: Aspirationofpraise