The Pittsburgh Stayer
The feature race in Pennsylvania this weekend will be The Pittsburgh Stayer (G2), which will be held this Saturday at a distance of two miles over the dirt. With a post time set of 2:50 PM EST and not a cloud showing up on the forecast, the track looks likely to be set as fast at post time. The race, offering up a total purse of $375,000 will be open to fillies and mares, four-years of age and older. This year’s running has drawn a total of eight horses to the starting gate, lets take a look through this year’s contenders.
- Difficult Beach (AUS) – corzacan3 – J. Piotrowski – 10/1
Returning to graded company for her first start of the new year, the Australian-bred filly is by All Too Hard and will be making her twenty-first career start this Saturday. Most recently starting in her home country over a mile and a half in November, the four-year-old bay filly set out on the lead out of the gate and led for most of the race. She was only overtaken in the stretch and went on to cross the wire in third while setting a speed figure of eighty-seven. Her most recent win was early in her two-year-old season in the States at four and a half furlongs in a Vermont allowance race in which she took the field from gate to wire to win by half a length. Both of these starts were on the turf.
2. Licker By The Bay (IRE) – corzacan1 – C. Orza – 11/1
Making her first start over the dirt in her career, the Irish-bred four-year-old filly is by New Bay out of a mare who ran predominantly on the turf and synthetic tracks. The most recent start for the bay filly came in Maryland during an allowance race over thirteen furlongs. Facing a small field of just three other horses, she started at the very back of the field in in fourth. Midway through the race the filly took over the lead and went on to win by an astounding twenty-five and a half lengths while setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred six. She has made two graded starts previously, the most recent of which was in the Man Of War Stakes (G1) at a mile and three-eighths in New York last July. She would cross the wire in seventh in this start.
3, Cant Bat Cant Bowl – corzacan1 – T. Kelly – 12/1
Making the second graded start of her career, the four-year-old daughter of Candy Ride will be making her twelfth career start. Her first graded attempt came in her most recent race which took place last month in Ontario during the My Heart Will Go On Sprint (G3) at seven and a half furlongs. The filly broke near the back of the field early, trailing in thirteenth. She made up some ground in the final furlongs, but only enough to cross the wire in twelfth, setting a speed figure of ninety-nine, equaling a lifetime best speed figure. Her most recent win came in May of last year in Kentucky during a six-furlong allowance race on a yielding course. Facing a small four-horse field, she was out of the gate last in the race and didn’t make a move until the stretch where she would go on to win by a length.
4. Not My Monkeys – asrcurlin – N. Lawton – 7/1
Taking a step up in class for her four-year-old season, this chestnut filly by Curlin will be making her graded stakes debut on Saturday. Her most recent start came in late November during a listed stakes race in West Virginia over a mile and three-eighths. The filly faced a small field of just four other horses and was out of the gate slowly, trailing in fourth. At the halfway point she was asked to make her move and advanced into the lead in the stretch, winning the race by two lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred ten.
5. Cuzanne – alibilane36 – N. Karczewski – 3/1
Making just the second graded start of her career with her start this weekend, the daughter of Blame most recently stared in an allowance race in Maryland over nine and a half furlongs. She came out of the gate and was forwardly placed in fourth and maintained this positioning for most of the race. She never fired during the start and crossed the wire in fourth as well, while setting a speed figure of one hundred six. Her most recent win came in her prior start, another allowance race, though this time in Delaware at ten and a half furlongs. Starting her run in a similar fourth place starting position out of the gate, here the filly started to pick off other runners early in the race before going on to win by a quarter length. Her lone graded start to date in last July’s First State Distaff (G2) at a mile and a quarter, resulted in a thirteenth-place finish.
6. Talons Aiguilles – sealsheels – P. Haynes – 2/1
The only horse in the field to have already won a graded race, this five-year-old light grey mare is by the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and based on the EOY winner Tacco A Spillo. Her most recent start was in November of last year during The Rocky Top Oaks (G2) at two miles in Virginia. The mare was off the pace at the start of the race, back in sixth at the start. She started moving past other horses early on and was in third at the midway point of the race. Down the stretch she would take the lead and open it up to three and three-quarter lengths, winning with a speed figure of one hundred four.
7. The Gas Face (JPN) – corzacan3 – Z. Ayya – 6/1
Taking another try against graded company on Saturday, this four-year-old brown filly is by Contrail and is seeking her first non-maiden and non-claiming win. Her most recent start came last month overseas in South Africa during the Carp Fillies Guineas (G3) at a mile. She was sent out of the gate towards the middle of the field in sixth, though quickly moved into fifth. She would maintain this placing throughout the race right up to the wire, though she would finish just two and three-quarter lengths off the pace of the winner. She would set a speed figure of one hundred ten in this race, setting a lifetime best speed figure. Her most recent win was under previous owner biesbol in a seven-furlong $150,000 claiming race in Denmark. The filly was forwardly placed in second, took over the pace late and won the contest by two and a quarter lengths.
8. Wan Serious Lee (FR) – cozzene99 – I. Poindexter – 4/1
Taking a step down in class for this race, the five-year-old daughter of Le Havre (IRE) most recently started in New York last month during The Empire State Stayer (G1) at a mile and three quarters. The brown mare settled into the middle of the pack at the start in this race but never found her stride in the race, fading to seventh at the wire and setting a speed figure of one hundred for the race. Her most recent win came overseas in Hong Kong at two miles last September in an allowance race. She won going away by three and three-quarter lengths in this race.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Talons Aiguilles
Place: Not My Monkeys
Show: Cuzanne