Spotlight Race-A Grudge Match in Michigan
Last week, the Spotlight featured race was a local bred allowance in Kentucky with Remember Holdo cruising to a four length win after dropping in class from a long time history of competing at the graded level. She was my top pick based on her class advantage and it paid off with a $8.10 payout.
My third choice in the race was Special Ride who finished in second, at 13-1, putting in a very special ride, completing an exacta that paid $100.10. Congrats to those who boxed my top three picks.
Getting the show spot Bux Fiesta, continuing her long history of hitting the board in long routes. The trifecta paid $618.30. My second choice in the race was Sheepshead and this girl simply disappointed. Second race back after a rest just didn’t work for her.
This weekend, the Spotlight takes a shine to Michigan with a focus on a rematch. This race includes a horse entered by BTB co-writer Emmyrhys and myself. In mid-February, Emmyrhys posted a message on the bulletin boards about having a horse by the name of Actually finishing third in a race and notching a nice speed of 106. This turned out to be the first time Emmy owned a horse that hit a speed of 100 or higher while residing in her stable. As it turned out, the winning horse in the race was Midnight Giallo, a horse I own and he recorded a nicer speed of 108, the first time this horse broke the 100-barrier.
Emmy and myself have decided to face these two horses off once again and see if they are for real. Special training programs, high-end oats, soft cozy blankets…no amount of Sim-cash has been spared for prepping the horses for this rematch. But will one of these two horses prevail to better the other? Or will one of the other entrants in the field spoil both of our attempts to reach the finish line first?
The race is the 15th on the card in Michigan and it’s an allowance race going a distance of 9 furlongs on the turf. All horses age 5 and older are eligible for the race and here’s a look at the competition:
1. Star Ogler 9-5
Tough turf son of Galileo who has won 20 of 31 turf starts and in the money 29 times. Star Ogler has posted speeds below 100 only four times. Dedicated to racing at Michigan since May 2010 and gets dedicated winning jockey L. Kraft (18% win). Looks like a winning combination, still a bit surprising he hasn’t tried the stakes level.
2. Actually 5-1
Sired by Street Sense, where offspring favor dirt. Looks like dam-sire Galileo bloodline dominates as this guy likes the grass. Came off a 2-month layoff in January finishing a beaten fifth on good track. Second race back from rest turned out to be a charm as Actually scored his second highest career speed of 106 while finishing a close third after pressuring the leaders. Has two win in five starts at nine furlongs and could improve off of last.
3. Soviet Ballet 7-1
Switched barns after running in claimer in January and rested for 6 weeks before returning in early March and putting in poor effort going a mile. Makes second start after rest which usually results in improvement. However, this fourteen-time winner has only one victory at allowance level in over 20 starts and hitting board twice, showing class issues with this level.
4. Vaguely Irish 4-1
Son of Iffraaj has shown success on the turf, hitting the board 26 times in 44 starts, amassing 9 wins at the same time. Tough horse to handicap though. His results are dependent on his speed numbers. He usually hits the top three in races where his speed is 100 or higher. However, you can expect big disappointment If he drops below this threshold. With current trainer, he’s only put in back-to-back sub-100 races once. He comes off a speed of 91, thus chances are he will fare much better.
5. I Dont Sahkee 9-2
From August to December, I Dont Sahkee ran five times with a 3-2-0 record and speeds ranging from 102 to 105. Outing in January saw drop in speed to 94 with poor results. In February, he finished 7th in field of eight with speed of 89, however came on off-track. January race may be a throw-away and last one could be that horse didn’t like off-track. However, could also be sign of horse losing form. Hard to tell and toss-up on this one.
6. Midnight Giallo 11-1
Three-time winner in six starts at nine furlongs, showing a liking for this distance. Showed speed burst in last start hitting 108 against starters with photo win, banging through 100-level for first time. Soars to allowance level for first time. Last race may be a fluke and this race will show whether or not this guy is for real.
7. Firebombed 5-1
With 6 wins in 22 turf starts, Firebombed has been in a slump. He has been winless in last seven starts, but is on the verge of ending the drought. In December, missed by a nose with a much improved effort and 104 speed. A near 2-month layoff followed when he resurfaced right here in Michigan with a solid second and a speed of 102. Second start back from layoff and the first one was top-notch. Looms dangerously with 33% winning jock Abman aboard.
8. Red Lemon Cat 99-1
Looks to be well over his head in this race. Has been racing allowance level for long time without any favorable results. May find claiming level NW2L to be better suit then the current levels he has competed at. Decent horses in blood line that don’t seem to be clicking for this runner.
Making fair disclosure here before picking as I do own Midnight Giallo. However, my top pick goes to Firebombed who looks to be in peak form once again.
Second choice goes to Star Ogler who has owned this track for a long time and will most likely put in another very good effort.
Vaguely Irish should get things back together and is my third pick.
And as it relates to Emmyrhy’s horse and mine….after looking at this field, I think she’ll beat mine this time as Midnight Giallo probably wrenched out a fluke high-speed win in last. But secretly, I hope mine comes out on top, for bragging rights of course!