BLUEGRASS DERBY UNDERCARD: Grade I Woody Ford

One of the benefits of years and years in journalism is that you get to know the ins and outs of press row.

You learn when to be in the press box, and when to be somewhere else.

This is a good week to be here in Kentucky. It’s Bluegrass Derby and Oaks week, and the backstretch is stocked with the best horses in the game.

There are no fewer than 12 graded races on the Kentucky card this week.

We’ll cover one of the earlier races in the card, the $500,000 Grade I Woody Ford for three-year-olds and up going nine furlongs on the turf.

The morning-line oddsmaker here in the Bluegrass is not too impressed with the No. 1 qualifier for the Woody Ford. The Arthurs Stables TOPSTOP, a 4yo brown son of the Argentine sire Husson, goes to post at 9-1, rated behind the four co-favorites at 7-1. What gives? Topstop has 138 stakes points, easily enough to be the top qualifier in this field. Only one other runner has more than 100. His earnings per race compare favorably as well, second best in the field. And, his current form is just fine, having won a Grade 3 last out this exact distance. Speed figures? Those are not bad at all, either. He’s 108 in his win last out, and 111 three back in another Grade 3 win. This horse is well proven in graded racing this distance, and it’s hard to imagine why he is denied the favorite’s role here on Saturday. Maybe the morning-line oddsmaker is taking a look at this recent good-race, bad-race pattern. According to his recent form, Topstop is due for a clunker here on Saturday. One race he runs well and either wins or completes the exacta, and the next he’s off the board. It’s a pattern that’s held up now for eight straight races, dating back to September of last year. Can Topstop break the pattern here in Kentucky on Saturday? Can he run two good races in a row? That’s the question being asked by the Arthurs Stables this week. There are a couple of interesting things about this horse’s history. First is his breeding. All of the best horses by the sire are out of Storm Cat mares, and Topstop is no exception. In his 2010 crop, Husson sired 46 horses. Four were out of Storm Cat mares. The top three earners are all out of Storm Cat mares. Same thing with last year’s crop. The top earner for 2011 also is out of a Storm Cat mare. So, if you’re impressed with this horse and want a Husson of your own, you may strongly consider sending him to a Storm Cat mare, if you have one, or ponying up the points for Storm Cat as the DS on a scratch-bred. There’s something magical going on with that pairing. A second interesting part of Topstop’s history is that every one of his 20 starts has been in a stakes race on the turf. The Arthurs Stables knew what they had with this horse even before he ran his first race. They never ran him in a maiden or allowance. You might think that eschewing any and all conditions might lead to a spotty racing record for a horse, but in the case of the talented Topstop, you would be wrong. He’s earned more than $1.3 million while first or second in 12 of his 20 starts. This horse has compiled a remarkable racing record exclusively in stakes turf racing, and mostly in graded company, to boot. Now, all he has to do is prove he can run two good races in a row.

Apparently, Given’s Fire and Blood Stables get a little more respect from the morning-line oddsmaker here in Kentucky. His DWARF, a 5yo brown son of Dynaformer, will go to post as one of the co-favorites at 7-1. This is a completely versatile horse, capable of running very fast on either dirt or turf. He’s got graded wins on both surfaces. Of the two, Dwarf’s career racing record points to turf as the preferred surface. He’s won much more green stuff on the green stuff. Dwarf’s career earnings of $1.7 million on turf far outweigh his $375,000 on the main track. However, with his win last Thanksgiving in the Grade 2 Lewis and Clark right here in Kentucky on the main track, he’s currently ranked higher on the dirt. Dwarf is No. 58 in the route division on dirt, but only No. 84 in the route division on turf. He’s looking to boost his turf ranking here on Saturday for sure with Grade I points to be had. The good news is, on turf or dirt, nine furlongs is Dwarf’s best distance and he gets it here on Saturday in the Bluegrass. The horse has shown ability going up to a mile and a quarter, but all of his best speed figures are at a mile and an eighth. Dwarf made a big run two back to close from 10th to be second in a Grade 2 going nine furlongs on the turf. For that race, he got a 113. That came within three points of his career high on the turf, a 116, also at nine furlongs. His best dirt number is 114, which he earned in the aforementioned Lewis and Clark triumph, also at nine furlongs. So, this horse is playing his ballgame on Saturday. Surely Given is far, far more excited about GOGOSSOS in the Bluegrass Derby later in the card, but a victory in the Grade I Woody Ford would be a great way to build his chipstack early in the tournament.

TUTU MARAMBA, “stop scratching at my door. The master his home, he will frighten you away. Tutu Maramba, don’t come here anymore. My child must be safe in his sleep, in his play.” The Brazilian contingent of the Sim will be represented in the Woody Ford by Tutu Maramba, a 4yo chestnut son of the Australian sire Sebring who is named for a Brazilian lullaby. The song often is taught to schoolchildren in Brazil. Tutu Maramba is equivalent to the Boogie Man in American folklore. Will he be able to frighten his fellow runners in the Woody Ford? If he does, it won’t be until the late stages of the race. BFC’s Haras Tricolor Carioca’s Tutu Maramba is a deep, deep closer. In the best race of his career so far, Tutu Maramba came flying from 12th to win the Grade 2 Cherry Limb Stables in California last fall. However, that was about the end of the horse’s opportunities to race against age-restricted company. Since then, he’s been struggling to back up that big victory against older horses. His most recent try in a graded race this distance was a disaster. Tutu Maramba was dead last in the same Grade 2 in Louisiana which saw Given’s DWARF run second. He also was behind Topstop in that race, who wasn’t even running one of his good races. There’s a lot to prove for Tutu Maramba, but he’s capable on his best day. If he fires, this horse could come flying down the lane, as he did three back when a close-up third with a 109 speed figure on a Grade 3 this distance. Things have gotten so bad that BFC tried a dirt experiment last out, but Tutu Maramba could not beat a short field of six in a time-restricted allowance. The recent form is very spotty and the horse will need a turnaround to prove he can compete in graded company against older horses.

Like the Fire and Blood Stables, the Super Stables have their eyes on a much bigger prize later in the Kentucky card with two runners in the Bluegrass Derby: RAS EL HANOUT and DOCTOR SAX. However, a score in a Grade I on the undercard would be a nice way to warm up for the big dance. They’ll try to do it with INCAL, a 4yo brown son of Giant’s Causeway who has become something of a reclamation project since being injured last fall. Incal was highly successful on the turf as a 2yo and 3yo, running second in multiple Grade I races and winning two Grade 3 races. He held a top spot in the 3yo turf rankings before disaster struck. Incal broke down in a non-graded stake, distanced with a 36 speed figure just one race after a career top of 110. Now, let’s take a look at how a high-class outfit like the Super Stables brings a horse back after an injury like that. It was seven weeks until his next race, which was a light jog on the dirt. Since then, the Supers have been careful with Incal, running four races in allowance company after campaigning mostly in a stakes and graded stakes as a younger horse. Now, it’s time to go swimming back in the deep end of the pool. The horse made a nice late run last out to be third in a Grade 3 this distance, and the Supers were sufficiently impressed to go forward here in a Grade I. They get the distance they want at nine furlongs. It has become apparent that a mile and an eighth is this horse’s preferred distance. He’ll get his fourth straight start at nine furlongs on Saturday. Google button results: It appears Incal may be named for a series of fiction comic books written in French by Alejandro Jodorowsky. It just shows you how powerful and deep the Super Stables are in that Incal was the first baby for their Grade D Powerscourt mare THE HEDONIST. Her first baby is a graded winner and they did not even bother to breed her the next year.

In keeping with an early trend, we have another name here that lends itself to a Google search. THYLACENE is named for a now-extinct animal known as the Tasmanian Tiger. What an education you get writing for the BTB! I never knew this animal existed. If you do a google image search, this is a very interesting-looking animal indeed. It’s a tiger all right, but with a dog-like face and stripes on its back.It was native to Australia, and became extinct sometime in the 20th century. Now, on to Adrian’s Sim version of a Thylacene, who is in his own right a very distinctive animal. Thylacene ran fifth last out on the turf and it was remarkable. Why? It’s the first time in 18 starts on the turf that the horse missed the board! Now, Adrian, aka Newastin, is remarkable at building consistent race records for his horses, but Thylacene really takes the cake. This 6yo brown son of Dansili had run 17 straight races on the turf, always first, second or third, before finally missing the board last out. Wow! You never would have guessed that the horse was finally going to miss the board, either, not off twin 111 speed figures in winning a Grade 3 and an open allowance. Unlike his namesake, the extinct Tasmanian tiger, the Sim Thylacine gets another chance here on Saturday. (What a shame that there are no more of that beautiful animal walking the planet.) He was defeated last out by both Topstop and Incal, and gets a rematch with those two. The horse tracked in second before taking the lead, then got run over in the stretch. We’ll see if he can hoof it a little farther in the Woody Ford and get back to his consistent ways. Thanks again to Adrian for the education both in animal history and how to manage a Sim horse.

Here’s another one of the morning line co-favorites. The oddsmaker likes Dixiedotco’s WALL STREET GHOST, a brown 5yo son of After Market. Why wouldn’t he? The horse just ran a 114 speed figure last out in winning a non-graded stake, and is trained by none other than Dixiedotco, long-acclaimed in this column as the greatest trainer in Sim history. To be sure, Texasace surely is giving Dixie a run for that title. It’s hard to look past the unreal win totals in the Dixie Empire, but you can’t look past Wayne’s remarkable four Trainer of the Year titles, either. Realistically, if we are to give any credence to the TOTY title, the mantle of greatest trainer in the history of the Sim has been passed to Wayne. Now, it’s up to Dixie to get his title back. Would a TOTY title of his own do it? Yes, it might. And Dixie is well on his way! A quick check of the graded victory standings shows that Dixiedotco is in first place with four graded wins. Trailing close behind with three wins each are Frankster, Lilbitfarm Rich and Baggio. Texasace is yet to really started his graded victory campaign for his fifth TOTY title. He’s only started two and won none. Now, Wall Street Ghost is in Dixie’s Stormboot2 stable, which is still looking for its first graded win of the year. Stormboot2 has made eight graded starts this year without a victory to show for it. There have been three ITM finishes, but no wins. Dixie looks to correct that problem with Wall Street Ghost, who won in very good time last out with that 114 speed figure that has grabbed the oddsmaker’s attention. However, a check back through this horse’s running lines shows a long losing streak in graded competition at Saturday’s distance of nine furlongs. Wall Street Ghost has failed to hit the board in his six most recent tries in graded company going nine furlongs on the turf. He’s failed to hit the exacta in eight in a row with those specifics. You have to go all the way back to September 2010 before you find a graded win at nine furlongs. So, that 114 last out might be a little bit of an illusion. He has to prove he can do that in graded company.

Look for the Kobras Stables’ WILL’S MONEY MAKER to take back and try to make one run late in the Grade I Woody Ford. This 4yo chestnut son of Hard Spun is a confirmed deep closer. He’s been dropping back as many as 14 lengths in non-graded races going farther, so we can expect Will’s Money Maker to be far back in the early going of a nine-furlong Grade I. Though the cutback in distance seems challenging, it does fit a very old handicapping angle we once knew. Watch out for a horse returning to the distance at which he broke his maiden. It was a long time ago, but Will’s Money Maker did break his maiden going nine furlongs on the turf. And, he has not raced much at the distance since. The Kobras Stables thought they might have a marathon horse in Will’s Money Maker, stretching him out as far as a mile and a half, but retreated from that strategy when the horse earned only a 98 speed figure at 12 furlongs. All around that race, however, are improving speed figures. The horse blossomed all the way to a 113 two back when second only by a head in a non-graded stake with a big field of 12. Will’s Money Maker made a similar move again last out, rushing home to be beaten less than a length for all the money while third in another non-graded stake. Now, the Kobras Stables pull the trigger and  jump all the way to Grade I. This will be the horse’s debut in graded racing, and he’s doing it on a big stage. He’s in a Grade I on the Bluegrass Derby undercard. I don’t know how Mike would simulate a crowd of 100,000-plus or the infield at the real-life Derby. As stated, look for this horse to take back and make one run, and if he gets a piece, he’ll be advancing his career in a very significant fashion.

Pointblank’s Right at Home Stables will represent the GR Simsters in the Grade I Woody Ford with DARK AURORA. This is a trainer keeping company with some of the best players in the Sim, and it’s evident that he belongs with a perfectly professional win rate of nearly 17 percent for the career. Pointblank is showing real faith in this lightly raced 4yo son of Monsun by keeping him in graded company off two disappointing efforts. This is a California horse, racing at his home track for the first five races of his career before venturing east to Chicago for his residency’s 2011 Championships. There, the horse translated a four-race racing winning streak compiled out west to a big run in a very tough residency race. The normal handicapping position against owner-restricted races changes when you’re talking about a GR Simsters race with 16 runners. Dark Aurora closed strongly at 18-1 to be second with a big 112 speed figure, and Pointblank knew he had a talented horse. He had validated his win streak back home in California. From there, Dark Aurora confirmed the class of the residency-restricted race as he moved on to placings in consecutive open graded races. He blossomed to a great big 115 speed figure three back when second in a Grade 3 going 8.5 furlongs, beaten only half a length in second. He came very close to graded victory that day, and looked to stretch all the way out to 10 furlongs on his next try. That did not work out so well. The mile and a quarter in graded company proved beyond his reach. He did not run terrible, as his ninth-place finish might suggest. He made up ground in the lane, but with less punch, earning a respectable 105 figure. The next race, last out back home in Cali, is the one that throws up the red flag, however. After having enjoyed nothing but success early in his career, Dark Aurora ran another bad one. He ran dead last of 11, with only a 93 speed figure. Those last two might have a lot of trainers either looking for a drop in class or a rest, but Pointblank sticks with his horse and runs back in a Grade I. After all, this 4yo Monsun only has started 10 times. He remains lightly raced and might snap back to himself at any time.

BUDA ROCKS rates as one of the co-favorites at 7-1 despite qualifying all the way down here in ninth position. There must be something to like about this horse. Let’s start with the trainer, Topicount Laura. If ever a stable outfit was misnamed, it is Topicounts. She playfully calls her outfit Bush League Stables, but the tongue-in-cheek nature of that misnomer is given away with the 🙂 at the end of it. Topicount knows her horses are anything but bush league. Buda Rocks is no exception, and is a very interesting horse. At first glance, you might guess the breeding of this 5yo chestnut son of Rock Hard Ten could suggest a main track runner. There is Seattle Slew as the dam sire, then a strong turf influence at the back with Sadler’s Wells. But, Buda Rocks has been a turf runner right from the start. Topicount finally tried a dirt experiment last summer, but an off-the-board finish in easy time-restricted allowance company coupled with a sub-100 speed figure have put that experiment to bed for now. As a younger horse, Buda Rocks was much more consistent. As he’s gotten older, he’s become more of a hit-and-miss type. It’s hard to believe a horse of this class has missed the board in seven of his last nine races. There are two nice victories hidden as gems within this long run of too many poor finishes. He won three back with a nice 112 in a non-graded stake. It appears it’s that big number and victory that has garnered the attention of the morning line oddsmaker. In the Woody Ford, we once again have the common situation of a member of a partnership having to run one of their own against the partnership. Last week, we saw it with Otis and MTK Mark in a French Grade I. In that race, those Blazing Saddles brothers worked together. The partnership’s entrant had speed, and was hard sent to set up a closing, and victorious run, by the horse which belonged to Otis alone. But, there can be no such a setup with these two horses, speaking of the Super Stables’ Incal and Buda Rocks. While the Blazing Saddles boys had two different kinds of horses last week that allowed pace teamwork, Buda Rocks and Incan are both closers. They are more likely to run in the same place in the race. As a matter of fact, they ran right next to each other for the entirety of their most recent start, in the Grade 3 Jennifer Connley. Quite a few of the runners in the Woody Ford are rematching from that key race. Buda Rocks was fourth, defeating Adrian’s Thylacene but losing to both Incal and Topstop, who won that day. Buda Rocks’ trip in the Jennifer Connley might serve as a microcosm of his career. There was some good and some bad. It was a better run than a fourth-place finish indicates. It looks like Buda Rocks has run two poor races in a row, but it’s not true. He ran good in the last race. As stated, he was right next to Incan the whole trip. At the halfway point, it looked like Topicount’s horse was going to beat the Super Stables horse. At one point, it even looked like Buda Rocks was the most likely winner. But then, Topstop came flying frm the back and everything changed up front. Instead of accelerating and picking up horses, Buda Rocks started to hang. A race which looked so good suddenly went south in a hurry. When Incal went by at the wire, Buda Rocks failed to hit the board in a race it looked like he might win. That had to be a frustrating result for Topicount, but she shows faith in her horse by seeking a rematch in the Grade I against those horses who beat her in the Grade 3. Can he turn the tables? Boy, he was right there last time.

Our 10th-place qualifier will look to get a Calvin Borel-type trip, hugging that Kentucky rail from the No. 1 post. Down on the inside will be the Carbisdale Stables‘ VESAN, a 4yo chestnut son of Sea the Stars who is the subject of some very positive speculation indeed on the backstretch here in simulated Kentucky. Word among the locals is that Carbisdale is shipping in a very live longshot from overseas in Germany. The Grade I Woody Ford will be the third race back off a long layoff for a barn with a very high win percentage. A single-stable outfit flying the colors of the Y.O.S.S. TOOLS residency, this trainer knows how to win races! We have 124 victories from 439 starts for an astronomical career win mark of 28.2 percent. Anytime you see a player winning at that rate, it will get your attention. So, the backstretch is alive that Vesan is a huge threat at 12-1. As mentioned, it looks like this son of Sea the Stars is sitting on a huge race. It’s indicative that the connections see a big one coming, shipping all the way across the pond for this Grade I spot in his third back off a layoff. From a lot of them that this writer has seen displayed in the chat, it looks like these Sea the Stars are late-developing types. Vesan would fit that profile perfectly, still lightly raced at 15 career starts, and taking a long, long break over the winter to come back as a mature 4yo. This horse was very good at 3yo in the first place. He finished up his 3yo season with a great, big 115 speed figure in winning a non-graded stake in October. Then, he went unraced for five months! He came back on a yielding track, and it looks from two starts on the off going that Vesan prefers more firm ground. He ran a nice race last out, leading at the head of the stretch over in Germany in a non-graded stake before fading a bit late when second. It looks like the gas tank was just filling up that day, and the engine will be at full rev on Saturday. Look out for this horse to come steaming up the rail at 12-1 on Saturday. Very dangerous and primed for a big run.

Well, if it isn’t our old buddy Nextbonus Bill down here in the 11th qualifying spot with SPECIAL OLYMPICS, a brown 5yo chestnut daughter of one of Bill’s favorite sires, Special Week. And, why wouldn’t Mr. Chicago himself have a little love for Special Week? He sired the filly who beat the boys in the 2010 Middle Jewel Stakes, YOU SEE LA. (By the way, how nice it is to see that grand lady string together consecutive victories this spring. Unlike for this writer, it had been a long time between drinks for You See LA. When she romped two back in the slop, it broke a seven-race losing streak dating back to June 2011.) But, we’re previewing the wrong horse! Let’s get back to topic, shall we Bill? It’s hard to keep from comparing this mare to You See LA. She’s by the same sire, and she’s trying the same trick here: beating the boys. Special Olympics is not yet in the top 100 of her division, but she would take a giant leap indeed if she can earn points in a Grade I against the boys. Can she do it? Can she do the trick like You See LA did in the 2010 Middle Jewel? There are signs that she might. She’s in very good form, has competitive speed figures and may hold a pace advantage. While many of the class runners in this field are come-from-behind types, Special Olympics does her racing on the front end most of the time. She might find a nice trip on the front end, but we do see a couple more very fast horses just below her in the qualifying order. Also, this is nothing Special Olympics has not tried before. As he is prone to do, Nextbonus has sent this filly against the boys on numerous occasions. Of her 31 career races, seven have been against males. Another thing to like is the fact that she is well proven at Saturday’s distance of nine furlongs. She’s been racing exclusively at a mile and an eighth and stays the course in the Woody Ford. It will be interesting to see if Nextbonus can move this filly way up her divisional rankings in a Grade I against male horses.

NOBULLETCANSTOPUS, says the Tees Stables, who may well nullify any pace advantage Nextbonus’ mare may have enjoyed on the front end. Breaking widest of all 14, Tees’ 4yo brown son of Giant’s Causeway has plenty of speed. He’s been on the lead in most of his career races, and stretches out to nine furlongs. He’s got tons of speed stretching out and now seems like the most likely pacesetter in the Woody Ford. Even as he breaks from the gate like a bullet in his races, Tees has been conservative with this 4yo so far. He’s only fired him 11 times, and only once in a stakes race. The horse got a very unusual start to his career, running two miles for his debut in an aptly named Crazy Tasmanian’s Mile Turf Maiden. Apparently, the race was restricted to owners who were not all there mentally. Tees was only fooling around in that race. Nobulletcanstopus did indeed stop, fading in eighth, beaten 27 lengths. Most of the field had no business running two miles, as Nobulletcanstopus somehow finished ahead of six other horses while 27 lengths off the winner with a 59 speed figure. Since then, Nobulletcanstopus has been given more reasonable race assignments, and has responded beautifully. He won his second start going 8.5 furlongs on the turf, and has been up, up and away ever since. Nine of Nobulletcanstopus’ 11 career starts show a triple-digit speed figure. He has been remarkably consistent, hitting the board in all 10 starts. This horse would have a perfect 100-percent in-the-money percentage if not for that wild debut in a two-mile race. The horse has raced his way through his allowance conditions, dropping back to sprints before stretching out to a mile or a mile and a sixteenth. He made his stakes debut last out in a Grade 3, pressing the pace in the Grade 2 Arcade Handicap in California before settling for third. Nobulletcanstopus showed a new facet to his game last out. He did not get the lead, instead pressing the pace in second. But, he did not quit, as speed horses sometimes do when they do not get the lead. He held well, coming home third with a good 110 speed figure. It’s just a guess, but look for Nobulletcanstopus to outbreak Special Olympics and try to take this Grade I in wire-to-wire fashion.

OK, enough of these early-speed types. We get back in the closing group with Brewers‘ STREET CROSSING, a brown 4yo son of Street Cry. This horse is cutting back to what might be his best distance and is getting decent respect from the morning-line oddsmaker at 12-1. After winning three of his first four races, Street Crossing has struggled a little in finding the winner’s circle. He won three of his first four, but has lost nine of his last 10. After a dismal seventh-place run four back in a Grade 3 this distance, Brewers decided to try a two-race experiment on the dirt track, with limited success. The horse never fired in a main track debut at 8.5 furlongs, then closed strongly in a full field of 14 in a non-graded stake going 10.5 furlongs. He earned a nice 108 speed figure going farther, and Brewers figured the added distance might do the trick. Last out, he stretched all the way out to 11 furlongs in a short field of five back on the turf, but Street Crossing was a disappointment. he appeared poised to win at the head of the lane, but ran out of gas and finished one-paced, fading to third, beaten five lengths. Street Crossing’s last four races do not inspire a great deal of confidence, although the speed figures are competitive. He’s only got two show tickets to show for his last four races. But, it’s into the deep end of the pool anyway for Street Crossing. Brewers will run him in this Grade I, cutting back to nine furlongs. The good news is that this may be his best distance. His lifetime-best speed figure of 109 was earned going nine furlongs back in November, which was his most-recent win. The bad news is that Street Crossing still has to prove he belongs at this class level. In his three career starts in graded races, the horse has struggled mightily, not coming close to hitting the board. Are we to believe that he’s going to reverse that trend off his recent spotty form? It does not seem likely. Whatever happens Saturday, this is still a very nice horse. It will be up to the trainer to decide what distance and class level will best suit his closing kick.

Finally, we have the 14th qualifier and longest shot in the field, the Shamrock Stables‘ BLAZING GIMLET. It says here that this 4yo brown son of Tanino Gimlet is a very live longshot at 22-1. The long price is based mostly on recent poor speed figures that were earned at distances other than nine furlongs. But, at Saturday’s distance of a mile and an eighth, this Tanino Gimlet has been blazing, indeed. He fired a great, big 112 two back when scorching an allowance field this distance. Can he reproduce that kind of effort in a Grade I? If he can, Blazing Gimlet could provide some juice to these trifecta tickets as the longest shot in the field. BTB and Blazing Saddles disclaimer: We realize we’re apt to give extra credit to this horse for having covered the Grade I Good Day last week in Paris. In between sips of French beer with SCTV’s McKenzie brothers, we were awed by the teamwork showed by MTK Mark and his Blazing Saddles buddy, Otis Taylor of New York City. MTK put his horse on the front, setting up a late run from Otis’ BAD BLAKELY to win the race. It is very recently stamped on our Sim handicapping brain to watch out for Blazing Saddles in a Grade I. But, there are other things to like about Blazing Gimlet other than the residency for which he will race. There is the pace. True, there are a couple very good front-end types at the bottom of the qualifying order in Special Olympics and Nobulletcanstopus. But, that’s only two. Most of this field will take back, and there should only be three horses near the front end. Blazing Gimlet should be one of them. While the most likely pacesetter, Nobulletcanstopus, will have to prove he can race effectively at nine furlongs, Blazing Gimlet has already shown that game. That 112 speed figure from his nine-furlong victory two back is burned into our psyche. It’s the main hook upon which we’re hanging our handicapping hat for this horse.