It’s Bargain Derby Day Too!

BBRS Bargain Derby

A mile and three sixteenths

Fast Dirt

$125,000

All horses, 3 years old — RESTRICTED TO PARTICULAR OWNERS

I can’t let one of the BBRS milestone races go by without a preview!  Some BBRS participants plan and plan to bag themselves a Bargain Derby, so let’s at least meet the entrants and examine the fruits of their labors.  Maybe next year I too will make it to the Bargain Derby starting gate!

PP  Horse ID  Horse  Owner  Jockey  Odds 

1 108518 WONDERBOLT(KY)  oasisdream  Be Wallace  6/1    

Split the field in a disappointing Ozark, as he has not moved forward from a quite creditable show performance in the Charlie’s Tiger Juvenile last year.  The winner of that race, stablemate WEATHER WARMING(CAN), goes today in the Grade II Manhattan District… what a favorite he might have made in this race!  [And quite impressive for the oasisdream stable to have both!]  This bolt likes to strike from well back in the pack, which can be a real advantage in the real-life Derby, maybe not so much in this more moderately sized affair.

2 105236 VERY PLEASANT(CAN)  gowansbbrs  E Arnold  8/1

Gowansbbrs claimed this one out of his last with this race in mind, and why not?  While it was only a $15k claimer, he did win that one over the grassy route of ground, and he shows some interesting sprints on the dirt in his PPs, some up in the higher 80s speed-wise.  Looks a little like the longshot he is, but not the most obtuse stab in the world.   

3 127869 RED LETTERS(WA)  desbargain  Ta Behr  16/1    

By that other sire you see when you search on Storm Cat (Parker’s Storm Cat), he went straight to the Ozark after breaking his maiden at a mile in his second race.  Both that maiden score and his debut look like the style of race that ought to be successful here, with tracking speed and a powerful kick in the lane.  But he didn’t run any faster in the Ozark, and if 83 is his speed ceiling, he won’t win here.

4 110518 ALL BRICKED UP(TX)  bbrs3  S Mitcho  13/1    

Just broke his maiden in March in his seventh race, and while the speeds were good in that and his first tilt against winners, there could be distance limitations to his abilities.  Sire Rare Brick’s runners earn about 80% on the sprint side, and damsire Smile was a sprint champion.  Still, he may have enough to skunk fellow bargains and steal it at the front.

5 125013 VISION OF CHARLIE(LA)  mtkbargain  R Bokie  5/1    

He ran well in some BBRS allowances for juveniles last year, and he has really made a nice move forward this year.  His three sophomore races all rate 90 or above on the speed scale, and his third in the Ozark means another jump forward puts him right there for the win.  Needs to turn the tables on Ozark nemeses CAN’T BE WORSE(CAN) and SKYSCRAPIST(KY).

6 90108 XPRESS TWENTY FOUR(KY)  lglong  Ro Lott  11/1    

He kept hanging around the BBRS paddocks last year, and bagged a maiden win and some cash-earning finishes in six BBRS contests.  In a surprise, he changed tactics in the Charlie’s Tiger Juvenile on BBRS championship day, coming from dead last to gallop home fourth.  He’s kept to that new strategy since, and while it worked in dusting 150 CPU allowance foes, he could only manage sixth in the Ozark.  An interesting play as a dead closer, but he really needs to close faster to be a factor.

7 83843 CAN’T BE WORSE(CAN)  hareeba78  M Isdell  5/1    

Belies his name with a fast-improving line of recent PPs, as he parlayed his British Columbian form into a nice Ozark win.  A question is his front-running style, but there are a number of distance influences in his pedigree that may help despite the added furlong.

8 102152 FIVE DEMON(CA)  curiostud  D Crisp  12/1 

He’s by a sire I would call – to coin a term – “deep weird”: A S F Dionysius is by Icy Adonis out of a Valley’s Rounder mare.  But the only blemish since curiostud picked this one up is in a BBRS allowance, where he couldn’t really maintain his speedy fractions.  His last was a handy allowance win at a mile, so he is primed to prove that he can carry that velocity an extra three sixteenths.  My best guess is that he does not.

9 71183 SKYSCRAPIST(KY)  planobrgn  D Paz  5/1    

Switched to dirt for the Ozark, and he came out of the clouds to smoke the field except for the impressive CAN’T BE WORSE(CAN).  The Danish and Portuguese turf form is impressive on its own, so it probably indicates further fitness and bottom.  Plus, he can always return to that other continent if he does not further prove his dirt mettle in this one.  Solid contender.

10 6730 OTARA CASTLE(NZ)  atcgift  J Kottler  4/1    

Looked like he was going to win the BBRS Juvenile last year for fun, until he was nabbed by a head by WEATHER WARMING(CAN).  Atcgift opted to begin his sophomore campaign with a Liken It Local stakes, which he won handily, and a Grade 3 against open company.  In that race, he drew the widest post of 14 and chased the pace from that disadvantageous perch.  That he wound up ninth seems a black eye, but the speed number was good (93), and he may very well find this post and this company more manageable.  An honest favorite, but it may be worth looking elsewhere too.

11  129848 SPORTING A BADGE(KY)  mkbargain  P M Sunshine  22/1    

Shamrock Stables’ other entrant [see VISION OF CHARLIE(LA) ] just debuted in March, and followed up with a mile maiden win last out that shocked the hoi polloi to the tune of 18-1.  I wouldn’t totally discount a son of the talented Badge of Silver, but he really needs to show there’s more improvement in his tank.