The Northern Lights Grade III

It is always fun in a race when some of the odds are close as that means it is probably going to be a pretty tight race up until the end.  This is the case for this years The Northern Lights Grade II race in Kentucky.  The only thing is that all seven of these girls odds are under 10/1 and it looks to be a toss up on who will come out on top.  We have seven fillies and mares that are three years old and older going 9 furlongs on the fast dirt for their chance at that chunk of 300,000 purse.  And now ladies and gentlemen let’s meet our pretty ladies.

1.  Mtkinde sends this Kentucky bred out with B. Sipe on her back.  Castroneves is a 6/1 shot in today’s race, and looks to make it three wins in a row when she takes to the dirt here in the 14^th race in Kentucky.  Her last three starts have been pretty impressive as she has boasted a career best SP in back to back races two and three races back.  In her last race, this five year old mare relapsed a little bit, running a 99 SP, but won a small fielded listed stakes at thirteen furlongs.  She looks to improve on her career best speed figure of 107 today, which was set two races back in a 9 furlong open allowance race.  This girl is 22 of 28 getting in the money in her 28 career starts.

2.  Kentucky bred Light It Off Clown, a 6/1 shot, will look to earn her owner homearoan some money in today’s race.  P. Cadigan will get the ride today on this girl.  This four year old mare has been back and forth on speed figures in her fifteen race career.  Here lifetime best speed figure of 110 came five races back in a grade II race that she finished third in.  That speed figure came in the middle of a stretch of four races straight of 100 plus speed figures.  This girl has yet to earn a stakes win, though of her five career wins, two are in open allowance company.  Two races back she posted a nice 94 speed figure as she led coast to coast in an open allowance race.  Her last race was on the sloppy dirt in a Grade II where she finished 6^th with a 98 SP. 

3.  Sitting at 5/1, will be the five year old mare Texnow.  Owner lopickles hopes that jockey D. Sherman will ride this horse to the winners circle.  This girl has thirty career races under her saddle where she has won 13 of those races and finished in the money in 24 of the 30 races.  Back in 2009, owner lopickles claimed this girl for 150,000 dollars from previous owner texasace02.  After starting off ok, this girl ran a string of nine wins in ten races and even posted her first two speed figures over 100.  She has been on the rise as of late and will be looking to top her best speed figure of 111 set five races back in a listed stakes second place finish.  She demolished an NW3N allowance field last time out leading wire to wire and winning the race with a nice speed figure of 101.  She will be looking for win number 14 today. 

4.  The 7/2 shot in today’s race is a nice Kentucky bred that looks to make it two wins in a row.  Owner b2 will send out Loma Prieta, to run in today’s race.  The jockey will be Y. Kester.  This older mare will be making the 55^th start of her seven year career that has featured 21 wins and 42 out of 55 races in the money.  She has earned 377,000 dollars in her career, and it looks as though this girl has some gas left in the tank as she has posted seven straight races of 100 plus speed figures.  She has never raced in a Graded race in her lifetime and has just three listed stakes starts.  She has one show in those three listed stakes races.  No doubt is this the biggest race of her career and who knows, it could be her last.  Her last race was a nice 104 SP win in an open allowance field. 

5.  C. Turner will ride this 9/2 shot into what he hopes is not only her first stakes win, but graded win as well.  Owner natural1 has nothing to complain about in Getting Out Tonight’s last race, which bode her a nice 104 speed figure win in an NW4X allowance field.  Her career consists of 29 races spread over five years in which she has won just five races.  Her last three races have not been her best as they have been two non in the money races with 90 SP’s and then that win her last time out.  It looks as though the wet dirt is what this girl prefers as she is 6 for 7 on the wet dirt in her career.  She has not fared well in stakes competition as she has just one second place finish in nine listed stakes and graded attempts.

6.  Winding down here we have Moldavia who is a 5/2 shot.  Futurestar looks for his horse to hopefully pick up a win as she will get jockey D. Givins for the ride.  This five year old mare has run in 30 career races picking up 11 wins and is 22 of 30 in the money.  She looks as though she is in top form and looks to make it 5^th win in her last six races.  She has posted back to back 107 speed figures and has won both a listed stakes with seven horses and a full field of 14 in a Grade III attempt last time out.  She has just two races outside of the listed stakes ranks and has multiple listed stakes wins and graded wins.

7.  In the final gate we have Don’t Forget Em out of the almightymi stable.  S.S. Ledwith will get the saddle in today’s race.  This young four year old mare is a 6/1 shot and will be looking to top her best career SP of 112 set two races back in a listed stakes win in which she led wire to wire.  Her first Graded attempt came last time out in a 16 furlong Grade II in which she ran a nice 93 SP and finished 4^th out of nine horses.  This girl has five wins in 17 career races and had just made the jump to the stakes ranks two races back.  She had been running in allowance races since she broke her maiden in her first race.  She will look to pick up her first graded win today.