Top-Ranked Colt takes on 8 in Deauville Dash
Featuring the top-ranked older turf sprinter in the Sim, the $500,000 Deauville Dash is a co-feature of a terrific race-card at Deauville this Saturday. The superb BATTLE DREAM is fresh off a win in the Grade 1 The Strand Broke stakes at Victoria, Australia, and will attempt to add more fame and glory here.
The race, the 12th on the program, will be contested at 7 furlongs on the grass for 4yo’s.
RISQUE makes his stakes debut after several impressive allowance runs on the turf. The Unbridled’s Song colt is coming to hand nicely for trainer equistable, but gets the acid test this time out. Gets 10/1 odds, though he was able to land a solid rider for this effort. Unproven, but has ability…
ADJUDGE has six Graded wins and is ranked #11 in the older-Classic division, but hasn’t been in a one-turn race since he won a pair of Graded sprints as a 2yo in September 2010. Of course, in real life, history is full of milers who dropped down to sprinting and dominated, but does will har‘s ploy work in the Sim? We’re about to find out… He goes off at 7/2 and has a solid rider aboard.
BOISMYHERO has the 2nd-best last-race speed figure, a 111 earned while nabbing the win in an allowance at this distance. The boble6 trainee has tried graded company twice with non-pretty results, but this one appears to be on the improve. Gets 9/1 odds for the trip.
BATTLE DREAM has won just over $3.5 million in just 19 starts. He’s picked off 9 wins and 3 Grade 1 trophies in his travels and looks to be the class of this field. The distance appears to be a perfect fit, but it might be worth noting that the Dansili colt was unable to finish the task in his one try at this course. Trainer tigereyes is confident that his fine colt, favored at 2/1 here, can avenge that loss.
WISHING FOR A STAR has 3 wins in a row for mtkgrs3, but tries tougher company here. A Tale Of The Cat colt, he’s on a roll at the moment. However, his speed figures are a bit below par here and the CPU leaves him at 17/1.
IF I HAVE TO is a son of very lightly-used Irish sire Mustameet, going off at 11/1. The ruidowns trainee has four stakes wins, but his two tries in Graded affairs have have been sub-par. Will need the race of his life to get into the thick of things here.
MAPQUEST finds his way into the field at 8/1 for alysalley. Interestingly, this Henrythenavigator colt’s Sim dam won all 13 of her races on the dirt, but the male side seems to have dominated and this guy has been excellent in turf allowance runs thus far. He has tried Graded company without success, but those runs were all in routes. Lots of mixed signals here, but maybe…
MONSUN FROM WEST is looking for his first stakes win, but closed nicely to be 2nd at 5 furlongs last time out in the Grade 1 The King’s Fall and is on the improve for trainer musse2. Has a chance to surprise at 10/1 with a top effort.
POSITIVE VIBE is a speedy Pivotal colt trained by newastina, going off at 9/2. It would be a surprise to see this guy anywhere but on the lead early on, but he has been unable to hold on for a Graded win thus far. He almost managed the feat a few races back in the Grade 3 Sumo Sprint and has at least a shot at grabbing a podium spot here, especially if he gets an easy lead in this field of mostly midpack runners. Has six stakes wins since getting claimed for 30k in May 2011.
My crystal ball seems to want to “play the chalk” this week…
BATTLE DREAM just looks too strong for these, and is my choice to take the trophy.
The speed of POSITIVE VIBE looks like too much for the rest to handle.
ADJUDGE looks the best of the rest if he can get his motor going on time.
Good luck at the races!