Sighing Desert, Nightlinger 7/1 Favs In Gr. 1 Belmont Park
The Belmont Park (Equinics)
Grade 1
Purse: $1,000,000 ($600,000 To The Winner)
Distance: A mile and one-half, Or 12 Furlongs, Or About 2400 Metres
Conditions: All Horses, Four Years Old And Up
Surface: Fast Dirt
This one is not for the faint of heart.
When the field of 18 goes forward in the Grade 1 Belmont Park in the Equinics, it’s 12 furlongs of grueling, shove-it-in-your-face dirt racing, and this bunch better bring their “A” game, if they‘re going to do well here.
There’s one million dollars on the line here, and it’s a pretty interesting bunch for this 2012 Equinics event, headed up by a couple of 7/1 morning line favorites, Sighing Desert and Nightlinger.
Here is the field for the running of the Grade 1 Belmont Park, at 12 furlongs on the dirt, for a purse of $1 million, for all horses four years old and up.
(1) YURI TESTIKOV (KY) Owner: Tremguis Stables Odds: 20/1
Rez: HISPANO PARLANTE
4 YO Brn Colt (Street Cry x Testikov (Montjeu))
Career Earnings: $294,236 Career Record: 16 8-5-1
Career High Speed Figure: 111 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 3 2-1-0
Tremguis Stables sends out Yuri Testikov in The Belmont Park Stakes. The four year old son of Street Cry has just recently stepped up to this mile and one-half distance he’ll be seeing here this weekend in the Grade 1 Belmont Park. In three of his last four starts, he’s finished first twice and second once at 12 furlongs, the longest he’s been run in his entire career. Last time out in the Grade 2 Crooklyn Handicap at 12 furlongs, the first graded start of his career, he came from far off the pace to finish second, just missing by ¾ of a length to Stone Chicken. That was an extremely impressive run by Yuri Testikov to come from nearly ten lengths off the pace in that race. This colt is being fine tuned for this race in the Equinics this weekend, and he should be pretty sharp in this spot. Might want to keep your eye on this guy late. He should provide a massive stretch run here.
(2) PIVOT TABLE (GB) Owner: Dundey Acres Odds: 18/1
Rez: MINNESOTA DOWNS
4YO Chestnut Colt (Pivotal x Gold Medal Effort (Perfect Soul))
Career Earnings : $121,982 Career Record: 20 5-6-4
Career High Speed Figure: 112 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0
Dundey Acres and Minnesota Downs send in Pivot Table, who’s not only never run this ten furlong distance, but he’s also only been over 9 furlongs five times in his entire career, and all of those races were either 9.5 or 10 furlongs, nowhere close to the distance he‘ll be running here this weekend. He is very much the unknown quantity here. He threw a career high 112 speed figure, which is decent enough in this bunch, but that was an 8-furlong allowance race in Delaware in November of 2011. He likes to run mostly mile – nine furlongs races, and it’ll be interesting to see what he shows us here, going a mile and one-half for the first time. A lot of times, these types will jump out and set some early fractions on the front end that a lot of these here might have trouble dealing with. Four starts back, Pivot Table went 9.5 furlongs, one of the longest trips of his career, and he led for the first three calls before being caught late. I have little doubt that he’ll jump out to an early lead here. The only question is how long can he hold on, running two furlongs longer than he’s ever been run in his entire career. He’s either won or been in the money in 15 of his 20 lifetime starts, and he’s got over $120,000 in the bank. But he’s never faced quite the caliber of field he’ll be facing here in the Equinics this weekend. He’ll probably try to run with the front-enders here early and push the pace and make everyone else play catch-me-if-you-can in this spot. And who knows? He might just sneak up and catch a few of these by surprise.
(3) SPLIT SECOND (KY) Owner: Gotta Catch ‘Em All Odds: 12/1
Rez: BLAZING SADDLES
4YO Lt Grey Colt (Medaglia D’Oro x Mr. Prospector x Buckpasser)
Career Earnings : $128,290 Career Record: 8 5-2-1
Career High Speed Figure: 113 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0
Split Second is probably the lightest raced horse in this field, coming in here with only eight career starts. He has never run the 12 furlongs he’ll be asked to go this weekend, but look what he did last time out. He popped a career high 113 speed figure in winning the Grade 3 Peach State Classic down in Georgia. Now, that race was only ten furlongs, but with the scratch-breeding this one’s got, there’s no doubt he can get this 12-furlongs. Throw out the fact that he hasn’t run 12 furlongs yet. This guy has plenty of natural talent, that’s for sure. In his eight career starts, he has yet to finish out of the top three, winning five of those eight starts. He might be ready to explode here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park and pop an even bigger speed figure than he did in winning that Grade 3 Peach State Classic, the first and only graded try of his career. Look for big things to come from this guy in the future. He’s won four of his last five starts coming in here, and he’s quite simply one of the hottest horses in this field. Keep a very close eye on this guy. He could jump up and steal the whole deal, if he runs back to that number he ran in his only graded start last time out.
(4) MERRY MEN CH (KY) Owner: Shagadelic Farms Odds: 11/1
Rez: COMEDY CENTRAL
5YO Brn Horse (Forestry x Not Guilty CH (Vindication))
Career Earnings : $220,097 Career Record: 31 8-5-6
Career High Speed Figure: 115 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 2 1-0-1
Shagadelic Farms is throwing Merry Men CH into the mix here in the Equinics 12-furlong race for older dirt males. The five year old son of Forestry really had not done a whole lot in the speed figure department–until two starts back, that is. He popped a career high 115 speed figure in a 10.5-furlong listed stakes win down in Puerto Rico two starts back. That was by far his best effort ever in the speed figure department, and this guy has a lot of races under his belt. He’s making career start #32 here. So, for him to come up with that kind of effort, after that many races, speaks volumes about his ability coming in here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park. He’s only run this 12-furlong distance two times in his entire career and he’s won one of those, so this might be one of those colts who sneaks up on this field here in the Equinics. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise at all, if he were to win this whole thing. He’s by Forestry, out of the Vindication mare Not Guilty CH, and that might not speak a mile and a half to you, pedigree-wise, but this guy can get the distance, as he showed in the two starts he’s had at this 12 furlong distance. Might be a sleeper to keep your eye on here. If he can run back to that big speed figure he popped a couple starts back, keep your eye on this guy.
(5) RET (TUR) Owner: Phantom Pharms Odds: 19/1
Rez: QUEENSLAND RACECOURSE
5YO Brn Horse (Manila x I’ll Apologise (Indian Ridge IRE))
Career Earnings : $154,486 Career Record: 30 17-5-3
Career High Speed Figure: 108 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 3 3-0-0
Ret, a Turkish-bred son of Manila has been twice claimed during his career, and he’s got an incredible win strike rate of 17 victories in his 30 starts. And he’s never been beaten at this 12 furlong distance. He’s run it three times, and all three times he was a runaway winner. He doesn’t have a whole lot of big speed numbers on his resume, but this horse simply knows how to win. He was most recently claimed by Phantom Pharms for $30,000 back in February. Last time out, he got one of those 12-furlong wins, and he led gate to wire in that start. He only popped a 99 speed figure, but that’s okay. With the big lead he got early, he was probably pretty much geared down at the end. He might be a long shot here, but this horse knows how to get to the winner’s circle. There’s no doubt he’s running in the biggest race of his life here this weekend, for a staggering $1 million dollar purse, but this should be one of the early pacesetters, if he runs back to his past performances. This is one of the horses some of these deep closers are hoping will push the pace early, to set up a late comeback for them. The problem with that is that this hose usually doesn’t give up the lead once he’s got it, and he loves to bounce out to some pretty big leads. Keep your eye on the clock and the early fractions in this race, and if this guy keeps the early fractions reasonable, he might be hard to catch.
(6) MONTANA KING (KY) Owner: Sonofaus Stables Odds: 55/1
Rez: MIDAS
6YO Lt Grey Horse (Awesome Again x Unbridled‘s Song x A.P. Indy)
Career Earnings : $191,179 Career Record: 31 7-4-6
Career High Speed Figure: 102 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 8 3-1-2 (1 Turf)
Montana King is a six year old scratch-bred son of Awesome Again, and he’s got a pretty regal pedigree, with Unbridled’s Song and A.P. Indy back there. He’s making career start #32 here, and eight of those starts have come at 12 furlongs on the dirt (one on turf), where he’s got a really nice strike rate of 3-1-2. That might make a big difference in a field where a lot of these don’t have a much of experience at this distance. One thing that’s a big worry here for Sonofaus Stables, probably, is that Montana King has only two career starts were he’s thrown triple digit speed figures. That’s kind of hard to understand, given the fact that’s he’s got such a nice pedigree. He hasn’t had a triple digit speed figure race in his last five starts, but two starts back he got the only listed stakes win of his career in a 16-furlong event in the Gingerbread Man Dirt Stayer. One nice thing to note here is the fact that one of the two times this horse popped the 100-mark in speed figures was six starts back, the last time he ran a 12-furlong dirt race. He won an allowance race in South Carolina that day pretty handily. Since then, he’s generally been running much longer than the 12 furlongs he’ll see this weekend, and that fact, along with the fact that he hasn’t busted the triple digit speed figure mark in any of them, makes him a long shot here. He’s still a really nice horse who could jump up and surprise a few of these here. Don’t totally discount this horse, on the basis of a dearth of triple digit speed figures. He’s got a really nice pedigree, and a lot of experience at this distance.
(7) PRODIGY CHILD (KY) Owner: Natrap Stables Odds: 18/1
Rez: KENTUCKY HORSEMEN
4YO Chestnut Colt (Ghostzapper x Distorted Humor x Unbridled’s Song)
Career Earnings : $95,515 Career Record: 14 3-3-1
Career High Speed Figure: 114 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-1-0
The Kentucky Horsemen Residency and Natrap Stables will send in Prodigy Child here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend in the Equinics. He is young, lightly raced, and he’s only got one 12 furlong dirt start on his resume. That came a couple starts back in a second place finish in big money allowance event down in Georgia. The fact that it happens to coincide with the highest speed figure of his career should open a few eyes. Prodigy Child threw a 114 speed figure in that race, a career high for the lightly raced four year old, and that was in a four horse field. This colt was guns blazing that day, as he roared out to a 12 length lead midway through the race, before he got caught at the wire. That was really an eye-popping race to watch, and you can bet the others in this field are going to take note of the fact that his colt showed a ton of early speed in that race. He lost to a horse called Awe Or Nothing in that race, a horse he’ll see here this weekend in the Equinics. Last time out, he jumped out to a really big lead in a 14-furlong listed stakes, the first stakes of his career, before he got caught late again. This colt has some amazing early speed, and with a couple of these long distance races under his belt, he might be peaking at the right time here. I certainly wouldn’t throw him out, just because he’s lightly raced, or because he has little stakes experience. A horse with this much speed is always dangerous in a race like this. Look for him to do more of the same here this weekend. He’ll probably cruise out to a big early lead, causing a lot of these to chase him. He’s definitely a game changer in a race like this, because you quite simply have to respect all that early speed. If someone doesn’t run with this guy early, they’re going to have a tough time catching him late. I would definitely include this one in the exotics on my betting ticket.
(8) SIGHING DESERT (KY) Owner: Super Stables Odds: 7/1
Rez: DEL-PENN NATIONAL
4YO Brn Colt (Street Cry x White Sand (Storm Cat))
Career Earnings : $458,730 Career Record: 24 5-4-4
Career High Speed Figure: 116 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0
Like most of the horses from Super Stables, Sighing Desert was campaigned on the Triple Crown Trail, where things didn’t exactly pan out for the son of Street Cry, who is out of the Storm Cat mare White Sand. He did well enough last season, but it wasn’t quite what Super Stables had in mind for a Triple Crown runner. He’s one of a few in here (mostly the younger ones) who have never raced the 12 furlongs he’ll see here this weekend. He’s had quite a few starts (24) for a four-year old, but that’s quite common to see in Super Stables, who aim for the Spring Classics with their young horses. That’s what they’re all about–winning the Spring Classics. So, the fact that he’s got 24 starts should come as no surprise. This guy threw a career-high 116 speed figure in a 9.5 listed stakes win on the dirt five starts back, and then two races later he came back and popped a 113 in a third place finish in the Grade 3 Soupy Sails Classic. That listed stakes, by the way, the one where he popped the highest number of his career, was the last time he’s won. Who knows? Maybe this colt will love this 12 furlongs, and he’s certainly going to be one of the more interesting ones to watch here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park, that’s for sure, as he steps up to this distance for the first time.
(9) ZIYAN (AUS) Owner: Oostende2 Stables Odds: 17/1
Rez: Y.O.S.S. Tools
7YO Brn Horse (Zedative (AUS) x Stormy Affair (Storm Cat))
Career Earnings : $573,985 Career Record: 47 12-15-8
Career High Speed Figure: 117 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 11 2-4-2
The Aussie-bred Ziyan comes in here off a 110 speed figure bomb–and a win–last time out. He might be seven years old, and he might have 47 career starts, but this son of Zedative showed last time out he’s still got what it takes, when he blew up the track with that 110 speed figure race in an allowance event in Nebraska on July 7. He won easily in that spot. He’s got something else that most in this field don’t have, too, and that’s a lot of experience at this 12 furlong distance he’ll see this weekend. He’s got ten career starts over the mile and a half, and while he’s only won two, he’s got six other finishes where he was second or third at this distance. He might be one of the older horses in this field, but there’s little doubt he’s one of the most experienced, and what I really love about this horse was that last race where he popped that 110 speed figure. He should figure prominently in this race, if he can run back to that number. Look out for this guy. He might be old, but he’s not quite ready to be written off yet. He can still get you the big speed numbers on the track.
(10) ACTS OF VIOLENCE (KY) Owner: Casino Racing Syndicate Odds: 14/1
Rez: EMPIRE STATE RACING
6YO Brn Horse (Smarty Jones x Armani Mania (Sadler‘s Wells))
Career Earnings : $289,835 Career Record: 47 18-4-5
Career High Speed Figure: 111 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 5 4-0-1
Acts Of Violence is one of the older guys in this field. He’s a six year old son of Smarty Jones, out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Armani Mania. He’s making career start #48 here, and while he’s got less than $300,000 in the bank, he could be in for a very big payday here. He’s done pretty well the few times he’s run 12 furlongs, winning four of his five starts at this distance. Make no mistake about it, though. While Acts Of Violence might have a lot of wear and tear on his old body, he is coming in here off a career high speed figure of 111, where he finished second in the 13-furlong Fighter Pilot Dirt Stayer Listed Stakes. He led for a lot of the way there, before fading in mid-stretch to finish second, and that bodes well for his chances here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park. Of all the horses in this field, he really should appreciate the drop in distance to 12 furlongs. If he gets on the lead, they might have trouble catching this old guy. Keep a look out for the horse from Casino Racing Syndicate early. If he does open up a big lead, he might be really hard to catch here.
(11) NIGHTLINGER (KY) Owner: Big Cheese Racing Odds: 7/1
Rez: UNIVERSAL RACING CLUB
5YO Brn Horse (Curlin x Speightstown x Northern Dancer)
Career Earnings : $471,803 Career Record: 28 11-4-3
Career High Speed Figure: 117 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-0-0
Nightlinger is mainly a 10-furlong specialist, and the scratch-bred son of Curlin has only run this 12 furlong distance once in his career. That was back in August of last year, when he finished fifth in the Grade 2 Crooklyn Handicap. He was gaining late there, but he really doesn’t have the experience at this distance that most of these have. What Nightlinger does have are a couple of pretty impressive career high speed figures (117), although they did come quite a while back. He’s got one graded win in his career, and that came quite a while back (June of 2011, in fact), and that was in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Farewell To Cryptozot Stakes in Texas, where he popped a 111 speed figure. Nightlinger has won two of his last four starts coming in here. One was a 10-furlong listed stakes win two starts back, and just before that he popped a 112 speed figure in an allowance win in Tennessee. The big question here is distance for Nightlinger. Can he get the 12 furlongs for his connections, Big Cheese Racing? If he can answer that question, he might be one to watch in this spot.
(12) AWE OR NOTHING (KY) Owner: Washer Toss Stables Odds: 11/1
Rez: PASTURES OF GREEN
4YO Lt Grey Colt (Awesome Again x Unbridled’s Song x Halo))
Career Earnings : $237,108 Career Record: 20 8-5-2
Career High Speed Figure: 115 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 6 4-1-1
Awe Or Nothing is extremely interesting in this spot, for a couple of reasons. Two starts back, he popped a career high 115 speed figure in an open allowance win in Georgia, where he’s run seven of his last eight races. Here’s what’s really impressive about Awe Or Nothing. He’s one of the few horses in here who has been consistently running the 12-furlong distance he’ll see here this weekend in his last few races. In fact, he’s run 12 furlongs in all of his six last starts, and he’s put together quite a hot streak during that run. He’s won four of them, and finished in the money the other two times. The one thing that really sticks out on Awe Or Nothing’s past performance charts is the fact that this will be his first stakes race of any kind. He’s been a career allowance runner, and he’s been doing well there. He comes from a barn, Washer Toss Stables, that’s got a seriously impressive strike rate, too. Check it out. Over 24 percent wins, and 56.7 percent in-the-money. This barn knows how to place its horses, and it places them very well. So, for Awe Or Nothing to be running in his first career stakes race here, this horse must have come super sharp in this week’s training update. If I were a betting person (and I am), this is probably the horse I would be throwing the most money at when I went to the betting windows, if for no other reason than he’s got the most (and best) recent experience at this distance. Never mind that this is his first graded stakes attempt. Let’s disregard that. This horse has the best speed figure at this distance recently, and he comes from a barn who places his horses well. I’ll take that all week long and twice on Sunday, when I’m betting on a horse.
(13) MAMBO HEAT (KY) Owner: Worldwide Stables Odds: 9/1
Rez: TESTBARN, The Memorabilia Residency
5YO Brn Horse (Heatseeker x Herecomesdastorm (Kingmambo))
Career Earnings : $1,954,619 Career Record: 34 6-11-5
Career High Speed Figure: 115 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-1-0
Mambo Heat comes in here as the horse from Testbarn Residency. Angela from Worldwide Stables brings in what has to be THE backclass horse in this field. Mambo Heat is a 5 year old son of Heatseeker out of a Kingmambo mare, and he’s only got one start at this 12 furlong distance. But, check out which start that was. Mambo Heat ran second in the Grade 1 New Yorker, the third leg of the Triple Crown, in 2010. He’s got nearly two million in earnings and he’s looking to expand on that here this weekend in the Equinics. As a two year old and early three year old, he was running in every big race on the planet, and doing well. Look at his past performances, if you don’t believe me. This horse has the backclass that really sticks out in this field. And he’s super consistent. He’s run triple digit speed figures in each of his last 12 starts. This guy can flat out run. He doesn’t have a whole lot of victories lately, but maybe he needs the 12 furlongs he’ll see here this weekend to get his name back in the headlines. For a horse who did as well as he did back in the New Yorker as a three year old, you would think he would have seen a lot more of these type of events. He’s got quite a few starts under his belt, but this horse is by no means finished. Watch out for his this weekend, against this field.
(14) PAUNCHI SURPRISE (KY) Owner: Green Acres Stables Odds: 31/1
Rez: SALTIRE RACING
6YO Chestnut Horse (Seeking The Gold x Deputy Paunchi (Deputy Minister)
Career Earnings : $305,290 Career Record: 22 5-7-3
Career High Speed Figure: 106 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 2 1-1-0
Paunchi Surprise will be representing Green Acres Stables and Saltire Racing in this year’s Grade 1 Belmont Park. The six year old son of Seeking The Gold has a pretty impressive strike rate there, finishing in the top three in 15 of his 22 career starts. He started out as a turf specialist for Green Acres Stables for the most part, early in his career. But then he was sent to the dirt, where he ran some of the highest speed figures of his career. He had five triple digit speed figures in those eight starts, and the two times he was sent 12 furlongs on the dirt, he won and finished second. Outside of that stretch of dirt races, Paunchi Surprise has only busted the triple digit speed figure once in his entire career over the turf, so maybe the dirt is where this guy belongs. He’s run a couple of prestigious dirt races, in particular the Grade 1 Clerk Of Scales back in 2009 as a three year old. He took what looks like a two and one-half year break from the races, before he returned to the track in May of this season. Two starts back he returned to graded company, where he was pretty well beaten on the turf in the Grade 3 Brigadier and the Grade 2 Edward’s Kingdom. But now he’s back on the dirt, and he might want to start popping some of those triple digit numbers again. This freshening after a long layoff might play to his favor here. He’s not scared of these long distance dirt races, that’s for sure, and his connections aren’t either. Watch him closely here. If he can stay involved early and not lose touch with this field, he could be a big surprise here.
(15) MALIBU MON (KY) Owner: Rharfo1 Stables Odds: 8/1
Rez: NORTHWEST RACING CIRCUIT
5YO Lt Grey Horse (Malibu Moon x Roberta‘s Diva (Maria‘s Mon))
Career Earnings : $261,391 Career Record: 25 10-5-2
Career High Speed Figure: 114 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 5 2-2-0
The last time Malibu Mon ran 12 furlongs, he just ran off and hid from that field in the Mississippi Gulch Dirt Stayer Listed Stakes in Tennessee. He opened a big lead on that field and won by 6 ¾ lengths there. That was a pretty impressive performance by Malibu Mon. In three starts since then, he was dropped in distance by his connections, and he’s got a couple of in-the-money finishes to show for it. He really loves this 12 furlongs he’ll see this weekend in the Equinics, and his early speed should send a message to the rest of this field. Don’t let this guy get too far out in front, or he might make you pay the price. He’s won 10 of his 25 starts, which is a pretty alarming strike rate for Rharfo’s horse, who is a son of Malibu Mon. That sire, combined with his dam, who was by Maria’s Mon, probably accounts for a lot of that early speed. Malibu Moon is probably the controlling speed in this race, and he’s a colt they had all better watch out for. He’s won twice the five times he’s run this 12 furlongs, so he definitely knows how to get the distance.
(16) MY DESTINATION (GB) Owner: At The Wire Thoroughbreds Odds: 15/1
Rez: EAST-WEST CONNECTION
4YO Chestnut Colt (New Approach x Tisvent (Tiznow))
Career Earnings : $172,596 Career Record: 25 11-3-0
Career High Speed Figure: 114 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 1-0-0
My Destination has probably one of the hottest speed figure races of all of these coming into the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend. Last time out, he popped a big old 114 in winning the 13-furlong Dirt Fighter Pilot Stayer listed stakes in New Jersey. And the race before that, he ran 12 furlongs the only time in his career, when he simply ran off and hid from an allowance field down in Florida, where he won by 6+ lengths there, popping a 104 speed figure. He was probably geared down at the end there, after jumping out to a big lead. There’s no doubt this colt is blessed with a ton of early speed, and that might be a huge concern for the rest of this field, especially since My Destination is dropping a furlong in distance here. The son of New Approach is hot coming in here, having won five of his last six and popping some pretty nice speed numbers along the way. The only time he was beaten in his last six starts was when he ran well beaten in the 9-furlong Grade 3 Skipping Away, but even then you can watch that race and see he was gaining ground at the end. He might just love this 12 furlongs this weekend, and this is certainly one horse you might want to include in your exotic bets. If he runs anything close to that speed figure he ran last time out, look out, because this guy can simply run off with this race and win it gate-to-wire on the lead. East-West Connection is sending a beast in here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park, one that has to be reckoned with.
(17) HOT APRIL (KY) Owner: Joe And His Horse Garden Odds: 27/1
Rez: CITY-RACE RHEIN-MAIN TURF CLUB
7YO Brn Horse (Langfuhr x Woodman x Summer Squall)
Career Earnings : $139,898 Career Record: 30 4-4-5
Career High Speed Figure: 107 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-0-1
The City-Race Rhein-Main Turf Club Residency has tapped Hot April as its entry in the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend. The seven year old scratch-bred son of Langfuhr who has Woodman and Summer Squall back there in his scratch-bred pedigree only has one 12 furlong dirt start coming in here, and that was three starts back, when he finished third in an allowance event in Paris. He threw a career-high 107 speed figure in that race, and if you watched that race, you saw him drop in from out of the clouds, nearly 17 lengths back midway through the race to come on strongly late and grab a third place check, beaten only a little over a length. That was a pretty stunning comeback there for Hot April. He’ll show you more of a European style of running, one that is usually reserved for the turf races, where he likes to come roaring late at the finish of his races. You might not hear his number called early on by the announcer, but if he runs like he did in his only 12-furlong start, he might just get up in time to pick up the pieces in this race, a race that has a ton of early speed. If Hot April can get a lot of these speedsters to burn up some fast early fractions, that would play right into his late style of running. That’s what this son of Langfuhr needs–some hot early fractions to run into, and that’s probably what he’s going to get here. If he does, he could be a very dangerous late closer in this race this weekend. He’s never been in a graded stakes in his entire career, but he’s been in a couple of listed stakes. Watch the early fractions here in the Grade 1 Belmont. If they’re unusually fast, a horse like Hot April could be one to watch running late. He doesn’t have a whole lot of flashy speed numbers like some of these, but he does have that freight-train type late running style that could mow a few of these down in deep stretch.
(18) HINTEN ZEIHT (GER) Owner: Given Stables Odds: 9/1
Rez: GRSIMSTERS
4YO Brn Colt (Monsun x Northern Dancer x Sharpen Up)
Career Earnings : $391,966 Career Record: 16 7-5-1
Career High Speed Figure: 114 Finishes at 12 F Dirt : 3 2-1-0
Hinten Zeiht is a four year old German bred son of Monsun who started racing as a three year old. As with most Monsun progeny, this colt was started off on the turf by his connections, Given Stables. When Dan didn’t really like what he was seeing in Hinten Zeiht‘s first two turf starts, he quickly switched his colt over to the dirt, where it became pretty apparent quickly that the dirt was his preferred surface. Within four starts of hitting the dirt, he was listed stakes placed, and he was well on his way to becoming a future dirt marathoner. He has yet to win a graded race, but then again, he’s only been tried twice in graded company, and both times he finished second. He does have four listed stakes win, two of which have come in his last four starts. But those races were both ten-furlong events. Hinten Zeiht gets back up to the 12-furlong distance this weekend, a distance he hasn’t seen since he finished second in the Grade 2 Herzeleid Special in Nevada back in February. This race fits for Hinten Zeiht. In his last four tries at ten furlongs he was gaining at the end, so he just might appreciate this step up in distance this weekend.