The Virginia Madison – G2
Race: The Virginia Madison (G2)
Track: Kentucky
Restrictions: Restricted to 4 year olds and Older, Fillies and Mares Only
Distance: Seven furlongs on the Dirt
One of the highlight races this weekend in Kentucky will be The Virginia Madison (G2), one of five graded stakes races set to go off that afternoon. The race will be held over the main dirt track and is open to fillies and mares four-years-old and up. We have quite a few to enter into the race this weekend that are accomplished graded winners which have earned their share of races over the years, as well as a nice group of fillies that are looking to break into the big time with the what their connections hope, will be the first of many graded wins for their horses. A total of eleven have drawn into this years race, set over seven furlongs. For Saturday, the weather looks to be perfect, leaving the track as fast at the post time of 2:10 pm EST. Lets take a look at the fillies and mares running in this years’ Virginia Madison (G2).
1. Life And Joy (GER) – (Monsun (GER) x Unbridled’s Song x A.P. Indy) – ceclaim19 – E. Seifert – 7/1
The first to go onto the track and out of the allowance-winning broodmare Sonic Sensation, the striking German-bred dark grey four-year-old filly is one of the younger challengers in this years’ race. Already graded placed, the filly is looking for her first graded victory. The most recent start for the filly came in The Hurricane Ben Handicap (G2) at six and half furlongs in Florida. After breaking out of the gate in fifth, the filly quickly started picking off the other competition, but couldn’t quite get to the lead as she came home to finish second by three-quarters of a length. The filly set a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred thirteen for the race. The only other graded start ever made by the filly was in The Everclear Handicap (G1) at seven furlongs where she finished three lengths off the pace in fourth. The most recent win for the filly was at listed stakes level in the Moreover Dirt Filly Sprint at six and a half furlongs. The filly will likely settle just off the pace at the break on Saturday, though she has shown that she can rate farther off the pace and still do well.
2. Beyond The Truest – (Malibu Moon x Giant’s Causeway x Kingmambo) – butters – M. Hibby – 9/1
Next out onto the track will be this stakes-placed five-year-old out of the broodmare Ghost Into The Fog, wo, herself is graded placed. Winning five races out of twenty-five lifetime starts, the brown mare is looking for her first graded victory this weekend. Her last attempt at this was a few months ago in The Davy Jones Handicap (G2) at seven furlongs. Breaking mid-pack out of the gate, the mare faded throughout the race and crossed the wire four lengths back in seventh with a speed figure of one hundred one. Her last victory was back in August of last year during an eight furlong allowance race in Texas where she broke much closer to the front of the pack and won by two and a quarter lengths. If she’s going to have a shot this weekend, she’ll likely need to be forwardly placed on Saturday out of the gate, as she seems to run her best here.
3. Nailed At The Gun – (Kingmambo x A.P. Indy x Summer Squall) – gradeone – J. Stivers – 9/1
Far surpassing the talents of her dam, Fly Like The Wind, who reached her greatest achievement as an allowance winner, the six-year-old chestnut mare is a Grade II winner and is approaching the million dollar mark in career earnings. The connections of this royaly-bred mare hoping she will rebound off her most recent start as she faded to a disappointing thirteenth place finish in The Everclear Handicap (G1) at seven furlongs across the country in California. Prior to this however the mare won the Ruckus Smuggling Dirt Mare Sprint at six furlongs, a listed stakes race in West Virginia, by three-quarters of a length with a speed figure of one hundred eight. She is also another former runner of last years’ Breeders’ Bowl F&M Sprint, who went on to finish third in the race. At the start, the mare will likely settle back towards the middle of the pack.
4. Up The Pop Charts – (Mineshaft x Fappiano x Deputy Minister (CAN)) – raynham – H. McCoy – 6/1
Ranked the best in the dirt sprint division for older mares, the five-year-old will be making her first start of the new year after coming off of her victory in the Distaff Breeders’ Bowl Cap (G2) at seven furlongs in Maryland a few months ago. The brown mare has won six out of twenty lifetime starts and has career earnings of $708,107. Late last year the mare finished fourth in the Breeders’ Bowl F&M Sprint (G1) and followed that up with a disappointing finish in The Everclear Handicap (G1) prior to making her way here this weekend. The mare is a versatile runner, who lately has been breaking mid-pack in her races, but has broken forwardly with success in the past, so look for her to likely settle in one of these places out of the gate.
5. Bailey Jet – (Pioneerof The Nile x Swept Overboard x Gulch) – wyonggold – K. Friar – 18/1
The longest shot on the board for the race this weekend, this four-year-old filly is one of the younger contenders set to go the seven furlongs on dirt on Saturday. Out of the stakes-winning broodmare Jetison, the brown filly has been lightly raced with just ten career starts under her belt, with four victories in those starts. The most recent start for the filly was in Florida during the listed stakes race, Beans Luck Dirt Mare Sprint. After breaking out of the gate just off the pace of a couple of other horses, she took control of the pace late in the race down the stretch to win by a quarter of a length, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred seven. This will be the fillies first attempt at graded stakes competition in her career. If all goes well, she will likely be forwardly placed out of the gate.
6. Encosta De Silver (AUS) – (Encosta De Lago (AUS) x Forty Niner x Sadler’s Wells) – silverny – J. Graney – 5/1
One of the few foreign-bred horses in this weekends race, the six-year-old brown mare is out of the allowance winning broodmare Black Dog Castle. The Australian-bred mare is a Grade I winner and earner of $751,480 in career earnings. The mare is back to the dirt after a brief try at the turf. Her most recent start was in the listed Nicoles Nation Dirt Mare Sprint at six and a half furlongs. After breaking just off the pace in the race, the mare went on to win by one and a half lengths, setting a speed figure of one hundred nine. Prior to this she had a start over the turf in The Range Rover Handicap (G3) where she finished third and a fifth place finish in last years Breeders’ Bowl F&M Sprint (G1). Out of the gate the mare will likely want to sit just off the pace of a few other horses out of the gate before she looks to make her move before the field goes into the stretch.
7. Tex Tornado – (Any Given Saturday x Deputy Minister (CAN) x Gone West) – fatattack – T. Ace – 5/1
Out of the Grade I winning and million dollar earner Texas Tornado, the five-year-old chestnut mare herself has equaled the accomplishments of her dam, wining fifteen times in her thirty race career. The most recent start for the mare came last month in Florida during the Davy Jones Hondicap (G2) at seven furlongs on the dirt. After breaking on the lead out of the gate, the mare would fade late in the race to finish just a quarter of a length back in third position. She too made a start in last years’ Breeders’ Bowl F&M Sprint (G1) where she would come home to finish second, again after fading after a dash to the lead. The mare does like to go towards the front out of the gate, and she could be our pacesetter or settle just off the pace of a couple other horses out of the gate.
8. Showmageddon (SAF) – (Western Winter x Cacique (IRE) x Deputy Minister (CAN)) – lglong2oyy – H. Harzheim – 8/1
Looking for a her first victory in a graded stakes race, the five-year-old brown mare is out of the stakes-placed broodmare Happens In Vegas. Ranked #35 in her division, the mare has had several close calls with wins at the graded level, but has always come up just a little short in her races. The last start for the mare came in Florida in the Davy Jones Handicap (G2) at seven furlongs. After breaking second out of the gate she made a bid for the lead late in the race, but was held off at the wire as she would come home to finish second by a heartbreaking neck at the wire. She set a speed figure of one hundred seven. Prior to this start she would win, by a length, the seven furlong listed stakes, Strong Prospect Dirt Mare Dash. This will be another mare that will likely be fighting for the front this weekend out of the gate, and it is only very rarely that this mare does not get the lead.
9. Have Another Hit – (Indian Charlie x Carson City x Storm Cat) – trotter2 – V. Gardner – 5/1
Out of the Graded-placed broodmare Stormy Carson, the five-year-old brown mare is a Grade III winner and has seven wins to her credit. Her most recent start came in Maryland during the Distaff Breeders’ Bowl Cap (G2) at seven furlongs. The mare broke out of the gate and crossed the wire where she started in third, setting a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her last victory was right before what would turn into an eighth place effort in last years’ Breeders’ Bowl F&M Sprint, during the See The Way Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs. Breaking just off the pace of the front-runner, the mare took control later on in the race to go on to win by a half of a length, putting up a very impressive speed figure of one hundred twelve, something the mare hasn’t been able to equal before or since that race. The mare could go out as our pacesetter on Saturday, or settle off the pace behind a few other horses.
10. Hard To Split – (Hard Spun x Unbridled’s Song x Gone West) – rubiano07 – M. Grunhard – 11/1
At six years of age the light gray mare has won nine out of thirty-six career starts. She has placed in graded stakes, but so far the win in the big leagues has remained illusive. She is out of the graded-placed broodmare The Divorce. Bred in Kentucky, the mare made her most recent career start in the Distaff Breeders’ Bowl Cap in Maryland a few months ago. Breaking on the lead out of the gate, the mare would fade in the stretch to finish fifth, though she was just one length back from the winner. She set a speed figure of one hundred eight for the race. The mares most recent win was September of last year during a seven furlong allowance race. With the rest of the pace in the field for this running, the mare will likely settle towards the rear of the field out of the gate, which is a little farther back than what she naturally likes to run, but she has rated back farther in the past and has still done well.
11. Wishful Drinker – (Encosta De Lago (AUS) x Gone West x Dixieland Band) – desperado4 – A. Darling – 11/1
Another young challenger coming in to take on the older mares is this filly out of the broodmare Desperado Wish, a Grade III winner herself. The chestnut four-year-old filly has been lightly raced with just fifteen lifetime starts. She has finished first six times in her career. The most recent start for the chestnut filly came in the seven furlong Distaff Breeders’ Bowl Cap (G2) where, after settling towards the far back of the field, she rallied down the stretch to cross the wire in fourth, off the pace by just three-quarters of a length and setting a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her prior race, in the seven furlong listed stakes, Daddy Derby Dirt Mare Sprint, resulted in a one and a half length victory. The fillies highest accomplishment so far is this listed stakes win and the prior mentioned graded race was her first attempt at graded level. With the rest of the pace in the race, the filly will likely be rated back towards the rear of the field at the start, a position which has proved successful to her before.