Preview Grade One 5-Series
Preview Grade One 5-Series
Post Time 3:00:00 OGT Sunday April 14
Fourteen international runners converge on Victoria for thisweek’s Grade One 5-Series Stakes at a mile and one half. Run over a firm turf course for a $2,000,000purse, the 5-Series has attracted last season’s Breeders’ Bowl Turf and ThreeYear Old Turf Eclipse Champion Dynamic Force but the imposing son of Montjeu isnot the favorite. That roll goes toCross Check who enters on a hot streak. Also in the field is last year’s winner Scabby Crabby and twoaccomplished fillies taking on the boys. Let’s take a closer look.
#1 Cross Check is a five year old son of Cape Cross. The race favorite enters on a five race winstreak which include three listed races. He earned a career best 118 speed in his last start. Cross Check has run in one graded race beforethis start, and that was as a three year old. He has a lot of speed and should be setting or prompting the pace.
#2 Dynamic Force is a four year old son of Montjeu who setthe turf world on fire last November when he dominated older horses in the Breeders’Bowl Turf winning by four lengths with an eye-popping 120 speed. Given some time off after the Breeders’ Bowl,Dynamic Force returned to the races in January with a facile allowancevictory. The lightly-raced colt met hisfirst off track in his most recent start and did not care for the surface atall, running perhaps the worst race of his career when fourth. That said he’ll get a firm track in this spotand the only other time he finished off the board was the race immediatelypreceding his Breeders’ Bowl win.
#3 The Eliminator is a five year old son of Pivotal whofinished tenth in this race last year. The colt did score two graded wins, including a grade one following thatstart and had his best season so far. The Eliminator was given some time off at the end of the year andfreshened for a 2013 campaign. Hestarted this year in a six furlong allowance where he ran a creditable sixthwith a 101 speed considering his preference is for double that distance. He followed that with a two length loss in alisted stakes at a mile and five sixteenths.
#4 K’ Fiscal Cliff is a four year old son of Dynaformer andthe lightest raced horse in the field. From seven starts he has recorded five wins and two seconds but he’snever tried stakes company – let alone graded – in that time. His speeds are solid with a career best of106 but compared to the more experienced runners they are on the low side. That said he has won his last two starts byopen lengths and there may be more in the tank.
#5 Mylifedependsonit is a four year old daughter of Encostade Lago. The winner of last season’sJapanese Oaks has faced males on two recent occasions, finishing eighth in theJapanese Saint Legend and fourth in the King Kong Cup in December. She had almost three months off after theKing Kong Cup and she returned to the races in March winning an allowance at amile and three sixteenths. Her careerbest speed is a 117 which she earned winning a grade two at a mile and onequarter.
#6 He is Calling Us is the second Dynaformer in the field, afive year old. He’s never won a gradedstakes before but he hit the board in three last season, including a second in theGrade One Champion. That day he finishedahead of Dynamic Force and 2012 Horse of the Year Cryin Out Loud. He ran a career best 112 speed that day andseems to do his best running at a mile and one quarter or a mile and threeeighths. At a mile and one half his bestspeed is only a 104.
#7 Big Bad Simster is a four year old son of Big Brown. He’s only got three wins from thirteen startsbut he may be maturing at the right time. His speeds have increased steadily over his last three starts, goingfrom 105 to 108 to 112 in his most recent start. Those races all came at distances shorterthan this spot with the 112 coming in a mile and three sixteenths race. He is stakes-placed in his last two runs buthe’s never tried a graded stakes before.
#8 Stormhill Dancer is a five year old son of DanehillDancer who was once available for a claim tag of $150,000. Luckily for trainer mrbigb the colt stayed inhis barn as Stormhill Dancer would go on to score a grade one victory in2012. Stormhill Dancer’s two 2013 startscame at distances longer than his best. He did win an allowance at a mile and three quarters but then ran poorlywhen stretching out to two miles in the Grade One Ackland Cup. A return to his preferred distance puts himin a good position.
#9 Fantastic Drift is a seven year old son of FantasticLight who only has twelve starts to his name. Over the last five months Fantastic Drift ran in four graded stakes atdistances from one mile to a mile and one half, without hitting the board inany of them. In his last start hedropped back to an allowance at a mile and three eighths and won easily.
#10 Rizla Green is a four year old son of Montjeu, and theonly horse in the field to win over five million dollars. He looked unbeatable as an early three yearold, winning four graded stakes (three grade ones) from February throughJuly. After his third consecutive gradeone he ran a dull race in which he was distanced and presumably injured. He returned in the fall to win another gradeone but has been off the board in two of his three starts since. He did run a very solid race two starts backin the Grade Three Gary Trent in which he was second with a 112 speed.
#11 Scabby Crabby is a five year old son of High Chaparral and the winner ofthis race last year. He entered lastyear’s race with two wins and a third in his previous starts and then dominatedthe competition with a 118 speed. Hewouldn’t find the winner’s circle again until December of last year when he wonan allowance at two miles. This year hehas run three times and finished third twice.
#12 Crackle is a six year old son of Curlin and the onlyhorse in today’s field to have changed hands during his career. Crackle won a grade three as a three year oldand had been a productive older runner for breeder slipaway, winning fourteenstarts and hitting the board in another ten. Last September he was sold at auction to new trainer pacer who has racedhim exclusively in stakes races since then with poor results. He’s run from six furlongs to a mile and onequarter in listeds, grade threes and a grade two without hitting the board inany of those races. Perhaps a return tolonger distances will aid him but it’s a stretch to foresee a victory in thisrace for Crackle.
#13 External Noise is a four year old daughter of Lemon DropKid who is lightly raced but coming into this race with a head of steam. She has been first or second in thirteen ofsixteen starts and has won five listed stakes at distances from a mile and fivesixteenths to a mile and one half. Shemade her first start in graded company and her first start against males in hermost recent race, the Grade Two Buck Dharma Handicap. After breaking in mid pack and trailing earlyExternal Noise made a bold charge towards the front, falling just a neck shortto King to Groom, a colt who had already notched a grade three victory. The filly ran a career best 113 speed thatday and she seems to be primed for a big race. Trainer joe999 is supremely confident in this horse and thinks she willbe a star of 2013.
#14 Apex Fallacy is a five year old son of Montjeu. Last season he won the Grade Two Dutchland ata mile and one half with a 110 speed. Hewas off the board in two grade one starts before winning a very tough residencyrestricted stakes with a career best 114 speed in December. This year he has a win and a second in twolisted appearances and he may be sitting on a big race. Even though he is a five year old, ApexFallacy only has twelve starts to his credit and certainly has room forimprovement.
Good luck to all!