G1 Sydney Mile
The $2 million Sydney Mile is one of the top races in the sim racing world this weekend. Located in Vicotria, the one mile event has attracted 12 males and one female. Ironically, the female has the largest purse earnings in the field. A total of three horses have earned in excess of $4 million and look forward to added more to the bank in this turf event. Nice weather is in the forecast so weather related scratches are not anticipated.
A special re-appearance of last year’s Sydney Mile Winner Outback Andy who will seek to retain his crown in the race that is opened to horses age 3 and over.
1. Ready Fly 10-1
Currently ranked 20th in the division class, Ready Fly ended 2012 in November with a strong second in the G1 New Zealand 2000 Dark Beers with a 114, a career best at the time. Returning in Februry, the child of Flying Spur quickly broke that with a 117 speed with a neck win at 18-1 in the Gas Station Mile. Last month, Ready Fly stretched out to 10 furlongs and had the lead at the mile marker only to tail off a bit to finish in second, some 3 strides back and a charted 112 speed. He has returned to the track in excellent form after a winter hiatus and dropping back to a mile makes this one a threat.
2. Blazing Gimlet 17-1
In nine tries at graded level, Blazing Gimlet has one victory which was earned last September in the Big Europe Mile(Gs) held in Germany. Going straight to the lead this 200th ranked horse felt no pressure until late in the race but held on to win by ½ -length and a career best speed of 113. This son out of Tanino Gimlet took a break over January and February and returned last month in the non-grade River Swell Turf finishing second with a very nice 109. This needed tune-up race may set well for this five-year old and could burst into higher speed numbers.
3. Outback Andy 9-2
A winner of $4.3 million, Outback Andy has been hitting high speed numbers of late with speeds over 110 in fiver of his last six starts. During this stint, his highest, and career best of 119 came in the Breeders’ Bowl Mile which also led to heartbreak as he finished second despite this highly desired number. Impressively, in 13 of 23 turf starts, Outback Andy has hit 110 or higher and attributes to his ranking of 6th with older route horses. Sired by Street Cry, Outback Andy is a five-time G1 winner which includes winning the 2012 Sydney Mile and has the ability to take this race for a second time.
4. Manipulated Market 7-1
Ranked 278th overall in the older route class does not seem to make Manipulated Market a top contender, however, his current form speaks otherwise. Sired out of Dansili, Manipulated Market came to life in December winning a conditional allowance race by coming from off the pace and nailing a 114 speed and creating a win streak of three. Two months later, another win with allowance company would come, extending the streak to four and a speed of 113. Last month he advanced to graded company for the first time. Sent off at 11-1, there were doubters but he showed that he could produce results and won the G3 Intercontinental Trophy by nearly 2 lengths and a career mark of 118. A win streak of five in a row is on the line and he could add another notch to this streak.
5. The Seven Seas 7-1
Current form for The Seven Seas has been a concern. Over his last five turf starts, he has been on the board only twice coming in third in the G3 Honery Queen’s Plate in December (SP-113) and a third in the G1 Maudling Cup (SP-114). While the speeds are two of his lifetime bests, this son of Montjue has finished further back in the other three grade level events. After a two month layoff, The Seven Seas was brought back earlier this month in an allowance race which happened to be his first dirt race. He won with a speed of 106 which signifies he may be able to handle both surfaces. Still, this 103rd ranked horse will need to show something that he’s regained the form he’s accustomed to and maybe he’ll add a nice chunk to the $3.2 million he’s earned thus far.
6. Street Leader 5-1
The son of Street Cry showed that he did not like the off-track in his last start, finishing fifth in the G1 Sand Castle Fee Duty. But this race will be on a dry track and the five previous races all had speeds of 110 or higher. He picked up a win in the Canada Mile in September with a lifetime best 118 and was second three times in the Dell Web Mile, King Kong Mile and Sussex Handicap. Globally, Street Leader is ranked eighth in the turf route class for older horses and has earned $3.0 million. Flipping back to a dry track will be an advantage for the 8th ranked colt and he should be steam rolling his way to the wire late in the race.
7. Extremely Loud 17-1
After a successful run on the dirt (4-3-1, 11 races) Extremely Loud converted over to the grass this past December. His first race was a stunning win on the grass with allowance company where he ran a 114 (lifetime best) on a good track. At the end of December another allowance turf win was gained with a Speed of 105. This 583rd ranked horse would start 2013 with a win in the non-grade Grand Mesa Turf Memorial with a 107. Things looked good for the lawn until the last two starts where this child of Medaglia D’Oro finished ninth in both the Wedding Godzilla Turf Sprint and his first grade race, the Powerful Sun with speeds in the mid-90 range. This horse looks very versatile on different surfaces and may even be more dangerous on a wet track, however, the last two starts are very discerning.
8. Miss Timoshenko 13-1
The only mare in the race, Miss Timoshenko, is also the top earning in the field with over $4.4 million. From July, 2011 thru May, 2012 she collected 6 grade level wins, four coming in G1 races. She is currently ranked 8th with females in turf routes and is the daughter of North. Miss Timoshenko ran into a gap of nine races before she would win again since her May, 2012 victory and it came this past February in the Kyoto Highway (G3) where she rocked with a 114 and making up 10 strides in the final quarter mile to win a photo for the top spot. Her last race was dismal in the Sand Castle Fee Duty and can be discarded as it was her only career race on an unfavorable wet track. Looking past that, she’s averaged a speed of 112 in most recent four starts on the firm turf course, a favorable number with the boys.
9. Twisted Souls 97-1
A bit of a surprising entry in the field is Twisted Souls who is ranked 2,340th in the route turf class. He’s sired by Elvstroem and has been lightly raced as a five year old with 13 starts and a 2-5-2 record. Both wins have come on the turf surface. The most recent win came in December where Twisted Souls beat a relatively soft field of NW2L group on a good track with a speed of 84. This speed doesn’t exactly shine with the competition he faces, however, he did have a substantial increase in speed to 103 in January, finishing second with the NW3L grouping. He makes a huge jump in class leaping into this G1 race and with plenty of horses able to spool off speeds of 110 or higher, he will have a huge task to overcome in a hurry to keep up with the talent he faces.
10. Chef Robuchon 8-1
Chef Robuchon is a horse who loves to race on the lead and will be looking to wire the field. His speeds have been competitive, exceeding 110 in four of his last five races. Ranked 82nd and bred out of Medicean, Chef Robuchon still seeks his first grade level win. He’s competed five times at this level, finishing second twice and third once. His most recent effort was in the G3 Blank Eddie where he relinquished the lead heading into the stretch but was able to yank out a third with a speed of 113. This followed a 105 speed in February that was charted after a month rest. This is the second start after the brief outing and could result in an even better effort.
11. Mr. Fuji 7-1
Mr. Fuji is always a threat whether it be on the dirt or the grass. He kicked off the 2013 racing season by running with graded company on the dirt, the first time he ventured to the surface. He earned a win and a second with a 116 speed, his career best, and a 113. In March, the #5 ranked grass route runner returned to the turf and fired off a 116, equaling his best speed, winning the Sand Castle Fee Duty. He has won $4.0 million and is the top earning horse at the not so popular sire Fuji Kiseki. Mr. Fuji has been on a tear of late, winning four of his last six graded races. This is a very solid horse who is in perhaps the best form of his career and 2013 is shaping up extremely well for him. A win here could go a long way.
12. Borgwarner 14-1
After winning the Warm Velvet Turf Memorial last September with his lifetime best speed of 114, Borgwarner was elevated to the graded level. Two races latter, this child from Monsun would earn his first (and only, so far) grade win in the G2 Emirates where he powered his way to the wire with a 113 speed at 12-1 odds. Borwarner returned to the track in February after a winter layoff and quickly regained his step with a second in the non-grade Rain Joe Turf (SP-111) and a third in the G3 Intercontinental Trophy (SP-110). Both races he was a longshot and hit the board. He’s up there in odds again and lightning can strike again, and if it does, he certainly will move up from the current 96th ranking.
13. No Me Importa Nada 9-1
After a three month layoff, No Me Importa Nada returned in February and ran in a pair of allowance tune-up races. He picked up a second and a win with speeds of 104 and 108 as he readied himself for a return to the graded level. He had a heck of a 2012 season, winning five races in a row, which attributes to his current 28th ranking. The streak was highlighted with a win in an eighteen horse field, the G1 Eagle Farm Mile where No Me Importa Nada battled his way to the top spot at 18-1 odds, and a lifetime best speed of 119. He’s capable of putting up high speed numbers and it’s just a question as to whether he’s in top form to do so within this race.
Street Leader comes back to a dry track and that could be a humungous advantage.
Outback Andy has tons of triple digit speeds, hard to overlool.
Ready Fly comes back to mile distance, looks like ideal distance.