“FRISKY” SWEET SIXTEEN SET TO FROLIC ON THE MINNESOTA DIRT!
The smile was ever so slight, but there, nonetheless. As the smallest glint of sunlight peeked furtively through the dreary, overcast skies — the same skies that for the past three days had dumped over five inches of rain on the already saturated grounds — track superintendent Chuck Ganz gazed up to the heavens with an appreciative look on his face as if to say, “thank you.”
With the possibility of the cancellation of the Minnesota Festival looming bold, Chuck and his crew worked nearly around the clock for the past two days in an effort to get the surface safe and race ready, a chore that just twenty-four hours ago seemed nearly impossible. But now, amazingly, as we approach post-time, if more rains hold off, then trainers, jockeys and horses, alike, will not even have to deal with sloppy course but a track that has been deemed to be good, and one, quite frankly, that even appears to be better than its classification.
As a result of horrible conditions that existed these past few days leading up to the Festival, and the ominous forecast that still faces them, a lesser group might have been just resigned to their fate and raised their collective hands to the sky and given up. But not this crew, and not this residency. The proud people from Minnesota don’t know the word “quit.”
So, fasten your seat belts and get ready for a great day of racing, a day which includes the tenth race on the card, THE FRISKY FILLIES SPRINT.
1– I’LL GET YOU EVEN (40/1) – This imposing looking daughter of Boston Harbor started off her career with a maiden special weight win first time out and followed that effort with a solid allowance placing, but she quickly fell from grace with a couple of dismal performances in stakes races and has since found herself racing primarily in claiming races and starter allowances. However, there is no denying her versatility, being equally adept at sprinting and routing while handling both the dirt and turf surfaces with the same voracity. And her last start, which was against an allowance field, was her best, yet.
Heading into this race, she now changes hands for the fourth time in her last five races, now being trained by the crafty pro quagmire, who brought us Al Prado in the Bluegrass, the same Al Prado who will be featured in another race on today’s card. Quagmire‘s horses have appeared to show a new skip in their step since the arrival of new associate trainer Max, who had this to say about I’LL GET YOU EVEN:
“This filly has a great deal of potential, potential she has not even come close to realizing. We think with the proper adjustments she can become a top flight filly. We’ll just have to tinker around a bit to see what works best for her, but for starters, we will be adding blinkers for Saturday’s race in an effort to keep her closer to the pace. Hopefully, that, combined with her ability to stage solid late runs, will result in a key performance.”
Although we know that Max has worked some magic in the past and is capable of getting any horse to run better, against a field of this caliber, we’ll still need to take a wait-and-see approach with I’LL GET YOU EVEN. Jockey R Vanlandingham picks up the mount.
2 – UNDERMINING (15/1) – This nicely bred daughter of Mining (Mining x Storm Cat x Alysheba) comes into the race in peak form, winning two of her last three, including a storming come-from-behind victory in her most recent start. If nothing else, UNDERMINING is the type of filly who goes out and gives her all each and every race.
“Well, you’re right, she does generally perform well,” agreed trainer minnow. “But of her few poor performances, two have come on off tracks, and I have to admit that as great a job as the track super and his crew did — and it is a wonderful feat they accomplished — I am a bit concerned about how my filly will run over this surface.”
No question that given her druthers, UNDERMINING would prefer a fast surface. Add to that the fact that her previous two runs over this same Minnesota surface have been less than stellar efforts, and the cards seemed to be stacked against her. However, she is a filly that is certainly improving and, as stated earlier, comes into this race in top form, posting a lifetime best 93 SP in her most recent start and may really just beginning to blossom. Jockey B Pickel will take hold of the reins.
3 – WILDEST SLEW (14/1) – It was not until her seventh start that this daughter of Forest Wildcat out of a Seattle Slew mare was able to break her maiden — preceded by two seconds and four thirds, by the way — but when she did, she did it in style by trouncing a field in The QUEEN JASPER Handicap Stakes, and then following up that triumph with two additional stakes wins in her next three starts, including her first two starts as a three-year-old. But, alas, the road has not been as rosy for WILDEST SLEW since that time, failing to hit the board in her eight starts since.
“Well, SLEW has had a slew of problems staying sound,” chuckled trainer anymore. “But I wouldn’t count her out just yet, as she showed renewed vim and vigor in her last start. Now, maybe it was just the surface change, but if this gal is coming back to herself, then I would tell the others to watch out, we may just have a surprise in store for them.”
True, WILDEST SLEW‘s most recent effort could certainly be seen as a sign that she is on the improve, but the problem here, on any surface, seems to be getting her to finish up in a race. Over the course of her last eight starts, from the time she has turned for home she has lost lengths off the leader in every race and, with the exception of one of those races, has lost positional ground, as well. However, if her one turf start is any indication as to a fondness for soft footing, then WILDEST SLEW just might find her first start over this wet racing strip much to her liking. One of Minnesota’s best, O Stinson, will try to guide this filly back in the right direction.
4 – INCH BAI (17/1) – This strapping daughter of E Dubai caught the attention of many on Monday morning with her snappy move, getting four furlongs in 47 1/5 while doing it handily. Lightly raced, INCH BAI seems to be coming into the race on the improve and the track conditions could not have come up better for her.
“I have to admit, this is just what I hoped for, snickered trainer errandboy. “My filly has raced twice over good surfaces and has won them both. So, having a track that while drying out still has enough moisture in it should work very well to our advantage.”
INCH BAI showed great promise at two, winning two of her first three starts, including a dominating victory over a good track in The Y. CAT Handicap Stakes. However, as good as she ended her two-year-old campaign was as rocky as she began racing at three, failing to hit the board in her first four starts. The good news for her connections, though, is that she has seemed to turn the corner and has shown marked improvement in her most recent outings, including a win and a fast-closing third in her last. Add to that the fact that her only start over this surface was a winning one, and the possibility looms that if things go just right, INCH BAI may just be the one inching by at the wire. Jockey D Macknamara gets the call.
5 – KIWANIS (33/1) – Having only gone postward six times, it is tough to get a true handle on this lightly-raced daughter of Glitterman. The positive is that in those six starts, KIWANIS has recorded a couple of wins and a couple of seconds. However, those wins and seconds came in her first four starts, which leaves her last two races as off-the-board efforts. If there is one thing, though, that you can tell with any degree of certainty by looking at those six starts, it is that KIWANIS will be storming down the center of the track late with a powerful closing punch.
“Question marks? I only have about a million or two,” chuckled trainer cardinal10. “How will she race against these caliber horses? How will she handle the off going?”
“You know, we really believed we had a truly special horse after her first four starts — and that might still turn out to be the case — but I am just looking for that one effort where she steps up and sets herself apart from the rest. It could be this Saturday, or perhaps next month or next year, but we are going to be very patient with this little lady, keep our expectations high and give her every chance to prove that she is every bit the horse we believe she is destined to be.”
At 33/1, the odds on KIWANIS look to be a bit over-inflated, but as trainer cardinal10 eluded to she is an unknown against this quality of horses. Her one win over the Minnesota track will definitely bode well in her favor, as well as her solid closing punch, which is not to be ignored. The bottom line is that while a win here would probably not shock anyone, the reality is that it may take a couple of more races before this one is able to compete successfully against the best her division has to offer. K Ritterspauch will be given the leg up.
6 – O FOR AWESOME (31/1) – If it was tough to get a true handle on KIWANIS, then what does one do with an impressive looking daughter of Forty Niner who has raced but one time and, while not winning, put forth quite a snappy effort? Well, that is exactly the conundrum one faces while trying to analyze the chances of O FOR AWESOME. The only part of the equation that needs no analysis is that if that crafty trainer rharfo7 is bringing this filly here, it is not solely for the purpose of making an appearance, but to win.
“While a win certainly would be nice, my filly is going to have to improve an awful lot off her one race to compete in here,” rharfo7 commented. “But, quite frankly, based on the way she raced in that first start and, more importantly, the way she has trained subsequently, I wouldn’t rule anything out. This filly has a tremendous turn of speed and tremendous potential. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Truth be told, off only one start it’s tough to like this filly, but based on the way she raced, and her breeding, it’s equally as tough to throw her out. I think the best advice I can offer is simply to follow rharfo7‘s advice when he says, “we’ll have to just wait and see.” And, by the way, it might not hurt to watch the tote board, either. Jockey N O’Hara gets the assignment.
7 – ONE STEP AWAY (6/1) – This stakes-placed Johannesburg progeny looked to have a very bright future on the turf at the inception of her career, but once the move was made to switch her to the dirt she has seemed to really blossom. Much like the 1 horse, I’LL GET YOU EVEN, this filly is very versatile and very adept at racing successfully going short or long on both turf and dirt. The big difference here is that ONE STEP AWAY has raced successfully on a far more consistent basis against much tougher competition.
“She’s as honest as the day is long,” said trainer bigrick2. “There is no question that in all her races, with the exception of her second lifetime start where she was eased up, this filly has gone out and given a one hundred percent efforts. Although she’s not a big, imposing figure, she’s got a huge heart and just keeps on trying.”
A winner of already over $150,000 in her young career, there is no question that ONE STEP AWAY should be around to pick up a nice piece of the pie, possibly even the lion’s share. If there is any lingering question, however, it is in her ability to handle the off going. At first glance, it would seem that she should be able to fare okay being that she did hit the board in her lone off-track start. Upon closer examination, however, that race was a relatively dull third place finish in a five-horse field, all while being sent off as the 4/5 favorite. Jockey P Green will be trying to prove that that race was simply an aberration.
8 – JADE HOUSE (20/1) – Some chatter in the backstretch this week about this daughter of Free House being some folks’ “it” horse. Since returning to sprints, JADE HOUSE has run two bang-up races, a fast-closing second and, more recently, an impressive late-charging win. Add to that a solid effort in her lone off-track start, coupled with a pair of good works, and this filly has become some longshot dreamers‘ heaven.
“Well, her two races since returning to sprints have been nice efforts,” modestly confirmed trainer dreamer, “and she certainly has been training well over the surface. But to be honest, she’s going to have to take her game to the next level if she has any expectation of competing with these. Now, I’m not saying that she can’t win, but, quite frankly, I would be very happy to see her just race well and finish close up.”
Sometimes it’s refreshing to hear a trainer give an honest appraisal about his or her horse rather than the obligatory pie-in-the-sky “sure-we-can-win” comments, and in this case, trainer dreamer‘s expectations seem to be dead on and as honest as they come. Absolutely this filly can step up and run a big race a win, but the reality is such that hitting the board and grabbing a nice paycheck is much more of a likelihood. Jockey M Douglass grabs the mount.
9 – WILE E. CAPOTE (9/2) – The second favorite in the morning line and obvious class of the race, this little lady with some rich bloodlines (Capote x Crafty Prospector x Summer Squall) has been keeping some pretty fancy company, facing the best her division has to offer in stakes races, including a couple of Grade I’s and a Grade II along the way. While winning six of ten lifetime, WILE E. CAPOTE would almost appear to be a shoe-in if not for her last start.
“Truth is, her last two races were subpar efforts, considering what we had become accustomed to,” said trainer citation. “She came off the track blowing much harder after her last race, and that combined with the fact that she had not been finishing up in her last two, actually losing ground in the stretch in both races, forced us to have her checked out. When the doc scoped her, he found she had some blood in her lungs, so come Saturday, she will be racing on Lasix for the first time.”
Without hearing any excuses, this winner of $430,000 and five stakes races, including a Grade I, would have been a very formidable foe. If, indeed, the bleeding is what caused her to run below average races in her last two, then with the addition of Lasix, WILE E CAPOTE will more than likely have her way with any roadrunner in this field that comes after her. And the track shouldn’t bother her, either, as her only off-track effort resulted in a win. At the call to the post, the best Minnesota has to offer, K Friar, will climb aboard.
10 – SILK PRINCESS (14/1) – The most heavily campaigned filly in the field with already twenty-three starts in her young career, this daughter of Langfuhr seemingly was showing signs of wear until two starts back when she rebounded with a nice allowance win over this surface. Of course, all anyone wanted to talk to trainer essendon about was his filly’s grueling schedule.
“Look, all I can tell you is that I probably wouldn’t have raced PRINCESS the same way if I had her from the beginning, but I only picked her up four races back. But I can assure you that her fitness is not in question here,” trainer essendon snapped sharply. “I guarantee you that if she wasn’t completely sound and ready to go, she wouldn’t be racing on Saturday. But that is no different than the way I treat any horse in my stable, whether a stakes runner or claimer. They all get treated the same way. If they are fit, they race. If they’re not, they don’t.”
To her credit, SILK PRINCESS is a stakes winning filly, hauling off the top honors in last year’s edition of The ANT MEET Stakes, and she has also finished in the money in three other stakes, including a very commendable third place finish in last year’s Grade II Stoker Handicap. But all of those efforts did come as a two-year-old, and if we are going to be objective in our observations — without questioning her soundness heading into Saturday’s race — the conclusion one must draw is that her long and hard campaign has taken its toll on her. This filly, although obviously talented, probably could use a bit of freshening. S Wabbington does the riding.
11 – HOLD ON LOOSELY (11/1) – Talk about bloodlines, this Storm Cat x Forty Niner x A.P. Indy progeny has only missed hitting the board twice while sprinting, and her sole off-track start might have been the best effort of her career, battling for the lead throughout only to get nailed by a nose on the wire. The big question mark here has to be the level of competition she has been facing heading into this race.
“I know you boys are going to look and make light of the caliber of horses that run down there in Idaho where HOLD ON LOOSELY has been racing most recently,” said trainer desperado2. “But let me tell you something, there is some pretty nice horse flesh down there. I wouldn’t be taking those races too lightly if I were you.”
Probably the best argument that can be made for HOLD ON LOOSELY is that if you throw out her two turf races — a surface which she obviously abhors — then you are left with an ultra-consistent filly who rarely throws a bad race. Add to that the gameness and voracity shown in her aforementioned off-track start, and you have the makings of a live longshot. The always reliable and consistent A Beasley has the mount.
12 – ANELAGANTLADY (18/1) – Just as everyone wanted to talk about the grueling schedule faced by SILK PRINCESS and her soundness heading into Saturday’s race, conversely, all anyone wanted to question trainer robscoobi2 about regarding this filly was her soundness due to her lack of racing heading into this race. After all, this is only the second race being run by the daughter of Academy Award in nearly half a year — twenty-three weeks, to be exact — following layoffs of ten weeks and thirteen weeks.
“Yes, my filly has had some minor soundness problems over the last few months,” confirmed robscoobi2, “but I can assure you that she is fit as a fiddle heading into this race. In fact, she has been trained over the past couple of months with an eye towards this race and is primed for a top effort.”
Yet another filly who possesses a stout closing punch, ANELAGANTLADY could be a stern force to deal with if she gets her act in gear down the stretch. Not typically the type of horse that I personally like to go out on a limb on considering the gaps in her racing schedule — in fact, she is the type of horse I would normally throw out — but something about this filly scares me. Can she jump up and win here? I don’t know for sure the answer to that, but one thing is for certain, and that is when robscoobi2, one of Minnesota’s most pre-eminent trainers, shows up with a horse for the Festival, it is not just to grab a hot dog and a beer. Jockey D Geddes, having a very solid meet, gets the assignment.
13 – SWEET SUMMER RAIN (8/1) – Yet another closer in a race that does not look to have all the much early speed, this daughter of Green Applause enters the race of a bold closing win in her last start. Stakes-placed at two, SWEET SUMMER RAIN has had an in-and-out three-year-old season but off her last effort looks to be heading into this race in top form.
“She’s kind of an enigma,” conceded trainer dundey5. “I mean, every time we think this gal is going well, she turns around and throws out a stinker. Then when we can’t figure out what’s wrong and just throw her back out there without changing up anything, she turns around and runs like a champion. As to which way she’ll run on Saturday, well, I’d be a fool to guarantee anything, but off her last race and the way she has trained since, the smart money is that she will run big.”
This filly poses a quandary to many to many bettors for many reasons, none the least of which is that much like her trainer, they really don’t know which filly is going to show up. And with no prior races over a wet surface nor over this strip to get a handle on, the mystery only deepens. The other problem, though, is that compared to some of her other rivals who appear to be equally talented, her odds seem to be a bit under-inflated at 8/1, and although she very well could win, there might be some others who offer better bang for your buck. One of Minnesota’s best, B Craver, will climb aboard for the ride.
14 – RAPID ROBOT(AUS) (11/1) – Well, what do you know, a daughter of Flying Spur being offered up to us from lovetoplay. Will wonders never cease? A winner of four of sixteen lifetime and closing in on the $100,000 earning mark, RAPID ROBOT has tried her hand against some top-notch rivals, but with limited success. In fact, outside of a couple of third place finishes in stakes races as a two-year-old, she has found her primary success to be in allowance races — which, it should be noted, is not all that different from most of her rivals in here.
“If I’m going to be honest, I have to admit that I’ve been quite disappointed in her most recent efforts,” said trainer lovetoplay. “But we have given her a brief spell, and she has been training exceptionally well over this surface, so we’ll just keep our fingers and toes crossed and hope for the best come Saturday.”
Training well over the surface should come as no surprise to anyone as this is, apparently, a track that RAPID ROBOT loves, winning two of her three races here. The big question marks here are her current form, or lack thereof, and how she will handle the off going. In another not-so-shocking move from this stable, J Ritorto, who has guided this filly to both of her victories over this surface, has once again been called upon to do the riding.
15 – ROCK RIVER PAINTER (4/1) – A maiden in her three races at two, this daughter of Peintre Celebre blossomed as soon as she turned three, winning twice and finishing second three times over the course of her first five starts. And although she has had a couple of mis-steps along the way since then, for the most part she had just kept right on steamrolling, coming into Saturday’s race off a dynamite closing second in her last start.
“No question about it, we’re looking for a big run from ROCKY come Saturday,” boasted trainer tenpin2. “She is sharp and primed, and I would be absolutely shocked if she didn’t give a solid accounting of herself in this race. This filly has got a world of talent. The only thing that’s stopping her from being a great racehorse is herself. Once she matures a little more and fully understands what it is she is out there to do, I think she will be a top caliber graded filly.”
Based on her past performances, it does appear that ROCK RIVER PAINTER does possess a great deal of talent and does have the potential to turn into a top-notch racehorse. As far as Saturday’s race goes, though, although she has a very real chance of garnering top honors, I am surprised that the track oddsmaker has made her the morning line favorite over WILE E. CAPOTE, who is certain to offer ROCK RIVER PAINTER her most staunch competition. Having K Bowen climb aboard for the mount only enhances her chances to defeat that rival.
16 – A PERFECT SUNDAY (33/1) – This beautifully bred filly by Sadler’s Wells (Sadler’s Wells x Sunday Silence x Devil His Due) has one lone start to hang her hat on, and it was an impressive one at that, trouncing a maiden special weight field in Michigan, coming from way off the pace. With the anticipated improvement, this filly could be a very live longshot.
“I don’t want to get too excited just yet,” said trainer unshaded99, “but the truth is that I think my filly has a real shot in here on Saturday. Before her race two weeks ago if you would have asked me if I was even considering this race for her, the answer would have been an unequivocal “no.” But the way she raced was so impressive and so professional, and she came off the racetrack on her toes, bucking and kicking and full of energy. We’ll just have to see what the future holds — and this race on Saturday is certain to give us a little more insight into that future — but we may have a real fine filly on our hands here.”
There is no way to ignore A PERFECT SUNDAY‘s effort in her debut, and as unshaded99 said, if she comes back with the anticipated normal improvement, she could be a force to deal with here in this race. I guess the bottom line is, as far as her connections are concerned, what would make it a perfect Saturday would be watching A PERFECT SUNDAY splash home in front. Jockey L Zandofsky grabs the mount.
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME – With my sincerest apologies to the connections of WILE E. CAPOTE, because whenever I pick a horse it is the proverbial kiss of death, but with her proven class combined with the lack of speed in the race and her ability to stalk the pace, I think she will be very difficult to beat.
GOOD LUCK AND A SAFE TRIP TO ALL!!!