Danzig In The French Streets!
France-The $75,000 Splash Noon Challenge will send a full field of twelve fillies and mares postward. The six and one half furlong sprint will be across the main dirt track. The weather will be cool but dry and the track is expected to continue to be lightning fast.
Kingmam Danzig is the 4/1 co-favorite. The Great One, J. Stivers, gets the call. Daughter of Kingmambo has ten wins in 23 starts. She has made 99% of her earnings while sprinting and looks to go to the lead early here. Her inside post should give her that very opportunity and the addition of Europe’s best rider can only help. Well rested after seven-week layoff. Look for her to take them to the stretch and battle from there.
Deputy Danzig is 4/1 under D. Owens. The Aussie based daughter of Deputy Minister has twelve wins, five seconds and four thirds in 36 tries. She is a middle stalker with a nice late kick that usually keeps her close at the end. Won LTO at the conditioned allowance level after dropping two straight at Saturday’s class. Needed that confidence builder and the 101 SI so I expect her to compete here. Has raced and won on 21 days rest before.
At 5/1 is Rendevous. R. Truitt is in the irons. Rahy progeny has run well despite the spelling error in her name. She has hit the board in 16 of 27 career starts. Current form shows a steady decline in speed index and rushing her back in 14 days probably is not going to turn this one around. Will need to be juiced to hit the board here.
Ant’s Honor and H. McLean are 6/1. The speedy Gulch filly ran into a tough field LTO across this very track. Loses Truitt here and gets 2nd year rider McLean. Probably won’t be able to keep up with the fave to her inside just as in her last race. That proved to be the difference then as this horses prefers the lead. Will need to try a new strategy on Saturday.
Zaragoza is 7/1. B. Tatum is aboard. Another FuPeg x Storm Cat filly, a hot cross in the SIM. She has eight wins, two seconds and four thirds in her 19 career tries. Has proven versatile by winning on both surfaces and at both sprints and routes. Likes to stay up close and will likely be able to do that here. Will need a solid move at the top of the stretch to run down the leader.
At 9/1 is Cantankerous T (IRE). L. Woodard is up. Canyon Creek (IRE) filly seems to run solid at the allowance level and then gets put back in her place each time she tries to promote to stakes level. Would expect that her late running style and addition of Woodard should move her up in here. I think her speeds can compete if she can only shake her fear of this level.
Kepler Leprer is 10/1 with P. Clay. Daughter of Aptitude is making her sixth start at this level. Her previous five efforts have resulted in a combined whipping of 46.25 lengths. Speeds have increased dramatically since week 2517 where she’s been on the board in all nine races, but each of those has been at the allowance level. Tough to like her based on history, but easy to like her based on recent form.
At 11/1 is Fleury. R. Kraft is up. Forty Niner mare is probably named after that diminutive pain in the ass hockey player, but we won’t hold that or the no-talent having wannabe lyricist the trainer is named after against her. She has five wins and five seconds in 15 starts and has been running very evenly lately. This will be her stakes debut, but it’s a tough spot to make your first try at this level. Will keep an eye open for her down the road, as her late kick is one to watch.
Space Skates is 13/1. R. Grider gets the nod. War Chant filly comes out of the same race as “Ant” above. Put her away LTO with some wicked early speed only to fade just enough in deep stretch to give way to the late-running favorite. She has had a brilliant start to her career with three wins and four seconds in eight tries, which keeps her dangerous here. Look for her to collar the speedy favorite early again this time and try and put her away.
Teen Wolf’s Liver and K. Champ are 23/1. Daughter of Acceptable is back in France after three good efforts elsewhere. Her last stop here resulted in a shellacking under G. Todd. Would prefer Champ to Todd so maybe this time she’ll perform better.
At 24/1 is Creeping Doom. S. Dunlap is up for the second consecutive time. Stalking Gold Legend filly moved late LTO vs. “Skates” and “Ant”. She passed a few in the stretch in the 3/4 mile race, but never really gained any ground on the leaders. Will need to improve over that effort to get a piece Saturday.
That Tiger Strikes is 37/1 with J. Bryant. Hold That Tiger filly has been on again, off again for her early career. Not sure her “on again” is good enough against these.
PERFECT CIRCLE: Unbridled x Missed The Storm out of Storm Cat
The only son of Unbridled standing in Michigan for 2006!