Another Weak Field for DPCD Turf Distaff
More by ignominious debasement than by popular acclaim, the turf distaff race is back on the Del-Penn Champions’ Day card. Restricted to Del-Penn owners, the race has been shortened to 1 1/8-miles but still managed to attract a lackluster field.
The event had been scratched following the inaugural DPCD card in 2002, in which a former claimer eligible for an allowance-140 condition stole the race on the front end, plodding home in the unimpressive time of 2:19 1/5 for the 11 furlongs. The race attracted a field of only seven that year, which included just two previous stakes winners, runner-up Whirled Peas (Grimmie) and fourth-place finisher Mine Bungees (Whirlwind2’s horse, whose name typifies the computer-generated name era of the sim).
“I thought my horse killed this race,” said Bonechewer — owner of the winner, Milos Fame – who recalled chuckling heartily as his daughter of Sky Classic turned into the stretch with an expanding seven-length lead.
Shortening the race has done little to attract more or higher quality horses, perhaps as there is too little distinction between the nine furlong distance of this event and the mile race for fillies and mares also on the card, and perhaps due to the impromptu nature of the race, which was a last minute addition to the festivities. Twelve horses have entered the race, with only one having previously won a stakes race.
Giantiano hails from the super(numeral) conspiracy of stables. The well-bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway may not have lasted the 1 3/8 miles of the original event but nine furlongs is right up the four-time winner’s alley. Those wagering on the event should note that Giantiano (Isn’t the o ending masculine?) has yet to finish worse than third in 11 lifetime outings, including two stakes events. The brown 4-year-old has good tactical speed and should sit just off the early leader but is also comfortable taking matters into her own hooves from the start.
The field’s lone stakes winner, Nag of Notley, has been a bit of a disappointment this season for owner-trainer Bunsay, but she did display a return to form in winning the Geronimo’s Hoss Stakes last out on good turf, improving her off track record to 7/4-1-1. The 4-year-old daughter of Gone West ran off nine stakes wins in the final 11 starts of her sophomore campaign but has just two wins in 10 starts this year. Nag of Notley would likely prefer the 11-furlong distance of the inaugural running this race, but she should be charging through the stretch run if she can maintain her form from her three-length score earlier this month. The 7/2 morning-line favorite drew post seven.
The early leader may well be Jakebarn’s Border Collie, who could challenge for the win if she returns to the form she displayed in finishing second in the Nogales Stakes in June, in which she earned a 100 speed figure. That Texas race was won by Afc’s Devil’s Slide, who is entered in this week’s grade I Penn Distaff. This race will mark the 17th of the season for the 3-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon. She has won three of those races while earning a check in six of seven stakes appearances. She has raced exclusively on turf and gets the services of Q. Miller in the irons.
Krug (8-1) also hails from a Super stable (#15) and this 3-year-old daughter of Cozzene has been ultra-consistent, finishing on the board in all but one of 11 career starts but visiting the winner’s circle on just two occasions. The multitudinous connections of the filly have promised a champagne toast should Krug find the winner’s circle.
Afc3’s Pops Birthday Gift (13-1) will attempt to pick up the pieces through the stretch, but she may me lucky to pick up a small piece of the purse. The 3-year-old daughter of Kingmambo finished second in the DPCD Juvenile Fillies Turf last year, finishing 2 ¼ lengths behind Sprintbarn’s Barb’s Little Lion. Pops Birthday Gift (Afc3 must have chosen to punctuate the name, the maximum 18 characters in its present form, incorrectly rather than runthenamealltogetherlikethis.) won at nine furlongs on the turf in her 3-year-old debut but has been kept out of the winner’s circle in six subsequent starts.
Topicount’s Lil’Irish Lass (I’m too uncertain of the apostrophe gambit to venture a guess) finished second in last year’s DPCD Filly and Mare Turf Mile, earning a career high 108 speed figure in the process. The 6-year-old daughter of King of Kings has won two of 10 starts this year (once in a dirt-to-turf maneuver) and enters this off a lackluster third-place finish in an allowance race in Ireland last month. Trainer Topicount knows how to get them ready for the big races, but Lil’Irish Lass’ current form is a bit worrisome at 7/1, especially breaking from the extreme outside post.
Sdmfclaims’ Black Listed began her career in early October, broke her maiden a week later, and will attempt to earn her second career win in her stakes debut on Saturday. The 3-year-old daughter of Lear Fan has yet to prove she has the stamina for longer races, but could be rounding nicely into form after making a decent middle move in her last outing before re-rallying in deep stretch. Could surprise, but her 13-1 morning-line odds aren’t quite tempting enough.
Halo for Helen is a possible pace factor following a wire-to-wire score in a $150,000 claimer last time out. Olebaldy’s daughter of Southern Halo looks to make amends for her poor showings in previous Del-Penn Champions’ Day races. She finished seventh in the 2003 DPCD Juvenile Fillies and 17th in last year’s DPCD Filly and Mare Sprint, while dismissed at odds of over 30-1 on both occasions. The nine-furlong distance isn’t as big a question mark as her ability to handle turf. She finished a dull 11th in her second career start in her lone prior attempt on grass. Woodstock Landry, her dam, was shut out in four turf attempts, but Halo for Helen’s half brother (by Include) has earned his highest speed figure in his lone turf race. At 7-1, however, it may be best just to watch.
Gatornavy’s Sparkling Red is also rounding back into form after being knocked back following a heartbreaking second-place finish in an allowance race in late August. Lightly raced and versatile, the 4-year-old daughter of Red Ransom makes her stakes debut here.
The Myrkle-trained pair of Hotdog Hiding and Diamondintheruff (one’s a dog, the other barks?) may be lucky to finish ahead of another pair of horses between them. Hotdog Hiding has yet to win beyond 6 ½-furlongs. The homebred daughter of Machiavellian is out of multiple nine-furlong winner Polish Doll (by Polish Numbers) but is 6/0-1-1 in races of a mile or longer, with the second-place finish coming on the main track. Diamondintheruff (Rough is not misspelled out of necessity as using rough would have taken 17 characters. If one is going to run the words together one could at least not bastardize the spellings.) is a 4-year-old daughter of New Colony who has done all her winning in the claiming and starter allowance ranks. She has won from 6 ½- to 12 furlongs but has yet to crack into the 90 range of speed figures.
Genesis’ Miya is the highest price on the morning line (21/1) and has just a maiden win to her credit. The daughter of Rahy has yet to record a speed figure of 90 or higher in any race or finish on the board in her route attempts. Her dam, Seven Out (by Danzig), was a capable turf sprinter who could stretch out for wins in highly conditioned allowance races, but her speed figures in races beyond a mile paled in comparison to her sprint races (and a nice 105 in a mile race on good turf). Only three and eligible to improve with experience (this will be her ninth race) and after finding her niche, Miya is in over her head here.
If this field raced at 11 or 10 furlongs (or at least the mid-Atlantic, well Maryland, classic distance of 1 3/16 miles) Giantiano would certainly be more vulnerable. It would also provide an opportunity for longer running turf distaffers while challenging the speed and precociousness breeders whose fillies and mares lack the necessary turn of foot for the flat mile. Take Krug’s dam, Moon Shudder, for example. Kycats’ daughter of Silver Hawk won a stakes at 1 3/16 miles and placed in several turf stakes up to 1 5/16 miles (she finished second in a 12 furlong stakes race on the main track), but was shut out in two attempts on Del-Penn Champions’ Day, placing sixth in 2003’s Filly and Mare Turf Mile and fifth in the 2004 DPCD Turf against males. It’s interesting to wonder what she would have accomplished on those occasions in a 1 3/8 mile DPCD Turf Distaff.
Where Are They Now?
All seven mares from the inaugural running of the race have begun their broodmare careers with lackluster results their as well. Sparkling Diamond, 2002’s third-place finisher, has proven the most successful thus far by virtue of Indispensable, a stakes winning and graded-placed 3-year-old son of Aptitude who is the co-third choice in the DPCD Classic at 1 ¼ miles on dirt.
Picks
Krug-Nag of Notley-Giantiano-Pops Birthday Gift