The Next Great Marathon Mare?

We have eight ladies here for the G3 Irish Lassie Marathon. This is truly a marathon at two miles on the firm turf course for fillies and mares 4yo and up. The purse is $125,000. This is the first running of this race, and it should be an exciting one. We have a graded winner, a filly with five wins in a row, a former claimer who can hold her own in stakes company, and plenty of time between the starting gate and the finish line to grab another Guinness.

In post one at 5/1 is Flaming Pegasus. The pride of the susie stable, this 4yo Fusaichi Pegasus filly is all about running all day. So you think Mr. Prospector is purely a speed influence? Think again. Resident marathon expert tbgifted will tell you different. In his words, from an October 2005 interview, “Fu Peg, even though by Mr. P, has fantastic route offspring. This filly belongs to my daughter and tells the tale. She and I set down last year and she said she wanted a Fu Peg baby and that is what she ended up with. Considering that the filly is only 3 yrs old and posting 90+ with 95 being the best so far going 16f on grass, I don’t think that is to bad. She should be better as a 4yr old. There are G1s over 16f on grass being won by older mares with slower times than what this filly has posted. My Daughter finally has her stakes winner so the next step is to move her up and see if she can get herself a Graded stakes win.” Today may be the day. She has racked up four open stakes wins to date, with three of those being over today’s distance. Expect jockey F. Dirks (10%) to take her to the lead and dare the others to keep up.

In post two at 12/1 is Isabeau(Ire). She is a 5yo mare by Noverre(Ire). Foton got a real bargain when he claimed this gal for a mere $10,000. Since then she has racked up five wins in starter allowances. She also has started in her first two stakes races, and hit the board in each, running second over 14f and third over 16f. There’s absolutely no question about whether this mare can run long. Her speed of 88 over the two miles may not be as fast as some others in here have run, but depending on how the race plays out, she certainly has a shot to once again hit the board. A. Reed (18%) is one of the best jockeys in Ireland, and he wouldn’t be on her if he didn’t think she could make some noise.

In post three at 5/1 is 4play‘s Erin Express. She is a 5yo by Machiavellian. Would you like more evidence that Mr. Prospector breeding can produce long-winded runners? Her damsire is Forty Niner and her dam’s damsire is none other than Mr. Prospector himself. Yes, triple Mr. P in there, and she is a stakeswinner at two miles on turf. She has also won stakes at 12 furlongs on turf and 5.5 furlongs on dirt. Talk about versatility! She is going to make one very nice broodmare someday. R. Inch (10%) is in the saddle today.

In post four at 9/1 is Dahomey, owned by rafita. She is a 4yo by Mr. Greeley. Oh look, another Mr. Prospector line! She has won turf stakes at distances of 9.5 furlongs, 14 furlongs, and two miles. She won two of her last three starts, all in stakes at distances of 14-16 furlongs on turf. She is a deep closer who uncharacteristically failed to fire last time out, which may explain her odds today. I fully expect her to bounce back from that experience and come flying up the stretch here, as she has Ireland’s best rider for closers, Miss E C Doyle (15%), in the irons.

Greenacres’ Hard Times goes off at 4/1 from post position five. She is a 5yo by More Than Ready out of the G1-winning Sunday Silence mare Hill Dandy. She has fired off an impressive 111 at 8.5 furlongs, but has not been two miles before. She has run a 91 at 11 furlongs, but her one try at 14 furlongs (in a race won by Dahomey) did not go so well. However, she does like to run close to the pace, and broke very badly in that race, never getting a chance to settle in and run her race, so it may not be a true indication of her ability to handle these conditions. C. Rice (9%) rides her today.

In post six at 6/1 is Laura’s Parade(Eng). She is a 7yo by Past Glories(Eng) and is owned by mapastable. She is the only stakeswinner sired by Past Glories(Eng), and is also a graded winner, having won the G3 Eloquent Lady Handicap at 10 furlongs in her first start as a 6yo last year. She has many other stakes wins to her credit, as well as a second place finish in the G1 Sweet Cream Ladies at two miles in 2003. Past Glories may be a good description of her at this stage of her campaign, but she has racked up over 700K in earnings over a long and successful career, and she should not be overlooked. D. Doyle (10%) holds the reins.

In post seven at 9/2 is my own Dr. Schneidbaitzim(Ire). She is a 7yo by Theatrical(Ire). She is still lightly raced and with much to prove, and she’s never gone two miles, although she has won an allowance at 14 furlongs. She is a stakeswinner, having won the owner-restricted Emerald Isle for Ireland residents last time out at 12 furlongs. She may be a bit over her head, and the odds are better than I believe they should be, but all six of her wins did come within the last year, and if anyone can give her a good ride, it’s Mizzi Russell (12%). Oh, and her damsire is Gulch…more Mr. Prospector connections!

Rounding out the field is today’s favourite at 3/1, Magical Mia(Ire). She is by Giant’s Causeway(Ire), is owned by boots, and was bred by masterab, breeder of both Evil Yes Evil, who won the G3 Irish Marathon here in 2004, and also of the incomparable Allied Assault. Enough said, Larry knows how to breed long distance turf champions. He’s taken his time in letting this gal develop and mature, waiting until late in her 3yo season to stretch her out and start her in stakes. She makes her graded debut here in her first start as a 4yo. She has won five races in a row, the last three all being stakes, two of them at two miles. She has won those three by a combined distance of 20-1/4 lengths. Heck, she hasn’t even been tested yet! With Z. Kentucky (20%) on board, she likely won’t be tested here, either, and will walk away with her sixth win in a row and a GW tag next to her name. This is the next great marathon mare here, folks…I predict this race will be the start to a year of domination in the long turf ranks.

WOW, what a field. I am really looking forward to this one. This a great way to kick off the season here in Ireland. The odds may not look it, but this really is a nice matchup, and there isn’t a filly or mare here who doesn’t stand a chance. Alas, the Luck O’ The Irish can only be with one of them, for there can be only one winner.