Delaware Serves Up Grade 3 Strange Brew
The Delaware track pours for the eighth time the Strange Brew Turf Handicap. The $100,000 nine furlong turf race was first run in 1999 making it one of the long running stakes in the sim. The race shapes up with one speed horse, grimmy’s Z Dancer. 4-1 favorite Scotian Kid, 9/2 second favorite Cry of the Fox and 5-1 third choice Seeking Sal figure to be the top contenders most likely to run down Z Dancer before the finish line. Last year’s Strange Brew winner, Lyric Poet, also has returned to defend his title. Here is the entire field, in post position order, with the odds, jockey and owner in parentheses.
Giddyup Diddie (10-1, P Fabre, deelynette)
This mare is once again trying to take on the boys. She is the 31st ranked classic distance mare that is a multiple stakes winner. This includes a win in the Grade 1 Cedora D Stakes at Illinois in week 2587. Though she has not had much success recently taking on the opposite sex, she did post a victory against colts early in her 3yo season in the Disturbing Storm(IRE) Handicap in week 1999.
Highest Love(IRE) (7-1, D Silver, lostcode)
Lostcode’s Highest Love has raced impressively recently. He finished second in his last two races, including a 102 speed figure last time out in an allowance race in Michigan and a placing in the Bird Seed Bonanza Stakes in Illinois in week 2685. He also was a winner three races ago. His recent form makes him a strong threat for top honors.
Scotian Kid (4-1, C Sanders, dougiec5)
Though he has one only three of eighteen lifetime races, Scotian Kid is a perfect one for one on the turf. That win was in the Prosper Vision Stakes in week 2608 at Upper New York. That victory was his first since his two year old season. This four year old colt is racing against older horses for the first time in his career. He is graded stakes placed and figures to be right there for the victory based on his win in the Prosper Vision.
Z Dancer (5-1, G Rogers, grimmy)
As mentioned earlier, there is a single speed horse in this race, and that is Z Dancer. He was able to go wire to wire in his last race, but that is the first time in a while that he has been able to take his easy lead and carry it home to victory. This veteran of 55 races has seen the winners circle 14 times. His last race was an allowance win in California with a 102 speed rating. That was a good tuneup for the Strange Brew, a race in which Z Dancer finished second last year. One final interesting tidbit about this multiple stakes winner is that he ran as a claimer during his four year old season, but he wasn’t claimed.
Eternity(IRE) (8-1, Z Wylde, blackirish)
Eternity has a very favorable 6 wins in fourteen starts on the turf. This record includes nine races over on the sod of Ireland. Eternity is running out of the EAAA division for only the second time in his career. The first race in the North American division was his last race, a disappointing ninth place finish in the DelPenn Championship Day Pennsylvania Handicap. He won a stakes race as a two year old in an owner restricted race and looks for his second stakes win in the Strange Brew.
Joyoflife (7-1, B Dillin, turfsurf)
Owner/trainer turfsurf has compiled and impressive record in the sim, with over 100 victories. He will try to instill some of that success in Joyoflife this week. Joyoflife ran second last time out in a North Florida allowance race in week 2713. He also won three races back, also an allowance race. Joyoflife has been enjoying success of late in allowance company but will need to step it up against graded competition to continue his successful streak.
Lyric Poet (7-1, B Ironside, opinora)
Lyric Poet has been a faithful turfer throughout his career. After his first career race on the dirt, owner/trainer opinora sent Lyric Poet to the grass and won. This son of Dixieland Band (Dixieland Band x A.P. Indy x Forli) has been on the turf ever since that first victory. Lyric Poet won this race last year and looks to repeat that performance again this year. He has had success on the Delaware lawn with the win in last year’s Strange Brew and also finished 2nd by a nose in his other Delaware race.
Seeking Sal (5-1, H Ross, keryn)
Seeking Sal may be coming into the Strange Brew with the best recent form. He has finished 2nd in his last two races including a speed figure of 106 in the owner restricted DPCD Mile at Pennsylvania in week 2706. He has previous history of good form streaks. In the transition from his two year old season to the beginning of the three year old season he had a four race winning streak, culminating in a Grade 1 victory in the DUR AJC in week 2454. This race will be Seeking Sal’s first race of his four year old year.
Cry of the Fox (9/2, I Wimpy, redback)
Frequent winner Cry of the Fox is coming off a very successful 2005 campaign. He was the winner of five races last year, totaling thirteen wins for his career. As a two year old he won the Grade 3 Flying Saucer Stakes, his only stakes victory. As second favorite, owner/trainer redback hopes to get Cry of the Fox hopes to get Cry of the Fox back to the graded stakes winners circle.
What else to look for at Delaware in Week 2741:
In the seventh race zewango3’s Wylde Cat shows up in a conditioned allowance race. The race is the seventh and Wylde Cat is the 3/5 favorite. In his last race Wylde Cat finished second in the Grade 1 Blue Ant Handicap on DelPenn Championship Day. The first race of Wylde Cat’s 6 race career was here at Delaware in week 2517. He finished second in a maiden special weight that day.
Two Delaware regulars will be racing this week. Gone and Went(IRE) is once again entered in a starter allowance in the 8th race. This is the seventh straight race at Deleware for Gone and Went. Owner/Trainer theodore10 claimed Gone and Went in week 2608 and has enjoyed two wins, a second, and a third in the five races since the claim. Meanwhile, tartar’s Barefoot Rose also races for the seventh straight time. Barefoot Rose had a four race winning streak at Delaware but finished third and fourth in his last two races. Rider B Ironside is up in the saddle for the seventh straight time.
Former Grade 1 winner and 2004 Bluegrass Derby participant Danzig With Buda will participate in a conditioned allowance race in the 9th race. Owner/Trainer juju looks to get ‘Buda back on the winning track by dropping out of stakes and graded stakes competition for the first time in seven races.