Ten sign on the dotted line for Polish Sword(IRE) Stakes

The track dried out nicely for this week’s feature race in Virginia, the Polish Sword(IRE) Stakes. Ten entrants will run over six furlongs of firm turf, for a purse of $55000 that the top half of this field to split. The race is for all horse four years and older, and has drawn a diverse field, from multiple stakes winners to horses seeking their first taste of glory at this level. They range in age from four to eight years old, and one mare has even thrown her hat into the ring. Eight of the ten entries are under 15/1 odds, with a favorite going off at 5/2 and a long shot bid of only 21/1 odds. A surprise is not out of the question here and as usal here in Virginia, seeing will be believing.

PP 1) Ton Gleam Sired by Squire, Trained by irishpony. Ton Gleam is a six year old horse making his twenty ninth career start. His resume includes two career stakes victories, the last coming in the middle of last season. Over his last ten starts, he has garnered a 1-4-2-1-1 record, breaking thee 100 speed mark on four occasions. He comes off a second place finish in an Illinois stakes at this distance, after leading it into the stretch. He’s a pure sprinter, and he has broekn the 110 mark in four starts in the six and a half to seven furlong range. He has only had one dirt start, with that being a longer route, but with his turf performance, there doesn’t seem to have been any reason to mess with success. He is a fast starter, and you will rarely see him off the early pace. When he does fail to capture a piece of that early lead, he tends to suffer for it. He seems to like about a furlong more than he has here, but he ha had some trouble holding his leads late, so the shorter race may benefit him. If he holds a piece of the lead at the first call, he should be in the mix down the stretch.

PP 2) Capt. Jack Sparrow Sired by Treasure Cove, Trained by druidhill. Capt. Jack Sparrow makes twenty second career start here in the first start of his five year old season. This will be his first stakes start since April of last year, and he still seeks his first stakes win. Over his last ten starts, he has run to a 3-1-1-0-1 record, with one 100+ speed. He comes off a disappointing seventh place finish in a dirt allowance at six and a half furlongs in Texas. Thirteen of twenty one career starts have been turf starts in this distance range, and it definitely seems to be his best race. He definitely displays a turf preference speedwise. He’s a deep closer, and his close has been very good and quite consistent on the grass. Many times he has found himself to deeply out have the half to bring it all the way home in the short races he has been running. Would like to see him stretch it out a bit more on turf just to see. He will need to get a good speed bump here to be a factor in the stretch.

PP 3) Pindi Sired by Devil’s Bag, Trained by punter75. Pindi is the most veteran runner in this field. The six year old horse makes his fifty fith career start in this outing. He boasts six career stakes victories, on of those coming at graded level. He has gone 0-1-1-3-1 over his last ten, three 100+ runs. He comes off a hard closing fourth place in a Minnesota stakes at this distance in his last outing. Over his long career he has tried several surface and distance combinations, but success has always brought him back to the six to seven furlong turf range. He is a deep closer, and his close has been like clockwork. He hasn’t quite shown the speed he did back in four year old season, and he hasn’t quite been able to bring that close to the wire. A race like his last could put him in the mix at the end here, but he will need a return to form to win this one.

PP 4) Solid Rock(IRE) Sired by Rock Of Gilbraltar(IRE), Trained by revelation. Solid Rock(IRE) is one of the younger horses in this field, having just turned four, and he makes his fourteenth career start here. This is his third stakes try, and he is looking to put his first stakes victory on the books. He has run to an 3-0-0-3-0 mark in his last ten starts and he is still looking to break the 100 speed mark for the first time. He comes off a fading but still close fourth place finish in a stakes at this distance right here in Virginia in his last race. This distance range on turf has been his bread and butter race, with his best speeds and the bulk of his earnings coming right here. He has been running just off the pace most of the time, but with a couple exceptions, he hasn’t shown the inclination to close in the second half. He has shown that he might be capable of closing from a bit deeper, and he might want to back it off and dsave a little bt more for the stretch run. He will need to match his career best or better to take this one to the winner’s circle.

PP 5) Ole Guapa Sired by Fred Astaire, Trained by ireagle. Ole Guapa is a five year old horse coming into this one as the longshot. He makes his twenty third career start, and his first start at stakes level. He has gone 3-1-0-2-0 over the course of his last ten starts, bouncing mostly around the claim and allowance ranks, with no 100+ runs. He comes in behind a fourth place finish in a North Carolina starter allowance run at six and a half furlongs in his last race. He has tried a variety of distance, and even flirted with dirt in a few starts, and he has had his best success in the eight to nine furlong range on turf. His career best came at seven furlongs right here in Virginia, though. Coincidentally, it was also his slowest break from the gate in any of his career starts. The pace in that field was somewhat slower than he is likely to face here though. He will need some more of that old Virginia magic to be a force in this one.

PP 6) King Rancid Sired by Kingmambo, Trained by ascot. King Rancid is the old man of this field, kicking off his eight year old season with his thirty seventh career start. He is looking for his first stakes win stepping back up from a sojourn at allowance level. His last ten starts have netted him a 2-2-0-2-0 record with one 100+ run. He comes off a heartbreaking second place finish by a nose in a seven and a half furlong dirt allowance in South Carolina. He’s run from five to ten furlongs on both surfaces, and his best performances have been right here in this distance range. His speeds have generally been higher on dirt, but his career best speed came on the grass. He is a faster starter, and seems to get a better jump and more staying power on fast dirt. He is going to need a lot more than he has shown recently to have a chance in this one.

PP 7) Morning Return Sired by Kingmambo, Trained by skydog. Morning Return is a five year old horse making his first stakes start. This will be his eighteen career run. In his last ten starts, he has cobbled together a 3-1-1-0-2 record with three 100+ runs. He comes off a convincing A2s allowance win at this distance on dirt in his last outing, going gate to wire. He is a career sprinter with sixteen of seventeen start coming in the five to six and a half range, and he has done well, breaking the top three in ten of those starts. This will be his first try on turf. Without even an off track start to gauge by, it is hard to say how he will react to the softer surface. His breeding indicates a good chance on turf, but a good deal of their turf success also comes at longer route distances. He is a leader/stalker type run, and seems to be at his best when he can claim the early lead. He has proven hard to catch when he can get himself out front early. The softer surface will most like determine his fate in this one. Most like he won’t be able to open as large a cushion as he likes, and he faces some veteran turf closers here.

PP 8) Daring Jet Sired by Grand Slam, Trained by bigsteve54. Daring Jet is a seven year old horse, running in his thirty fifth career start. He is still searching for his first stakes win. His record in his last ten races is an impressive 2-2-2-1-2, with three 100+ starts. He comes off a fourth place finish in a stakes at this distance in Massachusetts in his last start. While he has shown ability out to eight and a half furlongs, he has been at his best in very short races. Though he is primarily a dirt runner, he has won two of his previous three turf starts, and has shown more than enough speed on the grass to compete in this field. He enjoys running from a length or two off the pace, and though his close is not always consistent, his stamina is what holds him in good stead in this type of race. He is rarely far out at the wire. He doesn’t as much pass horses, it is more a case of them flagging while he runs strong. A strong early pace in this one would be his friend, but either way, look for him to be inside three lengths at the wire.

PP 9) Machiavellian War Sired by War Chant, Trained by poppop2. Machiavellian War comes into this one as the odds on favorite, having shown himself to be one of the hottest horses in this field. He is a five year old horse, with three stakes victories in his twenty six career starts. He has blazed his way to a 4-1-2-1-0 record over his last ten starts, with six 100+ runs over that series of starts. He comes off an impressive win in this same type of stakes in Illinois in his last run. He has tried both surfaces out to eight furlongs, but it isn’t hard to see from his past performances that this race is right in his sweet spot with four of his wins and the majority of his career best speeds in this range on turf. He is a deep closer, and his close has been the picture of consistency, regularly eating up large chunks of ground in the second half against a high level of competition. If he runs the way he has been recently, he will be very tough to beat here.

PP 10) Unsung River Sired by Unbridled’s Song, Trained by shawninwy. Unsung River is a five year old mare, making her thirty second career start. She is no stranger to stakes competition or racing with the boys and has two stakes wins to her credit. In her last ten starts, she boasts a 4-2-1-1-2 record with three 100+ runs. She comes of a fifth place finish in a six and a half furlongs stakes in Nebraska in her last run in a tightly contested battle. She has run well on both surfaces, but thus far has done her best in turf runs in this distance range. She had excellent dirt speeds and success in shorter classic distance, and it would be interesting to see how she handled that distance on turf. She is generally a stalker, but she is not above taking an early lead if offered, and she is capable of running wire to wire. She has one of the best records in this field over her last ten, and has been doing some of her best running. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see her surprise this field.