Look of Eagles – Going the Distance in Delaware
Greetings race fans and welcome to Delaware. This is a tremendously busy time of year, the Super Bowl is one week away, the college basketball season is in full swing, Kobe Bryant is dropping 81 points on people, and Spring Training starts in a few weeks. Here in the horse racing world, young colts begin their quest for roses in May. My oh my did you see you Tatsuji break his maiden at Santa Anita the other day? Looks like a serious Derby horse if you ask me, and the pedigree looks positively juicy (Fusaichi Pegasus x Lyphard).
We have an intriguing contest today to whet your appetite for the above events. The Grand Machine Memorial will be a test of heart and endurance for six 4-year-olds and up fillies and mares. It is a thrill to own a stakes winning horse, and that thrill is only magnified when that stakes winner is a horse that can cover a long route of ground. Lets take a look at the field today.
The favorite in the race is Hannah’s Boo Boo, a spirited daughter of Storm Cat. Owner rharfo is excited by his filly’s chances and he has just cause for his enthusiasm. Hannah’s Boo Boo is a sleek looking filly whose big victory came in the G3 King Ranch Special at 10 furlongs. She put up a 108 SF that day in a career effort. She likes to stalk the leaders, though at times she will drop back to mid-pack if the race has a lot of speed. One of the stories to watch today is that there is no true speed in this race, so it will be interesting to see if a jockey attempts to steal this race by putting his horse on the lead. That may be the strategy rharfo’s connections go for here, because distance may be a problem. Hannah’s Boo Boo raced at 12 furlongs once, in the 4th start of her career posting an 85 SF. She has never run longer than 10 furlongs since then and jumping to the lead could demoralize the field and allow her to coast home in the final furlong. Of course why tamper with a horse that has won a graded race? Yes, the nuances of strategy are what make this game so addictive (well, that and the dollar beers they are selling at the track today). Hannah’s Boo Boo is coming into this race off an allowance win at 10 furlongs. She will almost certainly place in the top 3, and victory is very possible, although it is unknown how she will handle that final furlong.
The top threat to Hannah’s Boo Boo appears to be veteran 8-year-old mare Canadian Dividend. A daughter out of Lane’s End super stallion A.P. Indy, she has had a long and successful career. She is a perfect example of why you should wait with horses and see how they develop. Canadian Dividend has won a stakes race at 11 furlongs with a 102 SF. She has also won three stakes races at 10.5 furlongs with a top time of 110, which is just sick. She has a versatile running style so probably won’t be bothered by the lack of a front-runner here. The only hesitation I have is her age, at 8 years old, her best days are behind her, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that like Billy Chapel, she has one more day of summer and turns in one final performance worthy of a Sportscenter highlight before heading off to the breeding shed.
Sage in Cedar could be a major threat if she likes the distance. She’s out of Anziyan, who is the genetic twin of monster sire Danehill. Anziyan is an intriguing, inexpensive sire that can get you a stakes horse as this filly proves. Sage in Cedar won at 10 furlongs 2 races back. She has two stakes wins at 9 furlongs with a top speed of 105. A deep closer, the question becomes, does she have anything to run at? It’s impossible to tell until she gets out on the track. Closers are like Adam Sandler movies; they are either outstanding or completely flat. This will be the first time Sage in Cedar has run 11 furlongs.
A horse getting a little buzz around the track is Yugo Ride T. No, its not Walk the Line buzz, but a 6th place showing in the Del Pen G1 at 11 furlongs has been enough to start people considering this daughter of Jugah. Yugo Ride T hasn’t done much lately; her last victory was in week 2454 in a 9.5-furlong stakes. The question looms though, if she was good enough to run 6th in a grade 1 at the distance, might she be set up for a big run here? She likes to run toward the back of the pack, though she may be moving up closer to the pace Saturday. The long losing streak is hard to ignore and I don’t think she’ll find the winners circle. A top three is definitely possible.
An Unbridled’s Song that likes to go a long way? That is Dawn Rooster, a beautiful gray filly. She’s a stalker who might end up the pace setter in this race. If she does, she could very well be the horse to try and wire the field. She ran at 12 furlongs her last time out, finishing 3rd in a Stakes race. I really like her drop down to 11; it seems perfect for how she’s been trained. Dawn Rooster has two 2nds at 10.5 furlongs in Stakes races as well. If she’s going to break through for a win, today seems like a perfect set up. She’ll need to increase her SFs at the distance to find the winners circle. I like her chance a lot. As in I like Kate Beckinsale as Selene a lot.
The final entry into the Grand Machine Memorial is Deb’s Dayjob by Old Trieste. She is coming off her first career attempt on the turf, which didn’t go so well; resulting is a 22-length defeat. She has run 2nd in a stakes race at 11 furlongs with a 99 SF so she has the ability to get the distance with a solid time. Deb’s Dayjob is a closer, so she’ll face the same challenges as Yugo Ride T. We know this horse can get the distance, and an upset is possible (though at 6/1 odds it wouldn’t be that huge of an upset)
This is a strong little field; I can envision a scenario in which any of the above horses wins, which is exactly what you want in a Stakes race. I really like the way Dawn Rooster was trained for this race, and I’m going to go with an upset pick and select her for the winner’s circle. Hannah’s Boo Boo and Canadian Dividend, both proven winners in Stakes races will be tough though.
Now that I’m settled in to watch this race, I can get back to my dollar beers and contemplate my first questions. The Super Bowl (Pittsburgh), college basketball (I think my alma matter Wolverines are finally going to get back to the NCAA Tournament), the NBA (Pistons for the title, Lakers won’t win enough to get Kobe the MVP), and Spring Training (Tigers will finally get to .500, this is the year the Yankees take back the World Series). As for the Derby? I’ll let you know in 6-8 weeks.