Five Line Up For Danzig Swede Stakes

The big race on the card for this week in Ascot is The Danzig’s Swede Stakes, a turf race run over a mile and three quarters for horses of four years of age and older. The weather has been colt, but sunny here in Ascot, look for the turf track to remain firm into Saturday’s race. A small field of five has drawn into the Danzig’s Swede Stakes, let’s take a look at the competition.

In the post position on the rail will be Prosper Nijinsky (Prosper Fager x Nijinsky II x Round Table). This six year old bay horse is owned and trained by blaster2 . The Danzig’s Swede Stakes will be this horss forty-first career start. This horses last start was in the Grade III Mean Joe Green Classic where the horse posted a ninety-two speed figure, but finished eighth, thireteen and one-half lengths behind the winner of the race. The horses last victory came in late January last year at an allowance caliber race in Longchamp, on a yeilding turf track. Perhaps the biggest question with Prosper Nijinsky is his age. Though he’s come close in some of his more recent starts, for more than one year the winning position has continued to elude him.

In the second post is PJ Free Runner (War Chant x Sadler’s Wells x Affirmed). This chestnut five year old horse is owned by flyingfinn . The last start for this horse was in The Mine Thorn Challenge where he managed to hold on to fifth place, eleven and one-half lengths behind the vitor, and posted a speed figure of ninety. The horses last win was just a few races prior to his last start, in an allowance grade race in Spain where he won two and three-fourths lenghts over the rest of the field, bettering his previoius speed figure by three.

Next will be Merryxmasdaddy (Trempolino x Persian Bold (IRE) x Lypheor (GB)) a five year old horse owned and trained by dapsal . The Danzig’s Swede Stakes will be this chestnut’s fourtieth career start.. His last start was also in Mine Thorn Challenge where he won by four and one-fourth lenghts over the rest of the field with a recorded speed figure of one hundred, just a shade away from his career best speed figure of one hundred seven.

In the four slot is Stronghold (Point Given x Northern Dancer x Seattle Slew) owned by jonsnow This colt, at four years of age, is the youngest entrant in the field, with only a lucky thirteen career starts, five of which were wins. This will be this colt’s second stakes start, his first being his debut race in The GR Simsters Eat My Dust Stakes where the colt finished fifth as a two year old. The colt’s last start came in an allowance caliber race in Ireland where he won by four and three-fourth lenghts, the race prior, also in Ireland, also resulted in a victory by one and three-fourth lenghts for the colt. As a matter of fact this is the first time the colt will be leaving Ireland in his last seven starts..

And in the five post and on the far outside will be Ol Twinkle Toes (IRE) (Theatrical (IRE) x Pleasant Tap x Marquetry) and is owned and trained by hornfrog3 . The Danzig’s Swede Stakes will be this five year old horses thirtith career start. The horses last start was in The Ivory Jove Challenge where he finished third, however twenty-three lenghts behind the winner and only recording a speed figure of eighty-three. The horses last win was just two races prior to The Ivory Jove Challange and was an allowance race in Ostend where the colt managed to hang on to the win by three-fourths of a length over the rest of the field.