Short, well matched field tackles the Can Rizzo(GB) Memorial

This week, three year olds take the track most of them hoping to warm up for some of the big turf races later this season. Virginia’s feature race is the Can Rizzo(GB) Memorial, a race for all three year olds, running over eight and a half furlongs of turf. The track rating for this Saturday is good, following some moderate rain earlier this week. Three colts and a filly took up the challenge, and it looks to be a close race. Oddsmakers have three four entries going off at less than 3/1 odds, with the longshot at a realistic 9/1 odds. There is lots of young talent here, and we will be likely seeing more in them in the future.

PP 1) Aygues Tortes Sired by Sadler’s Wells, Trained by sasebas. Aygues Tortes makes his seventh career start here, and his second in stakes competition. He has the kind of blueblood breeding that trainers see in there sleep, and his just starting to hit his stride. In six career outings, he has put together a 1-3-1-0-0 record, with a top speed of 83.8 earned in his last outing. That race was an A2L effort at this distance in Ottawa, where he claimed second place in an eleven horse field. After two races on dirt, he switched to turf, and hasn’t finished worse than second. He is also finally getting the chance to stretch out, and his three routes have all been good efforts. He won his only previous off track start, claiming a thriller at the wire, also at this distance. He is a mid pack closer, and his close has been stellar on turf, with the exception of his last, where he was in a field with little early speed and a lot of pressure over the second half. He’ll have some early speed here to set him up. He has been improving steadily and should have a good effort here, a definite threat in the stretch.

PP 2) Kirby Country Sired by Cat Country, Trained by kirby66. Kirby Country is a three year old colt, who makes a field high start number twelve in this race. He is no strange to stakes competition, making his ninth consecutive stakes run. He has two stakes victories to his credit. His eleven previous starts have netted him a 4-3-0-3-1 record, with a high speed of 86.7, which came in his last run. His last outing was a six and a half furlong stakes in South Dakota, where he finished a closing second. He tried dirt one time, but his performance was definitely better on the grass, and ratcheted up when he began to face stakes competition. His longest prior start was six and a half furlongs, and that makes the distance here a question mark for him. He gives indications that his close may benefit from the additional real estate. He, too, has one his only prior off track start and he may like the spongy surface. He is a midpack closer, and while fairly consistent, he has been suffering from the early pace over much shorter races. If he can handle the distance here, he should be in the mix in the stretch.

PP 3) Tappa Tappa Keg Sired by Tapit, Trained by karmakaze. Tappa Tappa Keg is the sole filly gracing this field. She makes her first stakes start here in her ninth career start. Over the course of her first eight starts, she has posted a 1-2-1-0-3 record, with a best speed of 74.4, earned in her last outing. That race was a A*75 run here in Virginia, where see finished second, just missing by a head. After suffering an injury in here two year old debut, she switched to turf in her second race back, and she has enjoyed success with that change. She stretched out for only the second time in her last start, and it turned into her career best. She has no off track starts in her first eight, but the slower pace on the good surface may be what she needs to take a shot in this one. She runs as a midpack to deep closer, and while she has found at least a bit of close in all her turf starts, she hasn’t oftern been able to bring it home. The extra distance helps here, and a faster start could benefit her as well. She’s going to need a nice speed jump here to be threatening in the stretch here, though.

PP 4) Barb’s Double Allie Sired by Distorted Humor, Trained by jakematt. Barb’s Double Allie comes into this one as the favorite. The three year old colt makes his ninth career start here, and his second at stakes level. He brings a 3-3-1-0-0 record into this one from his first eight, with a lifetime best speed of 92.1, which came in his last outing. He won his last, and A3L effort in New York at eight fulongs, where he put away a field of ten by two and a half lengths. He has never posted less than a 78 speed on turf, a hefty improvement over his first two starts on dirt. He also loves the distance, having won three of four starts at eight or better furlongs, his only stumble being the DCPD Juvenile Turf, facing a very tough field. Though he takes an off the pace start speed from the gate, he has found himself in or close to the lead in a good deal of his starts, and he is hard to catch, usually having plenty left for the stretch. He’s going to make the closers work for this one, and if he duplicates his last, he could earn his first stakes victory here.