Gallop Fritz, Jam Tomorrow lead Illinois sprint
Illinois– Eleven older horses test their speedy mettle in the $65,000 Mr Donizetti Challenge. Over 7.5 furlongs, we’ve got an edgy field with the highest longshot on the board at only 14/1.
The Faves:
4/1 – Gallop Fritz (fritzieqk): Most lightly raced of the group, making 17th lifetime call to post. Victory Gallop 5YO specializes over 7f-7.5f. Won LTO at stakes level with 105 SP# 7f off pace run. Not a lot of speed with this group though, so he might get outlasted at wire. Consistency makes him the fave. Major threat and can’t be dismissed because of pace scenario.
9/2 – Jam Tomorrow (compassion): AP Indy 6YO versatile on or near the lead. Won over this distnace with 109 SP# a few starts back. Drops from forgettable graded level attempt. Can still threaten despite 38th lifetime start. Lite pace scenario should play right into his A-game. Good chance on 3 weeks rest.
6/1 – House of Phyl(GB) (sal): Opera House(GB) 4YO hasn’t raced since late November. Threw some big numbers over this distance last year. Speedster hooked it up in a duel LTO and finished a better-than-it-looked 7th, beaten only 3 1/4 lengths. Talented colt should enjoy soft pace fray and will likely hook it up with Jam Tomorrow. Not without a chance, but might “need a race.”
In The Wings:
7/1 – Bermuda Pirade (march2nd): Rahy 6YO makes 39th start and still earns some minor money at black type level. Rallied well over 7 panels LTO. Gonna need a big SP# to win this one though. Possible for minor money at best.
8/1 – Sergio Leone (diamondrun): Red Bullet closer threw a 110 SP# over 7.5f — albeit it was an off track though. Hasn’t won much, but consistently finishes in the money. Must bounce back from even effort. Has the goods to factor into the winner’s circle hunt.
9/1 – Hawkbone (ksparrow22): Miswaki 5YO took some time off from stakes to go 1-for-3 in sprint ALWs. Makes 40th call to post in return to black type company. Great 107 SP# in time-restricted ALW LTO. Won’t be too big of a surprise if the midpacker fires ferociously. However, you gotta wonder when he’s gonna slow down. We’ll see if he can duplicate that effort again at the higher level.
9/1 – Earl Grey (ydracing2): Interesting outsider who displayed a liking for this distance last season, placing a few times with good numbers. Twining 5YO also shortens up from 9f debacle LTO and that triggers a sharper effort sometimes. Or the closer can toss a tired clinker on two weeks rest. Lots of question marks, but has the numbers to hit the board again here. Possible.
The Longshots:
11/1 – Cat Academy G (wassie): Storm Cat 5YO was a stakes winner last year over 6.5f. Kind of inconsistent though — stalker has tough time delivering a sustained stretch drive. Trainer might’ve tried to “Wake him up” with 9.5f debacle LTO — sometimes, that’s effectuve in sharpening sprinters. Lite on SP#s though — will ened a big race to be much of a factor. Not likely.
12/1 – TOMS CRISPY CRUNCH(IRE) (south40): Pretty good at ALW level last season, Not Impossible(IRE) son then stepped up to make it happen at black type level. The 5YO picked up some money over 7.5 panels before tossing a couple clinkers. Hasn’t won much in 31 starts — stalker would need a career best effort to make much of a dent Saturday. Outsider. Not much of a chance.
12/1 – CERTIFABLY CRAZY (ashford): Trainer recently won the $25k CL shake for this Capote colt. The 4YO pulled his BP weight for previous trainer at ALW level. Confident entry — has to prove himself capable at this level though. Been racing over 6.5f and less — extra furlong could be the ticket. That’s probably what ashford figures. Hmmm…… interesting. But I’ll pass, preferring to see the experiment at ALW level first.
14/1 – GOING GET TOUGH (pisanor): Fantastic Light 4YO enjoys this distance at ALW — will need to improve SP#s though to factor into money positions here. Has only won 3 fo 21 lifetime starts — I’d say try to string together some ALW level wins first before this kind of ambitious placement. Something to prove.
Snowchief’s Picks:
I think it’s gonna take at least a 105 SP# to win this one … and you might see upwards to 110. Pretty evenly matched field across the board. I’ll with the classy favorite over the talented Sergio Leone and Earl Grey (who liked this distance last season). Also, look for Jam Tomorrow and House of Phyl to duke it out on the lead. Both might pick up some purse money.
Win: Gallop Fritz
Place: Sergio Leone
Show: Earl Grey or Jam Tomorrow
Good luck to all.