Start Spreading The News: New York Showcase Day Overview

It’s here.

This weekend marks the culmination of efforts to hold regional stakes racing for locally-bred horses in New York. It’s New York Showcase Day for the Sim this Saturday, over cool, fast and firm conditions at the New York track, herein known better as “Simqueduct”.

New York Showcase Day for the Sim was directly influenced by Fastnfirm and his efforts to create local-bred stakes racing similar to the Maryland Millions. Those races were the first to hit the track back in October, open to everyone in the Sim with a Maryland-bred. By all accounts it was a smashing success, and it helped me, well, copy him, frankly. But Fastnfirm got to the mountaintop first. Thanks for pioneering, Fastnfirm.

I had the credits…most of them, at least. But I needed some extra funding to get the races I required to make my idea of a New York Showcase something special. My chatroom buddies helped me out…in exchange for some naming rights. Extra special thanks to Hartack, Squirrel, and my frenemy Donny Beisbol for donating to make the New York Showcase a reality.

Local-bred stakes racing has been exceedingly slow to become a regular part of the Sim landscape. We have horses bred from all over in the Sim, and local races for them to compete against their equal peers, but the next step opening some stakes for all local horses hasn’t come up. I am sincerely hoping, in 2014 and going forward, that these local stakes become a regular part of the Sim landscape, and not just races purchased for all by a few. This first Showcase card makes a solid case for becoming scheduled regularly.

The races purchased were a total of 8 stakes races, 4 open allowances, and a pair of starter allowances. Most of them drew healthy fields, and a couple of races actually had to turn a few away. The schedule is as follows:

Donny Beisbol is Seriously Juvenile (2yo colts) 8f
Hopelessly Devoted To Your Hart Juvenile Fillies (2yo fillies) 8f

Dr. Dipper Lip’s Dime Bag Turf Stakes (3yo & up) 9f T
Mia Wallace’s $5 Milkshake Ladies Turf (3yo & up FM) 8.5f T

Empire State of Mind Shagfarms Sprint (3yo & up) 7f
Emmy’s Got A Gun Ladies Dash (3yo & up FM) 6f

Squirrel’s a Classy Lady Stakes (3yo up & FM) 8.5f
CVBear’s Gotham City Classic (3yo & up) 9f

Allowance (2yo) 7f T
Allowance (3yo & up FM) 7f T
Allowance (3yo & up) 6f T
Allowance (3yo & up) 12f
Starter allowance (3yo & up – $15K tag) 8f
Starter allowance (3yo & up FM – $15K tag) 8f

First, the allowances. The seven-furlong turf allowance for fillies and mares came up with a field of 8, but really boils down to a match-up of 2 graded-placed mares, the Grade I-placed Evermore Cahoots, trained by rlog, and the Grade III-placed (on dirt) Winged Valkyrie, trained by buffy5. Evermore Cahoots brings the class on grass, but Winged Valkyrie has shown some pretty good recent form on turf lately. If you’re in need of a dark horse, the (*ahem*) cvbear-owned, tizway-trained Dream About You, who has won two in a row in sprints, is a possibility, as is the nylebowbreds-trained Northern Uprising, who won on dirt last out but who also has solid form sprinting on the grass.

The turf sprint for the boys has a stand-alone favorite in A Generous Cat, a millerfar2 trainee who remarkably has hit the board in all 13 of his 2013 races. He’ll be turning back to a sprint, however, and appears to be matched pretty well by clooooch‘s horse Myboycosmo, jrm6‘s Camazotz Giant, who has won two of his last 3, and most interestingly, Motor Forker, a recent arrival from the barn of champions5 into the capable hands of trainer canyontx2 who happens to have won 2 in a row for him, and three in a row overall.

The marathon race drew a compact field, and a unique one, with five of the six entries being three-year-old colts. It’s a mixed bag, headlined by well-bred Blue Atlas Cat, who has won four of his last five for trainer baffie2 by a total of just under 17 lengths.He’s by Bluegrass Cat, and the other Bluegrass Cat in the field, the testing123-trained Afflicted, figures to be the main rival, who won against New York-breds at ten furlongs two starts back.

The open baby race on the grass, a seven-panel sprint, has two fillies in the mix of ten entries, but it’s the colt on the outside, Rule Me Out, who stands out as a favorite. The tarski horse won his debut on the grass, and then showed himself to be a very talented dirt horse, but if he runs back to his dirt form on the turf, he should handle this motley crew of juveniles. The “now” horse of the bunch might be Monte And John, a Bob And John colt trained by monte4 who won a smart debut against New York-breds a month ago with a sparkling speed figure of 79 and who figures to sit well here. Of the fillies, the intriguing one might be (*ahem*) the cvbear-owned, dehere-trained Outaspace, a Cosmonaut filly who has won two impressive mile races in a row but has stepped up to take on colts in this sprinting slot.

The starters drew pretty light fields. The filly starter drew only 4, and three of those (Herewoody, trained by junkester; McColloch, trained by claycord; and Selthisa, trained by iamsaved) are very evenly matched. The open starter, though, drew eight horses and comes out as a pretty competitive field. Mad, bred by me but trained now by nybreeds, has some good form against state-breds and won a claimer back in May at a mile and a sixteenth, but seems better suited to sprinting, and oddny2‘s Hobo Curse hasn’t won this year but has been super-competitive against New York-breds all season. But the horse they have to stare down is the strong favorite, con10der11‘s Girolamo Contender, who has won three times in thirteen starts this year, including two wins in local starters.

Next up, the stakes, all of whom are worth $100,000. Race names were conceived by me and my gracious sponsors, and the most popular race was Beisbol’s race, the aptly-named Donny Beisbol is Seriously Juvenile at a mile for two-year-old colts. It actually drew an overflow field, which prevented a maiden from starting, but even in spite of that, one maiden did indeed pass the entry box. Another anomaly: the only stakes-winner in the bunch is NOT the favorite. Cat’s Boys, a bukowski trainee won a listed stakes in Iowa on October 20, earning a top speed figure of 96, but the oddsmaker saw a HOT race last out which he won with ease but earning a lower speed figure, and moved him back to a second choice. The speedster has never been a mile but does have some stamina in his pedigree that makes a mile seem possible to handle. Jamison Impazible is the favorite, and also has been a solid sprinter trying as mile for the first time here. Trained by kyjelly, he was an even seventh in the Grade II Future in September, and a good, closing second in a seven-and-a-half furlong allowance last out on October 22. His speed figures have been strong and improving, implying the stretch-out is in his wheelhouse.

Other contenders include Bobcat Country, trained by lglong2yzy, who was 1-for-2 for his old trainer in the claiming ranks outside America, and who is 1-for-2 for his current connections at or beyond a mile; Popcorn Sutton, for pointblank, who has hit the board in 5 of his 6 state-bred outings, including a win at a mile last out; Impazable Hero, running for fabstables, fourth in the now unfortunately-named Duck Dynasty last out but an easy wire-to-wire allowance winner two back at the distance, and Told You Ben, under the banner of zamzam, an impressive maiden winner in open company on November 2.

The Hopelessly Devoted To Your Hart Juvenile Fillies, also at a mile, is the Hartack-sponsored event, and it too overdrew at the entry deadline. This looks initially to be a two-horse battle between heavy favorites. Lush Green is the lone stakes winner, having won three in a row earlier in the season, but she’s never been beyond six furlongs for trainer maxy even though she’s bred to get the distance. Alouette runs for wess and has run three times at a mile, but she’s been no better than second. Their speed figures do hang over the field like a dust cloud, but the fillies here do not lack for experience: three of these have ten starts or more on the year, at just 2! And there’s some ability hidden under the dust, like Historia, who is unbeaten at a mile in the claiming ranks for trainer odin; Boys Fever, a high-priced claimer winner in her debut for db2; Boys From Brooklyn, making her debut beyond a mile for donnyb; and intriguing filly Idea Bubble, who as trained by oasisdream made a good impression winning her dirt debut last out in a state-bred sprint allowance.

Squirrel put her nuts (minds out of the gutter, people, she gave credits) behind the Squirrel’s a Classy Lady Stakes, a mile and a sixteenth stakes that fills in where the real-world New York Showcase Day leaves out a division, the state-bred distaffers routing on dirt. It’s a nine-horse field that is deepest when it comes to favorites with a fair chance to win: either you’re 14-1 or under, or you’re 44-1 or over on the tote board. Mayor Quimby is a solid choice despite making her stakes debut here, but trainer secplp guided her to a pair of open-company allowance wins this in the last four months with impressive speed figures that would sit well in an open listed stakes. Her main rival is bullman‘s Noted Deputy, who has five of her six wins coming this year, all in races at nine furlongs or longer; she turns back in distance to face these. Those hoping to sneak in behind these fillies include Gone To Mambo, who has captured four of her last five versus claimers and starter-allowance fields in style for nybreeds; the mattress-bred, (*ahem*) bearhunt-trained Cosmonaut filly Russian Rocks, who won a HOT race by five and a quarter lengths last out and who specializes at the mile; and Touchtheten, who won a turf allowance two back for trainer hkme, and who is stakes-placed at the distance in February.

The Empire State of Mind Shagfarms Sprint has an outstanding field led in quality by Adibisi, a two-time graded stakes winner from 2012 who, under trainer jumbled‘s care, has gone past her turf pedigree to become a stalwart sprinting son of Sunriver. He hasn’t won since the 2012 Foolish Tom, but he was second against state-breds in an open allowance on November 9. He is not favored, but he has the best list of accomplishments in a deep field filled with fast, quality sprinters. If one is looking for a value price, look no further than the kantharos99-trained Coming And Going, who won two back versus New York-breds and who has put together a string of solid speed figures to sit comfortably here. But the favorites are nothing to sneer at, either, as Missilemania, for trotter3, has won three times in seven 2013 outings and has put together a strng of impressive speed figures in his wake. Co-chalk Aqua Cat is trained by the always dangerous dixiedotc4, and though his only wins this year came in turf sprints on the grass, he was fifth in a May stakes race, and was just beaten a half-length there. And Ring And Run was a recent auction buy for his new trainer mfmetropolitan; he is a four-time winner this year who captured a sprint stakes victory back in February, and the barn change may come at the best time for him. It’s no reflection on most of the other entries here that I’ve only picked out a few highlights, as this field is deep, competitive and talented.

We haven’t seen Emmy around here lately, but the Emmy’s Got A Gun Ladies Dash, tongue-in-cheek, is in her honor, at six furlongs. The field has a bonafide star in Harlem Beat, who won a pair of Grade II sprints last year for trainer raider101.  She’s been lightly raced in 2013, has just won twice in the last twelve months, and has maybe lost a bit of form since her peak, but she has won a couple of times this year and her back class looms large against her opposition. Ice Bammer is a vet for trainer trotter5 who last won a stakes race 51 weeks ago, at a mile, but this year, in an abbreviated campaign, she has just one win, an October 11 allowance against state-breds. One Sweet Ride runs for youbetcha, but hasn’t run much this year, with just five outings. She has, however, won two of them, including her last, a wet-grass sprint allowance. Most interesting here may be Dart, a hoganapex runner who had an excuse when her three-race win streak was snapped last time out in the mud, and who may be peaking at the right time.

Donny named the Mia Wallace’s $5 Milkshake Ladies Turf at a mile and a sixteenth on the lawn, but I don’t know why. Regardless, trainer axeracing has Sonic Freeze as a favorite here, and she’s clearly a specialist in middle distances on the grass. She has two wins in seven tries this year, but both wins were highly impressive at this distance. She, however, doesn’t necessarily have the hottest hand here, with Hannah Six racking up a ton of wins this year. For current trainer bigzstables2, she has just a single win, but it was an open-allowance victory last out at a mile. For her previous connection, she won six of nine starts before being claimed for $50K in September. Most of those wins were against state-breds, and all of them were against straight three-year-olds; she’s only recently faced older horses, beating them last out. Other challengers include Upstate Dancer, who has just two races on grass, yet one of them was an allowance win at nine furlongs on the lawn last out versus open company for trainer nancy; and Coal D’Oro, a claim for (*ahem*) cvbear and trainer remember this spring, who has won four in a row, one of those against state-breds, and the last three at or near this race’s distances. Dare I say, she’s peaking the right time for her lucky connections.

The other grass race, the mile and an eighth Dr. Dipper Lips Dime Bag Turf Stakes, looked as if it might just come up light, but a decent field joined the party late, and that includes Grade III winner Bothnotice. The deeprock98-trainee won the Grade III M.L. Trophy in September 2012, and has been a sprint specialist most of his career, but he stretches out to nine furlongs and may be a bit vulnerable here. Looking to capitalize might be Fun Time Freud, who has run only four times on the grass, but has won three of those starts for bode, each at a mile. The stretch-out is a question mark here, too but his form cycle seems to be on high. The favorite is Starside, trained by bbbarn, who has a pair of nine-furlong wins this past summer, and a stakes win at the distance back in February. But maybe the most curious entry here is trainer littlerocks1‘s Dublin Index, who has been on the grass this year and in four tries, he’s won twice, including a stakes race on October 6. But he tries nine furlongs for the first time, and is well-bred to handle it, but his speed figures are already solid in sprints. It’s a mixed bag here, but it contains solid talent that is tough to handicap.

The most gratifying race on the card for me might be my race, the CVBear’s Gotham City Classic. It’s the Empire Classic for the Sim, and drew a good field of New York-bred handicap experts at a mile and an eighth. A field of 11 with five stakes winners is a good feather in the cap of a local-bred showcase, and this one came up with a quartet of favorites, starting on the outside with Shuttle Bus. The three-year-old son of Catienus has raced exclusively to date against fellow three-year-olds, but he’s a five-time winner, stakes-placed, and an allowance winner at this distance last time out, impressively so. Trained by 5boroughs, he may seek the lead from the far outside post. champions4‘s Brocktonian will challenge for that lead from the rail, and his last few starts have been dazzling; in fact he’s won four in a row the last three versus state-breds, at this distance by a combined twelve lengths. With seven wins and three seconds in all ten starts in 2013, if he wins, he’d be a shoo-in for a New York Horse of the Year title, if only one actually existed. But this may be the deepest field he’s faced this year.

True New Yorker, trained by ba and bred by (*ahem*) me and forgotten about completely, is a good price despite being a bit off form. He has a win back in January, but his 2012 was much more formful than his 2013, when he went 5-for-12. Still, the distance may not be a problem versus most of these, and his back class may serve him well here. The overall favorite, though, is museummile‘s trainee, But You Feel It. He’s a lukewarm chalk, but he’s been running with better horses this year, like graded winners Top Five Records, Decadently, Predestination and Silver Star Road. You can call this a drop-down, but really, it’s not much of a comedown in class against these, and he’ll be challenged strongly to get the job done versus state-breds. In fact, though he has a race versus state-breds this year, he finished fifth there, and hasn’t won since taking a stakes race back in January. Also to be challenging are trainer nancy‘s Thiscaveiscold, who has won two out of his six races this year but nothing over a mile, and Bluegrass Cadet, trained by hkstable3, who has won three in a row, including his last two in New York-bred allowances at this distance, with strong speed figures to show for it. It looks to be a Classic for the ages…despite it being the first Gotham City Classic for the ages, for New York-breds.

This is a great achievement, to finally have a stakes-caliber day for New York-bred runners from all over, and my thanks to all who took the time to enter into this series of races. I hope to make this another Sim tradition in the future, but for now, let’s enjoy what New York can offer the Sim in terms of quality racing.