Golden Look to Brisbane Distaff

Breaking from the hedge is Tigereyes stable’s talented stalker, Band Out Of Boston.  The four year old Dixieland Band filly is just a bit shy of half a million dollars in career earnings.  She is coming into this event off an easy score in New Mexico’s Quest For Gold II Stake, also contested at a mile and a half on the turf.  On Saturday she’ll be reunited with jockey Steve DeBerg who guided her to victory in Queensland’s Stormy Affair Challenge earlier this year.  This locally based graded winner looms a big threat over her home track.

 

Ocean’s Eleven is riding the crest of a two race win skein and seeks to make it three straight this weekend.  Moonbeam’s big Sadler’s Wells filly won both conditioned allowance tests in her patented front running style.  This group is much tougher and Ocean’s Eleven needs to take a major step forward to contend.  May make life difficult for the chalk if nothing else.

 

Impulsion has drawn the three hole.  The Woodman lass is trained by noted marathon specialist Tbgifted.  Impulsion has been a holy terror on the dirt and her only grass try resulted in a solid second place finish in an Ohio turf stake marathon.  No question the filly can get the trip.  No doubt her trainer is full of confidence.  No way you can ignore her at the windows.  Big shot in here.

 

Heart Rock(ire) had a five race winning streak come to a screeching halt last time out when she crashed and burned in the Grade I Gold Glass.  This is a very nice filly who has two stakes wins to her credit already in only ten career outings.  But Hakim’s Rock Of Gibraltar homebred may need a bit easier company to get back on the winning trail as she is completely unproven in graded company and this field is very tough.

 

Next comes the impeccably bred (Gone West x Sadler’s Wells x Northern Dancer) Nag Of Notley from the Bunsay barn.  She is graded placed in each of her last two starts and the flashy chestnut has already won eleven turf stakes in her illustrious career.  Nag Of Notley is a classic stalker and that looks like a good way to go in a race filled with potential speed.  Major factor.

 

A Gold City deserves her 6-5 morning line odds.  She’s the lone millionaire in the field and the sole multiple graded winner.  Besides that, she’s royally bred (Seeking The Gold x A.P. Indy x Slew City Slew), built like a brick house, and trained to the minute by veteran sharpie Stevemunoz.  And she absolutely annihilated a good Grade I field last time out.  So how can she lose?  Well, her Achilles heel may be her racing style.  She’s a free runner.  Loves a long and lonely lead.  But in the past, when she’s faced a lot of pace pressure, she’s proved to be vulnerable in the late going.  Can she make the top and hold ’em all off?  Tune in Saturday.

 

Here’s the wild card.  Rage More Piper is an enormously talented filly with a ton of early speed.  She recently won five consecutive races in front running style including a 48-1 upset in the Grade I G.S.R. Cup.  Then she flopped miserably in the Gory Blue Memorial when unable to gain control.  So crafty trainer Pm2 apparently ordered jockey Todd Johnson to rate her well off the pace in her last start, the Grade II Empire State in New York.  The strategy paid off when Rage More Piper closed like a bolt from the blue to narrowly miss after passing seven rivals and making up ten lengths in the lane.  If she runs with A Gold City and Ocean’s Eleven early, it may set the race up for a closer.  If she rallies from behind again, the finish could be very interesting.

 

Come out early!  Pony rides, clowns, balloons and face painting for the kiddies and free milk, coffee and doughnuts for all in the Holyghost Cafe from nine o’clock A.M. until noon.