$45,000 Rotten Storm Challenge
This week’s $45,000 Rotten Storm Challenge, a ten-furlong affair for older males racing over the firm Maine turf course, seems like a fitting tribute: Grade III winner Rotten Storm loved the classic distance and finished his 31-race career on the turf. Equally fitting is that the field of eight is well-seasoned, averaging almost 30 starts apiece.
Favored Balerion (Mineshaft) looks well-placed in his return race, nine weeks after picking up the second-place check in the hotly contested GIII GR Simsters Thoroughbred Trials in Florida. He ran a flashy 106 speed figure in that race, at this same distance on the turf, and was beaten just a nose in good company after fighting for the lead all the way around. Speed, stamina, and heart are a fearsome combination, and trainer khalasar‘s obvious good taste in books (and horse names) is just a nice bonus.
9/2 co-second choices King Phyl (GB) (Opera House) and Zabwell(NZ) (Zabeel) seem a bit vulnerable here. Bi1lgulch trainee ‘Phyl is a powerhouse at a flat mile, but ran a well-beaten fourth in his only ten-furlong try. He bounced back in his last start to run second at nine furlongs to multiple-GIII-placed Highest Love(Ire), but the way he grabbed the lead and then lost it has me worried, and he’s a non-winner of one in the past nine months.
Zabwell, in his fifth year of racing, hails from the youngnhung stable. He’s never won a stakes race, but earned several good checks as a four-year-old and was third two starts ago going nine and a half panels on the dirt. He’s been bouncing back and fourth between surfaces and putting in good numbers on both, but I’m not convinced that he’ll relish the distance, and he may be in just a notch over his head.
If Balerion ends up with company on the lead, it’ll probably be Ed’s Pegasus As (Fusaichi Pegasus), the front-running charge of hmfc1 stables. GI-placed during a punishing three-year-old campaign, the horse seemed to lose a bit of a step at four and five, but his owner stuck with him and he may be at last rounding back into form. He’s been the handy winner of two time-restricted allowances this year. He’s unlucky to catch Balerion in this step back up, though, and might not get away as comfortably this time.
Way Too Happy (Unbridled’s Song) doesn’t make a habit out of early speed, but the estreli trainee did win the Thanks Vermonters allowance at twelve furlongs last year after romping off with an early lead. He can stalk, too, however, and has spent much off his life as an ultra-consistent money-earner in allowance races. He made a good game effort while second, beaten a quarter-length, last out, but may be just a step slower than some of the others if everyone runs their best.
Long Island Wells (Statue of Liberty) is the oldest son of an unraced Graustark mare and was a good pick for trainer dubaichamp; she looks like a good producer thus far. ‘Wells got off to a slow start at two, but then won by five and a quarter in his first start at a mile and bas barely looked back since. He seemed a bit overfaced in tries at eleven and twelve furlongs, but one of those came on an off-track and he’s run shorter races like he was asking for more. May get a piece of the action if he can pick it up just a notch.
With just nine starts under his best, barbstable‘s Barb’s Back Home (Sadler’s Wells) is the mostly lightly-raced horse in the field. Off the board in his only career stakes race, he brackets it with two strong nine-furlong allowance efforts and certainly deserves a chance to prove that he can run with these.
Rounding out the field is Red River Hollow (Spend a Buck), the relatively humbly-bred son of a mare who’s not produced much since. ‘Red himself struggled at two and three, but knightcat picked him out of a cheap claiming race and stretched him out. The reward was swift: a cheerful win at twelve furlongs in his second start for the barn. He was badly beaten in his only stakes try and may be not quite quick enough, but at least he’s sure to still be running in the stretch.