This is a week that could make or break the Bluegrass Derby of many sim horses.  There are three graded dirt route races for three-year-old colts this week and each of the races could play a factor in who gets to run in the Derby.  However, for the Grade 1 points, the place to be is Kentucky for the $500,000 Corkscrew Stakes.  The Corkscrew will be contested on the Kentucky dirt at a mile and one eighth.  

Super7’s Virtuoso is the highest-ranking colt running in the Corkscrew.  However, there are other highly rated colts running and others that seem to be peaking at the right time.  Funster’s Depravity answered some questions last time out by winning the Grade 3 Gary Asher in Kentucky and could be peaking at the right time.  The second place finisher in that race, Vuja Day, could also be peaking at just the right time.

While debate exists amongst trainers in the sim that there is or isn’t such a thing as ‘pace’, the Corkscrew will put both theories to the challenge.  There is really only one horse in the race that enjoys to run on the lead.  That is triscay’s Koorawatha.  Expect Koorawatha to take the lead with Bubba Jess also being close to the front.  From there theories will be proven or disproven.  Will Koorawatha be able to hold the lead for the whole nine furlongs, especially since he should get an easy lead?  Or will the late runners be able to gobble him up in the stretch? 

The pace scenario does not bode well for the fast finishers of the Gary Asher.  In that race there were several speed horses, including Bubba Jess, who sprinted to the front and set up the late runners.  The Corkscrew doesn’t really set up like the Gary Asher did.

Below is the field with the horses name, jockey, odds, owner/trainer, and breeding – all in post position order.

Husker Du, C Kendall, 10/1, mikehusker, Empire Maker x Deputy Minister x Native Charger

Mikehusker’s Husker Du enters the Corkscrew as a veteran of the graded stakes wars.  Five of his nine career races have been of the graded stakes variety.  Husker Du has a couple of third place finishes in those graded stakes, but no victories.  A career best speed rating of 90 was achieved last time out during a dull ninth place finish in the Grade 3 Swale Stakes.  A large improvement will be required for Husker Du since on paper he looks like an outsider this week.

To A Pulp(IRE), L Cardinal, 16/1, dundey5, Daliapour(IRE) x Pulpit x Mt. Livermore

Owner/trainer dundey5 is taking a shot with To A Pulp.  His credentials are not as sparkling as the others in this field, but this may be a good time to take a shot with this colt.  Though he finished in the money in seven of eight starts as a two year old, he did not find the winners circle until his three year old debut in a maiden race at Malaysia.  He narrowly missed next time out in the Graphic Crest Bonanza Stakes in week 2762 by finishing second by three-quarters of a length.  The win in his last race was against non-winners of two lifetime, but it also included an eye popping speed rating of 95.  Certainly a candidate for the bounce factor, consider he won easily last time out and is facing graded competition for the first time, he also could be peaking.

Vuja Day, D Sherman, 6/1, haulinoats, Dayjur x Storm Cat x Diesis(GB)

Before looking at the credentials of Vuja Day, it should be noted the impressive credentials of his game dam, Firing With Cat.  Of the four sim horses that share Firing With Cat as their game dam, Vuja Day is the most successful so far.  My Red Jag(AUS) is a stakes winner, and two year old Storm’s Fire won his debut in an owner restricted maiden race here at Kentucky.  Vuja Day’s impressive family credentials doesn’t mean much on a race to race basis, but it does lend a air of classiness to haulinoats’ best three year old.  Vuja Day tends to linger in the back of the pack and relies on a huge kick at the end.  With so many other horses with the same running style, this is the week he must prove he has the largest late kick of all.

Depravity, T Belser, 6/1, funster, Red Bullet x Deputy Minister x Mr. Prospector

Depravity entered the Derby picture with this impressive win last time out in the Grade 3 Gary Asher Memorial Stakes.  In that race he ran a career best 101 speed figure.  However, that race set up very nicely for his late running style.  This race doesn’t set up as nicely.  Being the 15^th ranked classic distance colt he is on the borderline of being in the Bluegrass Derby.  A good showing in this Grade 1 race could help Depravity punch a ticket for the Derby. 

Koorawatha, P Cadigan, 8/1, triscay, Fusaichi Pegasus x Unbridled x Alydar

Koorawatha may be coming into the Corkscrew with a number 11 ranking, but he has that ranking based on his victory in the Grade 1 GSR Diamond as a two year old.  So far his three year old season has been disappointing.  Last time out he couldn’t hold the lead against non-winners of three lifetime allowance horses and finished third.  That race was at today’s distance of nine furlongs.  With this being said, Koorawatha is the only one in the race that will willingly go for the lead.  If he can get an easy lead he may have enough energy to hold off the expected calvary charge that will be coming in the stretch.

Blue Orchid, B Sipe, 12/1, bulletwork, Kingmambo x Sadler’s Wells x Danehill

Blue Orchid has an impressive record of nine starts and eight times in the money.  Unfortunately for Blue Orchid, this only time out of the money was last time out in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.  Which way should his ninth place finish be viewed – glass half full or glass half empty?  The glass half full theory means that looks at the Florida Derby as a good learning experience for Blue Orchid.  Now he knows what to expect in a big race and he can use that experience in the Corkscrew.  Looking at the last race with the glass half empty means that he probably isn’t good enough to run with the Grade 1 crowd.  Whichever way you want to look at it, and I am pretty sure that owner/trainer bulletwork is a glass half full kind of guy this week, Blue Orchid is another horse in this race whose late kick will need to be better than everyone else’s late kick.

Virtuoso, D Givins, 8/1, super7, Cryptoclearance x El Prado(IRE) x Fit to Fight

Talk about peaking at the right time.  As a three year old, Virtuoso is having a terrific year.  He is two for two this year with two stakes wins, including last time out in the Grade 2 Mexico 2769 Stakes (note to sim old timers…remember when most of the stakes races were named for the track and week run…)  There really isn’t anything not to like about Virtuoso this week.  Sure, he will be another racer coming from off the pace but so far this year he is perfect.  Until he missteps Virtuoso deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Azroc Red N Yellow, I Hoge, 20/1, cjt, Green Desert x Diesis(GB) x Habitat

As good as 2005 ended for Azroc Red N Yellow, 2006 has been just the opposite.  He finished eleventh in the Grade 1 Fainting Goat Nightmares Stakes and finished fifth (beaten by only 3.5 lengths) last time out in the Dakota Skull Memorial Stakes.  Though he only lost by 3.5 lengths in the last race, it was a slow race and he posted a speed rating of 89.  Azroc will be closer to the pace than many of the others in this race so that is a plus but he must find that late 2005 form and he must improve upon that to be a factor in the Corkscrew.

Belmont Bomb, L Goodburn, 13/1, graywolf20, Sarava x Stormin Fever x Septieme Ciel

With 16 career races, Belmont Bomb has the most race experience of his rivals in the Corkscrew.  He is also a veteran of graded stakes, both as a two year old and as a three year old.  He just hasn’t had much success in those graded race tries.  His best finish was third place in the Grade 3 Thousand Island Stakes at Nebraska in week 2755.  Big improvement will be needed for Belmont Bomb to explode for a win in the Corkscrew.

Elusive Infinity, S O’Calslew, 12/1, 2die4, Elusive Quality x Danehill x Seeking the Gold

In his three year old season, Elusive Infinity has faced graded competition each time out.  Two races back she finished second by only a half length in the Grade 3 Myocardial Infarction Stakes (if you were wondering, yes I did look up in the dictionary what myocardial infarction means.  Basically it is not a good thing for your heart).  Elusive Infinity is trying against colts for the second time in her career.  She finished second in an allowance race as a two year old the first time against colts.  She will need to run a big race to have similar success this week.

Armstrong, C Turner, 18/1, paddy, Afleet x Irish River(FR) x Secretariat

Armstrong enters the Corkscrew after a disappointing eighth place finish last time out in the Grade 2 Fountain of Ute.  Armstrong has yet to post a speed rating greater than a 90.  He will need to vastly improve in order to be a factor in the Corkscrew.

Paragon(IRE), S Garber, 12/1, irshaman, Perfect Soul(IRE) x Danzig x  Forty Niner

A lot has been said in this article regarding the pace for the race this week.  Paragon is a tweener when it comes to frontrunner or back of the packer.  He should settle in closer to the pace than most, and that may be an advantage for Paragon.  His third place finish in the Pam’s View Challenge last time out at Kentucky was a good tuneup for this race. 

Wylde Cat, K Bortz, 7/1, zewango3, Storm Cat x Wild Again x Mr. Prospector

So far in his three year old season, Wylde Cat has run respectfully.  He also has increased his speed figures with each of the three races so far this year, with a career best 97 in this last race.  That type of upward trend is a big plus for zewango3 and Wylde Cat.  A question that Wylde Cat must still answer is whether he can get the nine furlongs in the Corkscrew.  Wylde Cat was is in second place in the stretch in the Gary Asher last time out but could not hold that position and ended up finishing fourth.  It would not be surprising to see Wylde Cat in the winners circle this week, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if he once again tires in the stretch.

Bubba Jess, M Ketron, 10/1, stephany00, Hubba Hubba x Little Vagabond(GB) x It’s Fleetwood Mac

If you are a bargain breeder you will definitely be cheering for Bubba Jess.  Using the same lineage, this horse could be bred for 25 breeding points.  It is rare to see a horse with such humble blood to be on the Bluegrass Derby trail.  Actually, in the Dam Sire line, the sire’s sire has the dreaded “???” (has anyone out there ever heard of Amney Prince?).  Bubba Jess was leading in the stretch last time out in the Gary Asher but tired and finished third.  However, that race was on an off track so Bubba Jess did have an excuse in that race.  That excuse won’t be available this time.  He ran a career best 98 speed rating and could bounce in this race.  He is additionally handicapped by the number 14 post position.  Look for Bubba Jess to get out of the gate fast, get to the rail and then try to hold off the latecomers in the stretch.  This is not an impossible scenario, and definitely is one that stephany00 would like to see.

The Corkscrew Stakes will be run as the fifteenth race.