The VERIFIABLE Q. Stakes
TheVERIFIABLE Q. Stakes
Stakes
Seven and half furlongs
Fast Dirt
$30,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up
The 10th in PR this week sees 8 mares battling itout. I am in an un familiar spot, as my good friend Randy (rcdlogan) named me as his jockey on the #5 HOTRUSH. so yes I have a vested interest in the outcome. HOTRUSH is actually a mare that I have watched for a while..pretty much since I realized that it was Logan’s. Those of you that know me (ok, let me pretend that there are those of you out there that actually know me!) know that I love Tabasco cat. I have used Tabasco cat way too many times to count in breeding. Last year I used about 10 of the available to all Tabasco’s. Yes, Hotrush is a very successful Tabasco Cat. She is the number one earner from Tabasco’s 2003 class, leading Tabasco Glitter by about 190k, the pride and joy of my stables. So it is my very honor to ride HOTRUSH this week. C Donofrio, my jock name, has a 10.6% lifetime winning percentage, but is only winning at 8.8% this year.
HOTRUSH is coming off a 104, 4th place finish in the Equinics. She showed that she belongs amongst the sim’s best. If I don’t look any further, it would be real easy to bet on Hotrush. I will place a 200 buck win bet for the hell of it. This race is going to shorten the distance a little for Hotrush who went 8 furlongs in Vermont.
Next to me is Hudkins who will ride HILO LADY out of the viper55 stable. Hudkins is having an off year and doesn’t get many mounts each week. I hear he has been trying to quit smoking this week and has a nasty attitude. HILO LADY is a nice chestnut mare out of Johannesburg who has won 10 times in 36 starts. Recently she has been running in mostly allowances, and scoring in the low 90’s. I suspect this jump in class will be too much for Hilo Lady, but it would be great to see her win, even if its just to shut that Hudkins up.
Further to the inside is the #3,WHITENER from theastinstable. She is the 34th rank horse in her division. she also raced in the equinics race that hot rush did, but only came in 16th. She has raced since then and ran a 96 which was good enough for 6th. She gets the best jockey around with Drozd. He wins at an astonishing 29% clip. He offered to help me get better, and has actually taken me under his wing a little. I send many of my own horses to him over riding them myself. Whitener last won in 2699 and may be due. She probably has to run her best to win here, but I certainly could see it happening.
The #2 in this race is TOMS MYSTICAL MONK(IRE) of the ts1442 stable. M. “HARTY” HARTFORD gets the mount. she is still looking for win #3 on the year. TMM’s breeding :NOT IMPOSSIBLE (IRE) x BROAD BRUSH x MR. PROSPECTOR. Like the sire, it’s not impossible to envision a scenario that TMM wins this race. 15th in that Vermont race I’ve already spoken about, but before that was 4 of 6, and has posted speeds as high as 105. TMM has not gone this distance, on dirt, in a while and will be interesting to see if she returns to form shortening up a little. Most of her money has been made going longer,and it is easy to dismiss her for that reason.
On the very inside post at #1 is BAHRI’SSECRET from essendon. Bahris’ Secret last win was in 2643, at this distance, but in anallowance. This may be the early speed in this race, and if things break right,look for her to try to go wire to wire. Now I happen to know a little bit abouther jockey Phinney. At 14.5% this year, Phinney is a jockey who usually getsmore out of his horse than other jockeys would. Phinney has this way about himthat horses just love, and Bahri’s Secret seems to have taken to himalso. Phinney will get her to the lead and as long as she doesn’t have to battleanother for that lead too early, she should be in first at the top of thestretch. Will she hold it is the question.
MARUXA MALLO from fernando2 is 5/1and sits to my outside. She has been running really well in allowances latelyand deserves this stakes shot. that 102 last time on a sloppy surface made metake notice, and apparently so have many of the bettors. Someone told me to boxher with Hotrush in an exacta. I will place 100 bucks each way on that.she gets M. Kenna as the jockey. I don’t know much about Kenna, as our pathsdon’t cross too often. His stats are decent enough, so I don’t think he’llhinder her at all. fernando2 is a very veteran stable, so I think he knowswhen to make the jump into stakes with a horse.
ENCRYPTION is the 7 horse. I love thishorses name, and I think I actually tried to breed a horse with this name atsome point but got that dreaded female horse name taken already..orwhatever…This is encryption’s third race in a row in PR and she seemsto have found a home. D.Johnson returns with a repeat mount, and why not sinceshe ran second with him last time. The distance is a half furlong longer thanher recent races, but any horse who has won 10 of 30 and is 5/2 must be takenseriously. bluebayoumust be so excited to have a horse like this, so consistently in themoney.
I almost forgot, NEXIS TODAY is on the wayoutside. This is the long shot at 21/1. mrjohn2,is keeping his strategy close to the vest here, but her first stakes chanceseems to be an overmatch, at least on paper. Bailey, the jock, has a quietconfidence on him today though, so I suspect there is more to this girl thanmeets the eye. That 98 SP last out is something to build on, and certainlycrazier things have happened. A decent showing in a race like this can be allthis girl needs to become a factor in her class.
My Picks: Hotrush, Maruxa Mallo, Encryption.
My bets: 200 to win on Hotrush; 100 hotrush/maruxamallo exacta box
The bankroll on the year is -500after losing on Tryordie to win last week.
please email me with comments and/or critiquesat chuckrocker@msn.com