The Tiny Toes Stakes (Grade Three)
This week some of the leading two-year-olds try out a mile in the $125,000 Grade Three Tiny Toes Stakes in France.
The horse in this race with the best record to date is the bodgit-trained Bead Two(GB), a son of Beat Hollow out of the Spinning World mare Out Of This World. He is a full brother to the Stakes winning mare Beadmeister(GB), and a half-brother to the prematurely retired Excellent Affair. His dam and sisters were also trained by bodgit. This one has so far proved to be the best of the lot, as he has won all four of his previous races, racing only on the turf. He has taken a fairly conventional route, starting with a Maiden Special Weight race over five and a half furlongs, then following up in an Allowance NW1x over six. He then stepped up to Grade Three company, where he took a cut in distance to win over the minimum trip of four and a half furlongs, then won again at that level when stretched out to six and a half furlongs in the Dalesbark Cup, where he recorded a speed figure of 84 to finish ahead of Rubrum Obscurum and Cool Like Fonzie(AUS), who re-oppose here. He has managed to be ranked at number two for two-year-old sprint and classic distances, and number one for longer races. He takes a big step up in distance today, but his breeding suggests that he ought to cope. His other challenge is a wide draw, coming out of the tenth stall from eleven runners.
Northern Chant, owned and trained by jockeymax1, is only ranked fifteenth in the two-year-old sprint ratings and seventeenth in the classic ratings, despite running a career best of 84 last time out in a Stakes race over six and a half furlongs. The discrepancy is due to his not having previously run in Graded Stakes. He won his track debut, a Maiden Special Weight race over five furlongs on the dirt, then was switched to turf for an Allowance NW1x win over six furlongs. Next time out, he finished second in a Stakes race over five and a half furlongs, then stepped up a furlong for his Stakes win last time out. All his races to date have been on turf. The odds-makers have made this one the favourite, and he has a decent chance from the eighth stall.
Second-favourite Kepler Berzerk, who is owned and trained by bobo, has won his three races to date. By Woodman out of the A.P. Indy mare Berzerk A.P., he is a half-brother to Berzerk Gold, by Seeking The Gold, who was a Grade One winner over this distance on good dirt. This colt has won all three of his races to date, first a Maiden Special Weight race over six furlongs, then an Allowance NW1x over the same distance, in which he recorded his best speed figure to date of 82. Last time out, he won a Stakes race, also over six furlongs, on good turf, running a speed figure of 75. He is bred to stay the distance and should improve for a longer trip.
Ranked seventh in the two-year-old sprint and classic ratings is Tiderunner, who is owned and trained by kingfish. This brown colt is by Dixieland Band out of Blue Claw, a mare by Seattle Slew who won at Allowance level as a two-year-old. The mare’s only offspring to date, he began his career in an Allowance race over five and a half furlongs, which he won by two lengths, having made all the running. Next time out, he met good ground and finished third in another Allowance race over five and a half furlongs, beaten just a quarter of a length. He then returned to winning ways in a similar race on firm ground, running his best speed figure to date of 76. Subsequently, he stepped up to Grade Two company, where he finished third in the Little Ones Juvenile over six furlongs. Last time out, he won a Stakes race over five and a half furlongs. This is a big step up in distance for him, but given his pedigree he should stay the mile. He has a good draw in the fourth stall.
Cronus(IRE), a colt by Giant’s Causeway out of the Stakes winning mare Sonoma, is bred and trained by chilcoat. His dam’s first foal, he has run in three races to date, all over five and a half furlongs. He won his Maiden Special Weight race at the second time of asking, then followed up in a Stakes race, in which he recorded his best speed figure to date of 75. He looks capable of improvement and should relish the step up in distance here.
The rail draw goes to Sulphur Springs, who is trained by gipper5. This son of War Chant has won both his races to date, a Maiden Special Weight over five and a half furlongs, and an Allowance race for non-winners of three over a furlong further, in which he improved to record a speed figure of 76. His breeding has a little stamina with War Chant as sire, but Mr. Prospector as his damsire would put a limit on his ability to get much further than the distance of this race.
On his outside is Rubrum Obscurum, who is bred and trained by the super18 stable. By Woodman, he has run four times previously. First time out, he won a Maiden Special Weight race over five furlongs, then followed up in an Allowance NW1x race over five and a half. The next time, he was beaten a head to finish second in a Stakes race over six furlongs, then last time out finished fourth, beaten four lengths with a speed figure of 77, in the Grade Three Dalesbark Cup over six and a half, in which he met two of his present rivals, Bead Two(GB), who won, and Cool Like Fonzie(AUS), who finished ninth, beaten a total of nine lengths.
Now we come to the outsiders, the best of which looks to be Phoney(AUS), who is bred and trained by whoami3. He is well-exposed, having raced five times since his Maiden Special Weight win on his track debut, recording a speed figure of 73 last time out on good going when he finished second, beaten a length, in a Stakes race over six furlongs. The previous time, he ran the same speed figure to finish second, beaten a head in a similar race. He should appreciate the step up in distance.
Unbeaten(AUS) has, unfortunately for his trainer trojan, not lived up to his name. He started off well enough, winning an owner-restricted Maiden Special Weight race over five furlongs on his debut. He then finished second, beaten a length, in an owner-restricted Stakes race over six furlongs. The next time, he was beaten three and a quarter lengths to be third in a Handicap Stakes race over six furlongs. Last time out, in his only start on the dirt track, he was well-beaten in an Allowance race for non-winners of two over six furlongs. He is bred to stay this distance and more.
Cool Like Fonzie(AUS) has run four times previously, winning his Maiden Special Weight race over five and a half furlongs at the second time of asking, then following up in an Allowance NW1x race over six furlongs. Last time out, he was well-beaten in the Grade Three Dalesbark Cup.
Drawn on the outside is Hill Of Mystique, who is bred and trained by peeps9. By Miesque’s Son, he won a Maiden Special Weight race over six furlongs first time out, then came back half a furlong in distance to finish third in an Allowance NW1x race, which was won by Rubrum Obscurum, who re-opposes here. He ran his best race to date when recording a speed figure of 72 to be beaten half a length in third in a Handicap Stakes over six furlongs. There is some stamina in his pedigree, but he would probably struggle against this field. His half-sister Hallucination was an Allowance winner.
This should be an interesting race, since none of the field has run further than six and a half furlongs until now. Can the class of Bead Two(GB) show through, or will one of the others improve over this distance to take the honours? We shall learn the answer on Saturday afternoon, and the winner of this race, in terms of ability rather than points scored, may very well be the top two-year-old.