Unbelievably Evenly Matched GII Race!
The Black Betty Handicap Stakes
Grade II
A mile and one eighth on Firm Turf
$200,000
Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up
This is one of the most evenly matched fields I’ve ever written up. Just take a look…there are five fillies at 5/1, two more at 6/1 and one with a very real chance at 7/1. That makes eight ladies within a whisker of each other. Most of them are on hot streaks right now. This could be a race that we remember for a long, long time. I can’t wait! Let’s take a look:
1 – LIGHT SPECTRUM(GB) ODDS OWNER WIN% JOCKEY WIN% TOP SPEED AVG SPEED RANK 6/1 Blaster2 14.7% G.Centers 0% 110.4 101.0 43
(DIESIS(GB) x HABITAT x BUCKPASSER) This six year old mare has really been running well of late except for the Equinics where she obviously didn’t like the off track. With 13 wins and over a half a million in earnings she is tough to argue with. Last year alone she won six of eight races including two Graded wins. She hasn’t hit a triple digit speed figure yet this year but it is only a matter of time. Trainer Blaster2 has done a nice job with this girl and she seems to get better with age. This will be her 31st race and she’s never once touched the dirt.
| 2 – DO SOME FOOTBALL(IRE) | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/1 | Calle | 11.1% | V.Stalker | 0% | 89.6 | 89.6 | 1411 |
(DOOWALEY (IRE) x MR. PROSPECTOR x AUCTION RING) Four year old filly out of Frank’s Footballs has something to prove here. It will only be her second race on the green stuff and the last one was at a mile in less than a 90 SPF. That won’t get it done here so trainer Calle and jockey Stalker need to team up and find a way to bump up the speed a bit. She did win her race on grass in her last outing but it wasn’t against Stakes caliber horses. We will see what she’s got here.
| 3 – FLAMBEAU | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | DeaJai2 | 18.5% | K.Braun | 13% | 105.8 | 101.4 | 31 |
(WOODMAN x HALO x GREEN DANCER) Three Stakes wins in a row for this pretty grey five year old mare. She has a pretty record as well as she is on a three race win streak and has actually won her last five of six stakes races. Most were a bit longer than this one so we will see if that helps her stamina or is a little too short for her style. She likes to finish with a flourish at the top of the stretch and is in the capable hands of both trainer DeaJai2 and jockey Braun who know how to bring them home.
| 4 – HAPPY RULER | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43/1 | HappyStabl | 21.9% | P.Volner | 7% | 90.9 | 88.8 | 74 |
(BEHRENS x COPELAN x IRON RULER) Just to show how competitive this race is, our 43-1 long shot is coming in on a streak of four wins in a row including a Stakes victory in her last outing. Her Speed figures may not be up to snuff but this young three year old filly has never finished worse than second in nine turf races and maybe she just hasn’t been asked to run that fast yet. This will be a good test for her and trainer HappyStabl.
| 5 – SCOTIAN SAINT | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | DougieC5 | 24.3% | P.Jackson | 14% | 109.8 | 102.0 | 185 |
(STORM CAT x ALYDAR x MR. PROSPECTOR) Another “Scotian” named horse that knows how to get it done, they are trained by DougieC5 who has nearly a 25% win percentage. This five year old mare beats that with seven wins in her nineteen starts. That includes two wins in her past three Stakes starts with the lone miss being a third place last outing at the Prospector Bluffy Handicap. She’s really just getting started on the turf as only six of her races have been on the grass and she’s never been lower than the top three. Can put up some amazing SPFs.
| 6 – NUMEROUS II | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | Victorious | 23.8% | G.Gogan | 0% | 104.9 | 100.6 | 46 |
(NUMEROUS x STORM CAT x EGG TOSS) Another horse on an amazing run is this six year old mare out of Down at the Storm. She has put up triple digit speed figures in nine of her last twelve races and won half of those twelve. She’s won ten times in the past year and a half and seems to keep getting better like a bottle of fine wine. Trainer Victorious is well pleased with his prized mare and her “sit just off the lead” style. A bit of a surprise to see Gogan up in the irons as he is off to the worst start of his 13 years and is still looking for his first win of the season.
| 7 – COLD STORAGE | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | SpringTime | 16.3% | H.McCoy | 19% | 105.2 | 101.5 | 1 |
(VICTORY GALLOP x UNBRIDLED’S SONG x DANZIG) Other than her name, there is absolutely nothing cold about this four year old roan filly. She’s won eight of her nineteen races and has over one and a half million dollars in earnings. Her last outing was an impressive win at the Equinics which she won by two lengths with a 104 SPF on an off track. That is smoking! Since the switch to turf, she has had only one race out of the top three in thirteen races. Trainer Springtime has one of the best jockeys at the track up in McCoy and has to feel good about their chances in this one.
| 8 – DEVIL’S SLIDE | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | AFC | 20.0% | O.A.Haack | 12% | 108.6 | 102.4 | 2 |
(KINGMAMBO x SEATTLE SLEW x NIJINSKY II) This good looking four year old Kingmambo filly that has over two million dollars in earnings and has a streak of nine of ten races in triple digit speed figures. The only mark against that streak is an off track at the Equinics. Since moving from the dirt to the grass, she has won seven of twelve including three Grade I wins. Trainer AFC has kept this filly in tip top shape for a long stretch and has put impressive young jockey O.A.Haack in the stirrups for this one. They all look like they may be the trio to beat in this hard to pick race.
| 9 – SENDER BURGLAR | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | StarGazer | 30.0% | T.Case | 13% | 116.6 | 153 |
(CAT THIEF x NORTHERN DANCER x FAPPIANO) This six year old chestnut mare might have finally hit the downhill side of her impressive career but can still be competitive with this field. She is a five time Graded Stakes winner that finished off last year with two consecutive triple digit SPFs and started this year with an allowance win in her last outing. She is in the capable hands of T.Case with the reins and is trained by StarGazer who is looking for his 100th win not far down the road. All in all, a pretty formidable triumvirate.
| 10 – TOMMY | ODDS | OWNER | WIN% | JOCKEY | WIN% | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/1 | ArtistWay | 15.8% | D.Medusa | 7% | 104.7 | 101.6 | 48 |
(DANZIG x NIJINSKY II x NUREYEV) Okay, here is a four year old filly that has run nine races, won seven of them and finished third and second in the other two. And the second was at the Equinics! Three in a row are triple digit SPFs and it looks like she is just getting going. Trainer ArtistWay has to be excited about the potential of this filly long term. She loves to sit near the back and finish with a flourish. I don’t think the outside post will bother her and she has as good a chance as any to hit the board here.
Morning Line = 5-6-7-8-9
Yoss Tipsheet = 7-8-3-10
Paz Picks = 8-7-3-10
As I stated before, this is some kind of evenly matched race. Throw them in a hat and pick one out folks. Play your pick six here and you may not have enough folks to count all of the top combinations. I think that TOMMY is really coming on and will finish at least fourth. This may not be the perfect distance for FLAMBEAU so I’m making her the third choice. These last two could get interesting. If they even make the board because of all the competition, I am taking COLD STORAGE for second and that leaves DEVIL’S SLIDE to slide on by for the win. I’m already excited about this race!
Good luck to all runners!
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