LONE STAR MILE G-2

Lone Star Mile
Grade II
One mile
Firm Turf
$250,000
All horses, 3 years old and up

Well Howdy and welcome ya’ll to the 2006 running of the Lone Star Mile G-2 taking place in my home state of Texas.  This year’s race promises to be extremely exciting to watch and wager as a field of nine runners take to the grass infield to see who can come home with first prize.  At stake:  a share of the $250,000 purse and bragging rights for the next year.  Ya’ll just remember…we don’t sell pop.  Everything’s a coke and don’t kick the fresh turds on a hot day.

PP1 8/1 RED THEATRE(IRE) 

MONTJEU (IRE) x RED RANSOM x THEATRICAL(IRE)

Trainer:  philippj

Breaking out of gate number one, Red Theatre(IRE) who is trained by phillipj , is hoping for a strong finish.  With 2 stake wins to his credit and a good showing three races back in the G1-The Saturday Night Special, he’s hoping to improve his credentials with a graded win.  However, one has to wonder which horse will show up.  Those placing their bets with him are hoping it’s the horse that posted the 105 speed figure in the previously mentioned G1 race.  Jockey, M Carlson (0% wins) is sitting in the saddle but has yet to find where the winner’s circle is this year.  Hoping to change his luck, he’s sporting a new Mohawk for the race and was quoted earlier this week saying, “Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.”

PP2 5/1 RECOIL  

MISWAKI x TOUCH GOLD x ALYDAR

Trainer:  londoner

This four year old Miswaki colt ships in from Washington coming off a win in the Erica’s Well Stakes.  He had a good three year old season posting good numbers in allowance company and tries his second attempt in a graded race.  He finished the year off with a disappointing finish on DelPenn Champions Day and was given 11 weeks off to recover.  He’s come back nice in the two prep races prior to today.  If you take that one bad race out, he’s shown some awesome speed in six races and will be looking to wire the field.  However, with a few other front running horses in the mix, can he hold the lead?  His jockey, K Little (19% wins) who is having a much better year than last, was asked about Recoil’s temperament in training and he responded by saying, “He makes a hornet look cuddly.”

PP3 6/1 TRANSYLVANIA

PEINTRE CELEBRE (IRE) x SEEKING THE GOLD x NIJINSKY II

Trainer:  waremblem2

Leaving me slightly perplexed, Transylvania ships back to Texas from Epsom and many are worried how the double trans-Atlantic trip will affect him.  He does have two stake wins in his belt but both of those were owner restricted races.  He has shown some promise in regular and graded stakes narrowly missing by a nose last year in the G3-Violin Mile.  His form has been off lately but his mid-pack running style could be a factor and it makes him a threat after the second turn.  He draws K Blalock (9% wins) as his jockey and when questioned about Transylvania’s chances in the race he stated, “He’s faster than a duck on a June bug”. 

PP4 9/2 I AM SCHEMING

DIXIE UNION x FORTY NINER x DANZIG)

Trainer:  kaif011

The #6 ranked turf classic horse, I Am Scheming, comes with an impressive resume.  After finishing 2^nd in last year’s Breeders Bowl Mile –G2, this Dixie Union son is hoping for a return to glory.  His five stake wins include a Grade 1 and Grade 2.  He just seems to lack the sharpness lately and I wonder how much BB day took out of him.  As our co-favorite and with tons of experience, you have to figure he’s still the one to beat.  He moves back to graded company after a win his last time out in The Green Stubble Handicap.  Eleven year veteran, K Blalock (9% wins), was excited about the opportunity to mount I Am Scheming.  I asked him about running against co-favorite Urko’s Danzig and he said, “Just cause you put a boot in the oven don’t mean it’s a biscuit”.

PP5 9/2 URKO’S DANZIG

DANZIG x STORM CAT x ALYDAR

Trainer:  urko

Royally bred, Urko’s Danzig has put up some monster numbers in the past.   Although he only has one stakes win to his credit, that win came in the Grade 2 NC Mile and at one point in his career he sported and impressive run of hitting the board 18 times in 20 races.  His front running style though has shown several signs of fatigue and he sometime can’t find that last gear to hold the lead.  Even so, you just can’t take him off your trifecta ticket.  If his every other race form stays true, he’s due for a big race.  Adding to that, he draws top jockey C Shoemaker (21% wins) who was furious at the comments made by fellow jockey K Blalock.  When asked about tensions in the jockey’s dressing room he said of Blalock, “He’s more ‘fraid of that than a long tail cat in a room full of rockers”.

PP6 6/1 ABE HOLLANDIA(IRE)

BLACK TIE AFFAIR(IRE) x PINE BLUFF x BOLD RUCKUS

Trainer:  hollandia3

The 6 year old veteran horse Abe Hollandia(IRE) draws gate number six.  He also fell victim on DelPenn Champions day, fading badly and finishing 11^th.  However, with six stake wins including four Graded wins, he has the experience to return to the winner’s circle.  His trainer, hollandia3, is hoping for the same as it’s been year since he this horse has won in a Graded event.  Wear and tear and his age may be starting to get the best of him but he’s coming off two very nice showings in his last two starts and he may not be quite done just yet.  He has a front running style and with so many other horses trying to get to the front there is sure to be a lot of bumping going on at the start.  With such a speed duel that is sure to ensue, you’ve got to question whether he can last all 8 furlongs.  But if any of those horses can do it, this would be the one and at 6/1 he’ll return a very good payout.  His jockey, J Webb (11% wins), may be bit by the sophomore jinx as he is not having the quite the start as last year when he won the Rookie of the Year award here in Texas.  When asked how he felt about his slow start he said, “I feel as bad off as a rubber-nosed woodpecker in a petrified forest”.

PP7 7/1 PETE FOUNTAIN

DIXIELAND BAND x ROBERTO x DAMASCUS

Trainer:  zooomr

Hoping for fountains of gold, trainer zooomr and his entry Pete Fountain, are looking for signs of consistency that they saw last year in route to a 10 race run finishing no worse than 2^nd place.  This four year old Roberto grandson has won 4 stake events in the past including the G3-Haw Haw Derby and I feel like he’s just starting to warm up.  He’s coming off a 105 SP two races back but came up short in the 7.5 furlong race and was probably hoping he had a little more track to work with.  He was mainly raced last year in sprint events against fellow three year olds,  but I don’t think the extra furlong should hurt his chances any.  He’ll need to show some maturity however against this veteran field if he has any hopes of hitting the board.  Riding him today is sophomore jockey R White (16% wins).  I asked him about fellow rookie sensation J Webb and he responded, “He’s all hat and no cattle”.

PP8 16/1 AMERICAN TOUCH(FR)

TOUCH OF THE BLUES (FR) x L’ENJOLEUR x SIR GAYLORD

Trainer:  burlington

With big dreams, trainer burlington brings his four year old colt American Touch(FR) from Tennessee to Texas.  Unfortunately this colt is completely outclassed here today.  His two previous attempts at non-graded stakes resulted in combined losses of 35 lengths.  You got to wonder why he would enter him in a graded event.  Although he’s put up some good speed numbers in allowance company, he seems to no-show when facing tougher opponents.  Wondering if the hot dry Texas weather would help the colt improve any, jockey J Lucas (12% wins) said, “It’s so dry the trees are bribin’ the dogs”.

PP9 5/1 EL NINO RAPIDO

MINESHAFT x STORM CAT x FORLI

Trainer:  oaklawn66

Fresh off a win in The Contagious Lord Handicap –Stk, El Nino Rapido makes his first attempt at gathering a graded win.  This four year old son of Mineshaft showed tremendous amounts of improvements the later half of last year and has carried that into this year with three stake wins in five attempts.  He will also be part of the initial speed duel and breaking out of the outside gate has it’s good and bad points.  Although he’ll have some ground to make up before the first turn he won’t be involved in between horses and shouldn’t have to worry about getting bumped around.  As previously mentioned, with so many front running speed horses in the mix, does this horse have the stamina to hold off the strong closing style of some of the others?  He’ll need a career best performance today and I like his chances, however I do have to question his jockey selection of Se Hall (3% wins) who has only mounted 30 horses this year and has one win.  I asked Hall about his limited rides this year and stated, “I was born tired and since suffered a relapse”.

MAVERICK’S PICKS

Tri-box:  2-3-4-5