A queen convention in California
The QUEEN R.(IRE) Challenge
Stakes
One mile
Firm Turf
$100,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up
Welcome to beautiful santa anita park as we prepare for
todays feature as we feature some of the best fillies the
track has to offer these eight fillies will be running one
mile over the lightning quick turf going for a purse of
100,000$ so the action should be frantic as these old girls
show the babies how it is done!
1 39695 ZOOK SPUR hollandia3 T Bates 4/1-This filly is making a return
to stakes racing after throwing a dud in her last stakes race which she was
severly outclassed HOLLANDIA3 decided to give the horse a confidence builder
and she responded with a nice come from behind win last time out.
2 40763 BONITA fritzieqk A Lewis 8/1- This well traveled filly likes
to find a way to pick up small checks in stakes races and apprently that
is enough for FRITZIEQK to keep sending her out there.
3 95450 GREEK RANSOM slewsback3 S Beach 7/1-A big time front runner came up
lame last time out SLEWSBACK says it was just fatigue but only time will tell if the
layoff was long enough
4 95556 GONE SKIING tbird2 C Mecklenburg 4/1-This horse started her career on the
dirt but since the switch to turf has only not cashed a check one time and that was
going well past her distance plateau.
5 40431 CAPE PHYLLIS bi1lgulch C Ginzo 6/1-This lightly raced filly is making the
cross country flight after two decisive wins in florida BILLGULCH says he need to see if
this one has what it takes to be put on the breeders bowl trail and the competition in
california is where he ought to be so he loaded up the plane and flew to santa anita.
6 32856 GLACKIANO booberry K Keyser 7/2-This foreign “shipper” has not raced in america since leading a group of fillies to the final pole in kentucky only to pull a calf muscle and begrudginly give up the lead. after that race BOOBERRY decided to send her over to europe for some seasoning we will find out today if that worked, but personally i think BOOBERRY came backfor the dodger dogs.
7 76131 OTTO ELUSIVE verona F Gossett 5/1-A winner last time out against similar classed horses but wonder why the long layoff? did she hurt herself with that quick explosion to blow by the leader? VERONA says this was a scheduled layoff and this was a targeted race she has been firing bullets around the track for the last two weeks so everything looks good.
8 93970 SMACKDOWN(IRE) peeps5 N Bonus 7/1-Another horse that is big on frequent flyer miles going back and forth over the big puddle. this filly had a mildly unsuccessful three year old campaign but that was against the sims’ top turfer has PEEPS5 decided to run nothing but grade ones’ for the second half of the year with one victory to show for it. PEEPS5 decided to start her four year old campaign a little different by starting her in a ungraded stakes and she took to the drop in competition with a impressive stalking win last time out in virginia after the race SMACKDOWN(IRE) slipped in her post race bath pulling a back muscle and forcing her to take a couple of weeks off, but she is back ready to show her class.
RACE ANALYSIS
1.ZOOK SPUR- Winner last time out against mid-level allowance horses this was enough to prompt the connections to put her back in stake racing where she has not got it done in her last 3 tries. I dont think the last race offered enough of a challenge to get this one back where she needs to be to be competitive against this field but a strong run here makes her a horse to watch next time out. dont think she gets it done today.
2 BONITA- This filly seems to have run its course in stakes racing it may be time to time the stakes blanket off and make this horse a solid allowance runner she seems to have lost a step since her last stakes win and cant seem to get that step back. maybe her connections keep thinking she will wake up and remember how to get it done but this is
not a race for her to do that maybe a couple of allowance races will make her want to run again it seems like whe is just going thru the motions, maybe her biological clock is ticking and she wants to pass off her talented genes to a offspring, either way today is not her day.
3 GREEK RANSOM- this horse has been its own worse enemy in its last 2 races after getting her 4 year old campaign off to a flying start with a dynamite race in japan even with the lost which according to those in attendance was a win she rolled home with a 106 speed rating and with that SLEWSBACK3 decided back to the states and he was rewarded with a
stakes win in arkansas. Next time out the horse tired after fighting with the jockey about where she wanted to run and tired to a third place finish against a field she should have walked home. Last time out again fighting with the jockey but this time the jockey pulled a little too hard and sprained the neck which explains the poor finish so hopefully her and the jockey have their differences worked out. wont get the lead in this race as GLACKIANO should beat her to the first call if she can rate and the neck is healed could be there in the end.
4 GONE SKIING- Surprised to see C Mecklenburg get the mount last time after tbird2’s ripping of his last ride on this filly saying that he killed her chances 15 seconds into the race with that dash into the front against 2 other duelers horse lasted four furlongs on sheer guts and finally gave in to the bear and the idiot on her back. and came home a more than respectible fifth. If C Mecklenburg follows that same script as we do have to pacesetters in GREEK RANSOM and GLACKIANO i expect tbird2 to ask for his jockey license to be revoked. I think that she has a chance if the jock can set her off the pace and let her run
her race and just coax her past the speedballs she should give GLACKIANO all she can handle for that final furlong.
5 CAPE PHYLLIS-The florida invader comes out west to test the lightning quick turf course here at santa anita, This race sets up beautifully for her. The favorite is going to have to stave off at least one horse and possibly two just to get to the front and then has to work to stay there meanwhile she just sits back and waits for the green light to pounce. Since the
switch to turf this horse is two for three with the other being a place. If there was a such thing as a horse on fire this is it. I think at 6/1 you have to look long and hard at putting some money on this horse and C Ginzo has already said he expects to be last at the first call so you know he is ready to be patient. This is the horse to beat in this race if she has handled
the cross country flight and didnt have her rocket boosters taken by the airport security.
6 GLACKIANO-somebody had to be the favorite and GLACKIANO drew that role and by doing so looks to have accepted another role: beaten favorite, this horse has a penchant for quitting when pushed and she will be shoved this time out. i dont think that she can withstand the pressure of GREEK RANSOM on her hip and GONE SKIING on her butt she will run a big race but she also will be done at the final furlong marker, she may still pick up a small piece of the pie as the other 2 pressers will be sucking wind from the back when she does give way.
7 OTTO ELUSIVE- This horse is interesting in this spot, she has a rare ability of being successful at stalking, or pressing and that may prove to be valuable today. If F Gossett lets her hang in the back and turns her loose with about a furlong and a half to go her and CAPE PHYLLIS will be one-two but if he gets her tangled up in that mess in the front she
will be no better than 4th. this horse is not a throwout unless her jockey throws out the gauntlet and decides she needs to be in the front, if she is sitting back early prepare for a one furlong match race between her and CAPE PHYLLIS with this filly just missing by a nose.
8 SMACKDOWN(IRE)- Talk about a horse that looked to be a world champion someday, This horse debuts as a two year old in a stakes race in wins without breaking a sweat and proceed to win her next two races (both stakes) including a grade one. starts
out her three year old campaign in korea and runs an impressive third after after succombing to the fatigue of flying over the big puddle next time out looked really good in a grade one and next time out captures another grade one, and then after that bad luck, traffic, and possibly overracing all take their toll oh her as she has not been in the winners circle since
that saturday in Europe. She has been competitive but not quite dominating, maybe she needs a confidence boost but that wont happen today maybe a nice allowance non-winners of one in a year is just what the doctor ordered. she did look like a photo of her old self last time out in a second place finish to OTTO ELUSIVE. Which may just happen again this time out.
Here comes the good part my selections: Lets go 5-7-4-8
with the twosilk longshot of 5 CAPE PHYLLIS at 6/1 this exacta/trifecta
combo could be very nice easter presents for someone out there in sim landgood luck to all this week and as always: May your photo finishes be winners unless I am the other horse!