Females claim spotlight again in Brigadoon(GB) Special

Ladies claim the spotlight again this week in Virginia, for the $50000 Brigadoon(GB) Special. This is the second annual running of this eight and a half furlong stakes, won impressively last year by Laguardia, in a wire to wire effort where no one even really got close. The weather is mostly sunny and mild, and the track for the race is rated as firm. This year’s edition of the race has drawn five entries, one more than the field in last year’s race. The race is for females four years old and older, and the field has two four year old fillies, two five year old mares, and an eight year old mare. The oddsmakers have a clear cut favorite in this one, assigning 7/5 odds, and the longshot goes off at 11/1 odds. The rest of the field falls between 2/1 and 4/1 odds. If someone’s pride and joy has a good run, it could parlay into some decent exotics.

PP 1) Affirmed Thief Sired by Cat Thief, Trained by pazthree. Affirmed Thief is a five year old mare, making her twenty seventh career start here. She has one career stakes victory, coming on the last day of the 2005 season. Her last ten starts have netted her a 2-0-2-2-1 record, with 100+ speed in the mix. Her last effort was a fourteen furlong stakes outing in Massachusetts, where she never even really got started, ending in a long out sixth place finish in a short field. She got one try on dirt, in her second career start, and she didn’t seem to care for it. She has stuck to turf from there on out. She has shown talent in anywhere from the seven to ten furlong range, but her range of choice has been eight to nine furlongs. This distance here should fit her nicely. She normally runs as a mid pack closer, but recently her close has been spotty at best. Her last run, she broke faster from the gate, but dropped quickly in a race that just seemed too long for her. The shorter distance here should benefit her, but she is going to need to refind some closing power to be a threat late in this race.

PP 2) Real Accord Sired by Real Quiet, Trained by draeb21. The second five year old mare in this field, Real Accord makes only her twentieth career run here. This will be the first stakes run for this lightly raced mare, earned by virtue of four allowance wins in her last ten starts. Overall in those last ten, she earned a record of 4-3-0-1-1 with no 100+ runs. Her last start was an open allowance run in DC, where she grabbed a one length victory with a flawless second half close from just over eight out at the second call. After making her first two starts on dirt, she switch over to turf and responded by raising her career earnings nearly 2000% in her next two starts. She has only been out of the money in four of her subsequent seventeen starts. Historically, she has been in her best in the eight to nine furlong range, with her speeds dropping off rapidly as the distances get longer. This is right up the center of her preferred range. She is a deep closer, and her close has been excellent. She is a threat anytime she finds herself within nine lengths at the half. There is no breakout ealry speed here, and that bodes well for her. She has been one of the hottest in this field, and although she steps up in class, she should be a threat here.

PP 3) Sleeping Beauty Sired by Empire Maker, Trained by moreready. Sleeping Beauty makes her twentieth start here, and she is running in her four year old season. She is still questing for her first stakes victory. Her last ten starts have resulted in a record of 1-3-1-1-0 record, with no 100+ speeds. She comes off an eight furlong A4x effort in Maryland where she finished second running a solid race the whole way. Like many in this field, she started her career on dirt, but rather that gain speed as she began to mature, she started falling off. The switch to turf was the wake up call and she broke her maiden first out after the switch, never looking back afterwards. She has made sixteen of nineteen career starts in this distance range. Her longer efforts have been less than stellar, and she only has one race shorter, which might be worth trying again. Be that as it may, she definitely has a comfort level at this distance. She has generally been running as a stalker, just behind the early pace, though she has shown that she can close from deeper if called upon. The stalker pace sets her up well here, and she very well find herself in an early lead. Her reaction to that unusual circumstance should dictate her success in this one. If she paces herself early she could surprise here.

PP 4) Cat Cape Canaskra Sired by Cape Canaveral, Trained by fredtaylor. Cat Cape Canaskra is a four year old filly who will make her twenty fourth career start here. She is looking for her first victory at this level. She spent the beginning of last season mostly in the claim and starter allowance ranks. Stepping back up in class over her last ten, 0-1-0-0-1 record with no 100+ speeds. She is primarily a dirt runner, with only four of her career starts on turf. She has a definite speed drop on the softer surface, and hasn’t seen much success. As far as distance, while winning two of six starts in this range on dirt, the bulk of her success has been in sprints. All in all, this is not a good combination for her in this race. She’s run just about every style, and hasn’t really found her niche. Her best success has come from mid pack. She’s overmatched in this field, and unless she can tap a lot of previous unseen potential, she won’t threaten here.

PP 5) September Wingo Sired by Muhtarram, Trained by adwe95. September Wingo is the grand old dame of this field at eight years old, and also the most experienced, making her fourty fourth career start in this race. Though she has seven non-MCOS wins, she is still seeking that elusive first stakes win. Over the course of her last ten starts, she has put together a 4-2-2-1-0 record with no 100+ speeds. Her last race was right here in Virginia, where she bested a full field in an A2y at eight furlongs by a length and a half. The bulk of her career has been spent on dirt, by she is truly service versatile and has shown nice speed on turf, as well. She has shown good speeds out to ten furlongs, but the eight to nine range has been her go to distance, and she has been quite good in this range. She is a deep closer, and her close has been quite consistent at allowance level, while tending to falter at stakes level. She has an explosive close which is a plus in this field. Stakes seem to be a jinx for her though, and she will have to overcome that to live up to her odds here.