Better late than never

By ITCH

I wish I carried as much truck with my own damn jockey in this game as I do with Charlie Hoop, the Morning Line Oddsmaker.

Or do I?

You may carry from the tone of my lede that yes, Jocko Maloney done spun me again. Brought him into this Simulated world and he can’t help a brother out, you know?

Added to the fact that I done bid a bunch of races coming up here next week, and was planning on trying to boost the little bastard’s win percentage. Being as he ain’t doing so damned good lately, and all.

I don’t know, maybe I’ll give them rides to old Sam Tate or somebody.

Love it.

OK gang, you all know I would really love to win this week’s race, or at least hit the board.

Never have scored a point in the West Virginia Stakes Competition since we did away with the Jocko bonus, which was a sham of a mockery of a sham in the first place.

Can the $35,000 CORPARATE CARSON CHALLENGE break my maiden? Can SIRI’S ROCKET, with young J. Hennessy aboard, come through?

Some powerful barns and some fast colts say, sorry Itchy, you done caught a tough field.

On thing is, though, it is not a long field. At least there are not 14 horses in here. That don’t hurt nothing.

Top of the list is a Super stable colt. Out of the No. 25 Super Unit, SUPER TORNADO is bred to the teeth in blue blood. With AP Indy, Danzig and Forty Niner across the top, the Super Gang was breaking out the bankroll on this one. It’s never looked like a bad investment with this one, who hit the ground running. That being said, he’s lost six races in a row. That being said, several of those losses were in graded company, and going longer than what appears to be his favored six furlongs. It’s six and a half here today and back among friends, so it will be tough to keep this one from the lead, and hard to keep him off the board.

Jocko’s come-from-behind riding style does suit the No. 2-qualifer, GONZALES SERGIO(IRE), for whom I’ve been spun here. This son of Swain, out of the Grade G Kingmambo mare King’s Warning, cuts back in class and distance here and will be hoping there’s someone out early to soften up that Super colt. He’ll be trying to rally late, and is in a much more realistic spot here after being thrown off the Derby trail going long in graded races. Draw a line through those last two.

No. 3 qualifier is DELIGENCE out of Ts1442 Tommy’s julie barn. Safe to say I was a little bummed to see this son of the Silver Deputy sire Posse show up in the entries. He beat my SIRI’S ROCKET home two back in the Ohio stake. While the Rocket is unraced since that day five weeks ago, Deligence has started since, two weeks ago when eighth in the New York Grade 3. Tom is having a nice year with his Julie outfit, winning seven races already in 2006 from 43 starts for a nice 16.3 percent strike rate. This is a man usually heard from in these West Virginia Stakes Competitions.

No. 4 is Fishy’s FRISBEE HEGONE. This son of Congaree is looking for a form reversal, having missed the board in six straight since winning his first-ever stake. Sometimes these Sim horses are hard to figure.

No. 5 is gnba’s DISTORTED PHYSICS. This one is back for another try at the stakes level after earning an impressive win last out in a restricted allowance. He got a big speed fig of 96 in that race, his career best so far. Gnba would be glad to see this one repeat that kind of number at this class.

Our boy qualified No. 6. SIRI’S ROCKET is a result of our desire to get a top-rated son of In Excess in the Sim. He’s one of our favorite all-time sires, and we decided to shoot for the moon with Siri’s Rocket and use Mr. P and Northern Dancer as the DS and DDS. He didn’t look like much at first, getting throttled in his first stakes try, but has moved forward as a 3yo. The allowance win two back this distance let us know he might be a good thing, because it was the first time he did not look like a one-dimensional speed ball. He kind of made the lead and rated in that race, which we’re hoping is a sign of good things to come. While only third last out in the Ohio stake, it was an effort we were proud of because he chased Deligence and was gaining on that classy runner at the wire. Here’s hoping he moves forward today. We’ll see.

No. 7 is Ozzy’s REFUSAL, who takes the leap into stakes competition here off four very good allowance races, first or second each time. The speed figs are competitive, and he’s run good at the distance. Truth be told, this is not the toughest 3yo stake field in the world, so it ain’t the worst place to make your stake debut.

Look out for Wassie in the eighth qualifying spot with STRIKINGLY G. Making only his sixth career start, this is another one that Wassie is moving forward into stakes competition here at Old Waterford, a trick he’s accomplished a time or two in the past. He’s got a nice 93 speed fig at the distance, as if the connections did not make him dangerous enough.

Finally, we have TEXAS TIGRESS for contest leader Stretch. He’s probably reaching somewhat with this filly, who hasn’t been able to handle N2L allowance foes, and tries stake boys here.

GOOD LUCK YOU ALL!!!!!!