Prophetic Blade Special showcases best of the rest three year old turf filles

It’s Derby and Guineas week, and the best of the sim are taking the field in Kentucky and Newmarket. Up and coming three year old turf fillies though, are visiting Virginia for the Prophetic Blade Special. The race runs over nine and a half furlongs of firm turf, carries a $50000 purse. This is the second annual running of this race, won last year by Sigh Matters(IRE), running a way to a five and a quarter length victory down the stretch. Races are starting to stretch out for the three year olds now, and they are beginning to get the distance that some of them have been craving. This race drew a field of six, and all of them have prior experience in this distance range. Oddsmakers are once again holding it tight to the vest here, naming a 5/2 favorite, and sending off four of the five remaining entries at less than 5/1 odds. We could be looking at some decent payouts at the betting window again in this one.

PP 1) Nymphet Sired by Rahy, Trained by sano. Nymphet takes to the track for her fourteenth career start, and the sixth start of her three year old campaign. She is stepping back up to stakes from allowance level, and she is still seeking her first win at this level. Her first thirteen starts have garnered her a 3-3-3-2-1 record with a best speed figure of 91.3 earned two starts back. Her last run was an A3L at nine furlongs on dirt in New York, where she bested a field of eight by nearly two lengths behind a beautiful second half close. Her career has been nearly even split between dirt and turf running. Recently her dirt speeds have been quite a bit better, but her only start on turf this year was a stakes run, whereas the dirt starts have been at allowance level. Two of three wins have been on dirt. She likes the distance here, finishing top three in all three dirt starts in this range. She seems to prefer her turf races a bit shorter, though she only has on previous start at this distance on turf to gauge her performance. She is a deep closer, and her close has been very consistent, but her close seems to have more purchase on the harder dirt surface. She will need to improve her turf close to challenge down the stretch here.

PP 2) Peach Classic Sired by Sky Classic, Trained by roys. Peach Classic starts for only the ninth time here, the fifth of her three year old season. She has really blossomed this year after a lackluster two year old season, scoring wins in three of four starts, including her first two stakes victories. Her first eight starts have netted her a 3-2-0-2-0 record with a best speed of 96.6, earned two starts back. Her last race was a stakes at this distance on the tough Vermont track, where she walked away from a short field down the stretch for a length and a quarter victory, her second consecutive stakes win. She has one career dirt start, and that was enough to convince her trainer that turf is where she belongs. She hasn’t finished worse than fourth in seven career turf starts. Her explosion this season coincided the chance to stretch out to longer distances. She has made three starts at this distance this year, winning all three. She fell just short in her shorter start at eight furlongs. This one very well may be a long router as she matures. She’s a deep closer, and is capable of closing from deep as well as just off the pace in a slower field. This is one hot horse this year, and she will be tough to beat in this one.

PP 3) Whistle On By Sired by Smarty Jones, Trained by be1stfarms. Whistle On By takes the gate for the eleventh career time here, and the fifth of her three year old season. She has run six consecutive stakes races, and has one win to her credit. Her first ten career starts have gained her a 2-2-1-0-1 record with a best speed of 84.8 earned late in her two year old season. Her last start found her in North Florida, in an eight furlong stakes race, where she turned in a fifth place finish closing very hard down the stretch. She started her career on dirt, running decent speeds as a two year old, but she broke her maiden on turf, and has had her best performances on the softer turf surface. She gave up sprinting as early as she could in her two year old season, and started clocking some success, earning three top two finishes in six turf routes. Discounting two off track runs, her speeds have been steadily increasing this year, though still not quite to the leve l of some here. She is a deep closer, and while her close has been off and on, she has shown flashes of brilliance. She will need her best and then some to bring this one home.

PP 4) Can Of Whoop As Sired by Wolfhound, Trained by betdahouse. Can Of Whoop As hits the track for race number eleven of her career. This will be her fifth start as a three year old. She was adopted by her current trainer from a 30K claim, and has proceeded to tear up the track winning four of her next five starts, including three stakes races. Overall in her first ten, she has gone 6-1-0-0-2 with a best speed of 89.9 earned in her forst start this year. Her last race was a nine furlong stakes outing in Pennsylvania where she where she went convincingly wire to wire against a short field, winning by six lengths. After two dirt starts to begin her career, she switch to turf, and her speeds immediately jumped by nearly 20 points, and have remained consistent since then. The switch to routing really caused her to explode, and one second place finish is the only blemish on a nearly perfect route record in five starts, all at allowance and stakes level. She likes running from the head of the midpack, but she is not afraid of an early lead, having gone wire to wire in two of her last three, in slower paced fields. The way she has been pasting some of these fields, we may not have seen her best speeds. She is a definite threat in this one.

PP 5) Iron Amounis Sired by Anabaa, Trained by ironmcc. Iron Amounis makes only her eight career start in this race, which will be her fourth three year old outing. This is her first stakes outing and she comes in as a 9/1 longshot. Her first eight runs have notched her a 2-1-2-0-2 record, and a best speed figure of 82.7 earned two starts back. She comes off an eleven furlong A1x outing in Alabama, where she grabbed a three quarter length victory in a close race. Her dirt and turf speeds have been comparable, but the bulk of her success has been on the grass. This will be her first run at this distance, though she has seen action at eight and eleven furlongs. Her speed at eleven was decent for early in the three year old season, and this could be a good distance for her. She tends to run in a stalker’s role, though she has shown a bit of ability to close from just off the pace. With the speed she faces here, she could have trouble maintaining the early pace. Her position at the half should pretty much tell the story for her in this one.

PP 6) New Rack(AUS) Sired by Reset(AUS), Trained by zjkj3. New Rack(AUS) is the veteran of the field, making her fourteenth career start. It is her seventh start as a three year old. She has two stakes starts and is still seeking her first win at this level. Her thirteen career starts have left her with a mark of 4-3-3-0-3, with a best speed of 86.9 earned four starts back. Her last race was an A4x sprint in New York, where she finished fifth fading quickly after the half. She made her first start on dirt and with her switch to turf, has finished out of the top three only twice in her next twelve starts. She has run distances from four and a half to nine furlongs, and her best range seems to be eight to eight and a half. This one could be on the long side for her. She is a fast starter, but after three straight wins to start the year, she has had trouble holding her ealry leads with the step up in class. She has some good speed potential, and she should have a piece of the early lead here, but will likely have trouble holding off some good closers down the stretch.