Eleven Line Up For Cubic Zirconia Path
This week in Iowa the highlight race of the day will be the Grade II Cubic Zirconia Path Stakes. This race, which is held on the outer dirt course will be run over a mile and one sixteenth. Eleven fillies and mares have drawn into this Saturdays race. The weather has been decent here in Iowa lately, and despite brieft showers a few days ago the track is expected to be listed as fast for Saturday’s race. Let us now take a brief look at each of the eleven contenders for Saturday’s race.
Drawing the number one post position is Ju On II (Crauchan x Zafonic x Dubassoff) and is owned and trained by patb . This four year old homebred filly is considered the longshot in Saturday’s race, going off at odds of 38:1. This filly has had a total of twenty-one career starts, seven of which have resulted of finishes on the board. This will only be the fillies second start at stakes level. Her last stakes start was two years ago during The Too Much Jest Stakes where she finished a disappointing eigth. The fillies last start came in an allowance race in Maryland, where she finished fourth, four and three fourths lengths off the leader and recorded an impressive speed figure of ninety-two. The fillies last win came midway through the 2005 racing season during an allowance race in Mexico where she won by a length and a half.
In the number two slot is The Moose Is Loose (IRE) (Moon Ballad (IRE) x Danehill x Riverman) and is trained and owned by babybarns . This bay filly has had a total of eleven career starts, with an impressive nine of those races resulting on finishes on the board. Her last start, an allowance race in Tazmania earned her a third place finish, with however a somewhat disappointing speed figure of eighty-nine. Prior to that she had won three allowance caliber races in a row, recording in each a speed figure well over ninety-five. This race will be the fillies first start in any stakes company.
Next will be Answer Back T (Almostashar x Time To Explode x Greek Answer) and is owned by graceful . This four year old homebred filly has only had eight career starts, with three wins and two shows. Her last start came in The La Credit Challenge in Louisianna where she finished fifth, a mere four lengths behind the winner, and recording a speed figure of ninety-six. Her last win was just a few races prior in an allowance caliber race where she defeated the rest of the field to go on to win by two and one-half lengths and blaze a speed figure of one hundred two.
Following in the fourth post position is Cryptoblonde (Cryptoclearance x Touch Gold x At Talaq) and is trained by snowchief . This is another four year old filly. She has thus far had a total of twenty-two career starts with twelve finishes on the board, including six wins. Her last start was also in Louisianna’s The La Credit Challenge where she finished fourth, three and one-half lengths behind the victor and recorded an impressive speed figure of ninety-six for the days race. The fillies last victory came in The Maria’s Projects Handicap, where she narrowly defeated the rest of the challengers and won by one-fourth length with jockey K. Billings riding. During that race however she recorded one of her best figures to date, one hundred one.
In the five slot is Dark Silver (Silver Deputy x Unfuwain x Alydar) trained and owned by jin . This four year old homebred has had a total of twenty-six career starts with a total of a lucky thirteen finishes on the board. Her last start was during an allowance spring in Georgia where she won by a margin of one and three-fourth lengths and recorded a speed figure of ninety-eight. She also won the race prior to that, another allowance caliber, by two and three-fourths lengths and recording a speed figure of one hundred two. This filly has not had a stakes start since the year 2004 when she started in The Bonnie Seattle Handicap and the Unusual Circumstances Juvenile (Grade III) in which she finished fourth and thrid respectively.
Next will be Private Lessons (Kingmambo x Nureyev x Private Account) and is out of the stakes starting mare Count Sheryl. She is trained and owned by stungunn . This chestnut mare is one of the older horses starting in this Saturday’s race, at the age of seven. Her last start was in an allowance caliber race in Michigan where she finished fourth, three and one-fourth lenghts behind the winner and recorded an impressive speed figure of ninety-eight. Her last victory was just the race prior, also an allowance caliber, where she won by two and one-fourth lengths and recorded a speed figure of one hundred. This mare is not new to the stakes caliber races, but it has been since 2004 since she has last started in a stakes race. In the past she has finished on the board in notable races such as The Fake Prospect Special, The Teeroy’s Bad Girl Stakes, The New York 1656 Cap, and The Eastern Kentucky 1635 Special.
In the number seven slot is Adv Arsel (Dixie Union x Jade Hunter x Top Ville (IRE)) owned by stalcasey . This five year old chestnut mare has had a total of thirty-eight career starts, of which nine have resulted in wins for the mare. Twenty of those starts were finishes that ended with the mare finishing on the board. Her last start was an allowance race in West Virginia where she finished a narrowly-beaten second by three-fourths of a length and recorded a speed figure of one hundred one. Her last win came a few races prior in South Dakota where she won by two and one-fourth lengths over the rest of the field. Her last stakes start was in The Star Alice (GB) Challenge where she finished well back in fifth and posted a ninety-two speed rating.
Following is Skip Dancer (Skip Away x Grey Dawn II x Native Dancer) and is trained and owned by russ . Despite this dark grey mare starting her career in 2004, compared to the rest of the field she has very few starts, with only ten races. Five of those ten races have resulted in wins, however. Her last start was in eight and a half furlong stakes race, The Early Times Stakes, where she finished a well-beaten fifth, six and one-fourth lengths of the leaders. Her last win came just the race before, during an allowance caliber race, where she managed to hold on to the win by three-fourths of a length and record a speed figure of one hundred three, a career best for the mare.
In the nine slot will be Sacer (Danzig x Private Account x Hail To Reason) and is owned and trained by spqr . This four year old homebread has only had a total of four career starts, however she has a nearly perfect record with three of those being wins. Her lone off-the-board finish came in her maiden debut in California where she ran in a dirt sprint and finished eigth. Since then she has won three races in a row. Saturday’s race will be her stakes debut, with jockey R. Marts riding.
In the number ten post position is the six year old chestnut mare Jarrah (Aljabr x A.P. Indy x Sadler’s Wells) and is owned by taztiger . This mare is one the most experienced mare in the field in terms of race stats with a grand total of forty-nine career starts to date. Twelve of those have resulted in wins for the chestnut mare. Her last start, in Texas, was The Alice Mars Special where she won convincingly by two and one-fourth lengths and recorded a speed figure of ninety-eight. She also won the race prior to that, an allowance caliber race in Nevada.
And last, breaking from the far outside post position will be Imperial Eagle (Soviet Star x Mountain Cat x Key To The Mint) and is trained and owned by mikb . This four year old homebred has had a total of seven career starts with three finishes on the board. Her last start, an allowance caliber race in Indiana resulted in a narrow second place finish by two and one-fourth lengths and a recorded speed figure of ninety-eight. This filly has also had graded stakes starts in the San Valenzuala Breeders Bowl Stakes (G2) and the Girls Cup (G3) where she finished fourtheenth and eleventh, respectively. The fillies last win came last year in British Columbia where she broke her maiden. Jockey for this Saturday’s race will be C. Lyden.