Lots Of Deep Closers Highlight Gr. 1 CA Classic

 

PREVIEW:

Saturday August 23, 2014      3:00   EST

California      /        Race ID:   1233090

 

GRADE  1    CA CLASSIC

 

10 Furlongs / About 2400 meters / One Mile and One-Quarter

Purse $1,000,000

3 Year Olds and Up                      Track Conditions:   Fast Dirt

 

If you ask people in California, you’ll probably hear them say the 10-furlong Grade 1 CA Classic is the premier grade 1 prep for the Breeders’ Bowl Classic, which the state of California hosts every year in November.

It’s the same distance, it’s got a huge purse of a million bucks, and since it never rains in California, you’ll most likely see the same track conditions for this race as you will three months from now.

Well, you can throw out that part about it not raining in California right now, at least in real life. It looks like the drought the state has suffered through is coming to a halt, with heavy rains forecast for San Francisco and other parts of the state.

But you’re going to get a fast track here in Derbyfever for this weekend’s running of the $1,000,000 Grade 1 CA Classic. And it is, to most people, at least one of the premier preps for the Breeders’ Bowl Classic come November.

Unlike its east coast rival when it comes to prestigious BB Classic preps, the Grade 1 Hit Me Handicap in New York, the CA Classic isn’t blessed with an abundance of front-end speed types this year. So, you can pretty much forget about anyone wiring this 2014 CA Classic Field. There are so many closers in this field that their sheer numbers make the likelihood of anyone wiring this field nearly impossible.

There are a few speedball types in here, or at least there are horses who have shown an ability to set some decent front-end fractions. But the order of the day on Saturday for the CA Classic will be what the deep closers can do–because there are a ton of them in this race.

Of the front-end types, you’ve got Harper II, the 7 year old New York-bred son of Maybry’s Boy, who came close last time out when he finished second in the Movieland Shiney Cup. He’s the oldest horse in the 2014 CA Classic. Don’t let his age throw you off. That one’s got quite a bit of early flash, as well as VT Indycat, the Aussie-bred Dixiedotco Racing charge who is coming off a huge win in a 9-furlong Grade 2 race in Arizona last time out.

You might find those two vying for the early lead here in the CA Classic, along with a quick colt by the name of Recoup.

You might find the horse who’s drawn the rail here, Pee Huzz, stalking those three. Pee Huzz has quite a bit of speed, as he showed us when he won the Grade 2 Glenn Handicap back in February. Evil Sunrise, one of the two morning line favorites here at 7/1, has shown the ability to lay close to the leaders as well. He comes in here with graded victories in two of his last four starts, including a grade 1 Equinics victory in February.

And, after those horses, just about everyone either likes to lie in mid-pack or drop in from far off the pace, including Lepe (the #1 ranked colt in the world, who shares the 7/1 morning line favorite title with Evil Sunrise) and Ello Guvnor, the 9/1 shot who is ranked #4 in the world.

This field probably isn’t as deep as the field in the Hit Me Handicap in New York a couple weeks ago, but there are some world class colts in this field, with Lepe and Ello Guvnor and Evil Sunrise (ranked #6 in this division) in here.

And there are some other horses in here who are definitely on the rise in the dirt handicap division. That much is certain.

Of the really deep closers, I think the chances of a colt called Whirl Around are pretty good. He‘s a four year old son of Medaglia D’Oro, who came from a dozen lengths off the pace halfway through the 9.5 furlong Grade 2 Washington Drive to just miss by a length at the wire. He’s very good. And, he’s lightly raced coming in here, with only 13 career starts.

Slick Candidate is impressive, as well, in this spot, as is a Smart Strike colt by the name of Lemon Vodka.

Really, there are so many good, deep closers in this race that I really don’t think you’re going to see anywhere near the fractions you saw in the Hit Me Handicap, and that makes this 2014 version of the CA Classic a pretty wide open race.
( 1 )   PEE HUZZ      (KY)                            Owner: Orsoyla

(Mineshaft x El Gran Golden (Seeking The Gold x El Gran Senor)

Odds: 15/1               Career Record:  26  10-6-5                  Earnings:  $819,995

Pee Huzz, a 4 year old son of Mineshaft is making only his sixth graded appearance when he hits the track in California this weekend, but he’s got one graded win, and that victory was a pretty big one. It came last season in the 9-furlong Grade 1 Glenn Handicap down in Florida. He tuned up for that race with a 5.5 furlong prep a couple weeks before, and he’s sort of following that same pattern here. He had been off since mid-May, then he suddenly showed up two weeks ago in an 8-furlong tune-up in Kentucky. This horse does well when he follows this layoff/short prep pattern. But the one problem with Pee Huzz is that he hasn’t won at 10 furlongs yet. He’s tried the distance one time, in Dubai, when he got hooked up in a pretty vicious speed duel early before fading to tenth place. He’s thrown some pretty big speed figures when he’s run 9 furlongs in the past, but this extra furlong in California this weekend is a big question mark for him. He might be able to answer that question successfully this weekend, if that 8 furlong tune-up he ran in Kentucky two weeks ago did what it was supposed to do. This horse has 26 lifetime starts, which is a lot for a four year old, but he’s coming in here pretty well rested after that three-month break prior to his tune-up in Kentucky. He’s the only grade 1 winner from Tamure Racing Stables. Ten furlongs might seem to be a little outside his wheelhouse, but remember one thing. He was coming off his big Grade 1 win in Florida, and he had taken nearly two months off between winning the Glenn Handicap and that tenth place finish in Dubai. He might be a bit more race-ready this time around. He could be a spoiler here in California this weekend. Watch out for this colt.

( 2 )   WHIRL AROUND   (KY)                       Owner: Escapade

(Medaglia D’Oro x A.P. Indy x Damascus)    Scratch-bred

Odds: 8/1                 Career Record:  13  5-4-2             Earnings:  $506,310

Tisjuliet Racing Stables gets to find out exactly what its lightly raced 4 year old son of Medaglia D’Oro is made of when he goes to the Grade 1 CA Classic this weekend. He’s already been in a couple of big races so far in his career. Earlier this season, he finished second in the Gr. 1 10-furlong Equinics event for older horses, behind a horse called Touch The Devil, who also finished second two weeks ago in the 9-furlong Grade 1 Hit Me Handicap. He bounced off that effort to finish pretty much up the track in Dubai in the Grade 1 Sand Castle Classic. But if this horse can finish second behind Touch The Devil, then he definitely belongs in this group. His pedigree is beautiful (and expensive), and this colt looks like he’s finally starting to figure things out. He hasn’t won in quite a while (since December of last season, when he ran in his first stakes ever, a listed event at 9.5 furlongs). But let’s focus on his last three starts. Three starts back, Whirl Around popped a career-high 113 speed figure in the Grade 3 Sedona Classic in Arizona. He lost by a head there after coming from about 12 lengths off the pace midway through the race. Two starts back, he came back east to New York, where he stepped up to Grade 2 company in the 10-furlong Out Of The City Handicap. He was third there, beaten only a length, but his speed figure dipped to 109. It wasn’t much of a drop, but it was slightly lower than he ran in that 9.5 grade 3 start three starts back. Then, last time out, he comes back to 9.5 furlongs in the Grade 3 Washington Drive Stakes in Illinois, where he runs the same type of late-closing race, losing only by a length and finishing third there. It’s hard to tell, because of his running style, whether this colt prefers 9.5 or 10 furlongs. I know, I know. It doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but for some horses, a half a furlong can mean a world of difference. The reason I say it’s hard to tell is because he just doesn’t have the number of starts that most of these have. He’s only been on the track 13 times, which is pretty lightly raced for a four year old this time of the year. But, if this colt continues to grow and develop, he could be just the kind of colt who could be one to watch in this dirt handicap division for a few years to come. I like his chances this weekend in this spot.

( 3 )   LEMON VODKA   (KY)                         Owner: Shaagger

(Smart Strike x Stone Cold Sobar (Empire Maker x Sky Mesa))

Odds: 10/1               Career Record:  15  5-5-1              Earnings:  $1,766,554

This is another pretty interesting pedigree that Shaghar Racing’s got here in his four year old colt Lemon Vodka. You would think that any pedigree that includes Smart Strike x Empire Maker x Sky Mesa would be a predominantly speedy pedigree, right? I don’t mean sprint, but I do mean speedy. But if you watch all of this colt’s races, you’ll see that he’s a dead-on closer type. He loves to lollygag at the back of the pack before he turns on the jets late. Lemon Vodka is sort of the American dirt version of the Euro turf runners, who typically use this tremendous late-closing kick in their running styles. But if you look at both Smart Strike and Sky Mesa, which comprises 2/3 of his pedigree, you’ll see that while most of their 2 and 3 year old winners are sprint types, they do tend to go longer the older they get. And it looks like that’s exactly what’s happening here with Lemon Vodka. He’s only got 15 career starts, and he was listed stakes placed early in his career. But it’s only in his last three starts that he really started to blow the roof off, when he’s been popping some pretty impressive speed figures. Three starts back, he just missed winning his first grade 1 event in his first try, when he popped a 110 speed figure in the Gr. 1 Toilet Scrubbers Anonymous Handicap in Michigan. That was a 9.5 furlong event, where he came from nearly 17 lengths off the pace, and he just missed winning by ¾ of a length. Two starts back he ran a 112 speed figure when he came from nearly 12 lengths off the pace to win a 9.5 furlong listed stakes in Kentucky. And, then came his big moment in the sun. Last time out, Shag took his colt to the desert to run with the big boys in the 10-furlong Gr. 1 Sand Castle Classic in Dubai. In only his third graded start of his career, he tracked the #1 ranked colt in the division, Lepe, and he closed from nearly 12 lengths off the pace to just lose by 2 lengths to Lepe. I think the four year old son of Smart Strike is finally starting to figure it all out. It would not be a surprise at all to see this colt notch his first grade 1 win here. One thing is certain: His speed figures are on the rise, and he’s lightly raced. That could spell trouble for the rest of the horses in the dirt handicap division not only this weekend, but for well into next season. That was no shaggy field (no pun intended) that this colt from Shaghar Racing ran with last time out in Dubai. This colt could be sitting on a monster race here in California this weekend for the CA Classic. I would say he’s the horse to beat here, except for one thing. He hasn’t raced since Dubai, and that’s nearly five months. That’s a pretty long layoff. Let’s watch and see how he handles the layoff.

( 4 )   HARPER II   (NY)                                               Owner: Kauffmac2

(Maybry’s Boy x Smart Strike x Dehere)      Scratch-bred

Odds: 8/1             Career Record:  20  8-4-4           Earnings:  $465,177

You probably haven’t heard much about Harper II. And, that’s because he’s a seven year old New York-bred son of Maybry’s Boy. This horse started racing in 2009. He really didn’t do much early on. He did make an appearance in the Grade 2 Captain Hook, back in May of 2010, when he was a three year old, but that was just about it for graded action until recently. After 2010, he only raced twice in 2011 and once in 2012, before he returned to the races for good in February of this season. He’s seen nothing but 10-furlong races, since his return to the races, and he’s been winning big. He had a five-race winning streak coming into his last start in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Movieland Shiney Cup right here in California, where he came within a whisker of beating the eventual winner, Deepseeker. That was a pretty impressive performance by the seven year old Harper II, who was coming off a Grade 3 win in the 10-furlong Kauffman Special in New York. This big old guy’s speed figures are on the improve, he’s lightly raced for a 7 year old, and he looks like he might just be primed to pull an upset here in the Grade 1 CA Classic, which would make his sire, Maybry’s Boy, his first grade 1 winner. As it stands, he’s the New York sire’s ONLY graded winner ever. Sometimes you see horses like this, and you just shake your head, once you see how old they are. But, when you really start looking at their past performance charts since their return to the races, those question marks suddenly turn into “Why Not?” It wouldn’t be a big surprise at all to see this horse come up big this weekend in California, especially off that career-high 114 speed figure he threw last time out in the Grade 1 Movieland Shiney Cup. He might be a dangerous horse to keep your eye on in California this weekend.

( 5 )   VT INDYCAT   (AUS)                        Owner: Stormboot2

(Hussonet x Cheyenne Storm (A.P. Indy x Storm Cat))

Odds: 11/1                Career Record:  16  9-2-2                 Earnings:  $479,460

If you look through Dixiedotco’s barn, you will see quite a few animals like VT Indycat. The common thread is that they usually have very sturdy dirt back ends, like this one, with quick, turfy type sires. And, you’ll also notice another common thread in a lot of these horses’ past performance charts from Dixiedotco, a successful trainer and long-time veteran. Dixie isn’t afraid to think outside the box. That’s probably just one of the characteristics that make Dixiedotco Racing so successful year in and year out. He’s a trainer who’s not afraid to switch surfaces with his horses. And I’m not just talking about switching surfaces in his horses’ two year old seasons, when most trainers are trying to get a feel for which surface a horse is suited for. Take, for example, VT Indycat. He’s by Hussonet, who’s known in real life for his turf sprint foals, mainly down under in Australia. What Dixiedotco did here was take a grade 1 winning mare, Cheyenne Storm (A.P Indy x Storm Cat), who was the game’s first Breeders’ Bowl Distaff winner back in 1998, and breed her to the Australian sire, Hussonet, probably with the thought of injecting a little speed in the pedigree. Normally, you would think this would spell disaster for most barns. Not for Dixiedotco Racing. Look what he’s done with this one. VT Indycat’s won 9 of his 16 starts, and he’s won listed stakes on both the grass and the dirt. VT Indycat is also graded placed on the turf, where he finished second in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delta Republic three starts back. He had a big lead on that field, before he gave it up in deep stretch to the eventual winner Ocean Of Choice, a next out winner in a big grade 2 race in Japan. Then, after that race in Italy, Dixiedotco took his Hussonet colt to America, where he totally bombed in the 9-furlong Grade 2 Cornhusker Handicap. The poor finish there on the dirt from a colt who doesn’t normally throw in poor finishes was probably just a result of too much time between races. Some horses like a lot of time off between races, and some don’t. Or maybe Dixiedotco was just warming up his colt for his next performance. In either case, look what VT Indycat did his next time out in the Grade 2 Gotta Fix The Sprinkler’s Classic in Arizona on the dirt. He bounced out to a big early lead against the likes of Lepe (the #1 ranked colt in the world’s handicap dirt division right now) and Ello Guvnor (last year’s BB Classic winner as a three year old). All VT Indycat did there was cruise to a big win. He’ll be seeing both of those rivals this weekend in California. There’s no doubt this colt from Dixiedotco is good enough to beat the likes of colts like Lepe and Ello Guvnor, two of the top four ranked colts in this division. The real question for VT Indycat is whether or not he can go 10 furlongs. He’s only been that distance once in his entire career, and that was in that Grade 2 Delta Republic race, on the turf in Italy, where he blew a four-length lead late. I don’t think surface matters much to this colt from Dixiedotco, who is one of the best in the game when it comes to placing horses in races. I think it’s all about the distance for this colt this weekend. And what Dixiedotco wants to find out this weekend is whether or not his Hussonet colt can get 10 furlongs on the dirt. Just because he couldn’t do it on the turf doesn’t mean he can’t do it on the dirt. I’ve seen it time and again, with colts from the Dixiedotco barn. One thing is certain. He’ll probably bounce out to a pretty big early lead here. At the very least, he will run be able to run with the early leaders. The question he’ll be trying to answer for his owner is whether he can go the 10 panels. If he can do it this weekend in California, you will most probably see this colt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic come November.

( 6 )   LEPE   (KY)                      Owner: Donosti

(Awesome Again x Unbridled x Nijinsky II)    Scratch-bred

Odds: 7/1             Career Record:  17  7-3-2              Earnings:  $5,393,185

As a three year old last season, Lepe tried the east coast route to get to the Breeders‘ Bowl Classic. That worked out great for the son of Awesome Again, as he won three of four graded stakes races the latter part of last season. He won the Gr. 2 Buckeye Derby, and he just missed by a head in the Gr. 1 Clerk Of Scales, before he trounced a couple of monster fields in both the Gr. 1 Travelers and the Gr. 1 Jockey Guild Gold Cup. By the way, in that Gr. 1 Travelers last season, he absolutely scorched the track, establishing a stakes record of 1:59 3/5 while tossing a 119 speed figure at a field that included no less than six other grade 1 winners. Not bad at all. He might have peaked a bit early last year, as he showed us when he failed to fire in the BB Classic last season. He did run on late to pick up a fourth place check in that race. This year, he’s going to try the west coast route to the BB Classic. Last time out, he finished a late-closing third in the 9.5 furlong Gr. 2 Gotta Fix The Sprinklers Classic in Arizona. And, now, he’s going to try the distance he likes best (10 furlongs) in this weekend’s CA Classic. He’s ranked #1 in the world, so there’s little doubt he’ll make the Breeders’ Bowl Classic field again in 2014, if that’s what his owner, Zambaygo Racing, wants to do with him. But this year, he’ll probably have a lot more gas left in the tank by the time he gets to the Classic. After Lepe added the 2014 Sand Castle Classic in Dubai to his incredibly impressive trophy case, Zambaygo Racing has kept this colt’s races few and far between. And, other than his win in Dubai, Lepe hasn’t been pushed to 10 furlongs, until this weekend. He’ll more than likely relish this distance, if he runs the way he ran in the lead-ups to the 2013 BB Classic. This colt should be the one to beat here this weekend. If he wins the CA Classic and the BB Classic, this horse could get not only an Eclipse, but he could be a cinch for Horse Of The Year. Considering the controversy surrounding the awards the last two seasons, that might not be such a bad thing after all.

( 7 )   NATURAL SPRING   (KY)                      Owner: Blankpoin8

(Empire Maker x Seeking The Gold x Pleasant Colony)    Scratch-bred

Odds: 14/1              Career Record:  24  5-4-3              Earnings:  $487.488

Natural Spring took a long time to develop. The Pointblank Racing Stable group really took its time with this 5 year old son of Empire Maker. It wasn’t until his 17th career start that Pointblank Racing felt this colt was ready for stakes action. And his owner was right. In October of last season, Pointblank Racing finally took the plunge with Natural Spring and threw him in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup last season, where he rallied from the back of the pack and got into a fierce stretch duel with 2012 Bluegrass Derby winner Ras El Hanout, who lost that duel to Natural Spring by a ¼ of a length. Not bad for Natural Spring’s first time in graded company, beating a Bluegrass Derby winner. That was a pretty interesting race to watch, and it wasn’t just because of that thrilling stretch duel between the Derby winner Ras El Hanout and Natural Spring, who battled each other neck and neck down the stretch. There was a another horse in that race by the name of Ello Guvnor who finished third behind those two. Ello Guvnor will be here in California this weekend, and Natural Spring will get a chance to see if he can beat that one again. Natural Spring hasn’t won since that Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup. And, his speed figures have taken a plunge of late. Two starts back he showed a little life in a third place finish in the 12-furlong Crooklyn Handicap, where he rallied from far back and gained a lot of ground late. This colt might have matured to the point where he wants more than the ten furlongs here. He is always gaining ground in his graded races, but he’s just not quite getting the prize. Last time out, he went to Canada, where he raced in the 8.5 furlong Grade 3 Cultural Centre Cup, his shortest graded try to date. He was a well beaten 8th in Canada that day. But like he’s done in all his graded races, he even managed to gain a little ground on the leader late. The longer this one goes, the better off he seems to be. With Empire Maker (the real life Belmont Stakes winner) and Pleasant Colony in that scratch-bred pedigree of his, this colt can probably run all day long. He’ll definitely be charging at them late from the back of the pack, but is this ten furlongs he’ll see in California too little ground for him this weekend? Let’s see.

( 8 )   SLICK CANDIDATE   (KY)                   Owner: Skunkman2

(Street Cry x Truth And Lies (Giant’s Causeway x Seeking The Gold))

Odds: 8/1                Career Record:  27  11-4-4           Earnings:  $440,393

For a five year old, in this big grade 1 race, Slick Candidate does not possess a lot of graded stakes experience. Of his 27 career lifetime starts, only three have been in graded company. He ran in one graded race in each of his last three seasons. But what DOES stick out on Slick Candidate’s past performance chart is his last three races. He was just sort of lollygagging along there, throwing speed figures in the 103-108 range for a long time. But in his last three starts, he really woke up, for some reason. One of those reasons might be that Skunk has his horse back at a distance he really relishes–10 furlongs–the same distance he’ll see in the CA Classic this weekend. Three starts back, Skunk popped Slick Candidate into a 10-furlong listed stakes south of the border, in Mexico. And all he did there was rally from 13 lengths off the pace and just miss winning by half a length. A month later, he brought Slick Candidate to Virginia, for another 10-furlong listed stakes. That time the son of Street Cry who is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Truth And Lies figured it out. He laid a little closer to the pace and rallied late for a length and a quarter victory. Skunk threw his horse back into graded action for the first time since July of 2013, last time out, when he brought him to South Korea for the Grade 3 Wikidpedigree.Org Challenge. It wasn’t a monster field, but Slick Candidate did pop a 112 speed number (the second highest of his career) there in notching his second straight win. This colt might be returning to his form of early 2013, when he was throwing around huge numbers like 116 and 114 in mostly listed stakes company. Sometimes, you don’t know why a horse just suddenly wakes up like this when he does, but Slick Candidate seems to be feeling his oats again. This colt could be extremely dangerous this weekend, but the key to his success might be in how close he can lay to the early leaders. If he gets too far back, say more than 13 or 14 lengths behind the leaders here this weekend, it might be too much ground to make up against this classy bunch. This is by far the best group of horses that Slick Candidate has ever run with in his career. If he can lay about 10 lengths off the pace or so, he’s got a real shot here this weekend.

( 9 )   EVIL SUNRISE   (ENG)                      Owner: Fairhaven5

(Pivotal x Across The Sunrise (Sadler’s Wells x Alydar))

Odds: 7/1            Career Record:  19   7-6-5                Earnings:  $5,553,565

Considering that his breeding is 2/3 turf, and his sire and dam sire throw turf winners at about a 68 percent clip, it’s amazing that Evil Sunrise has been able to accomplish what he has on the dirt. Last season, the four year old son of Pivotal got progressively better in the American Triple Crown races, finishing third, second and first in the Bluegrass, the Middle Jewel and the New Yorker (all grade 1 events). If he wins the 10-furlong CA Classic this weekend, it will be the first time in seven tries that he’s been able to win at that distance on the dirt for his owner, Lenny271 Racing. He’s been awfully close to capturing some big 10-furlong dirt races; but so far, no cigar for the son of Pivotal at that distance. He could probably have had just as sterling a career on the turf–if Lenny had been so inclined to pursue that route with this colt. He’s finished in the top three in 18 of his 19 starts, so this colt is consistent. But, if you go back to April of 2013, you’ll see that Evil Sunrise has only won three times–and all three of those wins have come at 12 panels. He’s thrown some pretty nice speed figures in all of his races. He tossed a 116 in a second place finish in last season’s BB Classic, he popped a 114 in the race right after that, another second place finish in the Japan Dirt Cup at 9 furlongs, and he blew out another 114 speed figure when the won the Game Mentors Gr. 1 Equinics race. But that race was 12 furlongs. It makes you wonder what this colt’s record could have been if he had been kept at strictly 12 furlong events. He’s only got two turf starts in his entire career, but one of those starts was a 6 ½ length win in an open allowance turf event in New York–at 12 furlongs. Let’s not discount the possibility that Evil Sunrise might have been just as effective on the turf–at 12 furlongs–in some of the premier events on that surface. At some point, you would think that Lenny would at least try this colt exclusively at 12 furlongs, either on the turf or the dirt. Of course, when a horse has won $5.5 million dollars for you and taken down one of the legs of the American Triple Crown, it’s kind of hard to take the blinders off. But it would be interesting to see what this colt could do, at some point in his career, before it’s too late, in some of the world’s 12-furlong turf events. He’s one of those horses who never really throws a bad race at you, which could explain why Lenny has kept this colt on the dirt, at 10 furlongs, most of his career.

( 10 )   SHADY MINER   (KY)                            Owner: Helpmeout

(Mineshaft x Barb’s Denise (Shaadi x Forty Niner))

Odds: 18/1                  Career Record:  20  7-1-3                Earnings:  $250,001

Shady Miner started out his career as a two year old, when it took him three races to break his maiden. Then, he was put on the shelf for about 20 months before he would return to racing. Maybe the owner, Migman11 Racing Stables, didn’t like the speed figures he was seeing. Or, maybe he saw the possibility that this 5 year old son of Mineshaft would be a late bloomer. (I would vote for #2–if I voted. I don’t vote.) The two year old who broke his maiden with a 79 speed figure returned to the track as a 4 year old, and it took him all of two races before he started popping triple digit speed figures. It took about six months after his return before he would graduate to listed stakes action, but he probably could have progressed much quicker than that. He was tossing about 108-112 speed figures in allowances, before he finally saw his first listed stakes towards the end of his 4 year old season last year. He didn’t disappoint Migman11 Racing, either. In his first three listed stakes, he popped speed figures of 110, 112, and 109 while winning two of the three and finishing second in the other one. It looked like Shady Miner was on his way to bigger and better things in the dirt handicap division. Then he hit grade 1 action in the 9.5 furlong Toilet Scrubbers Anonymous Handicap. He ran a decent race there, but he fired a bit late and ended up a late-closing fifth there. It was back to listed stakes action for Shady Miner after that, and he threw in a couple of dull efforts there at 9.5 and 10.5 furlongs. This horse really seems to like 10 furlongs on the dirt, and he’s pretty picky about that. When he’s run 10 furlongs on the dirt, he’s got a record of 3-0-2. Now, here’s where it gets tricky. His last three efforts were all 10 furlongs on the dirt, and they were all grade 3 races. He gained ground late in two of them. But, last time out in the Grade 2 Wikipedigree.org Challenge, it was the first time he’s thrown a bad race at 10 furlongs on the dirt. He finished a well beaten 10th there, and he was retreating at the end, which was very uncharacteristic for Shady Miner. But I think you can attribute that to too many races in too short a period of time. Since April, four months ago, he’s crammed in five races, and three of those came in a period of one month. The grueling schedule started to show last time out in that grade 3 race in South Korea. Shady Miner might have done best to take some time off and skip that last race in South Korea. He barely had the points to make it into the Grade 1 California Classic this weekend, so that was probably weighing on the owner‘s mind. But he made it here. I think if he were given some rest, you might see the Shady Miner of old, the one who was tossing those big speed numbers late last season. I could be wrong, and he could fire this weekend in this spot. But it just looks like he needs some time off to regain his form. Mineshaft progeny have been known for their longevity, so it’s not entirely out of the question that you might see this guy in some pretty big races towards the end of this season and well into the next one or two seasons. But he might need some rest first. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope he does well here in California this weekend. But it’s going to take significant improvement for this guy to compete with this field this weekend in California. I love Mineshaft colts, simply because they are challenging to breed, but when you hit a big one, it can run and run and run for a long time, and this one is no different. Migman11 seems to have hit on a stakes winning combination here in the breeding of Shady Miner, one who, with proper rest, could be around the handicap division for a very long time to come.

( 11 )   SEA THE MAGIC   (IRE)                     Owner: Rtribbett

(Sea The Stars x Feels Like Magic (A.P. Indy x Storm Cat))

Odds: 12/1              Career Record:  16  6-5-2                Earnings:   $286,026

Desperado Racing Stables sends a four year old son of Sea The Stars here to the CA Classic this weekend, and his past performance chart reads a lot like that of Skunk’s 5 year old Slick Candidate: Not a whole lot of graded experience, but lately he’s been popping some pretty impressive numbers in his races. In his last three starts, he’s popped 114, 113, and 113 speed figures, and that’s right around the mark, if you’re really serious about winning this 10-furlong Grade 1 CA Classic this weekend. He’s like a lot of others in here in that he’s taken a long time to mature and really hit his stride. Three starts back, Rob entered his colt in a 9.5-furlong listed stakes in Louisiana, and the colt had only thrown four 100+ speed figures in his entire career, the highest of which was a 108. Out of the blue, Sea The Magic pulls a 114 speed figure and gets beaten by a pretty classy colt named Trout Was Jobbed there. You thought he might bounce after what seemed like such a huge effort from the 12/1 shot that day. But he did not bounce. In fact, he came right back in the 9.5-furlong Grade 3 Sedona Classic in Arizona where he popped another big number (113) and won his first graded stakes race ever. So, then, you’re thinking, well, the colt’s got two big efforts, so here comes the bounce. Wrong. When Rob entered him in a shorter 9-furlong listed stakes right here on the same track (California) he’ll be racing in this weekend, he popped another 113 speed figure there. But, Sea The Magic just plain got robbed in that race. If you watched that race, you’ll see Sea The Magic ran four wide for much of that race and every time his jockey tried to duck him close to the rail to save ground, he would get pushed back out. He ran more ground than any horse in that race by far, and he lost by only ½ a length. The last time he got pushed out was in mid-stretch, by the eventual winner, an 18/1 shot by the name of S.J.’s Spooktacular. It was kind of a strange ending to a race. There both colts were, battling neck and neck, but doing it down the center of the track here in California. If Sea The Magic can get a better trip this time out, with the speed numbers he’s been throwing of late, he can be more than a definite contender here. This horse is pretty much at the mercy of the pace in this race. There are a lot of deep closers, like Sea The Magic, in this race, and if he doesn’t get caught wide, he can bring home the trophy for Desperado Racing. He’s got the talent. He showed us that in his last three starts. Now all he needs is the trip. I like this colt’s chances a lot.

( 12 )   RECOUP   (KY)                                         Owner: Bodemeister

(Smart Strike x Repossess (A.P. Indy x Awesome Again))

Odds: 10/1               Career Record:  14  5-5-1               Earnings:  $725,626

Recoup is a 4 year old son of Smart Strike who did his best racing at just about this time of year last season, when he recorded a win in his first ever try in graded stakes company in the 9-furlong Grade 3 Mountainous Derby in West Virginia. He followed that up with a second place finish in the Grade 2 LA Derby down in Louisiana, where he lost by only ¾ of a length. Since that race in late September, the colt from the top-notch Desperado Racing Stables operation has only won once, and that came in allowance company in Delaware in mid-February. Since then he’s only had three starts, but they were all seconds, and two of them were in listed stakes company in April and July. He sandwiched those two second place finishes around a second place finish in the Grade 2 Day Of Memorial Handicap down in Florida. He’s thrown speed figures of 113, 108 and 110 in his last three starts, all widely spaced apart. This colt is coming into California with fresh legs, that’s for sure, and Desperado Racing usually doesn’t send colts into spots he doesn’t think they can at least win or do well in. So, Rob must think his 4 year old son of Smart Strike is sitting on a big one here this weekend. This colt has the ability to show a lot of front end speed, like he did last time out in the 9.5 furlong Bitofamixup Dirt Route listed stakes in Delaware. He ran wild on the lead, in fact, opening up a lead of about four lengths on the field at one point before he lost to the eventual winner of the Grade 1 Hit Me Handicap in New York last weekend (North Of The Wall). That’s pretty serious company to be running in for this colt, and I think it shows he definitely belongs in here with this group. And, since he does his best running this time of the year, he might be one to watch in this spot. In a race that doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of early speed, he might just get loose on the front end here.

( 13 )   ELLO GUVNOR   (KY)                                Owner: Wilk

(Dynaformer x Seattle Slew x Storm Cat)    Scratch-bred

Odds: 9/1                 Career Record:  23  6-4-6                      Earnings: $3,985,580

In a race that seems filled with 2014 Breeders’ Bowl Classic hopefuls, here’s one that actually won that race, as a three year old, last season. Ello Guvnor, the 4 year old son of Dynaformer, from the prestigious and highly respected operation of Tees Racing Stables, was a bit of a surprise in the Classic last year, because Ello Guvnor only won two races all season prior to his victory in the 2013 BB Classic. He won an allowance event early in the season, and then he won a grade 2 race, the Out Of The City Handicap in New York. That race should have told us that Ello Guvnor was headed for big things down the road. He was racing against older horses for the first time in his career that day last season, and he blistered the field with a sizzling 118 speed figure. He also ran the ten furlongs that day in a time of 1:59.66, and if ALL that wasn’t enough to impress you, let’s remember that he did it as the longest shot in the field (18/1). He beat five other graded winners that day, including McGibblets (who won the 2013 Hit Me Handicap), Confidently Wrong (a grade 1 winner), and Shaguar (another grade 1 winner). Not only did Tees’ colt beat older horses in his first attempt as a three year old, but the trainers in that race read like a Who’s Who of big time trainers in the game. He followed that win up with top three finishes in the Grade 1 Haskell, the Grade 1 Travelers and the Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup (again against older horses), before his stunning victory in the BB Classic. He had been on a bit of a slide, only winning once since his BB victory last season. That came in an allowance race two starts back. He warmed up for the CA Classic this weekend with a third place finish in the 9.5 furlong Grade 2 Gotta Fix The Sprinklers Classic, where he gained a lot of ground late to finish third there. Who knows? Going into last year’s BB Classic, not many were impressed with Ello Guvnor’s chances there, because they felt he didn’t have enough wins under his belt. The same might be true of him this year. While Tees would probably love to win this race, you can bet it’s more likely that he’s got his eye on a much bigger prize–a repeat performance of what Ello Guvnor did in last year’s BB Classic.

( 14 )   IMMINENCE   (KY)                                 Owner: Mtk3man3

(Bernardini x Deputy Minister x Halo)     Scratch-bred

Odds: 16/1                Career Record:  23  10-1-4              Earnings:   $379,370

Mtk76 Racing Stables claimed this extremely well-bred son of Bernardini as a mid-season three year old iin 2012 for $20,000 out of a 6.5 furlong dirt race, and it didn’t take very long for Mark Kelly to have this guy running in, and winning, listed stakes. Mark brought the colt up to 12 furlongs immediately in his first start for his new barn in mid-2012, and he reeled off six wins in a row with his new toy, including a couple of very impressive listed stakes wins at 14 furlongs in Vermont and right here in California. During that six-race win streak in 2012, Imminence was winning by an average of about 5 lengths per race. That made Mark stand up and take notice. His colt wasn’t just beating fields. Imminence was absolutely crushing them. Imminence came falling gently back down to earth in his next two efforts, the first of which was the 14-furlong Grade 3 New Orleans Stayer Stakes, where he finished a pretty decent third. He also finished third in a listed stakes after that. He started off this season like a horse on fire. He crushed a 14-furlong allowance field by nearly a dozen lengths in January, a race that made him look like Secretariat. He then tried a 10.5 furlong listed stakes race, where he threw a career-high 113 speed figure while squeaking out a ¾ length win in New York. That race might have taken quite a bit out of him, because his speed figures have dipped in his last three efforts, although he did rally late to finish a fast closing second in a 10.5 furlong listed stakes in Ohio. He then tanked pretty badly in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Movieland Shiny Cup here in California, so Mark gave his colt a couple months off since that last effort. He comes in here with pretty fresh legs, but this is a tough spot for a deep closer like Imminence to make his first start off a layoff. He’ll need to hang much closer to the leaders here than he did in the Movieland Shiny Cup if he’s to have any chance here. If he does come back here in pretty nice physical shape, this colt can make up a lot of ground quickly.