Black Type Bugler

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Black Type Bugler

eHorseracing.com’s Official Online News Source

The G-1 Black Middle Flower Stakes

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Bluegrass Oaks conqueror, Armed With Money, heads east this week looking to add another G-1 victory to an already flashy resume just two short weeks after an electrifying stretch move got her the money in Kentucky.  She’s turned in arguably the two best performances by a three-year old filly this year in winning the California and Bluegrass Oaks, but finds herself facing another full field of challengers in this year’s running of the G-1 Black Middle Flower Stakes.  Here’s your look at the field, from the rail out.

1  Wally’s Dehere  (doa)  –  Boasts a closing style similar to that of Armed With Money, but she’s 0 for 2 against that foe after a Bluegrass Oaks try in which she never really seemed to get in gear.  Seems like the forgotten horse after that performance and will probably be overlooked in here, but if you like her you can take solace in the fact that she missed by just a length to the favorite in California. The South Dakota Oaks winner should get first crack at the front runners, but hard to say whether she’ll bounce back this week or come up empty down the stretch.

 

2  Whip Smart  (wistful)  –  Never really threatened the winner, but thought her third in the Bluegrass Oaks was great all the same as she was the lone pace player that still had some gas in the tank at the finish.  Filly just behind her at the first call of that race – who went off as the lukewarm favorite – finished second to last.  May get a similar trip this week with only Wango Tango and K’s Stand Tall to reel in coming into the stretch.  Like the rail horse, she’s been bested twice by our favorite with third place finishes in both California and Kentucky, but pace scenario suggests third time might indeed be the charm.  Needs every ounce of her best to hold off the favorite in the stretch, but think she gets there.

 

3  Armed With Money  (monksfield)  –  Gutsy, modestly-bred filly always brings her ‘A’ game and never really seems to lose a race, it just seems like she runs out of ground on occasion.  Always closes like a runaway freight train, most recently witnessed in her scintillating Bluegrass Oaks victory in which she passed nearly half the field in the stretch.  Has missed the board just once in her life and is unbeaten on fast tracks this year.  If you’re looking for chinks in the armor she may be slightly vulnerable with half a furlong less to negotiate this week and closing style has had her cutting it close more often than not.  Slow pace or not though, she’s the one the others need to fear.

 

4  Why Did You Stop (IRE)  (unreal)  –  Irish-bred lass kicked off the year with a G-2 upset at a big price and surprised a few highly regarded fillies, including Broadway Angel, that day. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to reproduce that effort as she was nowhere to be found in the California Oaks and doesn’t catch a break with the top three from that race all turning up here.  Stakes winner at this distance in last, but none of the fillies she topped can possibly be considered G-1 types.  Think the future may show this Swain filly to be better on turf, should 23% winning stable decide to go that route.

 

5  No Apagues La Luz  (super21)  –  Highly regarded millionaire from Super Inc. has lost some luster as she’s now dropped four in a row, culminating with a lifeless effort as one of the favorites in the Bluegrass Oaks.  Just super as a two-year old that never missed the exacta last year, but the best of her class seem to have caught up with her this year.  Can forgive the try in Kentucky against the big field, but that doesn’t explain losses as the favorite in the Fantasy Stakes and the Florida Oaks.  Believe trainer wins a G-1 on the card this week, just not this one.

 

6  Dixieland Deputy  (lurch)  –  Nice second against the boys last out in stakes company, but as the favorite in that race she was expected to do well and the colt that beat her that day hasn’t yet tried graded stakes.  Fifth in Broadway Angel’s Louisiana Oaks win as the favorite, then finished behind that one yet again next in the Fantasy Stakes.  Hot start to the year when taking down G-3 company, but filly that ran second that day made zero impact in the  South Dakota and Florida Oaks.  Nice filly, but probably in over her head this week.

 

7  Fame Or Fortune  (kyclocker2)  –  Filled out the superfecta with a solid performance in the Bluegrass Oaks at a price.  Smarty Jones filly started off the year by beating up on a couple of small fields in Florida and parlayed those efforts into graded stakes success with a runner-up finish in the G-1 Sweet Nanette and a victory in the G-2 Fantasia Handicap.  Her lone poor effort this year came on a sloppy track that she obviously didn’t take a liking to and, with no rain forecast this week, that won’t be a concern.  Consistent filly has won half of her starts and is certainly a contender today, just can’t envision her getting the win.

 

8  Drop The Lemon Kid  (jpcrazy)  –  Improving, but still a deserving longshot.  She does have a touch of speed and cuts back in distance this week after stringing together a set of nice efforts in stakes company.  Trouble is, she’s not catching stakes types here and the filly that beat her in last stakes try went on to finish sixteenth in the Bluegrass Oaks after prompting the pace.  Lemon Drop Kid filly was also well behind both Fame or Fortune and Dixieland Slam when seen splitting the field in her lone G-1 outing and will probably have a tough time of it this week too.

 

9  Groomed To Romp T  (pick6)  –  Tenacious trainer sends this one out to contest a route yet again despite 0 for 10 record.  Talented filly won her first four starts – you guessed it, all sprints – but has dropped her last thirteen, which includes dead last finishes in both the California Oaks and the Fantasia Handicap.  Clone-bred of trainer’s stable star, Western Groom, has never been better than sixth at this distance and can’t possibly be endorsed in this spot this week.  If this G-3 winning, Gone West filly shared Mr. Ed’s ability to speak she’d probably tell everyone that she didn’t feel like running this far.

 

10  Broadway Angel  (theleague)  –  Lit up the tote board in Louisiana, but if you take away that race she always seems to be a cut below graded stakes caliber.  Well bet in last two, but ran fourth in both and blew a lead in the stretch two back against common stakes foes.  Hasn’t moved forward off the Louisiana race and would probably have to duplicate that effort just to finish fourth this week.

 

11  Dixieland Slam  (profitthis)  –  Another closer who didn’t get the money in last, but did fire a career best speed figure against stakes runners.  Seems like an also-ran in here as she’s lost to a number of these in her grades stakes tries at big prices and finished behind Fame Or Fortune in back-to-back races.  Should bring up the rear with Armed With Money, but don’t imagine that will inspire her to run like that one when they hit the stretch.

 

12  Wango Tango  (zewango4)  –  Pine Bluff filly is bred up and down for sloppy tracks, but popped and stopped in the mud when last seen in Pennsylvania.  Run and gun style has bought her a G-3 win and numerous big leads in the past, most notably in the California Oaks, but more often than not she hasn’t been able to seal the deal when the real running starts.  Race doesn’t feature a ton of speed and she should be able to get the lead if she wants it, but have to believe she’ll fold like a bad poker hand down the stretch when she finds Armed With Money and all the rest of them in her rear view mirror.  She’s another who might be best suited to sprint races as she was G-1 placed as a two-year old at seven furlongs.

 

13  K’s Stand Tall  (sledwith)  –  At one time, speedster was 6 for 6 with a trio of stakes victories to her credit before dropping her two-year old finale.  Lone try in G-1 company came next at a distance she liked, but she was hung out wide in a big field and never contended while finishing behind Wally’s Dehere and the filly that should keep her company this week, Wango Tango.  Looks like a case of déjà vu for a filly who’s never really shown a willingness to rate as she’s once again hung wide in a big field against G-1 types and it all probably adds up to a similar result.

 

14  Katherine  (phonetrick)  –  Second Pine Bluff filly in the field never raced as a two-year old, but wasted no time getting experienced as she parlayed a first-out maiden breaker into a third place finish in G-2 company.  Finished a few lengths behind Whip Smart that day though and hasn’t really seemed to improve off her smashing maiden victory.  Always well thought of as she was third choice in the Fantasia Handicap – where she finished seventh – and has been favored in her last three.  Those thoughts may be unwarranted however, as she only managed to win one of those three and that was in restricted allowance company.  Poorest tries have come against these types and find no reason to think she’ll turn that around this week.

 

Selections  –  2 – 3 – 7

 

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