Swift Kick Needs A Win To Stay Number One

Swift Kick Needs A Win To Stay Number One

California – After what seemed to be endless rains – they stopped.  The sun was shinning as I made my way to the track to cover the My Girl Handicap a Grade I affair that only drew six horses.  Unlike all the other short fields that the graded races seem to be producing this year, this one is wrought with quality, albeit some are quite untested at this level.  The My Girl is for three and up fillies and mares and will be run over the main track for a purse of $400,000 at a distance of a mile and a sixteenth.

The inside draw went to Kobras3 and his lovely roan 4 YO filly, Quiet Glory (3/1).  Ranked # 17, this daughter of Buddah has made it to the winner’s circle eight times from 27 starts and is a real rags to riches story.  This former sprint claimer has moved right up the class ladder for her new connections when they saw something about her they liked and snatched her out of a claiming race.  She moved to allowance races and then was stretched out and now has a form to die for.  She has never been worse than 3^rd in her last eight races.  She won the Grade III Sabian by two lengths and closed well in the Elf Money and again in the Grade I Orange Blossom.  She comes in to this race off a nice win in the Grade II Painful Thorn last time out.

Chopping Hill (8/1) is ranked # 33 and has won four of 21 starts.  The 4 YO bay filly by Woodman is trained by Meguire5th and has not won a race since the Grade II, King Classic last September.  She has rebounded some and has been second or third in her last four but all those were small fields – yes, like this one.  She is a closer and should be running hard at the end.

Summer Squall will be represented by his 4 YO liver chestnut daughter Swift Kick (2/1) who is the top dog in the rankings.  Trained by one of the best, Sdmf2, this filly didn’t get her number one ranking by ducking the competition and she always tries hard.  However, she may be resting on her laurels as she is another that has not won since last October in the Grade I Breeder’s Bowl Distaff.   She comes in to this race off a third place finish in the Grade III, Last Jump where she earned a 107 speed figure.  One can not ignore class, though, and this filly has it through and through and this could be the race that kick starts her back to her winning race.

Northerly Nicole (3/1) is by the red hot sire Dynaformer and is owned and trained by Skirom.  Ranked # 19 she has eight wins from 21 starts.  She came from far back in the Grade III Last Jump to best top ranked Swift Kick and then lost a heartbreaking photo finish by a nose last time out in the Mike’s Home Town Cap, a Grade II.  She is on the top of her game and should not be ignored.

Post five will hold Pleistocene Epoch (6/1) a copper chestnut 4 YO filly by Capote.  She has won six of 22 starts and that includes the Gold Hero at nine furlongs.   She was a closing second last time out in the Grade II, Eviscerator where she earned a nice speed figure of 106.  She is currently ranked # 35 and she has been well entered by her trainer Nextbonus who found a short field for this dangerous filly.

The main speed in the race drew the outside and is trained by Fabman.  Overstayed Welcome (4/1) likes things her own way and that means the lead.  Her last stakes victory was five back in the Mother Niner but the 5 YO dark bay mare comes in to this race off an allowance win last time out.  Both of those wins were under a mile and she went gate to wire, happy as a clam.  A top 100 ranked mare she is by Be My Guest but I think Fabman might be pushing her in the lake to see if she sinks or swims, as this is a tough race even if there aren’t very many in it.  But this mare does get a big heart on the lead and if no one goes with her to keep her honest………she could get the job done.