Ark Preview: Bustin Chops Heavily Favored In Paris On Monday

 

PARIS (FR) — Monday, 6 October 2014 — 3:00 PM EST

ARK DE COMICDOG  —  GROUPE 1 / GRADE 1

PURSE: $4,000,000.

Restricted to Three Year Olds And Up.
Distance  ~2,400 Metres, or 12 Furlongs, or 1 ½ Miles.
It’s the grandest race of the day, on the biggest stage of the French racing season.

And if Pointblank Stables has its way on Monday, its 4 year old Malibu Moon colt, Bustin Chops, will do what the odds makers say he can do and take home the 2,400-metre Group 1 Ark de ComicDog trophy as well as the winner’s share of the $4,000,000 purse on offer.

The mile and ½ race on the Paris turf course is one of ten big group 1 and group 2 races on Ark Day in Paris, and there will be $7.5 million in purse money up for grabs in the ten group races.

The morning line guys in Paris have installed Bustin Chops as the 7/2 morning line favorite in the 13-horse field, and it’s pretty easy to see why.

In the eight races since his second place finish in the 2013 Arc, the son of Malibu Moon who is out of the Dynaformer mare, Be The Hammer, has run 7 of those eight races with speed figures of 110 or higher. That’s a pretty awesome statistic for a horse to sustain over that long a period of time. And, he’s got three group 1 wins since his trip here to Paris last year, when he lost as a three year old to Sound Of Souls.

On paper, it looks like it’s Bustin Chops’ race to lose, really. Henze and Asador Etxebarri are the co-second favs here at 6/1, and then you’ve got The Elements as the third choice in the morning line at 7/1.

For a nearly full field of 13, that’s a pretty big odds discrepancy, from your 7/2 favorite Bustin Chops back to Henze and Asador Extebarri at 6/1. But one of the things that makes the Ark special, both here and in real life, is that this race has seen a lot of long shot horses come from out of nowhere to take home the biggest prize of French racing. It’s one of the many things that makes the Ark such a special race to watch every year.

There are a couple of three year olds in this race, too. Pleasant Walk, the 15/1 shot from Super1 Racing and Rio Rainbow (the longest shot in the field at 31/1) who will be trying to do what Bustin Chops did here last year as a three year old and surprise this field.

Overindulgence is by far the most heavily raced of these, and he’s 9/1 here in the Ark. Look for that one to be on or near the lead. That’s how Overindulgence likes it. He runs on the front end and holds on for dear life in most of his races. This 5 year old has a ton of early foot that should dazzle the Paris crowd early in the 2014 Ark.

There aren’t a whole lot of older horses, like Overindulgence, in this year’s Ark. There are only two other 5 year olds. There’s K’s Fiscal Cliff One of two K’s horses in here) and Weekend Romance. Both of those are 10/1 in Monday’s Ark. Both have extremely good shots to win, especially if they get some pretty hot fractions on the front end from the early speed here. They’re both deep closers who come with that typical Euro running style of loping along early near the back of the pack and coming with a big sprint in the final straight before the wire.

Of the 13 runners in this year’s Arc, 10 are group 1 winners, and one (The Elements) is a group 2 winner looking for his first group 1 win here.

Here is the field for the 2,400 metre Group 1 Arc de ComicDog, for a purse of $4,000,000, to be run on the firm turf course in Paris on Monday.

 

 

( 1 )   BUSTIN CHOPS   (KY)              Owner: Pointblank Racing

4 YO Colt      (Malibu Moon x Be The Hammer (Dynaformer))

Odds: 7/2            Career: 17 8-4-1             Earnings: $7,525,750

 

Bustin Chops is probably one of the more serious beasts you’ll see in the Ark this weekend. He raced here in Paris last year, finishing second in the Ark as a three year old (something you won’t see very often). And, his owner, Pointblank Racing, hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal this season. After finishing second in the Ark last season to Sound Of Souls, Pointblank Racing has run the 4 year old son of Malibu Moon in eight consecutive graded stakes races, and seven of those were group 1 events. He had two group 1 wins coming into this season. This weekend, he’ll be going for that magical fifth group 1 win when he takes the track here in Paris for the Ark. Bustin Chops showed flashes of brilliance last year, when he scored two group 1 victories (the Queen’s Dish and the King Kong Cup, both at 10 furlongs). When you watched those races and noted his speed figures, 112 and 117, you knew then you were seeing a very special animal. He scored a couple of Group 1 wins this year, in the 8.5-furlong Sand Castle Free Duty in Dubai and the 10-furlong NY Cap in New York. He had 112 and 114 speed figures in those races, and those weren’t even his fastest races of 2014. He finished second in the 10-furlong Group 1 Woody Ford in Kentucky with a 118 speed figure (a career high); and then last time out, he lost by a quarter of a length to what is arguably one of the greater turf horses in Derbyfever–Asterism. Bustin Chops threw a 114 speed figure in that race. He is simply one of those horses who responds well to any challenge you put before him. The first word of his name says it all. Sometimes when you watch this horse run, you think he’s going to bust a gut trying to win each and every time out. This horse is THAT great. He’s got over $7 million in earnings in just 17 career starts. That should tell you that he hasn’t been dodging many of the big races over the course of his career. This year, he’s seen quite a bit of action in American turf races. Before that, he had been racing in some pretty prestigious turf events overseas. He needed that break from the big, traditional turf events overseas. Look out for Bustin Chops, the fighting 4 year old son of Malibu Moon. He could be the horse to beat in the 2014 Ark, despite the fact that he‘s been 12 furlongs only once in his career. A little distance change, more or less, usually doesn’t matter to the great ones that much–and this is definitely one of the greater horses you‘ll see in Monday afternoon‘s Ark.

 

( 2 )   THE ELEMENTS   (JPN)             Owner:  Seedly Racing

4 YO Colt        (Wild Rush x Crucial Element (Pivotal))

Odds: 7/1             Career: 20: 4-2-4           Earnings: $784,390

 

The Elements, a four year old son of Wild Rush, is one of the few horses in here who has yet to win a group 1 race. He started off his career in America on the dirt, and he was doing okay there. But okay wasn’t good enough for his owner, Seedly Racing. So, The Elements was shipped off to England, where the turf racing isn’t a walk in the park, by any means. All that The Elements did in his first race overseas on the turf was score a very impressive win in the Group 3 Gordy last season. After that he was shipped to Japan, where he went up a couple furlongs in distance. He was pointed for the Group 2 14-furlong Japanese Saint Legend, where he ran up an extremely impressive score there. With 111 and 113 speed figures in those two races, it appeared The Elements had finally found his niche. After a couple months off during the winter and a return trip to America, he came back in his second start off the layoff to score an extremely nice win in the Group 2 Buck Dharma Handicap at 11 furlongs. He popped a career high 114 speed figure there, but he hasn’t won since. What I like about this horse is his ability to bounce around between distances and surfaces and still win. He’s one of the more versatile animals I’ve come across in a long time who can give or take a furlong here and there and still come out on top. Four starts back, The Elements returned to the dirt, where he was beaten by a half length in the 14-furlong Group 2 Crooklyn Handicap. He popped a 111 speed figure that day in New York. With his distance and surface versatility, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this horse does extremely well in Paris on Monday. He’s just one of those honest horses who simply likes to run, no matter what race you toss him in.

 

( 3 )   K’S FALLIBILISM   (ENG)              Owner: Bacchus Racing

4 YO Colt                   (Dubawi (IRE) x K’s Pragmatic (Danzig))

Odds: 24/1              Career:  18  9-2-1              Earnings: $1,792,845

 

This four year old son of Dubawi might just be one of the few horses in this field who can keep up with Overindulgence early in the 2014 Ark. K’s Fallibilism, a Bacchus Racing trainee, has only three graded starts in his career, but one of those was a very impressive score nearly a year ago in the Group 1 14-furlong Japanese Saint Legend, where he beat a few of these he’ll be facing this Monday in Paris. In that race, he stalked the early leaders before bouncing out to nearly a six-length lead and cruising to a 5 ¾ length victory last October. That makes him dangerous in this field, because a couple of horses he beat there were Henze and Asador Etxebarri, who look to be prominent contenders in the 2014 version of the Ark. He’s got the hot hand coming in here, too, having won 7 of his last 9 starts. Last time out he ran in the Group 2 13-furlong Deauville Stakes, not too far from Paris. But he failed to fire that day in Deauville, fading to seventh in the 10-horse field. Despite the fact that he’ll probably go off as one of the longer post-time shots in this race, I like this horse a great deal. He’s won half of his 18 career starts, and he’s also accumulated nearly $1.8 million in earnings so far. He might not have near the speed figures that most of these have coming in here to the Ark, but that win in Japan in the Japanese Saint Legend last season sticks out like a very nice thumb on his resume. The impressive 4+ length score there in Japan really makes him look like a viable contender here. Keep your eye on this guy on the front end here on Monday in the Ark. If he can avoid getting into a break-neck speed duel with the likes of Overindulgence, K’s Fallibilism might be around at the end to pick up more than just a few pieces of the 2014 Ark.

 

( 4 )   HENZE   (ENG)                Owner:  Platero Racing

4 YO Colt              (Pivotal x Hegel (Jazil))

Odds: 6/1       Career: 20 8-3-4         Earnings: $2,192,105

 

Henze, a four year old son of Pivotal, comes into the Ark looking for his third group 1 win. He scored big in the Group 1 Singapore Cup in China earlier this season. Then, two starts back Henze was involved in what was undoubtedly one of the most exciting finishes of the European group racing season, when he and Dancer Cadet went up against each other in what would come to be known as a stretch battle for the ages in the Group 1 Judgemont International in the U.K. If you watched that race, you saw Henze track Dancer Cadet for much of the 12-furlong Judgemont. When Dancer Cadet made his move in mid-stretch, Henze was right there with him, and he got up to beat him in what was literally the final jump before the wire. The PP chart says Henze beat Dancer Cadet by half a length, but it was more like half a whisker. People will be talking for a long time about the tremendous battle those two colts put up in the 2014 Judgemont. In what probably turned out to be an ill-advised move, Henze went for the Group 1 G. P. Von Baden just two weeks after that tremendous effort in the Judgemont. He did finish top three in the big race in Germany, but he was six lengths off the leaders at the end. He just didn’t show the big kick there that he showed in winning the Judgemont two weeks prior. The fact that he could still finish third against what was a pretty impressive field in Germany just two weeks after the Judgemont says a great deal about the heart of Platero’s son of Pivotal. This colt is for real. He’s got a ton of stamina, a strong late kick in his game repertoire, and now that he’s got a bit of rest under his belt coming into the Ark on Monday, you can expect a much better effort from him than he showed in that G.P. Von Baden race. His two biggest speed figures came in April and May in his wins in the Group 3 Ambrosia and the Group 1 Singapore Cup, where he popped a 115 and a 113. He hasn’t shown anything like that since, but that’s okay. Not many colts can sustain those kinds of speed figures on a consistent basis. Look for him to put forth a huge effort in the Ark on Monday, despite the fact that it’s only his second 12-furlong start in a little over a year.

 

( 4 )   AH TABEI TEO   (IRE)                Owner: Daniel Racing

4 YO Colt       (Teofilo x Machiavellian x Nashua)

Odds: 24/1             Career: 18 6-4-1             Earnings: $226,170

 

If you’re wondering what Ah Tabei Teo is doing in this year’s Ark, despite not having a single graded win under his belt, just ask his trainer, Daniel, who runs one of the finest turf racing operations in the world. The 4 year old scratch-bred son of Teofilo, who’s got Machiavellian and Nashua back there in his pedigree, has only seen two graded turf events in his career. He finished eighth in the 12-furlong Group 1 Milan Grand Prix four starts back. Two starts back he finished sixth in another 12-furlong event, the Group 2 Rheinstone in Germany, a race in which he made up a lot of ground late. He’s won two of his last four races coming in here, both 12-furlong allowance events, and he won them impressively. If this were almost any other trainer except Daniel, I would wonder why this horse is here in Paris on Monday. But when you talk about Daniel, you’re talking about the trainer of one of the greatest turf horses Derbyfever has ever seen, the retired Hall Of Famer King Tachyon, a horse who earned over $11 million in his career and can count among his numerous group 1 victories a triumph in the Ark de ComicDog. Daniel must see something in this horse that others can’t, and you simply have to trust his instincts here. I don’t think Daniel would run a horse in the Ark just to say he ran a horse in the Ark. Perhaps Daniel is going to try to get his colt to steal one on the front end? This wouldn’t be the only rabbit in the 2014 Ark who’s pushing the pace in this field, since there are several double entries here this year. Who knows? Maybe Daniel just thinks that Ah Tabei Teo is simply ready to pop a big race. It’s happened before here in the Ark, one of the most tradition-rich races of the European racing season.

 

( 6 )   PLEASANT WALK   (ENG)                Owner:   Super1 Racing

3 YO Colt         (New Approach (IRE) x Tightrope Walk (Seeking The Gold))

Odds: 15/1                 Career: 15 8-1-1            Earnings: $1,987,540

 

The massive Super1 Racing group sends out Pleasant Walk to try to capture his third group 1 win in his last four starts. This colt was really impressive as a two year old, winning the Group 2 Champagne Mile down under in Australia. He made it all the way to the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Turf that year. As impressive as he was as a two year old, he was even more impressive as a three year old this season. He scored a couple of group 3 wins in New Zealand to kick off his three year old campaign in 2014. After that, the son of New Approach came with big late runs in both the Japanese 2000 Guineas and the Sydney Derby, only to find himself finishing in the top three in both of those two group 1 events. Those races were the launching pad to Pleasant Walk’s two big signature wins. He scored a major coup for his connections when he won both the Group 1 Derby de English and the Group 1 Irish Derby, a feat which has only been accomplished a couple of times in Derbyfever. Last time out, he came off a two-month layoff to finish out of the top three for the first time this season when he finished fifth in the Group 2 Great Volt in Surrey. You can draw a line through that performance. The colt was coming off a long break from the races, and he just didn’t fire late there. He should be in much better racing shape this time out in the Ark on Monday. Here’s the question for Pleasant Walk. Can a three year old whose two biggest career speed figures are 109 compete with this bunch in Paris on Monday? It’s been done before. And this colt has a ton of talent. That much is certain. But he’ll be going against 9 other group 1-winning older horses here. And that is something this colt has never seen before. The gang at Super1 Stables must think very highly of this colt‘s chances here in what amounts to a second-start-off-the-layoff angle, or the connections wouldn’t have him here in Paris this weekend. Watch out for this colt. He could be the 2014 version of Bustin Chops, who was second in this race as a three year old in 2013.

 

( 7 )   HAVEN OF VICE   (GER)               Owner:  Checkmate1 Racing

4 YO Colt               (Monsun x Outer Haven (Mineshaft))

Odds: 8/1             Career: 16 9-0-0             Earnings: $631,150

 

Checkmate1 Racing has Haven Of Vice, a four year old son of Monsun, going for his second career group 1 win here Monday in the Ark. His lone group 1 win came two starts back in South Africa in the 11-furlong Greatest Show On Turf Stakes, where he busted out with a 112 speed figure. Last time out, he finished fifth in the Grade 1 Judgemont behind the monster stretch duel put on by the 1-2 finishes there, Dancer Cadet and Henze, the latter of which will be in the Ark this weekend. Haven Of Vice’s best career speed figure came in March of this season, when he threw a 113 in winning the Group 2 Sandy Ray Classic in California. He also prevailed in the Group 3 CEO Classic in Kentucky in the next start after that, when he held on to win by a head. Really, when you look at this season’s efforts, Haven Of Vice has thrown only two uncharacteristically bad finishes. One was in the Group 1 Mr. Met Cap earlier this season, and the other was in the Group 1 Coronation Pilsner three starts back when he threw his first sub-100 speed figure in about a year. I think the Group 1 Judgemont was just too short for him (10.5 furlongs) last time out. He’ll get back to the distance he likes best this weekend in the 12-furlong Ark, and that could make all the difference in the world for the colt co-owned by Lenny and Tony of Checkmate1 Racing.

 

( 8 )   TETE ALBERT   (IRE)                          Owner: Sabbath Racing

4 YO Colt             (Daylami (IRE) x Azadruj (Azamour (IRE))

Odds: 11/1               Career: 12 5-3-3              Earnings: $217,500

 

Tete Albert, who is owned by Sabbath Racing, comes in here very lightly raced. He’s only got 12 career starts, but he’s finished in the top 3 in 11 of those 12 races. It took him a while to break his maiden, but the four year old son of Daylami (IRE) has really been turning on the jets lately, especially in his last two starts where he has shown a marked improvement in speed figures. He’s only run in two graded events in his entire career, which spans back to his debut in July of last season. Three starts back, he finished fourth in the 10.5 furlong group 1 Tattersalls Gold. He made a little move midway through the race, but that race, and that group of horses, were simply not to his liking. That race was way too short for Tete Albert. He’ll find this 12-furlong Ark much more to his liking. After that, he went 12 furlongs and cruised to an easy 12-furlong allowance win, where he popped a career high 110 speed figure. Then last time out, Tete Albert went to Newmarket in the U.K. for the 13-furlong Group 3 The Freer Stakes, where he almost pulled off his first group win of his career. He was sent off as the 4/1 favorite there, but he was upset by an extremely well bred Montjeu colt by the name of Foothills, a horse who I rather expected to see running here in the Ark this Monday but instead went for the 14-furlong Group 2 Irish Saint Legend. Tete Albert has certainly shown he’s got the speed figures to run with this bunch Monday in Paris. But he’s never quite faced this many quality horses in one race. He might need a bit more seasoning, but if this horse can win or at least pop a pretty nice speed figure against this bunch, you’ll most likely see him here in Paris next year, as well.

 

( 9 )   OVERINDULGENCE   (KY)               Owner: MTK76 Racing

5 YO Horse              (Smart Strike x Danehill x Nijinsky II)

Odds: 9/1             Career: 30 10-8-5            Earnings: $6,300,529

 

Overindulgence is one of only a couple of five year olds in this race. And, he’s making his 31st start here when he takes the track for the Ark on Monday. He’s also one of the few in this field who have been here in Paris before, running for the $4 million prize. He finished sixth here last year, after he made the lead early and held it for ¾ of the race. That’s something that Overindulgence likes to do–flash that tremendous early speed he’s so famous for. If you look at his last effort, a dismal eighth place finish in the Group 1 Sword Swallower Stakes, where he threw in a mediocre 97 speed figure, it’s tempting to assume that Overindulgence has done just about all the indulging he’s going to do. Think again. Look what he did two starts back in the Group 1 Man O’ War Stakes in New York. He burst out of the gates and cruised all the way home on the front end, winning there by open lengths. He led by as much as 10 lengths at one point in the race, making a laugher out of a race that had four group 1 winners, including the magnificent Bustin Chops, in it. Mark Kelly’s horse, a 5 year old son of Smart Strike, showed that he still has what it takes to win the big ones. Make no mistake about that. It’s been a while since he’s run a huge speed figure race, but that’s always deceiving in Overindulgence’s wins. When you’re up by 10+ lengths in races, you don’t need to push it very hard down the final straight to get the job done. This horse has three group 1 wins, over $6 million in earnings, and he’s still getting the job done. He’ll probably be the early speed here in Monday’s Ark, and with 55 percent precipitation expected in Paris on Monday, don’t worry about the testing ground for the horse with a ton of speed here. The course will be firm, and that’s exactly what the doctor ordered for Overindulgence. He’s scored two wins, including an easy win last year in the 10-furlong Group 3 Nikkan Sport in Japan. He popped a 116 speed figure that day and ran up a 9-length lead before he held on to beat another $5 million earner by the name of Shutdown Corner. That’s pretty heady company to be running against–and beating. Overindulgence will probably dictate the tempo, as he most always does, on Monday in the Ark. Let’s see if he can snag his fourth group 1 win in the process.

 

( 10 )   K’S FISCAL CLIFF   (KY)                Owner: Supreme Racing

5 YO Horse             (Dynaformer x Sadler’s Wells x Alydar)

Odds: 11/1             Career: 21 11-3-0              Earnings: $1,280,835

 

Of 21 lifetime starts, K’s Fiscal Cliff has only had 5 starts in which he’s thrown sub-100 speed figures. That’s pretty impressive for the five year old scratch-bred son of Dynaformer. He hasn’t had a whole lot of races where he’s had really eye-popping speed figures, but his last group win came right here in Paris, when he scored a pretty easy triumph in the Group 1 10.5-furlong Good Day Stakes. Half of that eight-horse field contained group 1 winners, so that was definitely no easy feat for K’s Fiscal Cliff, when he scored by 2 ½ lengths this past April. He popped a 111 speed figure that day and won handily, drawing off at the end. He has only won once since then, and that was two starts back in a $75,000 allowance event in Germany when he was prepping for the Group 1 G.P. Von Baden. K’s Fiscal Cliffs won a group event at 12 furlongs, the distance of Monday’s Ark, when he scored in the Group 2 Princess Of Whales across the channel in the U.K. last summer. He popped a 112 speed figure that day. The only other time he’s gotten higher than a 110 speed figure was when he finished second to eventual BB Turf Stakes record holder Dynamic Force in the Group 1 M-5 Series in Australia in April of 2013. K’s Fiscal Cliffs should be near the back of the pack early here on Monday, but if he can repeat his effort the last time he ran in a group 1 event here in Paris, he could definitely score his second group 1 win of his career on Monday. He’s got a couple of rabbits in here to set the pace table for him early, and one of them is another K’s horse–K’s Fallibilism.

( 11 )   ASADOR ETXEBARRI   (IRE)               Owner: Smokeglack Racing

4 YO Colt                 (Invincible Spirit x Rainbow Quest x Nureyev)

Odds: 6/1             Career: 20 9-3-6              Earnings: $6,482,880

 

Jimmy of Smokeglack Racing sends out Asador Etxebarri, a 4 year old son of Invincible Spirit who has Rainbow Quest and Nureyev in his scratch breeding. He comes in here with just under $6.5 million in earnings, most of which came in two huge group 1 wins in Japan last December. Asador Etxebarri scored big in the Group 1 Japan Classic at 12 furlongs and the Group 1 Winter Cup at 13 furlongs in a span of 27 days. He popped a career high 113 speed figure in that Japan Classic. The Invincible Spirit progeny has only two wins this season. He hadn’t won since May before he scored in the 13-furlong Group 2 Deauville last time out. He came from about 8 lengths off the pace in that race. That’s how this guy likes to roll. Usually, he’s much farther off the pace when he drops into 12-furlong races like the Ark on Monday. I suspect we’ll see more of the same from Asador Etxebarri in the big race in Paris Monday. This colt came close in a couple of the big 12-furlong summer events in Europe, finishing second and third in the Group 1 St. Cloud and the Group 1 King Geoff and Queen Beth. The problem in both of those races was that Asador Etxebarri simply ran out of ground. He gained a lot of ground late in both of those races to get into the top three in both races. If his jockey lets Asador Etxebarri get too far behind the leaders here in Paris on Monday, he might have trouble hitting the finish line first. That’s going to be the key for Asador Etxebarri. Can he lay close enough to the leaders early here to make that big final kick count for something other than just a top three finish? This colt is honest, he’s talented, and he belongs with this group. And, he’s got a great chance to win the 2014 Ark, if he doesn’t let the early leaders get too far ahead of him.

 

( 12 )   WEEKEND ROMANCE   (KY)            Owner: Pointblank Racing

5 YO Horse             (Dynaformer x Mr. Prospector x Nijinsky 2nd)

Odds: 10/1             Career: 26 9-2-6            Earnings: $2,504,430

 

Weekend Romance, the other Pointblank Racing entry in Monday’s Ark, started his career back in late 2011 and 2012 like a horse afire. He won six of his first nine starts, which put him smack dab in the middle of his first Breeders’ Bowl event, the Turf Mile, as a three year old. The five year old son of Dynaformer has six group wins on his resume so far, and he’ll be looking to make the Ark his lucky seventh group victory this Monday in Paris. He’s only got one group 1 win, however, in his 26 career starts. That came in the Group 1 Man O’War Stakes in New York in July of 2013. He has six starts this year, but he’s been in the top 3 three times so far in 2014. Probably his best two efforts of 2014 came in two 11-furlong group events this year. Early in 2014, he tossed a pretty nice 110 speed figure in the Group 2 Buck Dharma Handicap in Florida, where he finished second to The Elements, a colt he’ll be seeing again here in Paris. Then two starts back, in his second trip to the Man O’ War Stakes, he finished third. Here’s what’s defines Weekend Romance’s chances in the Ark on Monday. In both of those 11-furlong races, he gained a lot of ground late, and you would think that would set him up very nicely for this 12-furlong attempt in the Ark Monday. But in the nine times he’s gone 12 furlongs, he’s only got one win to show for it, and that came in the Group 3 CEO Classic nearly a year and a half ago. Probably one of his finer efforts at 12 furlongs came in the Group 1 Classic Turf Stakes, where he gained a ton of ground late again, only to come up third. He had a good excuse for not winning in that small five-horse field in New York that day. One of the horses who happened to be there that day was To Catch A Kitty, who was in the middle of his Horse Of The Year campaign and was really an unbeatable horse in his heyday.

( 13 )   RIO RAINBOW   (FR)              Owner: OLWHISPER Racing

3 YO Colt            (Rio De La Plata x Rainbow’s Queue (Rainbow Quest))

Odds: 31/1              Career: 14 4-4-3             Earnings: $829,854

 

Rio Rainbow is another three year old trying to beat his elders in the Ark on Monday, and he’s by second-crop sire Rio De La Plata, who has about 50 runners on the track so far. This is the best one. In real life, Rio De La Plata had the misfortune (like most colts and fillies of his time) to be in training about the same time as Frankel. Frankel actually beat Rio De La Plata in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, where Rio De La Plata finished a decent third. This French-bred son of his, Rio Rainbow, scored his first group 1 win last time out, when he hit the line first in the 12-furlong Group 1 French Grand Prix. There were some pretty decent three year olds in that field in the French Grand Prix. At first glance, this might appear to be a very aggressive move, as well as a huge step up in class, for Rio Rainbow here in the Ark. But look who he beat three starts back, when he ran in the Grade 1 Sydney Derby. He finished second there, just ahead of Pleasant Walk, who came off that effort down under to score back-to-back wins in the Grade 1 Derby de English and the Grade 1 Irish Derby. If Pleasant Walk belongs here (and that one definitely does), then so does Rio Rainbow. Don’t take this colt lightly this weekend in Paris, despite his 31/1 odds. He doesn’t have a whole lot of graded stakes racing under his belt, and that’s a good thing because it means he really hasn’t been pushed hard all season long, like a lot of these. That 108 speed figure he threw in the French Grand Prix win was only his second 100+ speed figure of his career. With that confidence building group 1 win last time out here in Paris, this colt could be at the beginning of a very nice roll here. Don’t totally discount this colt, despite the not-so-flashy speed figures. That actually could work to his advantage here this weekend in Paris. He’ll be the longest shot on the board come post time. That’s for sure. But he might be a long shot you shouldn’t overlook, much like Bustin Chops was last year, when he finished second as a three year old in the 2013 Ark.