Friday’s Full BB Roundup: K’s Gorgo Steals The Show On 1st Day

 

Friday’s six Breeders’ Bowl races were dominated by pretty evenly matched fields, although a couple of mid-range betting shots managed to sneak through and fool the bettors.

K’s Gorgo stole the show on Friday’s BB card, when he nearly shattered the Dirt Mile record in his big win for Ledwith Racing.

Another highlight of Friday’s BB races included a filly by the name of Loco Colony owned by Jrogue Racing beating the boys in the Dirt Marathon.

 

 

JUVENILE TURF —     8 Furlongs       2 YO’s            $1,000,000             FIRM

 

Three-quarters of a length separated the top three finishers in the Juvenile Turf in Friday’s Breeders’ Bowl action.

J.G. Ballard, at nearly 14/1 and the fourth longest shot in the field of 14, almost went wire to wire in the Juvenile Turf to score a BB win for Newmarket Racing.

The two year old scratch-bred son of Acclamation (GB) started off the day’s action on Friday with a ferocious two-horse speed duel with Set Da Sim On Fire.

It was a carousel race, really.  J.G. Ballard jumped out of the gates just a tad quicker than Set Da Sim On Fire and Hysterical Dancer.  While J.G. Ballard and Set Da Sim On Fire were trying to chop each other to bits on the front end, Hysterical Dancer finally settled back in third about two lengths behind those.

At the wire, Hysterical Dancer made a last-second lunge at the two leaders, but he was boxed in on the rail and couldn’t split the top two finishers.

It was a day of career highs and firsts for J.G. Ballard in the Juvenile Turf.

The two year old bay colt finished the mile race on the turf in 1:35.41, throwing a career-high speed figure of 100. It was his fourth win in six career starts but only his first graded victory, after the Newmarket Racing trainee got nipped in the Group 1 More Nay in Deauville and the Group 1 Golden Shoe in Victoria. It was his first time going a mile, and it was also his first time running in America.

J.G. Ballard paid $29.60, $12.50 and $8.50 to his backers. The 10-11 exacta with Padrebri Racing’s Set Da Sim On Fire paid $281.60, and the 10-11-8 trifecta with Pogook Racing’s Hysterical Dancer paid $2,631.90.

Daniel Racing’s Tonatiuh Elysees finished fourth, four lengths behind J.G. Ballard, and Super1 Racing’s Stop The Clocks rounded out the top five, half a length behind Tonatiuh Elysees.
TURF SPRINT —      6.5 Furlongs             3 YO’s And Up             $1,000,000             FIRM

 

A couple of three year olds beat their elders in the BB Turf Sprint, the second race on Friday’s BB card.

Jimmy of Smokeglack Racing notched a win in the Turf Sprint on Friday, when his Unbridled’s Song colt Quarter Water rushed from mid-pack to score a 1 ¼ length victory over CVBear Racing’s 16/1 long shot Man Of God.

For the scratch-bred Quarter Water, it was his 12th win in 17 career starts and his third victory in a row.

While 11/1 shot Berlusconi and 9/1 shot Shamardancer setting the table with some pretty wicked early fractions (:22.13 and :45.19), the three year old Quarter Water collared the front runners about a furlong out from the finish to score the win for Smokeglack Racing.

Man Of God, a three year old son of Speightstown, made a game run late but came up just shy of the winner to grab second. The oldest horse in the Turf Sprint field, Zeco Racing’s six year old Mayfair got up for third, half a length behind Man Of God.

Quarter Water, who was coming off a win in the Group 3 Blue Pin in Surrey on September 14, ran the 6.5 furlongs in a time of 1:15.05. He tossed a 112 speed figure in the Turf Sprint.

The Unbridled’s Song colt paid $17.80, $10.40 and $6.30. Quarter Water and Man Of God combined for a 14-6 exacta that paid $356.30. The 14-6-5 trifecta with Mayfair third paid a whopping $2,435.30.

Lindsypark Racing’s Shamardancer and Sarava02 Racing’s Call For A Priest rounded out the top five in the Turf Sprint.
FILLY JUVY TURF —                  8 Furlongs                2 YO Fillies Only           $1,000,000             FIRM

 

Akatah of Deyoto Racing scored her first ever graded victory on Friday, when she roared from nearly dead last to get up for a rousing 1 ½ length win over Lopeki in the Filly Juvy Turf on Friday.

After finishing second by narrow margins in a couple of group 2 events in Ireland and Surrey, the two year old daughter of Giant’s Causeway who is out of the grade 1 winning mare Hataka finally figured it all out in her first race in America since June.

It was the fourth win in seven starts for Akatah, who has earned nearly $800,000 for Deyoto Racing. She popped a career high 97 speed figure, as well, while capturing the Filly Juvy Turf on the first day of BB action.

Akatah made her winning move near the top of the lane after finding herself as much as 10 lengths behind the leaders at one point, and she finished the 8 furlongs on the firm turf course in 1:35.81.

Lopeki, an Aussie scratch-bred daughter of Lohnro who is owned by BMR003 Racing, came from tenth place to nip by ½ a length Given Racing’s Tendency, the morning line favorite who was making her first start in America after coming off a huge score in the Group 1 Grand Prix Filly in Surrey in her last start.

Akatah paid $21.50, $10.50 and $7.20, and the 7-12 exacta with Lopeki paid $231.30. The 7-12-4 trifecta with Tendency third paid $1,669.60.

Tyedye Racing’s French-bred filly Dimensionless got up for fourth, and Tees Racing had the fifth place finisher in the English-bred filly Killer What.
DIRT MILE —            8 Furlongs                3 YO And Up             $1,000,000             FAST

 

In one of Friday’s more spectacular performances, K’s Gorgo nearly crushed the BB Dirt Mile record established by last year’s winner Of Whitehorse.

The scratch-bred, 4 year old bay son of Distorted Humor, who is owned and trained by Ledwith Racing, made it look relatively easy Friday, when he beat Dragos to the wire by 2 ¼ lengths.

K’s Gorgo was never more than three or four lengths off the early leaders at any point in Friday’s Dirt Mile.  He collared the 2014 Bluegrass Derby winner Mountnoir at about the five-furlong marker, and it quickly became apparent that K’s Gorgo was going to come close to the Dirt Mile record when the tote board flashed a time of 1:07.17 at the six-furlong marker.

Making only his 12th career start, K’s Gorgos ran the eight furlongs on the fast dirt in a time of 1:33.38, about .16 of a second off the record established last year by Of Whitehorse, who finished 11th in Friday’s Dirt Mile.

K’s Gorgos ran a career-high tying 118 speed figure, the same speed figure he ran a few starts back in his Grade 1 Cosmopolitan win in New York. The win in the Dirt Mile Friday was the fifth consecutive victory for K’s Gorgos.

Dixiedotco Racing’s Dragos, who was working on his fourth Grade 1 win, made a game effort to come from eighth place and get up for second. Dixiedotco’s brilliant three year old son of War Front had already scored three grade 1 wins this year when he captured impressive wins in the Equinics, the California Derby Lock Prep, and the Eddie Haskell Stakes.

Given Racing’s Nectar Of The Gods ran a pretty snazzy race himself when he tossed a 114 speed figure in the Dirt Mile, only to finish third, some 3 ¼ lengths behind the winner.

K’s Gorgo paid $18.80, $9.50 and $6.70 across the board. The 1-3 exacta with K’s Gorgo and Dragos paid $298.50, and the 1-3-9 trifecta with Nectar Of The Gods third paid $2,156.70

Fernando Racing’s Mountnoir, who stayed with K’s Gorgos as long as he could, finished fourth.  Fatattack Racing’s Packin The Heat raked in the fifth place money.
DIRT MARATHON —       14 Furlongs        3 YO And Up        $500,000          FAST

 

Jrogue Racing’s 13/1 long shot filly Loco Colony pulled a huge upset over an extremely impressive field in the Dirt Marathon on Friday.

The four year old bay daughter of Montjeu was making only her 13th career start when she popped a career-high 109 speed figure and snuck out with her BB victory in the Marathon.

Loco Colony hit her first Grade 1 win way back in February when she crushed her own gender in the Grade 1 Nacogdoches Handicap by 9 lengths. She had only won once since that big win in Texas on February 22.

On Friday in the Dirt Marathon, Loco Colony did something she doesn’t ordinarily do, and that’s come from far off the pace to win. The filly who typically liked to run close to the lead in most of her races this season trailed the early leaders by some 12 lengths at one point, before she poured on the juice late to catch Super1 Racing’s Zyr and Tazdevil Racing’s Impacta in deep stretch.

Loco Colony ran the 14 furlongs in 2:59.76, beating Zyr by half a length. Zyr, in turn, just managed to squeak past Impacta by a nose hair, catching that one at the wire.

Loco Colony paid $29.30, $13.50, and $10.30 to those who had the faith to back a filly against the boys in the longest race of the two days of BB racing.  The 9-4 exacta with Zyr paid a pretty hefty $240.80, and the 9-4-12 trifecta with Impacta third paid $2,520.90.

Cadet Racing’s Cadet Cat gained a lot of ground late to finish fourth, beaten only 3 ¾ lengths. Lenny271 Racing had three entries in the race. Cloak And Daggers, the best of his three runners in the Marathon, picked up the fifth place check.

 

FILLY & MARE SPRINT —        7 Furlongs       3 YO And UP, Fillies And Mares Only       $1,000,000       FAST

 

Out Of Shape was anything but, as she triumphed in the Filly And Mare Sprint on Friday, tossing a 112 speed figure and humbling her older counterparts.

The three year old daughter of Distorted Humor owned by Jacklad Racing took control of the Filly And Mare Sprint a couple furlongs in and never looked back, holding off Adrian Racing’s Of Orangeville by 1 ¾ lengths.

Out Of Shape was making her 11th career start in the Filly And Mare Sprint.  It was only her fourth graded appearance, when she bolted to the front from the 8 hole.  She had brief challenges early from Strikestar and Savannah Lynn, who tried in vain to keep up early.

But when Out Of Shape hit the two furlong marker in 22.10, she found another gear, and the race, for all intents and purposes, was over at that point. She ran the four furlongs in a smoking :44.81, as she opened up a lead of as much as 3 ½ lengths on the field at one point. She was never seriously threatened.

Of Orangeville, the four year old German-bred daughter of Monsun, looked impressive late, coming from nearly dead last to get up for second.

Rockriver Racing’s Crossover Hit was third, four lengths back of the winner.

Out Of Shape paid $19.90, $11.10 and $6.20. The 8-5 exacta with Of Orangeville paid $212.30 and the 8-5-11 trifecta with Crossover Hit paid $2459.30.

Sledge4 Racing’s Will It End came up a close fourth, ¾ of a length behind Crossover Hit, and Tees Racing’s Coca Roller was fifth, a ¼ of a length behind Will It End.