Outback Delorean Heads Up Nine Going In Gr. 2 Victoria Cup

 

THE VICTORIA CUP

 

Sunday, March 15, 2015          2:30 PM EST           Victoria  Racecourse

 

GROUP  II

Purse:   $375,000

Distance:   12 Furlongs, ~2400 Metres                    Surface:  On The Firm Turf

Restricted to 4 Year Olds And Up

 

The $375,000 12-furlong Group 2 Victoria Cup on the turf usually separates the pretenders from the contenders, as far as who makes the tail end of the cut for the big 12-furlong turf race in Dubai at the end of the month and those huge Group 1 English races in the summer.

The 2015 version of the Group 2 Victoria Cup field is no different.

A field of nine quality 4- and 5-year old males will go to the post for the 2015 version of the race, and there are some extremely nice horses in this field.

Very few in this field have much experience at the 2400 metres the Victoria Cup has to offer, so this race on the Victoria turf course could offer up a few surprises this year.

Outback Delorean of VYZ Racing is your 7/2 morning line favorite in this year’s Victoria Cup. This five year old son of Dynaformer has Sadler’s Wells and Street Cry in his scratch breeding, and he comes in here off a pretty impressive pair of performances. He finished second by a head in the 9-furlong Group 3 Road Rash in Dubai in his last outing, and before that, he took the field gate to wire in a 9-furlong listed stakes in Tasmana. He threw 111 speed figures in both starts.

The odds makers have House Of Hooper right behind him, at 4/1. And, there are two pretty good horses, as well, in Soul Food Shack and Shamy Ah Tabai, right behind that one. The morning line guys have those two at 9/2 odds.

Behind those, the morning line guys have a very nice horse by the name of Shameful at 6/1. He‘s been training up nicely for this run in Victoria on Sunday.  And then you have Tatjakaparra at 7/1, New Irish De Lago at 10/1, and Surf The Sea at 13/1.

This year’s Victoria Cup field also has an extremely live long shot in the 28/1 late-closing Wimpy Needs A Gun, an Indian-bred son of Ace who comes in here with only six career starts under his belt. This horse has no stakes experience whatsoever. But he threw in a pair of pretty hot 106 and 108 speed figures in two of his last three starts at distances a little bit shorter than the 12 furlongs he’ll see in Victoria this weekend. Those two races showed us that the Indian-bred 4-year-old colt could appreciate the extra distance he’ll be seeing here this weekend as much as anyone else in this field.

All in all, it’s a very interesting field here in Victoria this weekend.

 

( 1 )  SHAMY AH TABAI (IRE)                             Owner:   Daniel Racing Stables

Odds:   9/2                                                                          Record:  24: 9-8-4

Shamy Ah Tabai never finished lower than second in the first 9 starts of his career as a two year old back in 2012 and 2013. When the five year old son of Shamardal decided to hit the group 1 stakes racing scene, he did it against older horses when he was only a three year old. He had just come off a strong fourth place finish where he gained a lot of ground late in the 10-furlong Group 2 Early Months Stakes against his own age group. Then Daniel threw him in the deep end of the pool against older horses for the first time when he shipped him to England to run in the 2013 version of the $1 million Group 1 Eclipse Stakes. Shamy Ah Tabai put forth an outstanding performance against older horses there, when he finished second to three-time Group 1 winner Predictability. You sort of thought after watching that race that this colt was headed for the big time 10-12 furlong events and that he might possibly be an eventual End Of The Year award winner. But in his next start after the Group 1 Eclipse, he bounced rather badly in the Group 1 Jolly Summer Cup, finishing a fading 7th there. It would be nearly six months, in May of 2014, before this horse would see a Group 1 field again. He finished a well-beaten third in the 10.5-furlong $500,000 Group 1 Tattersalls Gold in Ireland. After that, the ever patient Daniel gave his horse a well deserved rest before sending him back out to the track. And, that move has paid off in a big way for Daniel. Shamy Ah Tabai has never finished lower than third in any of his 8 starts since he came back from the layoff after his Tattersalls Gold performance. Two starts back, he snagged his first ever group win in the 10-furlong Group 3 The Galaxian Stakes in New Zealand. After that, Daniel dropped him down in distance and class to run him in a 9.5-furlong listed stakes event in Newmarket. It seemed at the time to be a curious move by Daniel, after Shamy Ah Tabai put together three consecutive wins, including that group 3 win. I think Danield was simply setting this horse up to go longer here in Victoria this weekend, using the long/short/long strategy that has paid off with horses in the Daniel barn before. Look for this guy to be close to the early leaders. He’s got quite a bit of early speed, and his style of running is more North American than European, as he prefers to sit just off the leaders before he makes his winning move. It should be an interesting run at 12-furlongs this weekend for the five year old horse who is out of the stakes-placed Dalakhani mare Khani Carson. Daniel has certainly prepped his horse well for this group 2 event this weekend. He’s never finished lower than third at this distance of 12 furlongs he’ll see here in Victoria. But those three races at 2400 metres were all against allowance company. He’s making quite a step up in class here to group 2 company for the 12 furlongs, that much is certain. That’s the big question for Shamy Ah Tabai. Can the son of Shamardal handle the step up in class at this distance?

 

( 2 )  SHAMEFUL (IRE)                            Owner:  PUNTER34 Racing Stables

Odds:  6/1                                                    Record:  9: 5-1-2

Look at the past performance charts of Shameful, if you want to see a shining example of perfect management of a racehorse’s career. When Punter34 Racing began racing Shameful, a son of Shamardal, as a two year old, he thought his horse might do better eventually at the longer distances on the turf. He didn’t want to put a lot of wear and tear on this colt early in his career. So, after two starts as a two year old in the sprints on the turf, Shameful was given a long time off. I believe Punter34 knew this horse would like longer distances, eventually, and he was right. That was the real goal for his horse. So, instead of putting a lot of useless wear and tear on his horse running him in the sprints, he turned his horse out to pasture, switched barns with him, and waited eight months before he brought him back to the races. And, that move has paid off in a big way for Punter34 Racing. Look at his horse’s last three starts and his speed figures in those races. 114, 104 and 111. Those speed figures came in two allowance wins and a listed stakes win, and all three were at different distances. He went 10, 11 and 12 furlongs in those three races. This horse is four years old, he’s very lightly raced (only 9 starts), and he’s finished in the money 8 of 9 times on the track. I’ll tell you something right now. This is one hell of a training job by Punter34. Since this horse came back to the races in March of last year, Shameful has done a remarkable job, winning five of his seven starts, including that 11-furlong listed stakes win on the turf in Spain last time out. He comes in here riding the crest of a three-race win streak. Shameful is chock full of confidence, and he’s definitely got the speed figures to run with this bunch in the Victoria Cup on Sunday. And, unlike a lot of these horses in this field, Shameful has won at this 2400 metre distance before. It’s his first graded start, but the way this colt has been running, I don’t think that’s going to matter very much. This is an extremely powerful, good looking colt who has definitely benefited from a supreme training job by his owner. Watch out for this colt on Sunday. He’s good, he’s got the speed numbers, he’s got a great pedigree, and he’s got a great trainer. This race this weekend in Victoria looks like it’s the perfect storm waiting to happen for this four year old colt from Punter34 Racing Stables. A very dangerous colt out of the stakes-winning Deep Impact mare Deep Cascade looks just right in this spot. Oh, and did I mention that he’s won his last three starts by a combined 13 ¼ lengths? This is a very hot horse shipping in here this weekend, ladies and gentlemen. He’s got tons of upside. Lots of bad things can happen in horse races, but it looks like Punter34 Racing has this colt locked and loaded for Sunday‘s race.

 

( 3 )  HOUSE OF HOOPER (JPN)              Owner:  Rocket22 Racing Stables

Odds:  4/1                                                       Record:  19: 5-4-3

Rocket22 Racing sends out House Of Hooper, who is no stranger to group stakes racing. With 19 career starts under his belt, this five year old scratch-bred son of Johannesburg (who has Nureyev and Kris S. back there in his pedigree) has an amazing 10 group starts under his belt so far. That’s pretty incredible. Like Soul Food Shack, House Of Hooper has been trying the 10-furlong distances lately. And, while he’s been chewing up tons of ground late, he has had a bit of trouble finding the winner’s circle. That could change this weekend with the added two furlongs he’ll see in the Group 2 Victoria Cup on Sunday. More ground is exactly what this colt needs. Two starts back, he just missed when he came from 10 lengths off the pace in the $3 million Group 1 King Kong Cup. He was driving strongly in deep stretch, but he fell just shy, losing by ¾ of a length to the winner, Wanna Be Famous. House Of Hooper tossed in a career-high 113 speed figure in that strong second-place finish in the King Kong Cup. It was an important run for House Of Hooper, because it had been quite a while since he won a group event. That race had to be a big confidence-builder for him, despite the fact that he just missed winning. He won his first (and only) group event in the Group 3 The Weld Stakes in Ireland at 10 furlongs. That was way back on July 26 of last season. If you look at his past performance charts you’ll see a string of group events where he has gained tons of ground late in his races. It’s hard to fathom why this guy hasn’t been thrown into some of the classic 12-furlong events earlier. But this might just be his time to shine at this 2400-meter distance. If he can get the 12 furlongs here in Victoria on Sunday (and nothing about his breeding or his past performance charts says he can’t do exactly that) then this might be another one to watch in the big 12-furlong races in England in the summer. I like this horse’s chances a lot in Victoria this weekend. He’s pretty consistent, having thrown 100+ speed figures in all but one of his last 13 starts. Watch for him to come with a strong late run, if he follows his recent form. This very nice son of Johannesburg could very well be your Victoria Cup winner in 2015.

 

( 4 )  SURF THE SEA (IRE)                          Owner:  Davarto Racing Stables

Odds:  13/1                                                      Record:  14: 4-0-2

The four year old son of Sea The Stars from Davarto Racing Stables comes in here off a fourth place finish in the Group 3 National Stakes. He finished strongly there, closing to within four lengths of the winner, Tatjakapara, who he will meet up with here in Victoria again this weekend. Surf The Sea has only one effort at 12 furlongs, and that came last year in the Group 1 Italian Derby, where he finished third. This colt, who is out of the millionaire Sadler’s Wells mare Surf The Turf, had high expectations when he started his career, and it shows on his past performance charts. In his 14 career starts, he’s already been in five group 1 events. His best finish in any of those group 1 events, that third place finish in the Italian Derby, bodes well for his chances here, because that’s the only 12-furlong race he’s run in his career. This Sunday in Victoria, he’ll try his second attempt ever at 12 furlongs. He’s certainly bred to get this distance…and then some…for Davarto Racing. He’s lightly raced, and he may just be one of those late-blooming Sea The Stars colts. He did win a group 2 event last year, when he scored in the 10.5-furlong No Allies Stakes in Paris. It was a pretty convincing win for Surf The Sea, who beat three other group winners in that field. This colt has a European running style–he loves to lay far back early and pounce on the field in the straight for home. There’s a little speed here in Victoria on Sunday for him to run at late, and his chances could be helped a great deal by some fast fractions on the front end. This colt does extremely well when he gets a couple others in the field engaged in a speed duel ahead of him. He might just get that scenario here this weekend. He doesn’t have a great deal of experience at this distance, but that’s okay. Most of this field doesn’t have much experience at the 2400 metres either. I like this colt’s chances in this spot. He’s got the pedigree. He’s coming off a pretty strong effort last time out where he gained a lot of ground late going 400 metres shorter than the distance he’ll see on Sunday. I smell a breakout performance for this colt, if he can get a couple of these to get involved in speed duel early on and burn themselves out.

 

( 5 )  WIMPY NEEDS A GUN (IND)          Owner:  Matrepok Racing Stables

Odds:  28/1                                                    Record:  6: 2-2-1

Several pretty interesting things pop out at you when you look at the chart of Wimpy Needs A Gun. This four year old colt from Matrepok Racing has the fewest starts, by far, of anyone in the Group 2 Victoria Cup this weekend. He’s only hit the track six times, after he started his career only last September as a late-debuting three year old. He’s an Indian-bred horse, and you definitely don’t see many of those in these bigger group events. He’s by a sire called Ace, and his scratch-breeding includes Nashwan and Chief’s Crown. It looks like he was injured in the first start of his career back in September, when he threw a 3 speed figure and was distanced in 7.5-furlong event in the USA. In fact, all six of his races have been in America so far. This is his first time shipping away from North America. At 28/1, your first tendency is to dismiss this son of Ace. But, he’s used to being a long shot in his races. He’s been 160/1, 42/1, 9/1, and 7/1 in his last four starts. But if you look closely at his past performance charts, you’ll see he’s actually thrown better speed figures in two of his last three races than a couple of the horses he’ll face this weekend in Victoria. Three starts back, he popped a 106 speed figure in 9.5-furlong allowance event in Kentucky, where he finished a late-running second. He chewed up a lot of ground late in that effort, coming from nearly 10 lengths off the pace at one point to only get beaten by a little over a length there. Then, last time out, he won his first allowance event when he came from far back again to win impressively by 4 lengths. That was a 10-furlong event. But his most interesting start, as far as I’m concerned, came two starts back when he ran 11 furlongs (the longest effort of his career). He ran his usual come-from-behind race that day, coming from 8 lengths off the pace to finish a fast-closing second. He only threw a 96 speed figure there, but that’s okay. That 11-furlong race, more than any, told me might just be ready for the 12 furlongs he’ll be asked to go in Victoria this weekend, simply because he gained a great deal of ground late. This horse wants more ground. This is going to be a very interesting horse to watch this weekend. If you’re a long shot player, this guy would seem, at least on paper, to be a very live long shot.

 

( 6 )  OUTBACK DELOREAN  (KY)                    Owner: VYZ Racing Stables

Odds:  7/2                                                                Record:  18: 6-4-1

This is a pretty regally bred son of Dynaformer that VYZ Racing sends into
the fray in Victoria on Sunday. He’s got Sadler’s Wells and Street Cry back there in that royal blue-blood pedigree of his. He’s pretty lightly raced for a five year old, too, with only 18 career starts. Outback Delorean doesn’t have a whole lot of wear and tear on his legs. The worry with him is his record in group company. He’s 0-7 lifetime in group company, and every single one of those starts were group 3 events. He came close to breaking through the group stakes glass ceiling last time out, when he just barely missed scoring a win in the 9-furlong Group 3 Road Rash Stakes against a pretty strong field in Dubai. He came from off the pace there with a tremendous late rush and finished second by ½ a length to Group 2 winner Unreal Ted. Outback Delorean also threw a 111 speed figure there, the same speed figure he threw two starts back when he won a 9-furlong listed stakes event in Tasmania. When he ran in the Group 3 The Coupe Stakes, he got caught up in a bit of a speed duel with the favorite Clifton King. And that cost him late, when he was passed by Group 2 winner Gifted Animator and Group 1 winner Former Song. That was a pretty salty group in Paris for that group 3 race. It had no less than six group winners in it, and for Outback Delorean to finish third in that field was pretty darned impressive. The longest race of his career so far has been 11 furlongs (a listed stakes win in Germany), which means this run in Victoria on Sunday will be the longest of his career. I think this colt from VYZ Racing has so much class in his pedigree that the 12 furlongs here shouldn’t be a worry. What should be a worry is his penchant to get involved in speed duels in some of his races. He’s another in this field that really needs to sit off the pace, preferably about 3-7 lengths from the early leaders, in order to give his most effective run. If he can stay back away from the early leaders and not get caught up in a speed duel, this five year old son of Dynaformer definitely has the speed numbers in his last two starts to run with this bunch.

 

( 7 )  TATJAKAPARA (AUS)                        Owner:  FASTNFIRM Racing Stables

Odds:  7/1                                                        Record:  14: 6-1-1

Tatjakapara is coming off two consecutive wins when he takes the track in Victoria this weekend. Two starts back, the son of Northern Meteor won a local-bred allowance event at 8 furlongs in New South Wales before he was shipped across to New Zealand where he scored a very impressive win in the 10-furlong Group 3 National Stakes. Those two wins were his first victories in over a year, but it showed how versatile this four year old colt is when it comes to distances. His only group 1 try came as a three year old, when he finished 7th in the Group 1 Sydney Derby at 12 furlongs. It was his only try ever at this 2400-meter distance he’ll be seeing in Victoria this weekend. You might think that doesn’t bode well for his chances here. But the way this colt runs on late in races from pretty far off the pace, especially in that last start when he won the National Stakes, makes you think otherwise. If this colt can hang back and save a little gas for the final two furlongs of the Group 1 Victoria Cup on Sunday, then he could be extremely dangerous in this spot. He’s by Northern Meteor, and he’s out of a Rahy mare by the name of Siana. He’s got Quiet American (a son of Fappiano) back there on the tail end of his pedigree, and that usually means quite a bit of speed. But it also means he could be limited in distance. It’ll be fun on Sunday to see just how much this colt has matured since his last 12-furlong try in the Sydney Derby last year. That 112 speed figure he threw last time out when he got his first group win of his career means he’s probably grown up quite a bit. It was the highest speed figure of his career, by far, and that was not a shabby field at all he was facing in New Zealand last month. I think this colt has grown up a lot since early last season, and I also think he can handle this distance, if he doesn’t run rank early and try to stay too close to the front-runners. His run in Victoria on Sunday should tell us pretty much whether he’s built for the 12-furlong distances or not. If he cannot get the 2400 meters here, then he can always jump back to the 2000-meter upper-echelon events, because he’s shown us with that last start in New Zealand that he can definitely sparkle at that distance against group company. He’s a very interesting colt to watch in this spot this weekend. Tatjakapara will answer a lot of questions for Fastnfirm Racing in Victoria on Sunday.

 

( 8 )  NEW IRISH DE LAGO (ENG)                     Owner:  BMR006 Racing Stables

Odds:  10/1                                                                Record:  17: 5-3-3

New Irish De Lago is the entry in Sunday’s Victoria Cup from BMR006 Racing. The son of New Approach has a pretty nice strike rate (11 top three finishes in 17 starts) and he is a group-placed horse. In November of last year, he finished a credible third in the Group 2 Early Months Stakes, and he threw a 109 speed figure in the 10-furlong event. The race before that he finished in a 9.5-furong listed stakes event in the United States, where he threw a career-high 111 speed figure. Since then the four year old colt whose scratch-breeding includes Irish River and Encosta De Lago, took an extended break over the winter. He ran fairly well in an open allowance event, where he finished 8th but was only 4 ½ lengths behind the winner. That was just a 7-furlong warm-up though after the winter break And, then last time out, he started to look more like his old self, when he popped a 105 speed figure in a 9-furlong NW5L allowance event in Germany. Now, he’s really stepping up to the big time here when he ships into Victoria this weekend. He doesn’t exactly like to have the lead, but he will be there, close to the early leaders pushing the pace. And, the presence of New Irish De Lago could help a lot of the deep closers in here. He should keep the pace honest on the front end. He’s only been 12 furlongs once in his entire career, and that was in a listed stakes event in his final race of 2014, where he finished well up the track, beaten 17+ lengths. His form seems to be returning, but the big question, of course, for New Irish De Lago is whether he can handle this 2400 metres in Australia this weekend. He’s a big long shot here, but if he even improves on his form just a little, he might hang on for a piece of the pie here in the Victoria Cup. If he’s really on his game, he could take this field gate to wire. But I’m just not sure if he’s got the stamina to do that. He hasn’t had a whole lot of graded experience, and he is pretty new to this distance, so he’s a huge question mark, at best, here. You never know with some of these, though. Sometimes it takes a quality field like this, at a new distance, and these types either explode and run off and hide with the win…or they implode and return to allowance company.

 

( 9 )  SOUL FOOD SHACK (IRE)                Owner:  Spinround Racing Stables

Odds:  9/2                                                       Record:  21: 10-2-4

The Coxless Stakes champion for 2015 will try 12 furlongs for the first time in his career here on Sunday in Victoria. The five year old son of Montjeu who is out of the Kingmambo mare Staccato Signals started running pretty early in his career, considering his breeding. You knew this guy was obviously going to like the longer distances on the turf eventually. He was quite good in the sprints early on, however, winning two out of his first three starts as a two year old; but he has only just recently hit the group stakes trail. Two starts back, Soul Food Shack threw in what was arguably the finest run of his career when he took home the trophy for Spinround Racing Stables in the $3.5 million Group 1 Coxless Stakes at 10 furlongs. He was running in only his first group 1 start of his career when he decided to take on a field that included six other group winners, including group 1 winners No Peace For The Wicked and Gimme. That was definitely not a light field for Soul Food Shack to face in his first group 1 event. He came through like a champ, launching his winning bid from mid-pack, about 8 lengths behind the leaders, halfway through the Coxless Plate. He just got up in time to nip a group 2 winner by the name of The Purple Stuff. Soul Food Shack threw a 112 speed figure in that race, the same speed figure he ran in his first ever group try in the 10-furlong Group 3 The Plaid Skirt in Ireland, a race he won a bit more easily. Last time out, Soul Food Shack suffered a bit of a bounce in the $3 million Group 1 King Kong Cup in Hong Kong. He finished 8th there, beaten by about 8 lengths. He just never got rolling late in Hong Kong, against a field that included Bustin Chops and a few other group 1 winners. Everything about this guy screams, “I want more ground!” And, that’s exactly what Soul Food Shack is going to get here in the 12-furlong Victoria Cup. This is the first of what will probably be many acid tests for Soul Food Shack at this distance. He always comes with a late charge when he runs at 10 furlongs, and the owner of Spinround Racing will find out if her big son of Montjeu can handle the longer turf distances. If he can cover the extra two furlongs successfully here in Victoria this weekend, look for this guy to play a big part in some truly big 12-furlong races in England this summer.