Juvi Fillies Play In The Slop

Welcome to Ireland for this week’s listed stakes, The Doctor Brown Memorial, with a purse of $80,000. This race is for 2yo fillies going 6.5 furlongs on the dirt, which has come up sloppy this week. This is the second running of this race. Last year we also only had five entries, but the top four have all won stakes races. This year’s field easily has the potential to top that, as one is already a stakeswinner, two others are stakes placed, and the other two are running speed figures that are nearly identical to the other three.

On the rail at 4/1 is Strong Buck (Strong Hope x Carson City) owned by bachand. She broke her maiden in her second start, on good turf. Her successive starts resulted in a stakes placing, and then a stakes victory last time out at Newmarket, with a frontrunning effort over a pretty solid field, with a 74 speed figure. My main concern for her today would have to be the sloppy track conditions, but with no one breaking inside of her and Z. Kentucky(21%) on board, if she can handle that, she should have no problem getting the lead.

In post two at 7/2 is Strummer (Pollard’s Vision x Forty Niner) owned by snakefoot. One of two stakesplaced offspring of freshman sire Pollard’s Vision (Carson City), she also broke her maiden in her second race. Her third race was a bit disappointing, but she ran well to finish second in an allowance here in Ireland in the race after that. Encouraged by that run, her trainer sent her off in a stakes last time out, where she performed admirably, finishing second behind a filly that went on to place in a graded race in her next start. Her speed figure in that race was a 77. She has a solid jockey in Mizzi Russell(10%).

In post three is today’s favourite at 9/5, Redmont(Ire) (Montjeu(Ire) x Red Ransom), owned by odubhghail. Though you would likely never see this pedigree in dirt sprints in real life, this is the sim, and this filly has looked very good so far. She ran her first two races here in Ireland, breaking her maiden in the second, and has the same jockey today that she had in those two, E C Doyle(10%). She also has a second and a third in allowances. This is her first stakes appearance, and she has run a top speed figure of 74.

In post four at 3/1 is Rudere (Medaglia D’Oro x Silver Ghost) owned by cotevol. The most seasoned filly here, she has run seven times, with two wins in a maiden and an allowance, and a second place in a stakes race last time out. She has shown steady improvement, culminating in the 78 speed figure she ran last time out, beaten only a length by a very expensive filly. She has the services today of A. Reed(16%) and has a midpack style that may be just right for today’s race.

Rounding out today’s field, also at 3/1, is Big Delaware (Salt Lake x Gilded Time), owned by radarmansn. She is shipping over from Arkansas, where she broke her maiden last time out with a 74 speed figure. She has only had one start previous to that. Her older sister, Barb’s Baba Wawa (Western Winter), is a multiple stakeswinning dirt sprinter, so she has plenty going for her pedigree-wise. N. Bruce(10%) is a capable jockey, and this filly’s speed figures are right there with the others.

That is our field. I won’t even try to determine which filly will be first to the wire. They are quite evenly matched. This is one field that could easily go on to all be stakeswinners, helping to build this race’s reputation as a springboard to success for these juvenile fillies. Good luck to all the runners, and may they all come home sound.