Sunnybank Memorial set to achieve a double-double
We are bursting with turf classic action this weekend with the three main features being the Coalminer Cup down under, the Ark De Triumph in Europe and here in North America, the Turf Classic.
All too often this race has been the poor relation of the other two on this annual bumper weekend, but slowly that reputation is being turned around, as last years renewal was won by the legendary Sunnybank Memorial. This year, the race is privileged to welcome back the defending champion as he takes on 11 other opponents. Let’s take a closer look at the protagonists.
1. GUCCI TO TRY loisblack L Gunn 17/1
Lightly-raced 4yo by Sadler’s Wells who looked like he was destined for bigger things at the beginning of the year when he took a 2 mile allowance race by 10 lengths. He has won another 2 from 6 since that annihilation but his last 2 runs tell the story. Both graded events where he never got a sniff of the eventual winners and ended up 10+ lengths behind at the finish. I would say that is about his level and he would need a vast improvement to gun for the win here.
2. BLACK SAM MAMBO(IRE) fattx C Seppy 99/1
Should provide a nice day out for connections. Odds-on to finish distanced.
3. CORTEZ(IRE) slipknot22 N Lawton 11/1
I was fortunate to cover his Sydney Derby victory where he looked the likely successor to Saturday’s opponent, Sunnybank Memorial. He followed up that win with another smooth success in the Adelaide version and teetered on the verge of super-stardom, but then the wheels came off in the English Derby where he finished a tired-looking horse. He subsequently came out and won the Irish Derby but the win was devalued by the absence of English Derby victor Lex Luthor. The pair got to grips with each other again in the Owner’s Stakes where Cortez ran a strange race, not at all in keeping with his previous three Derby victories. I’m prepared to write off that run as an experiment gone wrong and he can’t be judged on his last outing over an inadequate 9 furlongs. The score between Cortez and Lex stands at 2-1 to Lex, but it should not be forgotten that it is Cortez that is the number one ranked 3yo in this division. Improvement is required for Cortez to play a part on Saturday but I’m confident that if he reverts to his normal stalking style, that improvement will be forthcoming.
4. MINESWEEPER songcycle N Painter 11/1
Cast your minds back exactly a year ago and you will remember the eclipse of Horseshoe Bay by another of his generation in the Coalminer Cup. Minesweeper was his name, and the sim world was in-waiting to proclaim a new champion. No-one back then could have predicted Minesweeper’s subsequent career. 13 races have provided just one victory in an allowance race. There have been flickers of the talent that carried him to three graded successes last year but they have been all too infrequent and it’s possible the horse may have fallen out of love with the game. No one doubts his talent but is he as genuine as he might be?
5. SUNNYBANK MEMORIAL sunnybank B Child 2/1
Two years ago to the day, ‘Memo was riding a record-setting 7 graded-wining sequence into the Ark De Triumph. At Longchamp that day he proved he was not a machine and could have his off-days like any other horse. Fortunately for trainer sunnybank and fans alike those ‘off-days’ have proved to be a very rare occurrence, much to the dismay of those other trainers who have aspirations in this most coveted division. His achievements are now the stuff of legend and although he had a ‘wobbly’ patch toward the end of last year and the beginning of this, he seems to have found a second wind in his career and can be considered as good as ever. Having won back-to-back Man Of War’s last time out, he now seeks to make it a double-double by winning this race for the second time in as many years. The odds-makers believe he can do it!
6. THE VANGUARD vanguard P Hilton 17/1
This 4yo son of Sadler’s Wells has been kept well and truly under wraps by his eponymous trainer, venturing to the track on only 7 occasions. His last run was a major development in his career where he attempted to wire a G2 field and only got caught in the shadow of the winning post. A valiant attempt for one so inexperienced. With that run under his belt he can only improve but this is a tough ask for a horse without even a stakes win to his name. I’m sure his time will come but I am doubtful it will be this Saturday.
7. CLOUDSCAPE jdawg08 R Engel 36/1
This 4yo filly was claimed by current connections for $50k on her penultimate run. In her one run subsequently she ran last of 5 over a mile in an allowance race. It would take a blind leap of faith to be convinced that she is likely to be anything but an also-ran on Saturday.
8. A WHOLENUWORLD wfstables R Haffner 5/1
This son of miler Spinning World has yet to score on turf after 3 attempts. However, if you look at the small print you’ll see he has been unlucky enough to come up against some of the best turfers around at the moment. His last run makes particularly good reading where he just failed to hold the top two horses in the turf classic division. The question mark therefore is not his class but his stamina. He has run over the trip on dirt and he wasn’t entirely convincing. It might be a different story on what looks to be his more preferred surface and if he can get clear of the field early, he will lead them a merry dance.
9. ERMINGTON SHOVHOG(AUS) jdawg11 J Mannion 99/1
A 2nd entrant from the trainers group of stables and this one has even less chance than Cloudscape. Will be battling with Black Sam Mambo for last place.
10. TENPIN GOLD tenpin6 G Rolling 5/1
It’s taken a long time for this horse to realize his potential and in the meantime he has contested two claim races, both of which he won unsurprisingly. Trainer tenpin6 must be thanking his lucky stars that the horse returned to the stable both times because now he has a real talent on his hands. The winner of a G2 earlier in the year, he also put a lot of speedsters to the sword in the Windy City Turf Classic-G1, eventually managing to finish 4th. Very rarely is he beaten away from the gate, which is bad news for the other confirmed front-runner A Wholenuworld. Either one of these two gives way to the other or they will end up running each other into the ground.
11. ARKANSAS TRAVELER lenny10 L Hoskins 10/1
It seems like this guy has been around a lot longer than is actually the case. He really only broke through to the top echelon in the summer of last year and managed his first graded success 9 months ago. Without question his biggest and best success was in the Judgemont International where he put away a decent field. It was his only visit to Epsom and maybe he really enjoyed the stiff gradients. The flat track in New York may not see him to best advantage but he is a good honest type that will run his race and he looks booked for a minor placing.
12. JUMPIN’ JAVA waradmiral P Davis 7/2
Two-time graded winner who will be having his first start over the trip on Saturday. His two graded wins have been very impressive but sandwiched in between the two was a less-than-stellar effort in a G1 over a similar distance. To be fair to him, I don’t think it was the G1 class that beat him as much as recovering from a massive effort on his previous run. If history repeats, then it’s likely he will bounce in this race, which is unfortunate, as we might not get a true idea of his worth over the classic distance. He is certainly worth persevering with over this trip regardless of the outcome on Saturday.
Summary
The analysis has thrown up many questions that need to be answered. The tactics for Cortez, the inconsistency of Minesweeper, the inexperience of The Vanguard, the stamina of A Wholenuworld, the front-running battle of Tenpin Gold with A Wholenuworld and the likely bounce from Jumpin’ Java. Putting all those into the melting pot I anticipate the following finishing order:
1. Sunnybank Memorial
2. Cortez
3. Arkansas Traveler
4. Tenpin Gold