Speedsters and closers in the SILVER BEAVIS Memorial

The SILVER BEAVIS Memorial

This week on the District of Columbia oval is the SILVER BEAVIS Memorial, a six furlong turf sprint for three-year-olds and up.  Silver Beavis was a Silver Deputy horse who won 5 of 56, with some nice triple-digit allowance runs, but no stakes wins.  Most of his best races came after being shipped overseas.

In post 1 is AUSTRALIA MAT, the outsider at 24-1.  The 8-year-old has an impressive 13 wins, but is 9-0-0-0 on the turf.  He exits the Judge Lasso on turf, finishing 5th and beaten by more than 20.  His most recent form on dirt is quite decent, and a return to that surface for trainer dragons36 would seem to be in order.  Low-percentage M Corleone rides.

Next is UNION COLONY, a 4-year-old son of Dixie Union in the luckyhobo colors.  He shows some decline in form in three straight turf sprints since capturing the Flash Flood with a 103 figure.  He may have raced too close to the strong pace set by AGREED and CEMETERY GATES(IRE) in the Frugal Hero last out, so a return to his off-the-pace ways may reverse the decline.  With a good 7-for-26 record and top jock L Jenkins, the faith of the oddsmakers at 5/2 may yet be confirmed.

Post 3 holds WELL MEANT, a 4-year-old Sadler’s Wells/Kingmambo colt for barnstormr.  This one has not tried a stakes this year after taking the Gold Carrera and Louis the Sand as a sophomore.  He has a nice-looking allowance win in Wisconsin this year, but also has a habit of faltering in the final furlong.  He has FIVE GROUSE to contend with on the front end, and it remains to be seen whether journeyman T Howard can take him gate-to-wire or rate him enough to win.

The aforementioned FIVE GROUSE actually has nothing to complain about, being the even-money favorite.  The 6-year-old is an accomplished sprinter on the green, having really come to hand this year after the switch to the jockfan02 stable.  With a pair of allowance and stakes wins each this year as well as triple-digit speed figures in five of his last six, he is the class of the race.  He was second only to DIGGING THE GRAVE in his last, but that one is a multiple G1 winner.  If he can’t win this one on the front end, maybe jockey W Price is to blame.

On the outside is ROYALLY RED at 3/1 with T L Clark up.  This 5-year-old exits the Group 2 Longchamp Sprint, where he was well back in 11th and without his usual late kick.  That group may, however, have been just too salty for him, as the top four recorded speed figures of 105 or better.  Perhaps mig will have him primed for a return to his late-closing form, as the trainer has gotten him to the winner’s circle five times this year with that strategy.  One concern is that his globetrotting ways (Wyoming to Europe, back stateside, then to Longchamp, back to the District today) may catch up with him, especially with only two weeks off since the Group 2 try in France.

SELECTIONS:  4-2-3