This Saturday a full field of horses leaves the gate in the 7^th annual Carlton Fisk Handicap.  A grade three race the same weekend as the Breeder’s Bowl, this one hasn’t had all that much luck drawing the best of the best, but has consistently turned out a number of decent stakes types.  Previous winners of this race include EVERY RAISE who has gone on to win over 3.4 million, SAPPHIRE DEELITE in a long-shot come from behind victory, RUSTY HAWK 2002’s favourite, PYROMANIACAL (GB), RICKASHAY (GB) and last year’s champ BAND OF BUDAS. The bookies have slated five horses to battle for the money, but longshots have done well here in the past so don’t count anyone out just yet.  Let’s take a look at the field:

WESTERN SCULPTURE – trained by dorrin, ridden by N. Mills – 14/1

A four-year-old colt this guy has not finished out of the money yet this year.  However impressive that stat may be, some of those races were well below the level he attempts here.  His last five have all been at the stakes or graded level at over 13 furlongs and his performances there have bumped his ranking in the long turf division up to 111^th.  Watch for him up near the front early and hope that the furlong less distances doesn’t send him home empty handed.

GREEN STREET II(IRE) – trained  by zeco7, ridden by R. Simcox – 25/1

This five-year-old has also has an excellent record this year.  Ranked 79^th in this division, watch for him to sit around mid-pack and begin his move at the halfway point, but he’ll need to improve here in order to contend.

COACH FOX – trained by gipper8, ridden by W. Rogers – 5/1

A suburb miler, this four-year-old is adding a lot of distance in this race.  His breeding, WAR CHANT X SEEKING THE GOLD X CAPOTE, doesn’t suggest he’ll like the extra furlongs either.  Although the bookies like him, I’d like to see him succeed at the distance before betting any of my hard-earned cash.

TARMAN DANCER(GB) – trained by lilscoobi, ridden by R. Young – 22/1

This one is definitely bred for the distance; KAYF TARA(GB) X ELA MANA MOU(IRE) X NATIVE DANCER but hasn’t competed at the graded level in his career.  That’s not going to deter me from saying that lilscoobi has an excellent chance at the upset here if jockey R. Young can duplicate TAR’s run from back in 2902 where he finished a close second over 12f in The ODE TO MEXICO Stakes.

TOP JIMMY – trained by sdmf2, ridden by O. Brim – 5/1

JIMBO is coming off a huge run last time out, scoring a 106sp over this distance and surface.  The extra distance obviously agrees as his previous attempts at around a mile were lackluster.  A repeat performance here would almost certainly put him in the winner’s circle.

IMPULSION – trained by tbgifted, ridden by K. Murano – 24/1

This five-year-old mare has been kicking around the long division for most of her career.  The shortage of races for fillies and mares over 12 furlongs has forced her to compete against the boys quite a bit in her career.  That being said she shouldn’t be distracted by some of the stallions running today, however her speed may put her out of the running early.

IDENTITY THEFT(IRE) – trained by beefcake 5, ridden by C. Euler – 13/1

A rags to riches story, ID was claimed by beefcake 5 five races ago for a paltry $7,500. He’s since gone on to win three starter races in a row at this distance.  This is a big jump up for him, but if he can come up with a perfect performance he may be able to crack the money.

FLUSHING WATERS(IRE) – trained by pm, ridden by M. Billig – 23/1

Another grandson of SADLER’S WELLS, the distance hasn’t been a problem for this one either.  He had a huge race in 2986, coming 3^rd by ¼ lengths in the Bluegrass Cup Turf.  He shouldn’t shy away from the competition in this one either, and may in fact thrive on it. Keep an eye on him in the stretch since he’s got a chance at the upset.

EL FREDO(IRE) – trained by fwcltd, ridden by A. Lewis – 11/1

With only 13 runs under his belt FREDO is one of the less experiences runners in this field.  The bookies like him because of his consistent speeds and five wins this season.  If he can post a low 100 speed figure here it should put him in contention for a cheque.

TENPIN GOLD – trained by tenpin6, ridden by T. Steinlict – 6/1

Another quick one, PIN has posted 4 100+ speeds in his last five.  The distance won’t be a problem either as he has been in the money in both attempts at this distance this year. Only question is if T. Steinlict has the goods to get the job done.

CARELESS – trained by crazyjoe, ridden by F. Allen – 10/1

Crazyjoe felt this colt was just begging for bigger competition and more distance after he won last time out over 11 furlongs.  He’ll most likely want to lead all the way, but there’s some closers in here he’ll have to watch out for.

GALLANT WINGS(GB) – trained by gboro, ridden by K. Kayser  – 8/1

This colt has had tough one’s in his last two. At peak performance he easily pulls in 100+ speed figures, but he’s barely cracked the 90’s of late.  A return to his best would make him a serious contender in this race, although he’s not that lucky in pulling jockey K. Kayser who has only won 10.6% of his races this season.

THE GOURMET – trained by quicksand, ridden by McCooper – 12/1

Ranked 18^th in the long turf division, this one has had a lot of success in un-graded stakes races. A graded win has so far eluded him, and as solid as he is at turning in top five performances this field is much richer in talent than his usual foes.  A big run could put him in the money, but I’d expect he’ll finish in mid-pack.

HEY ZEUS – trained by foxon, ridden by M. Staples – 7/1

Coming off a 3^rd in the Coalminer Cup Grade I bodes well for ZEUS as it’ll give him confidence coming into this race.  He’ll need to be a bit faster in this one, but should be with the front runners as they cross the wire.