Breeders’ Bowl Classic G1 – $6,000,000

      

  

Kentucky (KY)

Saturday, October 31, 2015 — 4:00:00 PM EST | Race ID : 1415249

Breeders’ Bowl Classic

Grade I / Group 1 – Purse : $6,000,000

Restricted to 3 Year Olds and Older

10 Furlongs | ~2000 Meters | One Mile and One Quarter FAST DIRT

Today we travel to Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky (USA) for one of the most exciting weeks in racing, featuring the Breeders’ Bowl Classic over a distance of 10F (2000 Meters) on fast dirt. Featuring a top class international field of 20 starters trained to the minute by some of our best trainers, competing for a mammoth $6,000,000 in prize money and trophies. The crowd promises to break all records to see who etches their name into racing history, lets have a look at these elite runners and see if we can find the winner and get a few dollars to pay for the day out.

In the grand history of the Sim, no horse ever has defeated 19 opponents to win the $6 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Bowl Classic.

It will happen this year for the first time.

The field for the Classic was expanded from 14 to 20, taking most trainers by surprise and causing a wild scramble at the entry box. Trainers who had given no thought to making the Classic suddenly were presented with a golden opportunity. Six will enter the starting gate with a chance they never would have had before 2015.

The expansion of the field also set the stage for some wild maneuvering just before the deadline at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Four horses were withdrawn only minutes before the deadline: SUICIDAL DREAM, NEPTUNE’S SEAT, OZZZY CHANCE and THE PURPLE STUFF.

It’s fair to say the trainers were jockeying for position at the entry box.

Lenny withdrew three of them (Suicidal Dream, Neptune’s Seat and The Purple Stuff) so that HOPEWELL BLUES, a horse with only 28 stakes points, could sneak into the race. Master Matt withdrew Ozzy Chance to make way for FIRE OF DROGON, a horse of his with only 33 stakes points that was entered only minutes before deadline.

The upshot is a very oddball situation in which we find two horses allowed to run in the Classic, Fire of Drogon and Hopewell Blues, which have not earned their place and are in it only because of the shenanigans at the entry box on Wednesday. Fire of Drogon is only ranked No. 193 in the 3yo division, while Hopewell Blues is No. 257.

Both of these trainers are friends of mine so we’ll just leave it at that and take a look at the field.

2014 CLASSIC WINNER BAYERN

  

SWINGING BIG SHAFT (mtktoday) 11 starts for 4 wins $4,890,840

MINESHAFT x DISTORTED HUMOR x GIANT’S CAUSEWAY

No Bluegrass Derby winner ever has won the Breeders’ Bowl Classic. MTK will represent Blazing Saddles and try to break that 17-year drought with SWINGING BIG SHAFT, a 3yo bay son of Mineshaft out of his graded-placed Distorted Humor mare, DISTORTED REVENGE. In the 17 runnings of the BB Classic, only four winners managed to hit the board in the Bluegrass Derby. Three ran second in Simulated Louisville, then went on to win the Classic. Those are STORY PROSPECTOR, SILVERWORE and I WON’T LOOK BACK. Also, DISTORTED STORM ran third in the Bluegrass Derby before going on to win the Classic. Make no mistake, Mark is a student of the Sim and is well aware of the historical trend he’s trying to buck with the No. 1 qualifier for this year’s running of the Classic. “Derby winners for the most part have not run on well after the Derby,” he said. “Swinging Big Shaft has not won a race since, but he has run decent.” As a matter of fact, the horse ran huge in the Travelers, only to settle for second behind BAYOU BULLET, whom he’ll meet again in the Classic. “He was a heart-breaking second in the Travelers with a big 118 speed figure,” Mark said. “If he runs back to that 118 and can stalk a leader and then draw off tactically like in the Derby, he has a shot.” To win the Classic, SBS is going to have to turn the tables on three horses which defeated him last out in the Grade 1 Jockey Guild Gold Cup. SBS was only seventh in that race, finishing behind ANDREW’S IMPACT, RHAEGAR’S FURY and FAKE HONEYMOON, all of whom he’ll meet again on Saturday. SBS has missed the board in three of four races since his triumph in the Bluegrass Derby. Can he regain the form that carried him to victory on the first Saturday in May? He’s certainly qualified to do so with proven ability to win at the class and distance. Both the Derby and the Travelers were a mile and a quarter, same as the Classic. Was the disappointing seventh-place run in the Gold Cup merely a bounce race? Can he return to the level he showed in the Travelers? SBS may be disrespected off that poor race last out, but has a right to contend based on his best races. “The 3yos tend to do well in these Breeders’ Bowl races so I am hoping he can pull off that elusive, impossible Derby/BB Classic double,” Mark said. “Either way, I am playing with house money.”

2013 CLASSIC WINNER MUCHO MACHO MAN

      

I WON’T LOOK BACK (ohioracing) 17 starts for 10 wins $10,450,120

MALIBU MOON x STREET CRY x DEPUTY MINISTER 

Years from now, when we look back in the 2015 running of the Breeders’ Bowl Classic, the horse most likely to go down in history as an all-time great is I WON’T LOOK BACK, MrLucky’s amazing 4yo brown scratch-bred son of Malibu Moon. This horse has the best resume of any runner in the Classic. His career earnings of $10.45 million tower above the field, with no other horse having won so much as the cost of rebuilding Steve Austin ($6 million.) (“Gentlemen, we have the capability of making the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.”) Much like that powerful rocket that carried Steve Austin near death, so too, has the magical career of IWLB crashed to the earth. This champion has been beaten badly in his last two, struggling home 10th in both the Bob Woodward Memorial and the Hit Me Handicap. Can MrLucky replicate the amazing feat accomplished on ABC television in the 1980s? Can he do for IWLB what a $6 million operation did for the iconic character played by Lee Majors? Can he rebuild him? Make him better, stronger, faster? (Now, it occurs to this writer that perhaps bionics should not be allowed in Sim racing. If they were allowed, we could see horses completing the mile and a quarter of the Classic in under 60 seconds. There might be a high-speed crash and you’d have to do another bionic operation to save the poor jockey.) Rival trainers may have suspected that this was some kind of bionic horse when he won four straight Grade 1 races, including last year’s Breeders’ Bowl Classic and this year’s Sand Castle Classic. However, his last two races have proven that even the great IWLB is susceptible to wear and tear. This will be his 13th consecutive start in a Grade 1. After having run two straight poor races, rival trainers are hoping that IWLB’s reign over the handicap division has come to an end. MrLucky and his mates at the Universal Racing Club are hoping the horse can regain the form that won him over $10 million. He is attempting to become the second two-time winner of the Classic. The first is Squirrel’s Hall of Famer, SOLAR SONG.

2012 CLASSIC WINNER FORT LARNED

  

BARB’S EVIL LAUGH (5heffsbarn) 13 starts for 6 wins $3,274,710

GRAYDAR x FORTY NINER x STORM CAT

Two of the top three qualifiers for the Classic are 3yos, and the second is BARB’S EVIL LAUGH, a 3yo light gray son of Graydar, an affordable son of Unbridled’s Song. As of Tuesday morning, Graydar was available for only 257 BPs. If Sim breeders knew they were going to get a horse as good as Barb’s Evil Laugh, the price would be a lot higher. Barb’s Evil Laugh is easily the best Sim horse by his sire. He is Graydar’s only Grade 1 winner, and he has won three at this top level. Barb’s Evil Laugh has captured the following Grade 1 races this year: the Wooden Indian, the Labatts Ontario Oaks and the Eddie Haskell Stakes. What do those three races have in common? All were run over off tracks, and all were at nine furlongs. However, the Classic will be run at 10 furlongs on a fast track, so the conditions of Saturday’s test do not exactly fall into the wheelhouse of this horse. A shrewd trainer with 104 stables representing DelPenn National, Jakematt is well aware of the challenges facing his champion colt. “Barb’s Evil Laugh has me worried as we move closer to the big event,” Jakematt admitted. “Will he get the distance? Will my rain dances have any effect? Will there be any living with Barb if she win the Classic? Who can tell? So much excitement tinged with fear and doubt. Still, I know I will arrive at the track in an optimistic mood, and will drink and bet heavily. Good luck to all!” There are indeed questions surrounding Barb’s Evil Laugh before the big race. The only time this colt has tried the 10-furlong distance of the Classic was in this year’s Bluegrass Derby, when he disappointed by running 12th. The horse has started five times in Grade 1 competition. Three of those were on off tracks, all of which he won. Two of those were on fast tracks, both of which he lost badly. That includes the eighth-place run last out in the Bob Woodward Memorial. Barb’s Evil Laugh is going to have to prove he’s more than an off-track specialist to contend in the Classic. Look for him to take back and make one run. The horse is something of an all-or-nothing proposition. He’s won six races, but never been second. A place bet would seem misplaced.

2011 CLASSIC WINNER DROSSELMEYER

   

RHAEGAR’S FURY (reacher) 18 starts for 10 wins $5,962,254

DAIWA MAJOR (JPN) x GHOSTZAPPER x GONE WEST

An important point this writer has attempted to make in this column over the years is the lesson that can be learned from observing how the top trainers in the game take care of their horses. One trainer who has provided such important lessons is the magnificent Given, that powerful representative of the potent GR Simsters. Given is a trainer who demonstrates the value of resting your horses, and not asking them for their top effort every time they hit the track. Once again, the erstwhile Fire and Blood Stables have worked their magic with RHAEGAR’S FURY, a majestic 4yo roan grey son of Daiwa Major, out of Given’s Grade 1-winning Ghostzapper mare, THE TRIDENT. Through masterful planning and horse preservation, Given has shown up for Breeders’ Bowl day with his horse is razor-sharp form. Minus the trips to Waffle House, this horse’s racing schedule has been constructed something like Tiger Woods’ tournament schedule used to be. That is, designed with the major races in mind. This horse has been first or second in four straight Grade 1 races! He missed the board in last year’s running of the Classic when fifth, but look how Given gave him a chance to show his best in later Grade 1 chances. He put two easy allowance scores around that try last year in the Classic, and had him ready for another try at the big money earlier this year in the Grade 1 Sand Castle Classic. Rhaegar’s Fury ran a very respectable second in Dubai. It’s very difficult to maintain Grade 1 form in two straight years in the Sim, but Given has done it with Rhaegar’s Fury. He was beaten only a neck last out by ANDREW’S IMPACT in the Grade 1 Jockey Guild Gold Cup. Now, he’ll look to turn the tables in the big race. Rhaegar’s Fury should be primed for another top effort. He had two months’ rest before the Gold Cup, and should be fresh for the Classic. Look for Rhaegar’s Fury to race in mid pack before making his move, which has been equally as effective at 10 furlongs and nine. This is a sure indicator of major talent with Rhaegar’s Fury, the ability to compete successfully at the highest level of Sim racing at more than one distance.

2010 CLASSIC WINNER BLAME

   

INCULPATE (italst4) 16 starts for 9 wins $3,610,720

BLAME x A.P. INDY x FORTY NINER

Frankster, representing Empire State Racing, has won a lot of big races in the Sim, but this is the one he wants the most. “My dream is to win the Classic,” he said. The Italian Stallion should have every chance with the brilliant INCULPATE, a 4yo brown son of Blame out of the Grade 1-winning AP Indy mare WHISPER VENUS. This mare got off to an amazing start to her breeding career, producing Grade 1 winners with both of her first two foals. Inculpate is the second. The first is FORTY MORE, a 5yo son of More Than Ready who has banked more than $800,000 on the turf, including a Grade 1 victory. During our wonderful trip to Saratoga this past summer, we witnessed an amazing exchange of Sim banter, when more than one trainer grilled Frank on his intentions with Inculpate. He was giving up no secrets then, but now that the big race is here, we can hear the rest of the story. Let’s go right to the trainer of the great QUEEN MAGNIFORMA for a breakdown of Inculpate’s path to the BB Classic: “I was on the fence whether to send Inculpate in the Grade 1 Gold Cup (very tempting for the stakes points, i.e. Eclipse/Horse of Year honors) but opted to prep him for the Classic with an allowance run. Inclupate has a tendency to run big speed figures, having average 118 over five consecutive stakes runs prior to his flat effort in the Grade 1 Ocean Classic, which may have been attributed to too much rest between starts. I wanted to get another run in him and did not want to risk him emptying the tank in another Grade 1 prior to the Classic. Although there are four weeks between the Gold Cup and the Classic, my concern was both of these G1’s are in the same calendar month. As it turned out, he ran a 115 winning the allowance prep. This Classic field is absolutely loaded, having 15 Grade 1 winners entered. Nevertheless, I expect Inculpate to run a big race and would be disappointed if he didn’t hit the board.” Special good luck wishes go out to my friend Frank, who is going through a difficult time right now with a serious illness in his immediate family. Prayers and sincere best wishes go out to this true gentleman. We can only hope that Inculpate can put a smile on the face of the Italian Stallion on Saturday. Let the big horse roll home the way Queen Maggie used to do.

2009 CLASSIC WINNER ZENYATTA

  

SUMMER ROCKER (razer4) 20 starts for 8 wins $2,074,721

SUMMER BIRD x A.P. INDY x THEATRICAL

Let’s go to Racing HQ for the low down on our next Classic runner, Summerset’s SUMMER ROCKER, a 4yo bay son of Summer Bird. Racing HQ is a new residency created by my BTB partnergcliffo, to whom I owe significant gratitude for agreeing to work together on this preview of the Classic. Everything gcliffo does is first-class, so it can be no surprise that the multi-talented Summerset has found his way to Racing HQ. This is a very sharp trainer, not to mention a champion bowler. Apparently, Racing HQ is the place for Renaissance Men. While Mike has amazing talent in knocking down 10 pins at a time, he’s also shown himself to be a very sharp trainer in the first years of his Sim career. Both the trainer and his horse are looking to make personal history in the Classic. Summerset hasn’t won a Grade 1 race as yet, and neither has Summer Rocker. “I’m hoping to get my first Grade 1 win in the biggest race of the year,” he said. Summer Rocker is a half-brother to another runner in the Classic, Master Matty’s OZZZY CHANCE (Update: Ozzzy Chance was withdrawn just minutes before entries were drawn on Wednesday). Both are out of Given’s Grade 2-winning AP Indy mare, INDY ROCK. Given is known for his collection of AP Indy mares, and for her first six foals, Indy Rock was ranking a notch below the others. She had only one stake winner of the first six, and no graded-placed runners. It’s understandable that Given was willing to share a mare which up to that point had under-achieved. Ironically, once Given started sharing Indy Rock, she took off! Master Matty paid for the privilege of using her in 2012, and that son of Redoute’s Choice is Ozzzy Chance, a Grade 1 winner also entered in the Classic. Next came Summer Rocker, a gift horse from Given to Summerset. Voila! Two graded runners in a row. MasterM got another baby out of Indy Rock in 2014, the stakes-winning ROCK FANTASTIC (by Distorted Humor). By then, Given had seen enough. He’s not sharing Indy Rock this year. The baby will race under Given’s black and red colors, and is appropriately named SHE IS MINE. “After those three, Dan said enough, I’m breeding her this year,” Summerset said. Now, back to Summer Rocker. The horse was fourth in the Sand Castle Classic to IWLB, Rhaegar’s Fury and Inculpate, and has been second in three Grade 1 races. “I’m gonna change the name to Summer Bridesmaid,” Summerset joked. “Just trying to do right with him. I have loved having a horse like that. You never know, could win, could run last. I thought I was smart with Summer Rocker, and decided to go allowance as a prep, unaware that a horse would run 117 to beat me, lol.”

2008 CLASSIC WINNER RAVENS PASS

   

ANDREW’S IMPACT (montana10) 18 starts for 6 wins $5,796,902

DEEP IMPACT (JPN) x A.P. INDY x NORTHERN DANCER

Last year’s runner-up in the Classic returns for a chance at finishing one spot ahead of that. It’s ANDREW’S IMPACT, the 4yo brown son of Deep Impact who came flying at the end last out get up by a head over Rhaegar’s Fury. This horse is on a roll, having won two straight Grade 1 races. If he can win this year’s Classic, he’ll become one of the greatest competitors in the biggest race the Breeders’ Bowl has to offer. This horse is trained by Kyogle. Officially, he is listed under the four-stable Sonofaus outfit, representing the MIDAS residency. “He’s officially my granddaughter’s horse. She’s foolishly let me train him,” Kyogle said. Or more likely, not so foolishly. Kyogle has guided Andrew’s Impact to the top of the older route division, and he is a very major player in the Classic. “We’re thrilled to be back again this year,” Kyogle said. “We’re hoping to go one better than 2014.” After last year’s Classic, Andrew’s Impact took a downturn in form. He missed the board in four straight races. “For a long time we thought his career might be drawing to a close,” Kyogle admitted. “His form dropped right off early in the year, and consensus was that he’d had his heart broken by I Won’t Look Back. Seconds behind him in both the Gold Cup and the BB Classic in 2014 appeared to have taken their toll. He couldn’t even hit the board in a Grade 3 back in May. Fortunately, he’s bounced back in his last two runs, and we get another chance.” Has he ever! Andrew’s Impact has come roaring home to victory in his last two, in the CA Classic and the Gold Cup. “There are two major concerns around the stable,” Kyogle said. “Firstly that last run may have been a gutbuster. There was no way I thought he could close the gap on Rhaegar’s Fury in the Gold Cup. He got there in the last stride, but what was the cost of the final 50 yards? Secondly, I think the race has more depth than last year. IWLB was the horse to beat in 2014, and none was up to the task. The race has been kind to 3yos, and this year the crop looks more even. The major race spoils have been shared and any of them looks capable of winning if the cards fall the right way. And it would be insane to dismiss the older horses. Just look at all those badges. Every runner is a threat.” Look for Andrew’s Impact to take far back and make one run. His powerful late kick is well proven at the class and distance. Congratulations to the trainer for getting Andrew’s Impact to compete successfully in Grade 1 company over a two-year span. Kyogle will have no jockey instructions or strategy for this year’s race. “We just hope Andy brings his best, and that his best is good enough,” he said.

2007 CLASSIC WINNER CURLIN

  

READY TO TRAVEL (stockswami4) 11 starts for 5 wins $1,533,651

MORE THAN READY x GONE WEST x MONSUN (GER)

Stockswami’s READY TO TRAVEL has ascended near the top of the 3yo division with two straight victories at the Grade 2 level. Now, this scratch-bred brown son of More Than Ready will take his game to the highest level: the Grade 1 Breeders’ Bowl Classic. Can he do it? If so, he’ll have to prove new ability at a mile and a quarter. So far, Ready To Travel has travelled successfully at nine furlongs, but not 10. He’s only tried a mile and a quarter once and it was in a big race: the 2015 Bluegrass Derby. Ready To Travel qualified to run on the first Saturday in May when he captured the Grade 1 Arkansas Juvenile Derby Lock Prep. Then, in the Derby, he was fourth at the head of the lane before backing up to finish 13th. He was no better in the Middle Jewel, fading to 12th. Stockswami gave his colt a little bit of time to recover from those two poor races. He rested from May 16 to Aug. 1. That was a nice 10-week break and it did the trick. Ready To Travel snapped back to form in the Grade 2 Shiny Gem Stakes, pressing the pace in second before taking over down the stretch to win. He had an identical trip last out in the Grade 2 Winchester Park Derby, sitting in the exact same position at the second call: second by two and three-quarters lengths. However, he came home even faster in the Winchester, earning a 114 speed figure after a 110 two back. This is clearly a horse with brilliant ability. After all, he was ahead of his Arkansas Derby Lock field by six lengths at the head of the stretch! The question becomes whether he can demonstrate his considerable ability at 10 furlongs. He’s also never faced a field so loaded with champions like he will on Saturday. The horse faces some serious challenges, but he has the razor sharp form that will give him the best chance of overcoming those obstacles.

2006 CLASSIC WINNER INVASOR

   

BAYOU BULLET (dixiepokerace) 12 starts for 7 wins $2,234,580

BERNARDINI x SEEKING THE GOLD x NIJINSKY 2ND

Imagine if Bill Mott told you he had a runner in this year’s Breeders Cup Classic that reminded him of Drosselmeyer. Or perhaps, John Shireffs confided in you that he had a filly that reminded him of Zenyatta. We have the Simulated version of such treasured information here with BAYOU BULLET. This 3yo scratch-bred son of Bernardini, champion of this year’s Grade 1 Traveler’s Stakes, is trained by Kingranch, who has been there and done that. In 2008, he trained the great DEMECO, who won the Classic that year. “Bullet reminds me of another horse I owned/trained named Demeco, the 2008 BB Classic winner,” Kingranch said. “Demeco was a late-summer bloomer who also won the Travelers Stakes.” Like Demeco, Bayou Bullet was not quite ready for prime time when they ran the Bluegrass Derby on the first Saturday in May. At that time, he was still working his way through his allowance conditions. But, his true quality was about to reveal itself. “After Bullet won the Big Apple Stakes back on July 4, I knew I had a serious race horse,” Kingranch said. “At the time, I told my good friend and fellow trainer, PhillipJ, that I had another Demeco on my hands. My goal at that point was to get into the Travelers, so we found a Grade 2 race three weeks out and the rest is history. I believe Bullet smashed the Travelers Stakes in record time.” The development of Bayou Bullet may serve as a lesson to the rest of us. There is no reason to panic if your good 3yo cannot make it to the Derby. Take your time. Let your horse develop. That’s what Kingranch did, and his career training record shows he knows just what he is doing. Representing the Minnesota Testbarn Residency with 80 stables, Kingranch has an astronomical career strike rate of 35.1 percent. Like multiple Classic winners in the past, Bayou Bullet prepped with a good run in the Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup, in which he finished second to Gowans’ SINNIN AND GRINNIN, whom he’ll meet again on Saturday. Kingranch is confident his horse is ready for the type of effort that carried Demeco to victory seven years ago. “I was really pleased with his last race,” Kingranch said. “We needed to get the bounce out of the way and just keep him fresh for the big dance. He’s sitting on a huge race and I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t run big in this spot. It’s a talented field and I’m not too keen on 20 starters, so it may come down to jock selection.”

2005 CLASSIC WINNER SAINT LIAM

  

GOING STRONG (urccoolmore)13 starts for 6 wins $1,340,405

UNBRIDLED’S SONG x PRIVATE ACCOUNT x DANZIG

GOING STRONG sure did not look like he would eventually be a Grade 1 winner and a contestant in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic at the beginning of his career. A late runner, he started very slowly, missing the board in each of his first three starts. “I was very disappointed with his results the first three races of his career, as he couldn’t find the wire or get into the money,” said his trainer, Metallinut. “After his third race, I changed his settings. I knew there was something wrong with him but it wasn’t because he was coming out of the gate late. So, his fourth race he starts the same way from behind but all of a sudden you see him move. (Words from the great Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘IT’S ALIVE!!!!‘) He finished his 2yo campaign with a closing second. He raced only twice as a 3yo due to me leaving the game for personal reasons. He starts the 2015 with a bang, closing like a freight train in all his races. He wins the Grade 1 Barry Foster and is now eligible for the Classic. He was given a Grade 2 prep for Saturday’s 10-furlong race, which he won easily.” Going Strong will make his first start at a mile and a quarter in the Classic, but his trainer feels the distance will suit his horse. “I really like our chances,” Metallinut said. “I think the distance will help us even though he has never ran 10 furlongs, but his come-from-behind speed will set him up perfectly to take it. We can only hope!” When the popular sire Unbridled’s Song passed away on July 25, 2013, Metallinut knew he wanted to try to get a good horse or two from his final Sim crop. “I loved Unbridled’s Song as a race horse and love his stats in the game,” Metallinut said “I realized this was his last year breeding in the game, so I made sure to grab a couple of shares. One of my favorite dam sires is Private Account. I think he is in almost every other decent breed I have. So, I added Danzig to the DDS line. I love keeping the lines clean. And this one is as clean as you can get!” Metallinut hit the jackpot with Going Strong. The horse will take him to his second-ever appearance in the owner’s box at the Breeders’ Bowl. “This is only the second Breeders’ Bowl entry I have had,” Metallinut said. “My other was TIZ SMOKIN’ NOW, who won the 2008 Juvenile. It’s a great feeling to have a horse to go to the Breeders’ Bowl with all the top trainers in the game. I would love to have the same result I had in 2008!” A sporting sort, Metallinut wishes good luck to all the trainers who have made it to the show. “May the horse be with you,” he said.

2004 CLASSIC WINNER GHOSTZAPPER

   

VEGA RISES (steller3) 12 starts for 7 wins $896,965

LOPE DE VEGA (IRE) x FASTNET ROCK x SUMMER SQUALL

This writer has had the enjoyable opportunity to witness the mercurial ascent of VEGA RISES, Lender’s 3yo bay son of the Irish sire Lope De Vega. Having covered both the Grade 1 GoodyGood and the Grade 2 State Penn Derby, we’ve previewed this horse twice already and have had a chance to see a new shooter emerge in the Classic division. Before his victory two back in the State Penn Derby, there is little chance the astute Lender anticipated he had a Classic contestant on his hands. Before the State Penn, the horse was barely in the Top 200 of his division. He had the speed figures, but not the graded victories. The horse took care of that problem. He’s never run a bad race, never missed the board and shows a spectacular mark of 11 for 12 in the exacta. He brings a three-race winning streak into the Classic. He’s proven he’s Grade 1 worthy, winning the Grade 1 GoodyGood last out. Now? He must prove he can run just as fast at 10 furlongs. The distance is a serious concern for his trainer. Lender is very keen, a member of the GR Simsters who has won more than 5,000 races in the Sim with an impressive strike rate on the good side of 20 percent. “I don’t know what to expect because he’s never run this distance,” Lender said. “Think there’s any way we can get the BB Committee to shorten the distance to nine furlongs? On a positive note, he seems like he can run from just about anywhere in the pack. OK, maybe not on the lead. We’re not going that route.” As a word of caution to other trainers in the Classic, this writer has proven an extremely effective lucky charm each time I’ve previewed him so far. He’s a perfect two for two! It’s a like a reverse hex, or something. The only other time I recall such a thing happening in my BTB career was way back in 2003, when I covered I SEEK U in the Bluegrass Derby. Back then, each writer got one horse to write up for the Derby, and it was just my luck that I drew I Seek U. Of course, the horse went on to become the only Triple Crown winner ever seen in the Sim. Can the same magic be taking place this year with Vega Rises?

2003 CLASSIC WINNER PLEASANTLY PERFECT

   

FAKE HONEYMOON (lennyelite) 14 starts for 5 wins $1,604,525

BERNARDINI x SADLER’S WELLS x ALYDAR

The first of a two-horse entry in the Classic for Lenny is FAKE HONEYMOON, a 3yo bay son of Bernardini out of the stakes-winning Sadler’s Wells mare, ACROSS THE SUNRISE. This colt was your runner-up in this year’s New Yorker. “I’m not sure what to make of this guy,” Lenny said. “I suspect he wants a little more ground, but I figure he’s had a few brothers run in the Classic and not embarrass themselves, so why not? The race is shaping up to be a monster.” So, his extremely shrewd trainer knows that Fake Honeymoon is in for a tough test. Does he have what it will take to compete against this stellar field? He very well might. You know the horse can get the distance in Grade 1 company, as evidence by his place finish in the New Yorker. Since then, Fake Honeymoon followed up that strong run in a Triple Crown race by unleashing a huge run north of the border to capture the Grade 1 Clerk of Scales Stakes. He closed from 10th to be fourth in the Grade 1 Travelers, then was a fast-closing fourth last out in the Grade 1 Gold Cup against many of these tough runners he’ll meet again on Saturday. He’ll have to turn the tables on both Andrew’s Impact and Rhaegar’s Fury, who ran 1-2 in the Gold Cup, but this colt is not without a chance as he finished very close to those two last out. He earned a 110 speed figure in the Gold Cup, while both Andrew’s Impact and Rhaegar’s Fury got identical 113s. The horse does not have to make up much ground to be right there with two of the top horses in the Classic. Take into account that the horse is trained by one of the greatest in the history of the Sim and you have to respect the chances of Fake Honeymoon.

2002 CLASSIC WINNER VALPONI

   

SOPHIES APPLE TREE (mucha)10 starts for 5 wins $1,239,275

TAPIT x AWESOME AGAIN x MR. PROSPECTOR

And now, we convene our irregular meeting of the Joseph Thomas Barrett Fan Club. Our next runner, SOPHIES APPLE TREE, is trained by the great Kingab, or the Big Buckeye, as I like to call him. During this writer’s memorable visit to Saratoga this August, one of the great people we got to meet was Larry himself, our esteemed fellow fan of THE Ohio State University. The scarlet and grey got off to a slow start this year, but that offence is humming now with J.T. Barrett back at quarterback. (Still love Cardale, and look for him to improve his play.) As another side note before we get to talking about Kingab’s horse, this writer has had a special Buckeye treat this season. As it turns out, a high school chum of mine is assistant athletic director for ticketing at Ohio State. At our 30-year reunion this summer, he invited me to come to a couple of games. Guess where our seats are? The front row. So, the first game was Northern Illinois, and the second is Nov. 7 against Minnesota. Safe to say both the writer of this article and the trainer of this horse will be paying close attention when they kick off against the Gophers that night. Now, to Kingab’s other great love, the horses. Sophies Apple Tree is a late-running light gray son of Tapit, out of Kingab’s Awesome Again mare, QUEEN FOR A KNIGHT. This horse came within a whisker of hitting the board in this year’s Bluegrass Derby. He came on strong down the lane, closing from 13th only to lose a photo for the show money by the most narrow of margins. Both he and BLUEGRASS BOLT earned 102 speed figures, but Bluegrass Bolt remained ahead of Larry’s horse by a fraction. Now, Sophies Apple Tree comes to the Classic as a well rested horse. He has not started since failing to fire in the Grade 1 Travelers on Aug. 29. Can the freshening put the kind of strong wind in his sails that he’s going to need to hit the board in the Classic? Look for him to take back and try to make one run. Whatever happens in the Classic, may we say? GO BUCKS!!!!

2001 CLASSIC WINNER TIZNOW

    

OBNOXIOUSLY (wtas02)22 starts for 10 wins $1,253,378

FRANKEL (GB) x STORM CAT x KINGMAMBO

The great Dixiedotco pulled the trigger fairly late on entering OBNOXIOUSLY, whose name was submitted on Monday afternoon, temporarily bumping DIADUMENIAN, who actually ended up qualifying . This late-running scratch-bred 4yo son of Frankel had a long run of good form shattered last out in the Grade 1 Jockey Guild Gold Cup, in which he failed to fire and struggled home 11th. Perhaps that race gave the great Dixie some pause, and the Sim’s all-time greatest trainer had something to think about before entering his horse in the Classic. Perhaps even Dixie was taken by surprise by the expansion of the Classic field from 14 to 20. Perhaps he was simply waiting to see if his horse would make the field. Whatever the reason, Dixie did not come to the conclusion that the horse should be entered until Monday. Any call which Dixie makes must be respected. He’s been dominating this game since Mike invented it. A look at Dixie’s 30 stables is like a history lesson in the Sim. Several of the greatest barns in the game’s history are under his control. Eight of the 30 show more than 500 career victories! He’s won 30.7 percent of 25,785 starts, for a grand total of 7,925 victories, many of those at the highest level of Sim racing. When Dixie enters a race, it’s as if Charlie Whittingham or Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons walked into the room. Now you know you’re playing golf against Jack Nicklaus, or bowling against Dick Weber. Dixie has two running in Breeders’ Bowl races on Friday, and five on Saturday. It’s wonderful that Dixie, after all these years of Sim success, has never tired of it. In fact, he’s recently opened a new line of eight top quality stables, all named Xpansion. This really is a great game when the guy who’s won the most big races over the years still is hungry to win some more. For Obnoxiously to add to his trainer’s long list of accomplishments in the Classic, he’s gonna have to reverse form in a hurry off that bad race last out in the Gold Cup. If he does, he proved he belonged with this group two back when second in the Grade 1 Western Ocean CA Classic this class and distance.

 

From this point forward, we will be discussing the six horses who have made the Classic field in qualifying positions 15-20. All of these runners would have failed to qualify until this year. Can one of them take advantage of a golden opportunity?

2000 CLASSIC WINNER TIZNOW

  

THE TOWN I LOVED (thebozslew) 16 starts for 6 wins $434,905

TAPIT x SEEKING THE GOLD x HOIST THE FLAG

The first of them is THE TOWN I LOVED, a 4yo light grey son of Tapit that has been struggling of late in graded company, and was only a dismal 11th last out in a Grade 3 going a mile. The horse has run three straight clunkers in graded races and never has raced so long as nine furlongs, let alone 10, but who knows? Maybe the luck of the Irisharse will bring the horse around. Maybe the horse should have been racing at 10 furlongs all along. At least the horse has made up ground in every start of his career. The only problem is, he normally breaks very slowly and gives himself a ton of work to do. Look for The Town I Loved to retreat straight to the back and try to pass horses. Experienced handicappers are not likely to fancy the chances of this colt, who does have talent but shows his only graded victory on an off track. The track on Saturday is fast, and The Town I Loved has mostly struggled in good weather. The best hope for this horse is that he has hidden ability at the distance. Even if he does, it’s going to be a bit of a shock if you see this one reach contention late in the Classic. There are a lot of deep closers in this big race, and almost all of them have far greater credentials than this horse.

1999 CLASSIC WINNER CAT THIEF

    

CHAKALAKALAKA BOOM (4stardave) 14 starts for 6 wins $447,904

EMPIRE MAKER x DISTORTED HUMOR x STORM CAT

Flagdown will represent the Pastures of Green in the Classic with CHAKALAKALAKA BOOM, a 3yo bay son of Empire Maker out of the graded-placed Distorted Humor mare, A HA CHA CHA. This horse is yet another deep closer in a field loaded with them. It sure seems to this writer that tactical speed would sure come in handy in the Classic, but Chakalakalaka Boom does not have that kind of gear. This colt has been taking back in his races and trying to make one run, just like so many of his competitors in here. The 10-furlong distance of the Classic becomes an extreme question mark for this horse. Those two giant 115 speed figures in his last two are bound to catch your eye, but both of those were earned at a mile and a sixteenth, which is a whole ‘nother animal from a mile and a quarter. This is another extra qualifier, like The Town I Loved before him, that seems highly unlikely to take advantage of his opportunity to run in the Classic. This horse has very good form at 8.5 furlongs, but the only two disaster races in his past performances both were at nine furlongs. If the horse fails to fire at nine furlongs, he becomes highly unlikely to fire at 10 furlongs, especially against the best handicap horses in the game. Even at 21-1, this horse seems to be a bad bet in the Classic. There are capable horses in here like SBS and Bayou Ballet which will go post at comparable prices and have a far better chance. Even if things go against him on Saturday, Chakalakalaka Boom will live to fight another day. Even if he gets beat in the Classic, he’s still a very fast horse that any trainer would love to have in the barn. There are not many Sim horses that can run 115 back to back. Heck of a good horse even if the spot does not seem to suit.

1998 CLASSIC WINNER AWESOME AGAIN

     

SINNIN AND GRINNIN (eblouissante)17 starts for 7 wins $637,600

TAPIT x THUNDER GULCH x DANZIG

Gowans was holding his breath with SINNIN AND GRINNIN, a 4yo light grey son of Tapit who has a far, far greater chance of competing successfully in the Classic than the first two outside the Top 14. Even though he’s qualified down here in the 17th position, Sinnin and Grinnin belongs in this race. He won the Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup last out, which has been a key race in the history of the $6 million Breeders’ Bowl Classic. Multiple winners of this great race have come to the big day off that race in Illinois. In winning it, Sinnin and Grinnin stamped himself as a logical contender in the Classic. This horse loves the 10-furlong distance, and has raced this distance in each of his past five races. He has a legitimate chance. That is why Gowans had to be nervous before entries were drawn Wednesday. He was on the bubble, sitting at No. 20, before the poop hit the fan at 2:59 p.m. After that wild tumult, he ended up at No. 17. “Obviously, I had no intentions of running in this race before his last race and even after,” Gowans said. “I was not aware of the new rule that 20 horses would be allowed to run in the Classic. Knowing that he would have a tough time competing in a race shorter than 10 furlongs, I opened up the Classic field when looking for his next spot. And there it was, 20 entries!” So, the first part of the equation has been settled. The horse made the race. Now the second, more important part: competing successfully against the Sim elite. “For him to have a shot, many things have to go right,” Gowans said. “I have to hope the older horses peaked earlier this year, which I think for many of them is true. And I’m just not sure how good the 3yos are. He will have to run faster than he ever has to even hit the board, probably. I think he is capable of improving off his last run, and that run was pretty good. I like the 20-horse field, too. Weird things can happen in these huge fields.” Something weird surely took place at the entry box for the Classic, so it might be fitting that something weird happens during the actual running of the race. Actually, it would not be strange at all for Sinnin and Grinnin to have a say in the Classic. He caught a tough break when drawn wide in post No. 18, but the horse has tactical speed in a race loaded with deep closers. The pace may suit.

1997 CLASSIC WINNER SKIP AWAY

  

DIADUMENIAN (theduke94) 20 starts for 10 wins $478,949

INVINCIBLE SPIRIT (IRE) x KINGMAMBO x SEATTLE SLEW

DIADUMENIAN is another extra qualifier who comes to the Classic out of the important Grade 2 Windy City Gold Cup. While Diadumenian did not win in Chicago, he was third. What a shock it must have been for theduke88 to see his horse’s name in the field for the Classic. This 4yo bay son of Invincible Spirit, out of the Kingmambo mare LUNA PARK, was sitting at No. 21 before Wednesday’s events at the entry deadline. It did not look like Diadumenian was going to make the race. At the last minute, he did. Now, can he take advantage of the chance? He’s yet another deep closer in a field loaded with them, but the horse has shown ability at the mile and a quarter. This is his preferred distance. Theduke88 has sent him to post in seven of his last nine races at Saturday’s distance of 10 furlongs. He’s got four wins in those seven starts, including a victory in the Grade 3 Day of Dominion three back. However, it’s one thing to win a Grade 3 at the distance, and a completely ‘nother thing to go against the best of the best in the Classic. This will be Diadumenian’s second chance in a Grade 1. He tussled with these tigers once before, two back in the Grade 1 Western Ocean CA Classic. He was only eighth that day, and will be looking to improve on that performance. The morning-line odds maker in Kentucky has shown a ton of respect to this horse, sending him off at 11-1. There are a lot of powerful animals in this field that are a lot longer prices than that. Experience has told us to beware of horses that go off at short odds while qualifying far down the order in stakes points. Can he really contend after qualifying at No. 18? The odds maker sure thinks so.

1996 CLASSIC WINNER ALPHABET SOUP

   

FIRE OF DROGON (mastermelite1) 12 starts for 5 wins $212,630

STREET CRY x DYNAFORMER x NIJINSKY 2ND

Master Matty already has had a year beyond the wildest dreams of any Sim trainer. He’s already had 14 Grade 1 winners! Can the new superstar of the GR Simsters put some Breeders’ Bowl icing on his cake? He’ll have a total of six Breeders’ Bowl runners, and one of them will be FIRE OF DROGON, a 3yo bay son of Street Cry. As stated, this horse has only 33 stakes points and is only in the Classic due to some last-minute manoeuvring by those crafty boys at the GR Simsters. He sticks out like a sore thumb in the field of 20, with only a listed win to his credit in a field loaded with Grade 1 winners. It’s a long, long way from British Columbia to Kentucky, but that’s the trip this horse will be taking at the last minute. He has been racing exclusively at the BC track, and in good fashion, winning his way up through his allowance condition’s with fast races. He’ won three straight at Saturday’s distance of 10 furlongs, and showed a new gear last out when coming from off the pace to win his listed debut. Now, he’s going to have to show several new gears in a race far, far, far above the class of anything he’s seen in British Columbia. He does show a nice speed figure of 113 last out, and has early speed in a race loaded with closers. If this horse is to have any chance, he’ll have to catch a huge break out of the gate and then maybe a lonely lead? It’s hard to imagine him doing much in the lane on the insane class jump.

1995 CLASSIC WINNER CIGAR

   

HOPEWELL BLUES (lenny6) 8 starts for 4 wins $200,245

GIO PONTI x HALO x GREY DAWN 2ND

Finally, we have HOPEWELL BLUES, the second half of the Lenny entry and the horse for whom most of these shenanigans went on before entries were drawn Wednesday. Lenny knew all along this was what he planned to do with his five horses he had entered in the Classic. Three were entered with no intention of actually running: SUICIDAL DREAM, NEPTUNE’S SEAT and THE PURPLE STUFF. They were there to hold entry positions and deceive trainers who might have horses qualify in front of Hopewell Blues. A couple horses were scratched when their trainers did not think they could make the race, and surely several others never entered in the first place. Those ones are out of luck, as Lenny’s plan worked perfectly. You had to know something was up when Hopewell Blues was left at the bottom of the qualifying order, at No. 23 with only 28 stakes points. Why would Lenny leave the horse there unless he had a plan to get him in the race? And, make no mistake. Lenny wanted Hopewell Blues in the race because he thinks he has a shot. “I scratch-bred this guy earlier this year for relatively cheap. He has progressed nicely and seems to like 10 furlongs. His last was fast enough to take a shot. Doubt he can make the field, but if he does, it’ll be neat to see how far he can step up, if at all.” The horse ran a 117 last out in winning a listed, and has early speed in a race devoid of it. And now, the rest of the story. Lenny has a gigantic proposition bet on this year’s Breeders’ Bowl against Given, MTK and Cadet. Those three have given Lenny 3-1 odds that he cannot win three Breeders’ Bowl races. It would be an amazing story indeed if Lenny had two winners coming to the last race of the Breeders’ Bowl, the Classic. It would be more amazing yet if he somehow won that bet with Hopewell Blues, a horse that made the Classic only through some last-minute, but well planned, chicanery.

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!

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