ASR BB DAY – THE OPEN JUVY DIRT

Welcome to Kentucky, home of the ASR Breeders Bowl races this year.  When presented with the opportunity to cover one of the races I instantly knew I wanted to cover one of the juvenile races.  They represent everything great about life in general, hopes and dreams and unreasonable expectations.  About half of this field could make a run for being in the derby and it wouldn’t surprise me, but picking which ones will realize their owner’s dreams and which ones will send their owners back to the drawing board is the journey we can all go on together.

With a quick look to the past, last year’s championship races were held on December 27^th in California.  Eighteen aspiring colts made the trip to run a mile and it was Shaghar’s FUDGE TUNNEL that won the race with a brilliant 102 speed.  He just edged out ALL RANKED UP and NEVER WITHOUT ICE, which both went on to be graded winners.  Also in the field was I WANNABE A PIRATE who went on to win a GI for Rharfo and ran in the Bluegrass Derby.  Of the 18 horse field, 17% went on to win a graded race and 44% went on to win at least a stakes race.

 

This race is an open race set for 8.5 furlongs on the dirt for the purse of $100,000 and ASR glory. So which colts in this field are likely to impress today with an eye towards the derby:

 

1)      ALPHA’S SURPRISE – Kobras – H Head

Sitting on the pole is ALPHA’S SURPRISE and is the entry from Kobras stables.  The bay colt out of Alpha has run four career races and yet to finish out of the money.  He has notched one win, two places, and a show over distances from 6 to 7 furlongs.  The New York bred took on his first allowance race last time out and threw his best speed of his career with an 87 at 7 furlongs, losing by a head in a second place finish.  His running style so far seems to be relishing the role of stalker and trying to make a move late.  This will be his first attempt at running a mile or longer with his previous long coming in his last race.  Kobra’s colt is going off at 19/1 in this one.

2)      BROKEN BUZZ ON – Marmac – S L Ledwith

Out of gate 2 Marmac has entered BROKEN BUZZ ON in this race.  The bay colt out of Congaree has only one race under his belt, but it was a surprising, to the odds makers at least, success.  Despite going off with odds of 19.44 he managed to win the race of 7 furlongs with a speed of 82 and winning by 1.75 lengths.  His dam was a former stakes winner on the dirt at a distance of 10 furlongs.  The New York bred is likely to be a longshot in this race going off at 37/1, but this colt has shown little concern for his odds.

3)      BOMBER’S MOON – Marmac – S Ledwith

Marmac is also the owner of BOMBER’S MOON who made his debut last time out finishing 4^th at 8 furlongs on the turf with a speed of 85.  He finished just 3.25 lengths back despite being 11 lengths back at the second call.  His pedigree (Awesome Again X Redoute’s Choice X Aldebaran) definitely has dirt influence as well so it will be interesting to see how he takes to the dirt after his debut on the grass.  His stakes winning dam ADORING PUBLIC was a stakes winner on the dirt and has already foaled a stakes winner.  It will be a big jump in competition here, but there is a lot to like about the pedigree and the way he finished his previous race at a mile.  He is going off at 15/1.

4)      LAUGH OF LAGO – Tops – GD Mate

LAUGH OF LAGO is from Tops stables and is in gate 4.  His last attempt was his first at a mile and he although he turned in a career best speed of 89 he finished well back in the 6^th slot and 4.25 lengths back.  He gained ground in that one coming from 13 and 11.25 lengths back in the 2^nd and 3^rd call respectively, but did not have enough room to catch the leaders.  In the Encosta De Lago colt’s six tries he has two wins and a place and a show.  The bay colt will need the extra distance to have any shot in this one, but will likely struggle to match the late speed in this talented field.  His odds have been set at 16/1.

5)      ESKIES GOLD – Jacklad – J Drozd

Jacklad’s brown colt ESKIES GOLD has won two of his three career races.  He won his last allowance race at a mile by 3.75 lengths with a speed of 89.  His race prior to that, at a mile also, he fell off the pace and couldn’t recover in what turned out to be a clunker.  If he can stay on form and on the pace he could make a run at this, but he will need to get a sizable lead on this quick down the stretch field.  The odds makers have listed the Eskendereya X Deputy Minister X Seeking The Gold colt at 9/1.

6)      AWESOME ONCE MORE – Rharfo – D Grist

Rharfo brings in AWESOME ONCE MORE.  The odds makers have seen fit to make him the favorite at 6/1 and it is easy to see why.  The colt out of Awesome Again is coming off of 3 straight appearances in graded races finishing 2^nd, 3^rd, and 6^th respectively, the last of which being the G1 variety.  Though he finished 6^th last time out he matched his career high speed of 95 and more indicative of future success is the way he finished.  At the 3^rd call he was 6.5 lengths behind and managed to finish just 1.75 lengths back after gaining down the stretch.  He appears to be asking for more distance, but he may have enough back end speed to chase down the early leaders in this one.

7)      CREATIVE TALENTS – Broohar – C Maxson

Broohar leads in his colt CREATIVE TALENTS for the race.  The roan colt out of Creative Cause has yet to break his maiden in two attempts, but is coming off a lengthy layoff and may benefit from the extra distance that this time of the year provides.  He has finished 2^nd in both of his previous attempts the last coming in late June at 6.5 furlongs with a speed of 76.  Broohar is hoping the extra distance and extra rest has energized this colt.  He may not have enough in this one taking on a more experienced field, but he is likely to try and close hard.  His odds have been set for 53/1.

8)      SYLMAR SUN – Selurnivek – T Small

Selurnivek entered SYLMAR SUN and he comes out of gate 8.  The blue blood colt (Malibu Moon X Deputy Minister X Danzig) has four career races and made his stakes debut last time out at 7 furlongs.  He put up a good speed with a 90, but couldn’t hold his lead down the stretch as he was chased down and finished 5^th.  The attempt prior to that he broke his maiden at a mile with a speed of 87 and won by 3.75 lengths on an off track.  He will test the closers in this one by pushing the pace hard.  Selurnivek hopes he will get a big enough lead that he can’t be caught.  His odds have been set at 9/1.

9)      BLUE MAN SONG – Kobras – L Radzinski

Kobras entry out of gate 9 is BLUE MAN SONG out of Midshipman.  The light grey colt broke his maiden last time out at a mile with a speed of 87 winning by 1.5 lengths.  It was his first attempt at a mile and showed great improvement in comparison to his prior speeds.  Each race in his four career races he has closed at the end, but with the extra distance last time out he was able to run down his competition.  He will need improvement again here with the extra distance to factor into the money, but he could successfully jump from the maiden to the stakes level in this one.  He is going off at 32/1 in this race.

10)   TENPOINT ZONE – Selurnivek – B Scott

TENPOINT ZONE is the second entry by Selurnivek.  The light grey colt is a Russian bred out of Match Up Zone and has been a boss on the local circuit.  In his 6 races he has finished in the money each time and won twice.  Both wins came on the dirt including his last trip in which he won with a career best speed of 86 at 6.5 furlongs in which he won by 1.5 lengths.  His other win on the dirt was at 7 furlongs, the longest distance he has run before today, and was on an off track.  The colt will need to overcome the extra distance and being in his first stakes race as well as his fist go off the local circuit.  The odds have been set at 30/1.

11)   DADDY NOSE NOTHING – DesertDog – J Benisz

DesertDog’s  entry in the race is DADDY NOSE NOTHING out of gate 11.  The California bred out of Daddy Nose Best has improved each time out while also stepping up in class each time out.  His first race he won in a 5 horse Hot race field with a speed of 74.  His second race he took on the local breds in an allowance race and despite being a long shot finished a respectable third with a speed of 80 and closed late.  The bay colt’s last effort was his best turning in an 88 speed finishing 2^nd in an allowance race outside of the local circuit.  He has been labeled a long shot in races before and finished in the money each time, today his odds were set at 31/1.  DesertDog hopes he continues to close down the stretch and the extra distance will benefit him.

12)   TO SCHOOL FOR COOL – Smokeglack – F Gossett

TO SCHOOL FOR COOL is led in by Smokeglack who is having a hard time playing it cool thinking about the potential of this colt.  When you breed a blue blood and this one is exactly that (Distorted Humor X Unbridled’s Song X Awesome Again), this is how you always hope the first two races go.  The light grey colt has been way to cool for his competition thus far, winning his maiden debut be an easy 3 lengths and winning his allowance race by 1.75 lengths, both at a mile, posting speeds of 89 and 90 respectively.  Both times he has let the pace setters have their lead only to crash the party down the stretch.  He is listed at 7/1 here and will be a first of many tests to see how much this colt has in him.

13)   BARE ISLAND – Broohar – B F Abman

Broohar is also giving BARE ISLAND a go in this one out of gate 13.  The bay colt out of Majestic Warrior has just one race under his belt finishing third with a speed of 80 at 7.5 furlongs.  His game dam (he-mare) is TETE FAQIH who was formerly graded placed, but did most of his damage in sprinting races.  BARE ISLAND will have to turn in a great effort to factor into this one.  He is going off at 25/1 for the race.

14)   SURELY NOT – Shaghar – J Selden

Out of gate 14 Shaghar has entered SURELY NOT for his third go at a mile or longer.  The brown colt broke his maiden last time out on his third try winning with a speed of 89 at a mile.  The colt out of Fed Biz loves to sit in the back of the pack and has taken well to the extra distance.   In his previous attempt to breaking his maiden he put up another respectable speed of 85, but came up shy finishing in second.  He seems to be improving with distance and each try and could be one to watch late in this race despite the jump from maiden to stakes race.  His odds have been listed at 16/1 for this one.

15)   CANNABIS INDICA – Bbaffert – T Ace

BBaffert is putting CANNABIS INDICA into his stakes debut.  The light grey colt oozes with potential with a pedigree of Distorted Humor X Storm Cat X Unbridled’s Song.  In his three career races he has notched two wins and a place.  The speeds haven’t quite been there yet, but the results indicate he may be saving his best for his 3 year old campaign.  His speeds have been consistent with an 81, 82, and 79 respectively.  The last two attempts coming at a mile.  His last race was a hot race in which he outclassed the field in an easy win.  His race prior to that he gained ground down the stretch, but didn’t have enough to chase down the leaders.  He will need to have his best career outing here to give BBaffert a chance and his odds have been listed at 11/1.

16)   DESERT PHANTOM – Tisjuliet – D Givins

In gate 16 Tisjuliet is the owner of DESERT PHANTOM.  The Colt is the first foal of PLAYING PRETEND, a former stakes winner who did most of her work on turf, but the bay colt is showing a knack for dirt early on.  The pedigree definitely suggests dirt could be his forte with Bernardini X Giant’s Causeway X Unbridled.  He has improved his speed with each of his 3 outings, with the last coming at a mile and winning by 1.5 lengths with a speed of 89.  He failed to hit the board in his first outing, but has rebounded with 2 straight fairly easy wins.  He is listed at 11/1 and will likely sit just off the pace early on and Tisjuliet hopes he will make his move from there.

17)   RAGS REPLICATED – HandsHobby – W Kewmwa

RAGS REPLICATED is headed up by Hobby and is coming off a place in a listed stakes race.  The bay colt’s preferred running style so far seems to be playing stalker and overtaking the field down the stretch.  In his career 4 races he has two wins and one place.  This will be his first attempt at running a mile or further, with his previous long coming at 7 furlongs both in the last two races.  Hobby is hoping the Union Rags colt will take well to the extra distance and his odds have been listed at 12/1.

18)   TAPIT KITTEN – Bbaffert – K Ledwith

Out of gate 18 is BBaffert’s second horse in this race TAPIT KITTEN.  The roan colt boasts another fancy pedigree of Tapit X Seeking The Gold X Storm Cat.  He is the winner of three races in four tries, including his last race in which he turned in a career best 89 speed and beating the field by 1.75 lengths.  This will be his first go at a mile or further as his previous attempts have all been between 6 to 6.5 furlongs.   His odds have been set at 8/1 and he will need to turn in another career best speed here to have a chance, but the pedigree suggests the added distance could help in that respect.

19)   VENDETTA SWISS – DesertDog – N Lawton

VENDETTA SWISS is the second entry from DesertDog coming out of gate 19.  The two year old bay colt out of Swiss Yodeler has been racing on the California circuit in his last two goes and has found success there.  His last race was at 6.5 furlongs with a career best speed of 87 beating the other Cali breds by 1.25 lengths.  The colt has two wins a place and a show in his 6 races and will need to take well to the extra distance to have a chance in this one, with his previous longest distance being 6.5 furlongs.  His odds have been listed at 29/1.

It should be fun to watch the race and even more fun to watch as these horses develop into studs or duds and maybe even a derby contender or two.  Good luck to all the horses and their connections!