Journeyman, Fact Of The Matter Top Whirlaway Cap
Whirlaway Cap
Grade III
A mile and one sixteenth
Fast Dirt
$125,000
All horses, 4 years old and up
Grade III
A mile and one sixteenth
Fast Dirt
$125,000
All horses, 4 years old and up
PP Horse Owner Jockey Odds
1 SAGATECTOR(FR) ruby9 M Snider 14/1
2 EULER blinking N Newsome 12/1
3 FITTING SOLUTION pg45 A Swires 9/1
4 JOURNEYMAN kiri C Capper 9/2
5 PLUSFIVES(GB) sixesplus G Greenleaf 18/1
6 NEW YORK THUNDER seppy A McDowell 7/1
7 REQUIEM’S BLADE lionart C Duell 11/1
8 HUNTER’S MINE hunter22 C Baynes 13/1
9 HALF A WORLD AWAY foxvbullet J Hartel 14/1
10 SAN JOVITE angeli J Fontenot 15/1
11 U BOAT COMMANDER tresstable N Johnson 20/1
12 FACT OF THE MATTER(IRE) quickcall F Call 5/1
13 ONE WILD CAT sdmf5 G Cooper 8/1
14 SUMO LEFT afc P Brandes 14/1
A full field of fourteen classy middle distance specialists have assembled for the ninth running of The Grade III Whirlaway Cap at Vince Lombardi Downs. Previous winners include some near legends and a few more obscure runners. But each managed to run a mile and a sixteenth faster than his rivals. And another name will be added to the Whirlaway Cap honor roll on Saturday.
Previous Winners:
2006 Scotian Kid 1:40.4
2005 Forty Nine Lives II 1:40.4
2004 King Cat 1:41.1
2003 Hulk Nijinsky 1:40.4
2002 Ship Alert 1:41.1
2001 Serpentine Son 1:42
2000 What For Bubble 1:42
1999 Stupid Seattle 1:42
Here are the 2007 candidates from the rail outward:
Breaking from gate one is the late running Sagatector(FR). He is a true deep closer and arrives in peak form. The son of Sagamix(FR) and the lightly raced but highly successful Mr. Prospector broodmare, Prospect Blush, was a sharp second last time out in a the Grade III Gravestone Cap in Dubai. Ruby9’s homebred won the Grade II Shiny Gem Stakes in New York four back. Will be thundering home late and is a threat to get up in time despite his 14-1 odds.
Euler had a solid three year old season in 2006. Trainer Blinking’s compact son of Roar and graded winner Cryptodud won a pair of graded events. The highlight of his year was a sharp score in the Grade II Flatland Derby at Prairie Meadows. He’s been off form recently and has missed the board six straight times and eight of the last nine. Must regain his form of last season to threaten.
Fitting Solution is fast. Freaky fast. As a late blooming three year old in 2005, he won both sophomore starts by wide margins in fast time. The flashy chestnut didn’t miss a beat at four. Following a decent second at nine panels, a distance he clearly doesn’t fancy, Pg45’s Seeking The Gold colt reeled off four incredibly fast allowance wins. The last two were identical 1:34 clockings for the one mile distance. He’s had a bit of trouble carrying his speed recently and, unfortunately, his usually reliable rider, journeyman Al Swires, is 0 for 33 in 2007.
Trainer Kiri sends his powerful veteran Journeyman out for the Whirlaway. The handsome son of Seeking The Gold is one of those rare horses who excelled as a juvenile and is still winning graded stakes at age seven. At age two, Journeyman won The Grade I Hoserhead and finished fifth in the Grade I Breeders Bowl Juvenile. He was very lightly raced at ages three thru five. Last year he raced a full schedule and was a monster. His signature victory in 2006 was in the Grade I Cosmopolitan. Journeyman flew home from thirteenth place to score a going away win in a blazing 1:34.1 for the mile distance. Incredibly, Journeyman has started eight times in mile races and won seven of them. All were graded stakes including two grade I’s! I’m guessing the favorite can handle an added sixteenth.
In the five hole we have Plusfives(GB) from the Sixesplus barn. This bargain bred has far outrun his modest pedigree (Foyer(GB) x Ormonte Gilded Age). The sturdy chestnut won a tough allowance race four back (SP 105) and was a bang up second in a Caliente stake three back. He found graded company a bit too daunting in his last two starts and this group is no easier.
New York Thunder is a model of consistency. Seppy’s Thunder Gulch stallion is on the verge of becoming a millionaire. He’s won eighteen races in his illustrious career including seven stakes races ranging from a mile to twelve furlongs. New York Thunder arrives in sharp form having finished second last time out and third the race before. Both were graded stakes. Very likely to be knocking at the door again on Saturday.
Next up is Lionart’s homebred, Requiem’s Blade. The stakes placed son of Brahms and the great Dancing Blade (five GI wins, $2,555,630) has earned a nice living in allowance company and listed stakes. This group may be a bit too tough for him right now.
The well bred (Mineshaft x Grand Slam x Forty Niner) Hunter’s Mine arrives in fine form. Hunter22’s stalker posted a 104 speed figure while vaporizing an allowance field in neighboring Minnesota last time out. The big colt has plenty of talent but may lack the experience needed to knock off this bunch.
Half A World Away is a household name. The 2005 juvenile champion had a solid, if unspectacular, sophomore season. HAWA won a pair of graded stakes and then kicked off his four year old campaign with a solid second in Southern California’s Grade II San Valenzuela. Foxvbullet’s big Belong To Me chestnut will be headed immediately to the front and will seek to call the tune. Classy colt is always a threat to go the distance with his best effort.
Four year old San Jovite arrives from Japan off a sharp allowance win at this week’s distance (SP 102). The almost white son of St. Jovite could be a factor with only minor improvement. Trainer Angeli will hoist solid journeyman Jerry Fontenot aboard the snowy homebred.
Number eleven is U Boat Commander. Tresstables’ homebred carries the highest odds in the field (20-1). But if you toss out his last, a miserable turf debut, a case can be made for the son of Deputy Commander. He has won three stakes already and his race before the turf debacle was very good, a fast closing third which produced a big 108 speed number. Might hit the ticket at a big price.
Fact Of The Matter(IRE) has a lot going for him right now. First of all, the huge (17.3 hands) Giant’s Causeway stallion from the Fu Peg matron, Uncool To Ridicule, has those outstanding “Call” connections. He is trained by the renowned Quickcall (131 training wins), bred by top breeder Johnscall, and will be ridden by the talented Frank Call. His stalk and pounce style is tailor made for this race with several speed horses to set a quick pace and his main rivals being deep closers. The multiple graded winner should have first run as he did last time out when he blasted a listed stakes field in San Juan while posting a blistering 109 speed rating. Very serious contender.
Sharp DelPenn based conditioner Sdmf5 has built his impressive training stats primarily by developing his own homebreds. But he showed a sharp eye for quality when he claimed One Wild Cat for $35,000 in 2005. The steel gray Wild Again stallion is out of the Storm Cat stakes winner Grand Designs and has blossomed for his new barn. Won his first stake five back with a wire-to-wire tally in a brisk 1:34 flat. Will Keep HAWA company in the early going.
Rounding out the field is Afc’s Sumo Left. A rangy son of A. P. Indy, Sumo Left has toiled long and hard in the shadow of world class stablemate Devil’s Slide. On Saturday he’ll get the chance to shine on his own. Although he’s earned over a quarter million dollars and won ten career races, he hasn’t won a stake since 2003, his only lifetime added money victory. That’s not likely to change this week.
Come out early! It is “Wait ’til Next Year” day at Lombardi Downs. Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre will be signing autographs from noon until 1:00 at the East end of the grandstand. And the first 5000 paid admissions will receive a Bart Starr bobblehead.