Wild Cat Tales Favorite In Razorback Distaff
The final race on the card this Saturday in Arkansas will be the Grade II Razorback Distaff, a race on the dirt track over a mile and one sixteenth for fillies and mares of four years of age and older. The weather here in Arkansas has been on the cool side and despite early rain earlier this week, the weather is expected to clear by race day, look for a fast dirt track on Saturday’s race. A full field of fourteen fillies have drawn into this year’s running of the Razorback Distaff, let’s take a brief look at each of the competitors.
Drawing the rail is Mudbone (Cape Canaveral x Storm Cat x Halo) and is out of the graded race-running dam Seattle Halo. This five year old bay mare is owned and trained by slades and has a total of twenty-four lifetime starts, fourteen of these being finishes on the board for the homebred mare. The mares most recent start came earlier this year in a six furlong allowance caliber race where she stalked the front runners, but ran out of ground, finishing just in the money in fifth. The mare’s most recent win came late last year, also during an allowance caliber race where she stayed up closer to the pace and won by one-fourth of a length. Despite numerous allowance runs, this is not this mare’s first attempt at stakes caliber races, with the mare having starts in The Overture Bingo Stakes and the Grade I Beldame Handicap. Her best finish in a stakes race was fifth with a speed figure of eighty-nine.
In the number two slot is Snowbunny Sailor (Polish Navy x Arctic Tern x Shareef Dancer) and is trained and owned by blackruby . This six year old homebred mare has had a total of thirty-four lifetime starts including four wins, six places and a show. The bay mare’s most recent start came earlier this year in South Dakota during the seven and a half furlong Hannah’s Prospect Memorial where she broke mid-pack, picking off horses throughout the race, however, the wire came up short in the end and the mare finished just in the money in fifth, seven and one-fourth lengths off the pace. The mare’s most recent victory came all the way back in 2005 in West Virginia during The Brown Brother Stakes where she again had broken mid-pack and began to pick off the tiring leaders, this time winning by one length.
Next is Troubleinparadise (IRE) (Barathea (IRE) x Caveat x Nodouble) and is out of the graded race-winning dam Double State. This four year old chestnut filly is trained by simonlee and has a total of twenty-six career starts, eight of these resulting in wins. The fillies most most recent start came in South Carolina during the eight and a half furlong Cu Chulain (IRE) Handicap where she stalked the front running horses and picked them off as they tired, winning the race by a head. This chestnut filly also won her previous start, this time by one and three-fourth lengths, in an allowance caliber race over the same distance.
Following will be Blessed Belle (A.P. Indy x Deputy Minister x Gone West) and is owned by texasrace . This five year old bay mare has had a total of twenty-nine lifetime starts with an impressive eleven wins, six places and six shows. This striking mare’s most recent start came ealier this year in the ten and a half furlong Grand April Challenge where the mare went wire to wire, winning by two and one-fourth lengths with a speed figure of one hundred. This mare has not finished out of the money in sixteen starts, a time frame spanning almost three years.
Miss Wild Machine (Skip Trial x Northern Flagship x Hatchet Man) is next and is owned and trained by chuft . This five year old bay mare has had a total of thirty-four lifetime starts to date. The homebred’s most recent start came in an eight furlong allowance caliber race overseas in Italy where she stalked the pace early but faded in the final furlongs of the race and finished seventh, eight and one-fourth lengths off the winner with a speed figure of ninety. The mare’s most recent vicotry came just the start before during the eight and a half furlong ATC Champions Day Owner Restricted Stakes where she again stalked the leaders, this time winning by two and one-fourth lengths with a speed figure of ninety-eight.
Longshot Reefer Madness (Mineshaft x Fappiano x Private Account) is next and is trained by super24 . This four year old bay homebred filly has been lightly raced with only sixteen lifetime starts including five wins, one palce and two shows. This fillies most recent start came in New Jersey earlier this year during an eight and a half furlong allowance caliber race where she came from way off the pace, made astonishing speed in the finial leg of the race and came up second with a speed figure of one hundred. Her most recent win came late last year during an allowance caliber race on the turf, where she went wire to wire and won by four and three-fourth lengths. This filly is also no stranger to stakes competition with starts in The Clever Rahy Memorial, the Grade II I’m Lost Handicap, and the Grade I Humingbird. THe fillies best finish in a stakes caliber race was fourth in The Clever Rahy Memorial with a speed figure of eighty-three.
Jrogue owned Big Ugly (Summer Squall x Graustark x Spectacular Bid) is next. This five year old roan mare has been lightly raced with a total of twenty lifetime starts, over half of these, a total of fourteen starts, have been finishes on the board. The mare’s most recent start came in the eight furlong One Attack Handicap where she came from off the pace to finish second, narrowly beaten by three-fourths of a length. The mare’s most recent vicotry was her last start of the 2006 racing season, an allowance caliber race in Louisianna, where once again she came from off the pace to win by two and a half lengths and with a speed figure recorded of one hundred one.
In the eighth post position is Flyburg’s Danzer (Johannesburg x Danzig x Mr. Prospector) and is out of the graded race-running dam Rear Admiral. This five year old bay mare is owned and trained by kyrin and has a total of twenty-nine lifetime starts including an impressive fourteen wins. The homebred mare’s most recent start came earlier this year in The Minsky Handicap where she stalked the front runners and overtook them in the final strides of the race to win by two lengths. This impressive homebred has won her last four starts in a row and has not finished out of the money in her last nine starts.
Next is A.P. Sadler (Sadler’s Wells x A.P. Indy x Unbridled) and is owned by lostcode . This four year old homebred filly has had a total of twenty-one life time starts including six wins, one place and six shows. The bay fillies most recent start came earlier this year during an allowance caliber race in Delaware where she went off mid-pack and never fired, finishing a disappointing seventh, four and one-half lengths back with a speed figure of ninety-two. The fillies most recent win last later last year during the Croc Ccaliope (IRE) Stakes where she took off after the leader the entire race, nipping her when she tired at the wire and went on to win by half a length with a speed figure of one hundred two.
Favorite, Wild Cat Tales (Tale Of The Cat x Danzig x Kris S.) is next and is out of the dam Rapid Fire. This five year old chestnut mare is owned and trained by champions4 and has a total of twenty-five lifetime starts including eleven wins. This striking homebred also possess career earnings over the 1.5 million dollar mark. The mares most recent start came in New York during the Grade I Beldame Handicap, where she started just off the pace and began to pick off horses and ended up finishing second, outdistanced by just one-fourth of a length. Her most recent victory was just two starts prior, also in New York, on a slippery dirt track during the Grade I Gallorette Handicap, where she again came from off the pace, gradually picked off the tiring horses and won by two lengths with a speed figure of one hundred nine. This impressive chestnut mare has not finished out of the money in a lucky thirteen starts.
Following will be Sunday Sharp (Turkoman x Our Emblem x Sharpen Up (GB)) and is owned by fairhaven2 . This four year old bay fillly has been very lightly raced, and is the least experienced horse in the field, with a total of seven lifetime starts, however all seven of these starts have been on the board with nothing worse than second. The fillies most recent start came in New Mexico during the eight furlong George’s Burglars Memoral where she stalked the leader early, took command at the first turn and won by one and a half lengths with a speed figure of one hundred and five. This Saturday will be this fillies first attempt at graded stakes company.
Birchwood Carlow (Cat Thief x Unbridled x Roberto) is next and is trained by henderson . This five year old chestnut mare has been lightly raced with a total of sixteen starts, eleven of these resulting in finsihes on the board for the homebred mare. Her most recent start came in Navada during the mile long Sword Tootsie Memorial, where she stalked the leader the entire race, but droppped back to third at the wire, one and one-fourth lengths off the pace with a speed figure of one hundred one. Her most recent win came in her last start of last year, an allowance caliber race in which she went wire to wire, winning by three and one-half lengths with a recroded speed figure of ninety-eight.
Lenny5 owned and trained City Prospector (IRE) (Century City (IRE) x Mr. Prospector x Never Tabled) and out of the race-winning dam Jupiter’s Projects is next. This five year old bay mare has a total of thirty-one lifetime starts including eight wins and five places. The mares most recent start came during a nine furlong allownace caliber race in Louisianna earlier this year where she came from way off the pace, rocketed forward at the wire, but came up short finishing second, just one-half length behind the eventual victor. The mares most recent win came just the race before in The Shadeed’s Double Bonanza where she again came from way off the pace and won by two lengths with a recorded speed figure of ninety-eight.
Breaking from the far outside post position is Aeroplane (Seeking The Gold x Kris S. x Tejano) and is owned and trained by endor . This four year old filly has been very lightly raced with a total of nine career starts, six of these resulting in finishes on the board. The bay homebreds most recent start came just a few weeks ago in the Grade III Sabian Handicap where she was running well in third but got caught at the wire and finished a heartbreaking just out of the money in sixth with a speed figure of ninety-six.. The fillies most recent vicotry came just the start before, her last start of last year, during a nine furlong allowance caliber race in North Carolina where she went wire to wire and won by one and three-fourths lengths with a speed figure recorded of one hundred one. This Saturday will be the fillies second start in graded stakes company.