Could Toss Power Trap Upset The Apple Cart?

Could Toss Power Trap Upset The Apple Cart?

Upper New York – Seven trainers dropped entries for The Lil Bass Challenge on Wednesday.  A long sprint of 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass, The Lil Bass was named after a 10 YO horse by AP Indy, with six wins from 30 starts.  A stake winner himself, he has one foal to race also a winner.  With $70,000 in prize money up for grabs, I decided to get to the track early Thursday morning and watch the last workouts.

Madhibby Wood (39/1) was the first to gallop by and the big bay 6 YO looked dull to me.  He went by under a strong hold but was a bit short strided for his size and very heavy on the forehand.  Physically this makes it very hard to push his front feet out of the way in order to go fast and that could be part of the reason the well bred son of Forestry has been running in claiming races.  With only three wins from his 50 starts, he was claimed three races back by current owner Sherman8 and was immediately stretched out to 12 furlongs and a Grade I.  He was beaten by 39lengths in that race, but undaunted Sherman8 entered him back in the two mile Alybitty Oatmeal where he finished a credible 5^th.  Sprinting on Saturday, he will need to improve mightily to get other than a small check here.

 Zooom sent The Giant’s Gone (8/1) out for a down the lane lung opener.  A dark bay 4 YO colt by Giant’s Causeway, he has won four of 15 starts and won three allowance races in a row before stepping up the class ladder.  Since all of his recent races have been over a mile, he needed to get speed on his mind and he looked sharp coming down the lane in an easy breeze after a mile gallop.

Broad Street (2/1) went out with the pony and he looked happy as he kicked and bucked around the track, all the while trying to take a piece out of the pony with his teeth.  Trained by Mmstable33, the 5 YO son of War Emblem has won five of his 25 starts.  The blood bay finished a closing second last time out in The S Needle Special at Saturday’s distance with a speed figure of 108.   He took his field gate to wire, but he hasn’t won again in some six months.  From his form, it looks like the trainer has been trying to teach the horse to rate with limited success.  I don’t know if he will try for the lead on Saturday but he doesn’t he should be right behind the leaders.

Maryfran will send out Two Storms (2/1), a sharp looking chestnut 4 YO colt by Coronado‘s Quest.  Part of the Kingab Empire, this colt only walked the morning I was there but he had that air about him of only tolerance for us mere mortals.  He has won nine of 20 starts including four of his last eight and is ranked # 20 among older turf sprinters.  He stormed home in The Grade III, Joisey Stakes and earned a 110 speed figure in winning The Wizard Memorial.  He comes into this race off a good effort where he closed well to finish second in The Florida Turf Express, just missing the win. 

Toss Power Trap (9/1) galloped by in a two minute lick and the powerfully built son of Vindication looked like a winner as he trucked around the racetrack, high-blowing in rhythm with his stride.  A lightly raced 4YO, the copper chestnut is trained by Boomerslew and has won three of his10 starts.  He won a couple of allowance races before being thrown to the wolves in the Grade I, Liar’s Poker.  He closed well in that race to finish a credible sixth and should find this group much more to his liking.  He might be the one to beat.      

Looking a lot like his daddy, Danzig, the 6YO dark brown horse, Slew Can (3/1), galloped by easily, on a loose rein, his hooves keeping time with his rider’s voice.  Trained by Grsprize, this guy is the leading money winner in the race, having earned more than a million dollars and he has won 15 of his 46 races which is more than most of the field combined.  He finished third last time out in The Art Into Thorns at 7 1/2 furlongs but will need his best to get a high check on Saturday.

I had to go looking for Goin’ Crazy as the light chestnut was not in his stall, nor did he go to the track on Thursday.  I found the 4 YO colt by Montbrook out behind the barn with his trainer Cub.  The compact colt had his white face deep in a patch of grass and looked quite unconcerned about the approaching race or the fact that he would be making his first start over the stuff he was eating.  “See,” trainer Cub told me with a smile,”he likes it.”

Goin’ Crazy was brought along carefully, through his conditions after one early attempt in a stakes race.  Cub finally thought he was ready to move up and entered him in The Debit Succeed where he finished a closing fourth.  Impressed enough, Cub then shipped him to the states, but the flight took it’s toll and it was a tired colt that ran in the Grade III, Backseat Driver and he did not fare well.  He fits here and look for an improved performance.

That is the field for The Lil Bass and the weatherman has promised clear skies for Saturday.  Good Luck to all the contestants.