Five Go Long in the Teddy Courts
Teddy’s Courts won five turf route stakes and was graded placed a few times in her career before retiring to the breeding shed six years ago. While her five sons and daughters have not shown the success she had, she would be proud of the five fillies and mares running in her eponymous stakes.
It seems to be an evenly matched and strong field.
Here is a look:
- IRISH AUROR(IRE) (HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE) x STORM CAT x FORTY NINER), bred and trained by Aurer. 5-1
Barn has been on fire in 2007- on pace to earn 3000 breeding points. This filly has been in the money in 14 of her 19 starts. Three of the five in here should be gunning for the early lead and this one, the longest shot on the board, hopes to take advantage of a speed duel. Hate to point this out, but in her two stakes tries she lost by a total of over 50 lengths. She’s fast enough, but is she classy enough?
- WORLDLY WISDOM (SPINNING WORLD x DARSHAAN(ENG) x ROBERTO), bred and trained by Oaklawn66 6/5
Four months ago, the favorite here turned in three straight triple digit speed figures. Tried stakes for the first time late in her four year old season and picked up three stakes wins. Lone start this year, against graded, was not good, and the return to this level looks like a wise move by this shrewd trainer. She hasn’t proven that she wants to go this far – her successes have come at one and two furlongs shorter than this. Big class edge on the field, but questions about recent form and questions about the distance.
- YANKEE ROSE (SILVER CHARM x SUNDAY SILENCE x KING’S BISHOP), bred and trained by WarEmblem5 4-1
With a recent win at 11 furlongs, and a couple of stakes win at about this distance a year ago, the barn hopes she can improve on recent speed figures and win today. It says here she can win because the distance fits, the class fits, and she will likely run to the speed figures of her competition. It says here she won’t win because all of her wins have come wire to wire and there is too much other early speed here to let that happen.
- STORM FORCE (STORM CAT x MR. PROSPECTOR x THEATRICAL(IRE)), bred and trained by Foxon 2-1
With six turf route stakes wins, including a graded win, she has surpassed Teddy’s Courts’ record. And coming off a quick allowance win she’s not done. You almost hope she is: 40 races, 14 wins (including a graded stakes), and her lineage, barn should be more than ready to breed this five year old. I know four trainers that hope she does poorly enough here to retire.
- FROSTING(AUS) (CHARGE FORWARD (AUS) x LITTLE CURRENT x RUBITON(AUS)), bred and trained by Deeprock10 9-2
This one’s a puzzler. She didn’t look particularly good last time, finishing in the back half of a conditioned allowance race. The race before that, she neared a 100 speed figure, and that would look competitive. She’s tried stakes ten times now without a win and has averaged over eight lengths behind the winner. Which one will show up today?
My picks: Worldly Wisdom, Yankee Rose, Storm Force