Surgeon Tubes headlines short field in Shy F. Challenge
Virginia highlights the card this week with third annual running of the Shy F. Challenge. The race invites all horses, four years and older, to run over two miles of turf for a piece of the $50000 purse. Once again this week, Virginia dodged the weather, and the turf is rated as firm. This race have hosted the likes of Evil Yes Evil, and the back to back winner in the first two years, multiple graded winner Revelation II. This year’s edition draws a short field of four, headlined by Surgeon Tubes, the number 20th ranked long turf male. He takes the favorite billing in this one, at 3/5 odds. The rest of the field falls between 2/1 and 8/1, and this could be another close one in the tradition of Virginia thrillers.
PP 1) Surgeon Tubes Sired by Rousillon, Trained by squirrel4. Starting on the rail, is the race favorite, Surgeon Tubes. He rides in a winning streak of four straight, all in long turf stakes. The six year old horse, over the course of his thirty three race career, has a has five stakes wins. His last ten starts have led him to a record of 5-1-1-0-0 with three 100+ speeds to show for them. His last start was a thirteen furlong stakes right here in Virginia, where he pasted a a field of five by eight and a half lengths off a stellar close. Long turf is his home ballpark, and he has nine top three finishes in eleven tries at twelve furlongs and beyond. This will be the second time he has gone two miles, and he has the perfect setup field here. He is a deep closer, and his close has been impeccable over his last four starts. He definitely has the speed in this field, and with a lack of early speed, this could be a walk for him unless someone has a big surprise up their sleeves.
PP 2) Elephant(GB) Sired by In The Wings(GB), Trained by inzy3. Elephant(GB) is a five year old mare, who is making her thirty fourth start here. She has two prior stakes wins to her credit. Her last ten starts have netted her a 2-3-3-1-0 record, with a best speed of 94.2, earned last season. Her last start was a fourteen fourlong outing on a tough Kentucky track, where she finished second, closing like a freight train down the stretch. She is a deep closer and her close has generally been very good. She has a tendency to start her power run very late in the race, usually making her best move just past the three quarter pole, and showing herself capable of chewing up huge gaps down the stretch. She has a beautiful setup in this race, with what looks to be a relatively early pace. She hasn’t been at her best against the boys at this level, but she should be a late threat here if she an deal with threats both to the inside and outside of her post two.
PP 3) Dal House Sired by Chester House, Trained by peeps2. Dal House is a six year old horse, making career start twenty nine in this field. He has two prior career stakes wins. Over the course of his last ten starts he has put together a 3-1-2-1-1 record, with two races where he broke the 100+ mark, both in the middle of last year. His last start was a stakes at this distance in Ohio, where he never really mounted a threat late, settling for fourth in a field of nine. He seems equally adept anywhere from eight to sixteen furlongs, three wins and a place in five starts at this two mile distance. He is a midpack closer, but his close has been on again off again recently, with flashes of brilliance interpersed simply lackadaisical runs. Very often he’s been finding himself too deep to be effective. He’s got two very good deep closers to his inside, But he should be close behind the leader at the half, and this could help him late with a leisurely first half.
PP 4) Perpertrator(IRE) Sired by Doyoun(IRE), Trained by hills. Perpertrator(IRE) is a six year old horse, making a field high forty first start in this race. He is still look for his first stakes win. His last ten starts have yielded a 2-2-1-1-0 record with a best speed of 88.9 earned in an allowance win last year. His last start was a thirteen furlong allowance on dirt, where finished a dismal eighth place. He has six top three finishes in ten turf starts at twelve furlongs and beyond, mostly at conditional allowance level. He generally prefers a stalker’s pace, which in this field of closers should mean he will provide what there is of the early speed here. He should have plenty of gas for the second half, but will need to show a lot more speed than he has recently to be a factor late in this race.