Equinics 2016: The 19 Prescott Hot Shots (8f Turf 4yo+)

It’s Equinics day all, the time for each residency to send their cream of the crop postward in the race to be called the kings of the Sim. I’m Blackace and I’ll be taking a look at the 19 Prescott Hotshots, the race in commemoration of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives in the Darnell Hill Fire in 2013. It’s hosted by my own residency (the NWRC), and it’ll be a mile over the turf for four year olds and upwards, contesting for $1,000,000, and that coveted gold medal. Let’s take a look at our Olympian Equines.

    1     Parc D’Oro is the EWC (East-West Connection) bid, running from the Tyedye barn, and coming off a miserable run in the Eclipsed Stakes G1 after stretching out to a mile and a quarter. The four year old colt is by Medaglia D’Oro based on the Arch stallion Abiding, and has won four races on nineteen lifetime contests to earn a total of $1.12 Million. His only stakes victory was in the Run Wahbit Run Turf Mile, but placed in three graded stakes in his past four. This colt looked really nice up to his last run, where he seemed to just be a non-factor. He could bounce back here but I’m going to leave him off the podium at 17-1.

[  2  ] Dynabawi Bed runs here for the Minnesota Testbarn and owner Cothill, and has not won a race since late 2015, but has finished on the board in two stakes races on seven total races since then. This is a four year old colt by Dubawi out of stakes-winning mare Sweeper ER who was by Sadler’s Wells, and this colt has crossed the line first five times on twenty-four appearances to earn a total of $405k. His major wins are the G3 Fall Stakes and the Redoutabeel Turf Route Stakes. This colt really needs to get off the schneid, and I doubt he can do it in a field this good. He’s 16-1.

    3     Atacenango is one of two local champions in this field, and represents the ERC (Elite Racing Club) with owner Tees, as well as the state he’s Local Champion of, Kentucky. He’s a four year old by Animal Kingdom out of stakes-winning Danehill Dancer mare Slow Dancin’, and he’s amassed $311k on six wins from fifteen starts. His only major win is the Kentucky Local Championships. This colt might be able to get the gold but he’ll really have to step up and beat some great horses, so I’ll leave him off my ticket at 12-1.

    4     Durans Hope runs for stable Pekays and QRC (Queensland Racecourse), and looks to take home his first stakes trophy here in the form of a gold medal. He’s a four year old colt by Darci Brahma and the DS being Nureyev; he’s earned $338k on ten wins from sixteen lifetime starts, with no stakes wins, though he has finished on the board in two of those types. The colt can win all the allowances he wants, but will probably struggle here, and I’ll predict he finishes off the board at 32-1.

    5     Timmins goes for Comedy Central under Shagfarms and is a very classy colt, seeing as he’s not dropped out of stakes classes since late 2014, but raced in eleven dirt races in a row before switching back to the grass six back. He’s a five year old by Deep Impact with the DS Mr. Prospector, and has earned $622k with seven wins on twenty-seven lifetime starts. Major wins include just the Heaven Stakes G3 (on dirt) and the G3 Strange Brew Turf Handicap, but he’s looked very classy racing in a total of ten graded stakes races. This is a colt that could be really dangerous and I advise using him on all multi-race wagers, but I like three others better, and will leave him off the podium at 10-1.

    6     Muy Delicioso runs for Blazing Saddles and MTK Racing, and is the second local champion in the event, this one for Australia. He’s by Encosta de Lago out of G3-winner Muy Duro, and the four year old has won five races from sixteen goes to earn $331k. The four year old is riding a two-race win streak winning the Local Championships two back and the Hess Mile G3 last out, but I prefer a few others here. He’s 10-1.

    7     Queen Named Barb represents Pastures of Green and is a sharp G1 winner coming off a three-quarter-length third place finish in the Queen Sam G1. He’s a four year old by Lemon Drop Kid based on Pivotal Moment, owned by JakeMatt and is six for sixteen lifetime, earning a total of $2.8 Million lifetime with wins including The International G2, the Penn Mile G1, the Stepson G2, and the King Kong Mile G1 four starts back.The colt is an amazing athlete, but I’m going to go elsewhere for the winner, and put this one in for place as the 9-1 co-second choice.

    8     Pivotal Action is the ASR (All-Stars Racing) entry, he won an allowance hot race tightener, and was second by a neck two starts back in the G1 Queen Sam. He’s a five-year-old scratch-bred horse by Pivotal and the damsire Lyphard, winning nine of twenty-two lifetime starts, and earning a total of $1.63 million. He’s won the Calderazzo Turf Sprint, the Arcade Handicap G2, the Cobbler Mile G1 (those three consecutively) and the Canada Mile G1. The stallion has been looking pretty sharp as of late, finishing within at least two and a half lengths of the leader in his past four, and winning his last under wraps. However I think there are several better here and he’ll be left off the podium here for Tenpoint at 16-1.

   9    Blame Tariat is the MIDAS horse, and has been a pretty classy colt since his three year old season, being a graded stakes runner since late 2014, and winning his first graded stakes event in late 2015. He’s a five year old by Blame out of Unbridled mare Just Squire, and is a seven time winner on twenty-four lifetime tries, earning 813k for Davarto. Big wins include the Chief Cook G3, the Mile Championship G2, and the Bad Things Mile G2. He’s looking like a contender for some hardware, missing a G1 win in the Queen Sam last time by just two lengths. However I think others look sharper and for that reason I’ll leave him off the ticket.

   10    Chrysanthemum City goes for the Canadian group ‘The Eh Team’ and Kanada Stables, and has spent the last two races on home turf, but will have to head into the heat for this Equinics. The eight time winner on twenty-six runs is a five year old by Big Brown out of the Touch Gold mare Petals of Gold. He’s earned $576k and won such races as the Song About Pye Turf Route and the Oceanside G3, but has placed in several bigger graded stakes and has won several residency stakes races. The horse has been racing in several stakes races recently such as the Aught Conn Cup G3 and the Edward’s Kingdom G2, and this will be his fourth start of 2016 after being laid off until April. It could be tough for the horse under these conditions and I’ll leave him off my ticket at 19-1.

   11    Straight Tequilla will need to take a big step up after not finishing better than four lengths back in his past four if he’s going to steal the gold for Roys and the NWRC (Northwest Racing Circuit). He’s a four year old by Scat Daddy and out of stakes winner A Fleet Cat by Afleet Alex, and he’s won six races from seventeen lifetime runs to earn $176k. The colt was looking good in his three year old form, winning several allowance races on the turf after switching to the turf, but has had trouble converting on a stakes win, never being closer than four lengths in his four attempts at one. I’m leaving him off the ticket at 23-1 but will be cheering him on as an NWRC member.

   12    Bel of Ekati heads to Brazil for Quilly and the URC (Universal Racing Club) off a three race win streak and obviously wants to make it three with a gold medal. He’s a four year old Bel Esprit colt out of Tale of Ekati mare Sneek Peek, and has made $401k on ten wins from fifteen lifetime starts. His two major triumphs include the Edison in a Lord Turf Challenge and the Bally’s Chorus G3. He moved up to a mile for the first time in his career last out in a hot race, winning that easily, but he might be in deep waters here, and there still isn’t a lot of proof that he can handle a mile, so I will leave this one off the podium at 18-1.

The ESR (Empire State Racing) runner    13    Choice Of Sides is one who started to really excel in his four year old form and is now a grade one winner at five. He’s a five year old male by Redoute’s Choice and out of the G2-winning Kingmambo mare Rainy Reina, and has won nine times from twenty-two lifetime tries heading into this event, earning 941k. His major trophies are the Church Mound Stakes G2 and the Champions Mile G1. He was mostly a high-class allowance runner until late in his four year old campaign, where he showed in the David Hasselhoff G3, and won the Church Mound Stakes, and notched a G1 in April 2016, winning the Champions Mile by half a length, and winning an allowance last out. He’ll have a month and a half’s rest into this Equinics event, and I’m going to squeeze him in for a bronze medal here under the Beisbol stable.

The DelPenn National horse    14    Faster Than U Know is an inconsistent sort, looking like a possible G1 winner with a third in the Champions Mile and then finishing eleventh in the Queen Sam G1. He’s a four year old colt by Fastnet Rock and scratch bred to the DS Lyphard and has won four races on fifteen tries earning $244k for Baggio. He’s graded placed but has never scored in a stakes event. The colt was stakes placed five starts back, and followed that up with a tenth place showing the next time out. Two back he showed in a G1, and following that finished way off the board at the same class. The colt is very unreliable, and so I’ll leave him off the ticket at 26-1.

   15    Corazon Espinado runs for Haack stables under the Espano Parlante residency, and was a dirt runner before his grass start, where he begun to excel. He’s a Giant’s Causeway colt out of Sadler’s Wells mare Verdugaza, winning nine times on seventeen runs, earning $594k. His only Major win is the Bourbon Mile G2 three starts back. The four year old colt has really begun improving recently, going three for five so far in 2016, winning a G2 and two allowances. In his last two he showed in the Cobbler Mile G1 and was fourth by four in the Sparkler Handicap G2. I think he’s a nice colt and is really coming into his own right now, and has some potential here, so I’m going to list him as my first longshot play at 14-1.

Running for the GR Simsters, we have    16    Widow’s Vengeance, a horse who won the Cobbler Mile G1 two back, and missing by a head last out in the Sparkler Handicap. He’s a five-year-old scratch-bred bay horse by Lonhro, with Kris S providing the DS services for the eleven time winner on seventeen lifetime runs, earning Lenny $1.37 Million. Big wins include the Otto Rock Turf Mile, the Bad Things Mile G3, the Dixiedixie Turf Sprint, the Dell Web Mile G2, the GR Simsters Mile, the Kongs Redhead Turf Mile, the UQG Sprinter Turf Sprint, and the Cobbler Mile G1. He’s been sharp as a tack on recent form, winning the Cobbler Mile two starts back and being out-bobbed by double Eclipse winner Stillwatersrundeep in the Sparkler Handicap G2. This horse looks primed for glory, and I’m going to select him for the gold medal win as the lukewarm 7-1 chalk.

   17    Tete Nils runs for EURO (European Union Racing Organization) under owner Sabbath, and recently won his first graded stakes event in his sixth attempt, winning the Premium Stakes G2. This is a four year old horse by Invincible Spirit out of Druj In The Storm who was by Sadler’s Wells, and has won seven of twenty-one lifetime starts to earn $588k. Big wins include the G2 Premium Stakes and the Huge Tale Turf Mile but has been stakes placed six times. Other than Bel of Ekati and Choice of Sides he looks like the big speed and it could work out for him, but the closers are probably too powerful to place him on the podium at 14-1.

   18    Flagofconvenience goes for the MRC (Megalopolis Racing Circuit) and FastNFirm but has been having a tough time on the track recently. He’s a four time winner on twenty-two starts and is by Starspangledbanner out of Dixieland Band mare Molly Pitcher. He’s got no major wins to speak of. In his last graded stakes try he was never a factor, running thirteenth, and finishing tenth in his previous stakes run. It looks like he’ll probably be a non-factor again at 22-1.

   19    Rough Traitor rounds out the field for 3away Stables and the BANRC (British and Nordic Racing Club), and has been a young star in Japan in 2016, winning a G3 and showing in a G2. He’s a four year old colt by Ofevre and scratch-bred to Danehill as the DS and is a four time winner from nine lifetime entries. His only major victory was the G3 Milers Cup. He can become a top Japanese horse soon, and he may be in line for a top 5 finish in here at 21-1, so I’m going to add him as a longshot play off a big run in the G2 Yasuda Mile at 21-1.

The Podium
Gold– Widow’s Vengeance, GR Simsters
Silver– Queen Named Barb, Pastures Of Green
Bronze– Choice Of Side, ESR

Longshot Play #1– Corazon Espinado, Espano Parlante
Longshot Play #2– Rough Traitor, BANRC.