Tally Ho Mile’s Rich Tradition Continues
Tally Ho Mile
Grade III
One mile
Firm Turf
$150,000
All horses, 4 years old and up
PP Horse Owner Jockey Odds
1 DRUNKEN LULLABIES(IRE) blinkers N Lumpkin 7/1
2 FOLLOW THE PATH woodhead B Brooks 10/1
3 MANIFEST DESTINY tigerman I Betts 7/1
4 THE MAGIC FLUTE(IRE) diomed B Ironmike 12/1
5 UNPREDICTABLY T xtchamps L Carter 11/1
6 COLONIAL CHILDERS lopo87 C Gerhke 10/1
7 BROAD STREET mmstable33 T Waters 6/1
8 CONGO steff N Prescott 6/1
9 JUNGLELAND estreet Ta Johnson 12/1
10 BLESSED ROAD lasthope R Clink 11/1
11 SILVER COURT ts1442 V Elliott 17/1
12 GIFT FROM A KING sharkster C Amos 17/1
13 HIGHEST RAIDER chipendale B Romberg 7/1
Maryland proudly presents the seventh running of their premier early spring headliner, the Grade III Tally Ho Mile fashioned for older runners on the grass course. The previous six editions have been won by such stalwarts as inaugural hero Her Telephone, Dynaform Sir who upset the great Volotile Nijinsky, Sir Tenant who took the measure of a very game Ice Age Predator, Twice Told Tale who set the stake record of 1:33.4, Affirm who denied Twice Told Tale a Tally Ho double and the speedy millionaire Slew Can who took the 2006 renewal.
This year’s edition shapes up as another barn burner. Here are the contestants in post position order.
Drunken Lullabies likes it short and wet. Undefeated over good turf, the grade one sprint winner arrives off a pacesetting fourth while running against The General and his pals in Washington. The dashing gray son of Daylami and prolific producer Rigidly Within Sea (Blushing John) recently went over a million dollars in career earnings and will be looking to add to his total on Saturday. Unfortunately for trainer Blinkers, Drunken Lullabies has yet to win in four attempts beyond seven furlongs. May hit the board with a top effort.
In the two hole is Woodhead’s impeccably bred mare (Sadler’s Wells x Gone West x Blushing Groom), Follow The Path. The multiple stakes winner arrives in tip-top shape having scored in two of her last three outings. Last time out she established a career best 106 speed figure while taking down a field of distaff sprinters in South Dakota. She has managed to stretch her speed this far before on occasion and cannot be taken lightly.
Multiple grade one winner Manifest Destiny will carry the familiar maroon and gray colors of Tigerman into the fray. The big Storm Cat dual millionaire ended a long dry spell three starts back when he annexed the one mile Her Dances Special over his home track in Queensland in a brisk 1:34.4 (104) over the off turf. Then came a sub par performance in the Grade III Sussex Handicap. Tigerman prepped his homebred chestnut with an easy allowance tally last time out at Ascot. Solid journeyman Izzy Betts will be aboard Manifest Destiny for this test.
Diomed’s homebred The Magic Flute(IRE) is a versatile sort having won three races each on the grass and the main course. He exits The Rock’s Texas Cooking series where he split a good field on the dirt. The son of Singspiel and graded winner Rickety Tide failed to get involved in three previous graded races. Tough spot.
Cross a well bred, but painfully slow, career claimer who raced for six different barns and had lifetime earnings of $11,502 in thirty five starts with a California based sire that nobody ever heard of, much less bred to, and what do you get? That’s right. The appropriately named Unpredictably T. A quarter million dollar earning, five time stakes winner who pops 107 speed figures for fun. Last time out Xtchamps’ ‘Western Fame stallion wired a solid allowance field in a quick 1:48 for nine grassy furlongs. He is the only stakes winner ever sired by the mysterious Western Fame. Unpredictably T hasn’t fared well in graded races to date, but if he runs back to that last effort, who knows?
Late blooming Colonial Childers is a real rags-to-riches story. The former bottom level claimer plodded his way through three years of racing for three different trainers until current conditioner Lopo87 happened across the magic key. Turf mile. After never even sniffing a triple digit speed number his entire career, the soon to be millionaire ran off and hid in a Danish allowance posting an eye popping 106 for the lovely and talented J Hempler. Next time out, under leading Danish rider Batman Schardein, the Aptitude stallion won another mile turf allowance. His crowning achievement thus far is his victory over some of this week’s rivals in the Grade I Kentucky Horsemen’s Moonshine Mile. Colonial Childers won that race in a blazing 1:34.2 good for a 109 speed figure. He arrives from New York off a solid third place finish in an open allowance prep for the Tally Ho. Clear and present danger.
CO-favored at 6-1 is Broad Street. This reporter finds those odds on Mmstable33’s son of War Emblem a bit curious given the fact that Broad Street has never won a stakes race of any kind. But the lanky homebred has been producing some big speed numbers while narrowly missing. He ran a 108 while finishing second at Gulfstream two back and was second again at Finger Lakes (110) last time out. Needs a bit more to knock off this crew.
Steff’s Arazi sired dual millionaire Congo is the other CO-favorite and he appears to be sitting on a big race. After his stellar second place finish in the Grade I Breeders Bowl Mile, the flashy chestnut was given a well deserved three month vacation by his crafty conditioner. Following a series of solid works, the veteran lawn mower returned to the racing wars with an even fourth place finish in Japan’s Grade II Buddy Boy Mile. I watched Congo work a half on Monday morning and he looked as good as ever. Silky smooth and effortless. His clocking of :47.4 was third best among twenty eight at the distance. Definite threat.
Speed crazy Jungleland will assure a quick pace. As usual, Estreet’s Danzig stallion will be on a front running mission on Saturday. The graded winning half millionaire has finished first or second in over half of his thirty nine career starts. And he shows a Grade II mile turf win in 1:34.1 (113) on his resume. How far will he carry his speed this week? Tune in Saturday to find out.
Blessed Road may be the sleeper. Lasthope’s blue blooded homebred (Kingmambo x Kris S x Seattle Slew) has some back class having been a stakes winner and graded placed as a juvenile. His three year old year was steady, if unspectacular. And he enters this contest in peak form having demolished successive allowance fields at Newmarket while posting identical 102 speed figures. But the colt was not extended in either event and won each while well in hand. Your call.
Silver Court is from the powerful West Virginia based Ts1442 stable. In fact, the steel gray Silver Ghost homebred won the Grade II Geegee Turf at Old Waterford three starts back. Silver Court has struggled in his last two outings but you may rest assured that his crafty conditioner will have him ready for The Tally Ho.
Trainer Sharkster must like the chances of his homebred Gift From A King because he spent a few bucks to ship the flashy chestnut stateside for the first time in a quite a while. The six year old son of Cryptoclearance has spent the past three years racing in Europe and the Far East. Gift From A King has not won a race of any kind in over nine months and won only one stakes race in his career. Two ventures into graded company have proven unsuccessful. Outsider here.
DelPenn based Highest Raider has carved out a handsome living ($555,976) racing primarily in open allowances and residence restricted company. But the big chestnut showed that he belongs here last time out with an eye catching stretch move which propelled him to a second place finish in the Grade III Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream. That ended a series of five consecutive wins for the son of Alnaab and the Seattle Slew matron, Pompous Slew. It is obvious that trainer Chipendale has this one in peak form right now. Must respect.
Who will be next to join the Tally Ho honor roll? Come on out and see for yourself!