Equinics Han Solo – May the Horse Be With You

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away eighteen of the sim’s best turf marathoners

 lined up to remember Han Solo in the Equinics race named after him.

Led by 2015 Horse of the Year Dark Mandu and joined by grade one winners

Last of Us and Andrew’s Starship as well as a bevy of talent

 from across the universe the quest was simple –

be the first to the finish after a grueling two mile run in Brazil.

#1 Portents                                        13/1

Portents is a six year old scratchbred son of Montjeu x Kris S. x Blushing Groom.  He’s won ten of twenty three starts in his career with his biggest win coming this year in the Grade Two Hardcourt Stakes.  That race was a mile and one quarter on the grass.  The longest he’s ever been was back in 2014 when he ran in an allowance at a mile and five eighths where he finished second.  This is a big step up in distance but his pedigree suggests it is not outside the realm of possibility.

 

#2 Emotion Free                               7/1

Emotion Free is a four year old son of Arch out of a Quality Road x Dalakhani mare named Emotionalism.  In spite of her speedy sire, Emotionalism ran best at longer distances, taking after her damsire Dalakhani.  Emotion Free is also proven going a route of ground.  The biggest win of his career came in December when he won the Grade Three Manatee Cup at a mile and three eighths with a whopping 118 speed.  This season he is still looking for his first victory but he was second in two grade ones, including the Spring Cup at two miles.

 

#3 Look Up The Stars                      18/1

Look Up The Stars is the only female in the race.  The five year old is a scratchbred daughter of Sea the Stars x Nijinsky II x Sharpen Up.  She enters this start riding a four race win streak with all of those wins coming at two miles.  Two of those races were against stakes competition but this will be Look Up the Stars’ graded stakes debut.

 

#4 Surgedragon                                                8/1

Surgedragon is a four year old scratchbred son of Kitten’s Joy x Danehill x Nijinsky II.  He enters off the biggest win of his career, the Grade Three Irish Cup at a mile and three quarters.  That was his graded debut and he won easily by over three lengths with a 116 speed.  He’s never been two miles before but the ease of victory in his last suggests the extra quarter mile shouldn’t be a problem.

 

#5 Zenaga                                           19/1

Zenaga is a four year old son of Kitten’s Joy out of a Henrythenavigator x Giant’s Causeway mare.  He comes from the family of grade one winner Berzerk Gold and grade two winner Sweeping Rush.  Zenaga enters on a four race win streak with two of those wins coming at the two mile distance (one on turf and one on polytrack).  He has only tried stakes competition once before this spot and that was last summer in the Grade Three North Country Derby on dirt going a mile and three eighths.  He ran seventh that day with a 106 speed but it was a better race than the results suggest as he closed stoutly through the stretch, suggesting that he needed more distance which he has proven more recently.

 

#6 Silica                                                35/1

Silica is a four year old scratchbred son of Silic x Shahrastani x Irish River.  Silica’s biggest victory came on New Year’s Eve when he took a local championship stakes going two miles.  It was his first try at that distance and he won wire to wire by almost four lengths.  He jumped straight into a grade three after that and finished a solid fourth with a 103 speed.  Most recently he was second in another listed at two miles with a 100 speed.

 

#7 Dark Mandu                                                 9/1

Dark Mandu is a six year old scratchbred son of Mountain High x Scatmandu x Northern Guest.  What needs to be said about the reining Horse of the Year?  He burst onto the scene two years ago when he ran second in this event in the Winter Equinics at odds of 180/1 and he has not looked back since.  He only has three starts this year with his best finish a third I the Grade One Spring Cup where he ran a 113 speed.  He’ll have to run back to that race and possibly even improve a bit to win here but don’t count the old warrior out.

 

#8 Master’s Degree                        10/1

Master’s Degree is a four year old scratchbred son of Mastercraftsman x Encosta de Lago x Kris S.  Master’s Degree scored his biggest win in the Grade Three BBR Special two starts back.  That race was also run at the two mile distance and he won by over four lengths while running a 111 speed.  He did three points better in his most recent start, the Grade Three Irish Cup at a mile and three quarters where he was second behind Surgedragon.  This colt comes from well behind the pace, he was last early in the Irish Cup so it is likely the added quarter mile will play to his advantage.

 

#9 Blue Vanilla                                   22/1

Blue Vanilla is a five year old son of Generous, based on the Grade Three winning E Dubai x Deputy Commander hemare Corey’s Bullet.  Corey’s Bullet was a sprinter through and through but Blue Vanilla has found a home in long distance races.  He won his first stakes race in his most recent start which was a listed going a mile and three quarters.  He ran a 107 speed that day which is a career best for Blue Vanilla.  He has never been worse than third in any race beyond a mile and one half but he’ll have to improve on that speed to medal here.

 

#10 Last of Us                                    21/1

Last of Us is a five year old scratchbred son of Cima de Triomphe x Diesis x Green Desert.  He’s got eight wins and five seconds from seventeen career starts with his biggest win coming in the Grade One South Australian Cup at two miles back in April.  Interestingly sixteen of his seventeen starts have come at that distance with only his maiden being shorter – by one whole furlong.  He was off the board in his two most recent starts but Last of Us did run fifth with a 106 speed in the Grade One Gold Glass in his last start.  He is a speedy sort who is at his best when he can control the pace.

 

#11 Cloud Formation                      12/1

Cloud Formation is a xeven year old son of Sky Mesa out of the Dynaformer x A.P. Indy mare Proformer.  She is a daughter of the grade one winner Papua Theft who was a sprinter/miler and is known for throwing speedier offspring.  Proformer herself was a very talented multiple graded placed sprinter.  Cloud Formation has done well in distance races, including three grade two wins; one at a mile and five eighths and the other two at a mile and three quarters.  Interestingly those wins all came on the dirt where he has five wins from eight starts.  He only has one win on the grass but he’s never been out of the money in six starts on the lawn and he was third in the Grade Three CEO Classic going a mile and one half two starts back.

 

#12 Ta’ De Noche                             21/1

Ta’ De Noche is a four year old scratchbred son of Rock of Gibraltar x Montjeu x Sharpen Up.  He has the fewest starts of any horse in the field with only seven but he’s won five of those with one second place finish.  His lone off the board performance came in a sprint race in his debut.  He made his stakes debut in his most recent run, the Grade Three Barberville Stakes at two miles which he won with ease by almost five lengths.  It was his fourth victory in a row and he ran a solid 103 speed that day (he earned his career best 106 one race prior when going a mile and one half on the turf).  Others in this race have run faster but the feeling here is that we have not seen the best of this colt and he knows how to win.

 

#13 Maximum Stealth                    12/1

Maximum Stealth is a four year old son of Maxios out of the grade three winning New Approach x Kris S. mare Stealth Approach.  Stealth Approach was at her best at two miles and has also produced the grade three winning router Stealth Effect, albeit he was best at a mile and one half.  Maximum Stealth earned the biggest victory of his career two starts back when he won the Grade Two Second Henry at two miles.  He came from well off the pace that day to blow by the leaders and win by four lengths with a 102 speed.  He came right back in the Grade One Gold Glass at the same distance where he unleashed a furious rally to finish second behind Andrew’s Starship while running a 108 speed.  He’s having the best season of his career at age four and could be a factor here.

 

#14 Briones                        12/1

Briones is a four year old son of Hurricane Run out of the Nureyev x Rahy mare Brindisi.  Brindisi was stakes placed going a mile and one eighth and produced grade one winner South of Heaven (by High Chaparral) who was also best at middle distances.  Briones is three times graded placed at a mile and three quarters and up.  His best run came in October’s Grade One Japanese Saint Legend where he was second with a 111 speed while going a mile and seven eighths.  Most recently he was a close fourth, beaten less than six lengths in the Grade One Gold Glass while running a 107 speed.

 

#15 King’s Stone                               12/1

King’s Stone is a four year old son of Grindstone out of the grade three winning Southern Halo x Kingmambo mare King’s Halo.  King’s Halo was a very good sprinter but she was never tried in a single route race.  Chances are she would not have excelled going longer, as she was so good going short but with King’s Stone’s success one wonders what might have been.  In his last two starts King’s Stone has been third and then second in two grade two races.  Those races came at a mile and one quarter and a mile and three eighths.  He’s never been beyond a mile and one half and only tried that distance once, resulting in a disappointing performance.  He’s taking a risk today but the rewards could be huge if he can manage the distance.

 

#16 Awesomahler                           17/1

Awesomahler is a four year old son of Mahler out of the Awesome Again x Giant’s Causeway mare Fawsome.  Awesomahler is currently the best of Fawsome’s foals.  He is a stakes winner and graded placed runner at a mile and one quarter but has only one try at a distance over a mile and one half.  That came three starts back in the Grade Three Diamond Stakes at two miles where he finished ninth with a 100 speed.  He’s a talented colt but will need to turn around that form to medal here.

 

#17 Andrew’s Starship                   8/1

Andrew’s Starship is a five year old scratchbred son of Sea the Stars x Kingmambo x Sadler’s Wells.  As a four year old Andrew’s Starship was a multiple graded stakes winner at a mile and one half with his biggest victory coming in the Grade One Coronation Pilsner at that distance.  He ran in some of the biggest races at that distance in the sim including a strong fifth in the Ark de ComicDog but he wasn’t winning so trainer sonofaus decided to stretch this colt out even further two starts back.  He was rewarded with an easy allowance win at two miles back in May and that was followed by a runaway win in the Grade One Gold Glass in June.  Andrew’s Starship earned a speed of 111 that day and beat some of the best in the division.

 

#18 Silver Sceptre                            27/1

Silver Sceptre is a four year old son of Silvano out of the stakes winning High Chaparral x Theatrical mare Cezanne.  Cezanne did her best running in middle distance dirt races although her first foal (and only other stakes winning offspring so far) preferred middle distance turf.  Silver Sceptre has found a home going two miles on the lawn.  His last five starts have come at that distance and he’s won three of those, including two listed stakes races and run third in two grade ones in the others.  He ran a career best speed of 108 in his most recent start, the Grade One Gold Glass.  This colt seems to be peaking at the right time.

 

Good luck to all!