The Foregone G1
An interesting group of fourteen colts faces off in New York in the Grade One Foregone Stakes. The race will be run at seven furlongs over a good dirt track for a purse of $750,000. Last year’s winner Hold My Python is the favorite but he’s not the only horse with a connection to this race. Way on the outside Epic Bargain has a family tradition to hold up. He’s a half brother to two time Foregone winner Cranky Squirrel. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 The Sim Reaper 35/1
The Sim Reaper is a three year old scratchbred son of Bernardini x Storm Cat x Alydar. He’s won four of eleven starts including the Grade Two Stephen Woody against fellow three year olds back in June. That race saw him battle for the early lead before taking over around the far turn and stubbornly refusing to yield during the stretch run. That race was his only win this season. He started the year on the Bluegrass Derby trail but failed to hit the board in three route outings. The Stephen Woody marked his return to sprinting and he ran a career best 107 speed that day. Unfortunately he failed to fire in his most recent start in the Equinics at six furlongs against three year olds.
#2 Speed Sweeper 11/1
Speed Sweeper is a four year old scratchbred son of Pollard’s Vision x End Sweep x Carson City. For a four year old he is relatively lightly raced with only fourteen starts to his credit but he’s won four and been in the money in an additional six. Speed Sweeper ended last season winning a listed in his stakes debut. He has competed exclusively at the graded level this year with two grade two seconds and a third in a grade three. He doesn’t have a lot of early speed but once he gets going he closes like a freight train. He’s run two 114 speeds this year which puts him right in the thick of things and he’s going seven furlongs for the first time this season which may give him enough ground to get to the wire first.
#3 Clash On 35/1
Clash On is a three year old son of Tapit out of the Distorted Humor x Gone West mare Franchise Tag. This is her second foal, her first is a stakes placed runner. Clash On made his stakes debut a winning one in his last start which happened to be the Grade One Equinics at six furlongs for three year olds. He stalked the early pace before taking over and winning by a head with a 107 speed. That was his fourth win from nine starts with three third place finishes. He ran his first triple digit speed three starts back at seven and one half furlongs and has increased his speeds incrementally in since. He has a lot of early speed but this will be his first start against older horses.
#4 Mr. Petrelli 8/1
Mr. Petrelli is a seven year old son of War Chant based on the Smart Strike x Blushing Groom hemare Stranger. In spite of his age Mr. Petrelli has only seventeen starts to his name, with nine wins. He ran well as a two and early three year old before taking an extended break from March of 2012 until August of 2015. He returned as a mature runner taking a $150,000 claiming event with a 113 speed. He ran a 115 in his next start winning a listed. He added the Grade Three Kenny Joe Stakes at seven furlongs and the Grade Two Curious George at the same distance before falling off form a bit. He ran off the board in three straight graded races but came back with a vengeance in his most recent start, a Kentucky local bred listed at six furlongs. He ran a 113 speed in that start in which he stalked the early leaders before pouncing in the stretch.
#5 Hold My Python 5/1
Hold My Python is a five year old scratchbred son of Unbridled’s Song x Storm Cat x Halo. He’s won thirteen of nineteen starts and over two million dollars. The defending Foregone champion Hold My Python also won this season’s Sand Castle Golden Sprint with a 119 speed. He followed that up with a win in the Grade Two Bluegrass Sprint at seven furlongs where he showed his characteristic stalking run before taking over in the stretch. He added a listed win in June which gave him a five race win streak badge. He’s been just a touch off in his last two starts, both grade ones in California. His speeds only dropped by about 5 points but it was enough to make the difference between dominant wins and struggling. This division is tough like that and Hold My Python will have to show he can shake off those losses and return to form here.
#6 Azzuro 14/1
Azzuro is a five year old scratchbred son of Redoute’s Choice x Miswaki x Storm Bird. He’s only won two races in the past year (from an overall record of ten wins from twenty four starts) but one of those wins was his most recent start, the Grade Three Cracked Peanuts Sprint at six furlongs. That was Azzuro’s first graded score and he did it going wire to wire with a 110 speed. Azzuro’s record is an interesting one as fourteen of his starts have come on the grass where he is multiple graded placed. Azzuro’s other win in the past twelve months also came at six furlongs on dirt in a listed stakes race back in November of 2015. He’s shown more early speed on dirt than he has on turf and after his last race he may have found a permanent home on this surface.
#7 Unstable Ground 11/1
Unstable Ground is a four year old son of Tapit out of the Giant’s Causeway x Mr. Prospector mare Tragic Event. She produced three stakes placed runners before foaling Unstable Ground, her only stakes winner. He earned that distinction in April of 2015 when he took a seven furlong listed with a 109 speed. He’s run in six races this season, all graded stakes and he finished third in the Grade Two Bluegrass Sprint at seven furlongs and second in his most recent start, the Grade Two Vanderbuilt at six furlongs. The Vanderbuilt was run in New York as well so he’s got some experience over the surface. He’s a deep closer who was eleventh early on in the Vanderbuilt before closing to second.
#8 Mount Franklin 9/1
Mount Franklin is a four year old son of Commands out of the Seeking the Gold x Storm Cat mare Unchain My Heart. From six foals to race she has also produced a grade two winner by Tiznow. Mount Franklin opened the year with a listed stakes win at six and one half furlongs, his second win at the listed level. His four subsequent races have all come in graded stakes and he’s on an interesting pattern. He was second in the seven furlong Grade Two Florida BB Sprint Championship with a 116 speed and then fifth in another grade two. He was then third in a grade three at six furlongs where he ran a 114 speed and was beaten less than one length before running fifth again in a grade two. If he follows the pattern he should run a strong race in this spot. He does his best running coming from well off the pace.
#9 War on Funny 24/1
War on Funny is a four year old scratchbred son of Declaration of War x Deputy Minister x Fappiano. He has the fewest amount of starts of any entrant in the field with only seven runs under his belt. He’s won four of those and was second in one and third in another. His only off the board race came in a route. The colt brought a winning streak of three allowances into his most recent start. That was an ambitious placement in the Grade One Binger Handicap at six furlongs and he ran a really creditable race finishing third with a 111 speed. He closed from seventh early on to be beaten only one and one quarter lengths in that spot. He has never run seven furlongs before so it will be interesting to see how he handles the distance.
#10 Ice Box Ridge 9/1
Ice Box Ridge is a four year old son of Ice Box out of the Point Given x Gone West mare Ab’s Western Ridge. This is her only stakes winner from three foals. Ice Box Ridge ended 2015 with his first listed stakes win. He followed that up with a second place finish in the Grade Three Negative Stakes at seven furlongs where he ran a 115 speed. Ice Box Ridge broke through at the graded level in his next start, winning the Grade Three Shimmer Stakes at six furlongs. He followed that up with a strong second place finish behind Westmire Moon in the Grade Two Commonwealth at seven furlongs. In that start he lead from the gate only to get nailed on the wire, beaten one half length while running a career best 117 speed. In his three subsequent starts he has not been as brilliant as he was the first half of the year. He was third in an allowance at one mile and then was off the board in two sprint grades.
#11 What the Fox Say 6/1
What the Fox Say is a four year old son of Oasis Dream out of the grade three winning Capote x Mr. Prospector mare Vixen Prospector. From fourteen foals Vixen Prospector has thrown three listed winners, three graded winners and one grade one winner, What the Fox Say. He earned that distinction at the end of 2015 when he won the Malibu Sprint over seven furlongs against three year olds. From five starts this season he has hit the board only once, the Grade Two Billy and Jimmy Stakes at seven furlongs. He hasn’t been running badly, his average speed this year is 110.6, it is just that this division is so tough. He’s a deep closer who will need some luck to break through here.
#12 Uncle Call Da Popo 9/1
Uncle Call Da Popo is a five year old scratchbred son of Uncle MO x Capote x Saint Ballado. He’s an eight time winner from only seventeen races. He didn’t begin his career unil November of his three year old season but he showed tremendous talent from the beginning, so much so that he was second in a listed in just his third start. He didn’t break through and win a stakes race until October but he followed his first listed win with a victory in the Grade Three Strong Leader at seven furlongs over this course. In four starts this year his best run was a second place finish in the Grade Three Candlelight Stakes at seven furlongs. This distance seems to be his sweet spot but he has been very inconsistent as late.
#13 Westmire Moon 7/1
Westmire Moon is a four year old scratchbred son of Admire Moon x Hennessy x Gone West. He was a multiple stakes winning three year old including one grade three win at seven furlongs. This season he has only started four times. He has one victory to his credit, a massive win in the Grade Two Commonwealth Stakes at seven furlongs where he ran a massive 118 speed. He was also second in another grade two at the same distance. His two most recent races have been at longer distances and he was off the board in each. The first race was at seven and one half furlongs and the subsequent race came at one mile. It will be interesting to see how this mid-pack runner will take to the cutback in distance.
#14 Epic Bargain 10/1
Epic Bargain is a five year old son of Awesome Again out of the stakes winning A.P. Indy x Mr. Prospector mare A.P. Goodbye. A.P. Goodbye produced grade one winner Cranky Squirrel and four listed winners plus Epic Bargain from thirteen foals. Cranky Squirrel was a two time winner of the Foregone, taking the 2010 and 2011 editions. Epic Bargain spent much of his early career routing unsuccessfully. As a sprinter he has won three times and finished second twice from six starts. In February he won the Grade Three Negative Stakes at seven furlongs with a 117 speed. He has been second twice since then, in the Grade Two Billy and Jimmy Stakes and most recently in a listed going seven and one half furlongs. Sandwiched between those two efforts was a fifth place finish in a grade three.
Good luck to all!