14 ENTERED IN GRADE 1 DIRT SPRINT
A great card of racing at New York this week, and while all eyes will be on the derby lock prep race there are some great supporting races included in this racing program. The 14th race has the 6th running of The Billy and Jimmy Stakes, a 7 furlong sprint on the dirt for 3 year olds and up. This grade I contest will be offering a purse of $350,000.
Let’s take a look at the field:
1)JUMPING SAL—6/1—thebandit sends out this 4 year old colt out of DAYJUR with a record of 19-10-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $502,021. This 22nd divisional ranked colt enters this race on a 5 race winning streak. He has posted 6 wins in 12 lifetime stakes starts and is 2/4 in graded races. Those 2 Graded race wins came in his last 2 starts. This colt has been a different horse since a turf try last season and has been unbeaten in dirt sprints since that race. He is a mid pack stalker and will have the services of the very talented Lawton(24.8%) who is having a banner season in the saddle so far this year. This colt is one of 3 who have been made the lukewarm co-favorites for this race today.
2)DIXIE GLOW—6/1—kaif099 sends out this 5 year old horse out of DIXIE UNION with a record of 30-9-5-4 and lifetime earnings of $383,702. This 43rd divisional ranked horse has 3 stakes wins in 19 lifetime tries and is 1/7 in Graded stakes events. He will be making his 2007 racing season debut with this race today after coming off a 4 month lay off and it will have to be seen if his fitness will be a factor in this race today. It marks the first time with such a long layoff between races for this one. His best career race so far has been a 114 speed rating earned in a Californina stakes sprint last year. This horse is best when running as a closer and Ryan (5.9%) hopes to have a clear path down the stretch for this one to show his closing speed. He is another of the 3 morning line favorites.
3)LOGANS RANSOM—7/1—prufrockja sends out this 5 year old horse out of FORTY NINER with a record of 21-5-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $220,014. This 96th divisional ranked horse has 2 stakes wins in 16 lifetime tries and is 0/5 in Graded events. His best race to date was a 2nd place finish in a Vermont overnite stake last year where he posted a 112 speed rating over the 7 furlong contest. He enters this race having posted 6 straight triple digit speed ratings. He is a speed horse and seems to need the lead to get his best results. In 2007 he has yet been able to carry his front end speed to the wire and has faded in the final furlong in his last 3 starts. Manning (7.7%) will have to find the trick to keep this one going at the end of the race to find the winners circle today.
4)SMUGGLER’S CATCH—11/1—zeplin sends out this 5 year old horse out of CAPOTE with a record of 28-12-4-1 and lifetime earnings of $242,038. This 60th divisional ranked horse was claimed by the current connections for 15k last year, and they are the 4th set of owners for this horse in his career. It turned out to be a great claim as the horse went on to win 10 out of 14 starts in 2006 after the claim, including an 8 race winning streak. After running out his tag he kept on winning in conditional allowances and then went on to win 2 stakes races. He has 2 stakes victories in 7 lifetime attempts but is 0/2 in Graded races. He seemed to regress this season with some lower speed ratings in his first 3 starts in 2007 but improved in his last race by matching his lifetime best 107 speed rating while finishing 2nd in a Maryland Grade III race where he just got nipped at the wire. This one is a speed horse and will have to contend with another speedy horse just inside of him in this field. Schauer (11.1%) will be in the irons today.
5)EURO FLEET—14/1—zooomr2 sends out this 6 year old horse out of AFLEET with a record of 37-9-4-6 and lifetime earnings of $606,020. This 254th divisional ranked horse has 6 stakes wins in 34 lifetime tries but is 0/15 in Graded events. It appears that this horse peaked in his 3 and 4 year old seasons and has been on a decline since midway thru last year. His speed ratings have been coming down and age is probably becoming a factor as he has consistantly been running against top quality stake fields. His best lifetime race was a 113 speed rating posted while finishing 2nd in the Grade II Pinto in 2005 in California. This horse is a closer who has not had his late kick in any of his 3 starts to date this year. Jenkins (11.1%) will hope to turn things around with this one in today’s race.
6)HOLLAND PARK—19/1—tejanoroy sends out this 5 year old horse with a lifetime record of 26-8-5-2 and lifetime earnings of $333,555. This 538th divisional ranked horse has 2 stakes wins in 15 lifetime tries and is 1/6 in Graded events. His last stakes victory was in his 3 year old season, but his only Graded stakes victory occured at this track so hopefully the New York magic can rub off again on this horse today. He finished 4th in the Equinics dirt sprint last year while posting his lifetime best 107 speed rating. He unsuccesfully tried the turf in his 2006 finale and looked outrun in his 2007 debut on the dirt but rebounded with a restricted allowance win in his last start which has prompted his connections to ship him across the pond for this race today. Dundey (11.8%) will try to have this closer charging in the lategoing in this race today.
7)DEATH ALLEY DRIVER—16/1—sdmf5 sends out this 4 year old colt out of GONE WEST with a lifetime record of 19-4-3-3 and lifetime earnings of $179,780. This 238th divisional ranked horse began his career at lofty heights trying 3 stakes events before finally winning a restricted MSW start in his 4th lifetime race. His best race to date was winning an overnite stake in Nebraska last year while posting a 107 speed rating in the 7 furlong contest. After having a poor turf try two starts back he just missed out last time in a valient closing effort in a stakes try. His stakes winning percentage is poor though, having only won the 1 stake race in 14 lifetime tries and going 0/4 in Graded events. Foster (10.9%) will be in the saddle of this closer today.
8)AZROC RED N YELLOW—32/1—cjt sends out this 4 year old colt out of GREEN DESERT with a record of 22-4-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $182,285. This 327th divisional ranked colt was a triple crown race runner last year when he finished 11th in the Middle Jewel stakes in Maryland. He has 2 stakes wins in 15 lifetime tries and is 0/6 in Graded stakes events. He is the morning line longest shot on the board and that is due to the fact that he has yet to post a triple digit speed rating in any of his lifetime races. He is shipping accross the pond for today’s race after winning an overnite stakes race last time out while posting a 99 speed rating in a closing effort. Dishman (14.3%) gets the call for this race today.
9)JIMMY JAMES(BRZ)—8/1—blitzers sends out this 5 year old horse out of SIPHON(BRZ) with a record of 29-9-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $392,536. This 41st divisional ranked horse is coming into this race off his best lifetime effort while posting a 109 speed rating in the Grade III Toboggan Handicap in New Jersey. His connections are hoping not to have this one bounce off that race in entering him in today’s Grade I event. This stalker-closer raced mostly on the turf at 3 year old but has been racing exclusively on the dirt in the last 2 seasons. He has 4 stakes wins in 16 attempts and is a perfect 1/1 in Graded events after his Grade III victory last time out. Painter (12%) will be the rider for this one in today’s race.
10)LEICA TIGER—13/1—dkyoung4 sends out this 5 year old horse out of STORM CAT with a record of 25-10-6-3 and lifetime earnings of $371,574. This 224th divisonal ranked horse has 4 stakes wins in 9 lifetime tries and is 0/1 in Graded events. This horse has been shipped overseas and will be making his first lifetime start in North America today. He has been lightly raced in the last 2 seasons and has made the most out of his starts by finishing in the money in all of them in 2006 and 2007 so far. The light racing schedule has had him at peak form for most races with his high win and in the money percentages. While his best lifetime speed rating was a 108 in an allowance in 2005 he comes into this race today having won an overnite stakes overseas posting a 106 speed rating. This one loves to stalk the early pace and with a couple of speedsters on the inside in this field will give him a couple to chase in this field today. The inexperience of today’s jockey Bachand (0%) who will be looking for his first win of the season may hinder this one in today’s race.
11)TEXAS RANGER—7/1—super2 sends out this 5 year old horse out of DEPUTY MINISTER with a record of 26-8-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $266,704. This 82nd divisional ranked horse has 2 stakes wins in 11 lifetime tries and is 0/2 in Graded stakes events. The super conglomorate sends this one out having posted triple digit speed ratings in his last 6 races. His best race to date was while posting a 111 speed rating in a 7 furlong stake in Denmark last year. This stalker usually makes his move midway thru the final turn. He has a lot of air miles under his belt having shipped across the pond on several occasions to date and is doing so again for this contest today. The one knock may be his Graded Stakes record where he has finished in 7th and 15th in 2 tries. Israel (14.35) will be guiding this one after the gates open in today’s race.
12)SEEKING TO RULE—6/1—tenpin8 sends out this 4 year old colt out of SEEKING THE GOLD with a record of 20-9-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $396,110. This 29th divisional ranked colt enters this race coming off of back to back wins including his last, The Grade III Count Fingers Sprint in Maryland where he matched his lifetime best 108 speed rating. He has 4 stakes wins in 12 lifetime starts and is 1/4 in Graded stakes races. He hopes to break the pattern of only winning races in pairs this week. He is another closer and there are a pair of speedsters to chase at in today’s race. Williams (17.6%) who is enjoying a very successfull year in his limited starts will guide this Minnesota Downs based entry in today’s race.
13)PEQUIN CAT—9/1—quietly sends out this 5 year old horse out of TABASCO CAT with a record of 35-8-2-5 and lifetime earnings of $708,146. This 37th divisional ranked horse enters this race as the defending champion after winning last years contest at 12/1 with a huge move in the final turn and then running them all down in the stretch drive. That race produced his lifetime best 111 speed rating. This horse is always racing against top company, including a 14th place finish in last years Breeders Bowl sprint which may account for his tough luck in some of his races. His 2007 debut was an outrun 12th place finish but he came back to finish 2nd in Rock’s Texas Cooking Series last time out. He loves the 7 furlong distance and would love to repeat on his winning performance of last year. Child (13.8%) gets the call for this horse in this year’s race.
14)BJ’S BOY—29/1—dragon1 sends out this 5 year old horse with a record of 25-2-4-2 and lifetime earning of $53,408. This 2330th divisional ranked horse was claimed last year by his current connections for 25k, and he has not won a race yet since the claim. In fact his last win was a NW1X allowance in his 3 year old debut. He is 0/7 in stakes races of which 2 have been graded and he is usually outrun in the black type races. He posted a lifetime best 101 speed rating in his 2007 debut race while finishing 2nd in an allowance race but his ratings have been on a downward trend since. This horse would probably be better suited for restricted allowance company as he has many restrictions left to go before being forced to race against open company. He does show speed for the first half of races but the post and speed horses that are inside of him will be another factor here today. Davis (7.3%) gets the nod in the saddle today.
A great race for the derby lock undercard and as usual I am going to give the edge to the Minny bases horse, #12 SEEKING TO RULE.
Who are you going to pick?
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO