Also Sweet Heads So Cal Tilt

Painful Thorn Stakes
Grade II
A mile and one sixteenth
Fast Dirt
$250,000
Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up

 

PP   Horse     Owner      Jockey  Odds 
1  BOLD PEGGY  conniecpu  M Dorsey  5/1 
2  BELIEVE  aceracer  N Mills  9/1 
3  ALSO SWEET  pick6king  M Staples  2/1 
4  LOVE AND WAR  bm4  F Ford  17/1 
5  SUICIDAL PLANE  sdmf7  R Simcox  8/1 
6  BLAZING LIGHT  oldcrow  K Murano  18/1 
7  JUPITER RALLY  ashleigh  C Wood  21/1 
8  GW WORLD DESTROYER  bigdaddyp  C Mecklenburg  35/1 
9  SEPTEMBER ROYALTY  futurestar  L Jones  4/1 
10  BLING(SAF)  safrace2  J Bryson  7/1 
11  BIG UGLY  jrogue  O Brim  11/1

 

 

Not all of the big time racing action will be in Kentucky on Saturday.  A pair of graded stakes headline the California card.  The Grade II Painful Thorn Stakes features eleven classy fillies and mares going one mile and one sixteenth on the fast main course.  Let’s meet the ladies in post position order.

 

 

Breaking from the rail will be entertainment reporter extraordinaire Conniecpu’s fleet Bold Peggy.  The light gray Fu Peg five year old arrives fresh from an off track allowance score (SP 101) in Jamaica, mon.  The multiple stakes winner had performed poorly in her three previous races, but prior to those clunkers had been in outstanding form including a very sharp second in The Grade III DelPenn Distaff in which she posted a 107 speed figure.  Connie knows what she’s doing both in the barn and along press row.  Her mare will be ready.

 

 

Believe will carry Aceracer’s blue and white colors into battle on Saturday.  The six year old mare has spent the past year sprinting on the turf with modest success.  Last November she won a seven furlong listed stake in Finland.  The petite Miswaki homebred did break her maiden over California’s main track back in 2004.  Outside chance in here. 

 

 

Also Sweet is the 2-1 favorite for very good reason.  She’s a lot faster than anything else in the race.  The Point Given five year old has won three stakes in her last five starts including two Grade II wins.  Last time out she fell a half length short as the chalk in an Eastern Kentucky listed stake.  But the flashy chestnut posted a 110 speed figure winning a Grade II stake before that.  In fact, her previous four speed numbers were 110, 108, 109 and 108.  Far superior to those of any of her rivals.  Has a great chance to give her trainer, Pick6king, his one hundredth career victory.

 

 

Post four belongs to 17-1 outsider Love And War.  The pretty daughter of War Emblem and the great Grade I winning millionaire Lolland (Danzig x Forty Niner) has Mom’s looks but not her speed.  Trainer Bm4 must be disappointed that none of Lolland’s four foals have done anything of note, yet.  Love And War did post a 101 speed figure winning a Colorado allowance in October.  But three stakes attempts since then have resulted in nothing better than a sixth place finish.  Later with easier.

 

 

Black Label Stables’ Suicidal Plane breaks from gate five.  The fast but inconsistent DelPenn based Meadowlake filly went wire-to-wire last time out in a Jamaican listed stake.  Her 104 speed figure was a lifetime best.  Prior to that she was twelfth in an Alabama stake.  Any improvement from her last start puts her squarely in the picture.  Your call.

 

 

Trainer Oldcrow (Texas Tech OK David’s Red Dirt Runners) plucked Blazing Light out of a $25,000 claimer last November.  The rangy Carson City filly failed to win a trio of starter allowance races following the claim.  Then David found the key.  Twinkies.  Yes, Twinkies, those trans fat laden sponge cakes we all loved as kids.  Blazing Light wiped out half a dozen artery cloggers the night before her next race.  All she did is run off and hide in a $46,200 4L allowance in Eastern Kentucky.  Then came another romp in a DC allowance after a Twinkie, Ho-Ho, Ding Dong and Snowball orgy.  Three in a row seems very remote.  But stranger things have happened. 

 

 

Ashleigh’s Jupiter Rally has won two races.  A maiden special and a nw2L allowance.  Nine stakes tries have resulted in nine dismal finishes.  Everyone who thinks this one will turn out better, raise your hand.

 

 

G W World Destroyer would be better off running against Jupiter Rally in a nw2X/3L allowance.  The Tiznow stallion has been a complete non-factor in three stakes races.  Was beaten almost twenty five lengths last time out.  Pass.

 

 

There may not be a better bred horse than September Royalty.  She is by super stud Kingmambo and is out of the great September Storm (Summer Squall x Alydar x Buckpasser, $2,000,000+, two grade I wins, four graded wins altogether).  Futurestar’s five year old has won four graded races herself and if she wins a fifth on Saturday, she’ll surpass the million dollar mark in career earnings and join Mom as one of the few mother/daughter millionaire mare duos.  Tired a bit after showing speed in her last two outings but won the Grade III Sabian three back off of similar lines.  Can definitely rebound this week. 

 

 

Bling(SAF) is the wild card.  A double graded winner on the lawn, Safrace2’s Horse Chestnut(SAF) mare tries the main course for the first time since running third early in her racing career.  She has a few things going in her favor.  High percentage veteran trainer.  Hot rider in Jeff Bryson.  Turf to dirt angle.  And appears to be sitting on a big race following a bounce from her career best 106 speed number earned while capturing the Grade III Shawnee River Handicap the time before.  Must consider.

 

 

Big Ugly is neither.  The diminutive roan is a real cutie pie.  This will be the first race in two months for Jrogue’s deep closer.  After winning the Grade II Razorback Distaff two back, the Summer Squall five year old stopped to a crawl last time out in the Original Margarita in Dubai.  She reportedly bled in that race and is adding lasix for this start.  She looked rock solid drilling five eighths in 1:01.2 Wednesday morning.  Another serious contender. 

 

 

Four or five mares have legit credentials to take this race.  It should be a wild one.  Good luck with your picks!