Nine to Go For Broke

The seventh running of the Grade III Go For Broke has attracted a promising field of nine fillies for the Delaware feature race. 

Coming just one week after the Bluegrass Oaks race, Go For Broke has always featured later developing fillies than that Grade I affair.  Put these fillies on your “horses to watch” list.

Donner, the 2005 winner went on to win the Grade I Chestnut.  2004’s second place filly, Squall is a Storm, went on to seven graded wins and earnings of over $3 million.  Last year’s winner, Suicidal Plane, was second in a Grade II race just last weekend.

The race has always favored those that can run on or just off the lead, and it has attracted a field where every filly fits exactly that style.  At the break they should all be going for broke.

Here is a look at the field:

1. CROSSTHECAUSEWAY(IRE)  (GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (IRE) x GONE WEST x RIVA RIDGE)  bred and trained by 0023 (11%) Odds: 8-1.

She’s been in the money seven times in her eight starts.  While she’s been a steady runner on all surfaces and distances, her barn is still experimenting trying to find her favorite.  She’s only run one dirt route, where she comfortably crushed a field of four.  That win came, as this does, on a turf sprint to dirt route change.  Her speed figures are on the light side, but the regally bred youngster is eligible to improve rapidly and always tries her best.

2. SISTER DEW(KY)  (TALE OF THE CAT x WILD AGAIN x CAPOTE)  bred and trained by ce5s97p (16%)  Odds: 8-1.

Filly was a successful sprinter as a two-year-old, but barn switched her to routes when she turned three and they haven’t looked back.  She’s three of four and comes here off a pair of listed stakes wins.  The class rise should not be an issue today.  She got off to uncontested leads in those races against smaller fields.  She is certain to face some pressure today, though as a sprinter she showed she did not need the early lead to get the win.

3. MAGICAL MYTH(KY)  (E DUBAI x STORM CAT x ALYDAR)  bred and trained by Euroalien (11%)  Odds: 6-1.

Four of the past five winners of the Go For Broke prepped for this race with allowance wins.  Myth comes in off two straight allowance wins, both dirt races at the distance.  She has a couple other things going for her, too:  She’s tied for the best last-out speed figure. She has a proven ability to rally, and there is a likely pace battle in front of her. 

4. LIBERTY QUEST(IRE)  (STATUE OF LIBERTY x RAINBOW QUEST x FORTY NINER)  bred and trained by stoneface (11%)  Odds: 14-1.

Probably doesn’t deserve to be this large of a longshot – She did win her last race and is undefeated in dirt routes, and she’s been in the money now four of her five dirt starts.  Her last race was, admittedly, against a weak Malaysian allowance.  A quirk in the rules makes it much more appealing to ship Malaysia to Delaware for a graded stakes than for any other race.  You have to be suspicious of that.  A win would be a surprise, but not the biggest surprise you’ve seen.

5. KOKO TAYLOR(FR)  (HIGH YIELD x CAPOTE x FORTY NINER)  bred and trained by banditkllr  (10%).  Odds: 2-1.

Koko Taylor the singer is the queen of Chicago blues.  Banditkllr the trainer is the king of the last minute entry, and he did it again Wednesday afternoon with this one.  Koko Taylor the horse is the strong and deserving favorite here.  She’s the lone graded stakes winner.  She’s the lone filly here to possess a triple digit speed figure.  She’s the 24^th rated filly in the division when no other filly here is in the top 50.  The reasons she’s the likely winner are too obvious.  We should look for why she won’t win.  Seven fillies enter this race with last race speed figures between 92 and 95.  You could say that makes the race too tight to bet on the favorite.  You could also question why the favorite is the one with the 92 figure.  Speaking of speed figures, Koko’s are going in the wrong direction.  She’s gone from 105 to 95 to 92.  Three year old’s figures should be going up.  Finally, she was a beaten favorite last time.  Most handicappers view that as a strong negative.  Finally, the real reason she absolutely cannot win: I am picking her to win, and that has been the kiss of death for months it seems.

6. CATHOUSE ROCK(KY)  (ROCK HARD TEN x STORM CAT x A.P. INDY)  bred by bluebayou, trained by bulletwork (16%)  Odds: 5-1.

This hard running filly has failed to cash a check only twice in her ten starts.  Unfortunately those were her only two graded starts, where she folded after facing early pressure.  She figures to face the early pressure again in this graded affair, but barn has reason to hope for a better outcome today.  Those two stakes were against much tougher than she meets today, and she beat Koko Taylor in one of them anyway.  The allowance field she handled easily last time was full of stakeswinning sorts.  Hard trying filly likes to win.  Jockey is off to a miserable start in 2007.

7. NO STYLE AT ALL(KY)  (VAN NISTELROOY x SEEKING THE GOLD x RAHY)  bred by zeco2, trained by bomber93 (14%)  Odds: 7-1.

Since taking over this filly at the end of her two-year-old campaign, barn has done a masterful job.  She has two allowance wins and enters here off a close third in the tough Grade III Jockey Guild.  A comparison of the fields makes this look like a class drop for one with the highest last-race speed figure and a hot jockey.  Very dangerous.

8. PROSPECTORS APPEAL(TX)  (BIONIC PROSPECT x GONE WEST x VALID APPEAL)  bred and trained by pmjstable (9%)  Odds: 9-1

She tried graded stakes a couple of times as a two-year-old without success.  A recent jump in speed figures tempts the stable to try again. You can sense that this filly would really like to see a chance to get an uncontested lead.  She’s been able to win in the past even when faced with early challenges, so it’s not out of the question, but it looks tough.

9. MALIBU STACY(KY)  (CONGAREE x SUMMER SQUALL x WHAT LUCK)  bred and trained by timjbehr2 (12%)  Odds: 8-1.

She exits a strong listed stakes where she finished a decent third.  That race was her first try going two turns, and she seems to like it.  Apparent class jump is not large considering who she faced last time.  This is one barn that is delighted to see all the early speed here. While Stacy can run close to the lead, she figures to be sitting last or close to last through much of this and should be picking off several of these in the late going.  It’s just a question of how many she picks off.

Top Three’s:

Morning Line:        Koko Taylor,     Cathouse Rock, Magical Myth

Speed Last Race:  Magical Myth,    No Style at All,  Sister Dew

Best 8.5f Speed:    Koko Taylor,     Magical Myth,   No Style at All

Current Class:        Koko Taylor,     No Style at All,  Sister Dew

Early Speed:          Cathouse Rock, Sister Dew,        Prospectors Appeal

Late Speed:           Koko Taylor,     Magical Myth,    Malibu Stacy

Timmn:                   Koko Taylor,    Magical Myth,    No Style at All