The Lone Star State has decided to break out the checkbook on Saturday with two top notch Graded Stakes races. In the first one, we trot out the long distance runners in the Grade 2 Long Walk Handicap. The race is over a mile and three quarters on a fast track. $250,000 will be the purse and all horses 4 and up get to see how much they can add to their earnings. So let’s break it down and see who can make this long walk seem like a stroll in the park.
LITE’S OUT (5/1) We just saw this 5 year old run a smooth 2nd in the Rock’s Texas Cooking Series just a few weeks back on this track. Trainer texasace brings him right back to try and find the winner’s circle Saturday. In the 2nd place finish this one ran a career high 107 speed figure. That leaves us with the question if he will bounce or if he can repeat that big number. If he does bounce, I would think he can run at least a 98 speed figure from his past performances. This one is a tough horse to figure. If he runs back to the 107 he will surely rise up the marathon ranks.
OXYMORONIC(IRE) (10/1) Trainer theleague brings this 4 year old colt in from the same race that LITE’S OUT finished 2nd in. This one had a rough race that day and finished last place. That is surely not an indication of how good this horse is. He has finished in the money in 9 of 15 at the route distances and has won two lesser stakes. On his best, he can run a figure of around 98 to 100 and I expect him to bounce back and be in that range on Saturday. I am not if that will be good enough to win this Grade 2 race though.
TOUCH AND STOP (4/1) This 6 year old ships in from Vermont to try and get back to back wins. Last out, he won the Secret Capote Cap in gate to wire fashion with a 100 speed figure. Without question this one will find the lead and try to take them gate to wire. A year ago in one of the Rock’s Texas Cooking Series races he ran won going away with a 108 speed figure at this track. That was one of his best races ever. The big question that looms with this one is if he can take these horses gate to wire over this distance. That is what trainer dlynche is counting on.
TUNAMAN (6/1) Trainer togasans ships his 4 year old colt over from Louisiana to try and get a piece of this one. In his last race he ran a solid 2nd on an off track with a speed figure of 97. I think that was a bit slow as he has won a Grade 1 race over 12 furlongs with a 105 speed figure. The negative I see here is the fact that every race that he has ran over 12 furlongs has resulted in pretty large drops in speed figures. I think the extra furlongs will be his biggest enemy on Saturday.
NO NAG HERE(IRE) (10/1) This 7 year old form the sesho17 stable ships in from Tennessee off back to back wins. In the Phone Until Phones Cap he sat off the pace and won the 14 furlong race with a 94 speed figure. He has a few smaller stakes wins under his belt but his speed figures are too low to win this Graded race.
LIGHT HAWK (22/1) Here we have a 4 year old colt from the stable of graywolf10. He comes in off a 3rd place finish in an allowance race with a speed figure of 93. It will take a ton of improvement for him to find a piece of the money today with this huge class rise.
DARWIN(GB) (7/1) Wellington ships this 5 year old in from Idaho. In his last race over a off track he finished 3rd in the Smart Slew Memorial. His speed figure was a 96 in that race over 12 furlongs. On his best, he can run figures above 100 but he has not been able to do that in almost a year and his numbers seem to decline past 12 furlongs. This is a tough task.
YEV’S LEPRECHAUN(IRE) (8/1) This 5 year old exits the same stakes race as DARWIN. Trainer vilfly must feel that the 7th place was a result of the off track. This horse is an interesting one. He showed that he could run pretty good at a distance with his 94 speed figure over 16 furlongs two races back. He has a few 100 speed figures over 11 furlongs so he may have an outsider’s shot at some of the money here if he likes the distance.
LAUDUM (6/1) This 4 year colt ships in from the District of Columbia for trainer zoshka. I am willing to forgive his last two performances and go four races back where he won the Your Hawks Cap at 13 furlongs. He was in a serious groove and ran a 102 speed figure that day. After three straight 100+ figures he jumped up in class to a very tough Grade 3 race and did not do well. This race is not as tough as that one and he is a contender.
GRAND SLAM CLASSIC (24/1) Trainer tyedye ships this 5 year old mare in to do battle with the boys. I think the odds on this one tell most of the story. She has her hands full. She tried the boys last out and ran a 63 speed figure. She has been able to run as high as 98 but that was against the ladies in allowance company. This is a very tough challenge for her.
GNOME ROME (8/1) This 6 year old from the redspeed barn comes in off a win in the Smart Slew Memorial. That race was on an off track and he managed a solid 100 speed figure. Saturday he stretches out in distance and tries to get two in a row. Lately he has ran seemed a little off form before the win last out. This horse is the kind that seems to just throw big races every now and then. I cannot find a rhyme or reason for it but it just happens. So if he runs a good race he is a contender for the money. That is anyone’s guess.
My take: This one is a tough one to predict. Will GNOME ROME run his best? Did LAUDUM catch a light field? Will TUNAMAN handle the extra distance and show his class? Will LITE’S OUT bounce or become a top ranked router? With all the questions I am going to try and bet on the one thing I am confident that will happen. TOUCH AND STOP will get the lead. There is not a lot of early speed in here and I am just going to call for a gate to wire win.