New York favoured in Star Athlete

This week’s feature race is the Star Athlete Handicap at Grade III level over the 8.5 furlongs on the fast dirt track for a purse of $150,000 open to all horses 3 years old and over, and it is always exciting when there is a Graded race on the card for a day. The excitement level at the track is elevated as owners of the horses come from all places to hopefully see their wonderful investment or passion claim the ultimate prize in racing.

This weekend’s race has attracted a top quality field of 14 runners from all over the European division and I have been here for a few days and have had the opportunity to watch them all goes through their final paces and have a chat to what trainers I could catch up with to get their opinions.

So let’s get into it and have a look at the field in more detail:

New York Thunder trained by Seppy: This guy is a magnificent 6yo chestnut but Thunder Gulch. He has amassed 18 wins from his 53 starts which is an exceptional win %. This guy has been in Grade III races his past 7 starts which has resulted in 3 seconds and 2 thirds with a solid second last tile out in the Fus Gonner. After watching him in his final workout before this race, in which he looked great and moved very smoothly in just a run down over 6 furlongs with a quickening over the final 2 furlongs he pulled up without blowing! Seppy was a contented trainer saying “There is nothing more I can do for him now, he is hard, fit and happy. He is a closer so we need speed on in the run and he will certainly come at them hard in the stretch. Hopefully he crosses the line first!”. There is definitely an air of confidence in the camp, so I give him a great chance.

Rhibus trained by Gradetwo: Wow, this 4yo colt is a beautiful animal, by the super sire Kingmambo. He has won 7 of his 23 starts but has not won for the past 7 starts since his win in the Grade II Winchester Park Derby with a 112 speed figure. He shipped in to Missouri a couple of weeks back so is well acclimatised to the conditions here and he is another who looked great in his final work out. The trainer Gradetwo said “he is not concerned about him not winning in his past 7 starts, he has still run good speed figures so he is still going well. He has been ridden somewhat closer to the speed in his past few starts, probably accounting for his stretch fadeouts. Hopefully this time he will be ridden more quietly and he can come with a fast stretch run like he did in the Winchester Derby. It is going to be hard to turn the tables on New York Thunder though!” Another with an air of confidence, but a place chance for mine at best.

Speightsband trained by Stoneface: This guy is a long and lanky looking 4yo colt by Speightstown who has won 7 of his 19 starts including the last two over this trip in stakes company. He was ultra impressive last time out in the Mr Guiness when he stalked the speed and drew away in the stretch to win by 2 lengths with a 108 speed figure. That will be super competitive here. The one question is that he is making the jump to graded class so we can see what happens. He looked glistening as the sun rose while he was running down his final two furlongs in his last hit out before this race. Stoneface said “Well how impressive was that? he looks great and is coming off 2 straight stakes wins. He certainly deserves his place in this race. We just hope we get a nice run through the race and he will be thereabouts at the finish.” I have to say this guy does look good, and he should be right in the mix here.

Kepler Dido trained by Marianus: A nice compact looking 4yo grey colt by Spinning World. He has won 8 of his 29 starts and makes his first Graded appearance here. He has a solid grounding with his last 2 races in stakes company which yielded a win and a second and more importantly 105 and 106 speed figures. He looked slick in his final hitout where he beat convincingly his trackwork companion. Marianus said “He has been going well in stakes races and he deserves his chances in a Graded race. This looked like a suitable race so we shipped him in. He is hard and fit so we are really hoping that he is up to the class”. I sense some quiet optimism in this camp so this guy could be one to look out for if there are any betting moves!

Cat Mango trained by Gblade: A very fit looking 5yo colt by Acatenango and he was right on his toes going out onto the track on for his final piece of trackwork. He looked a picture cantering around the inner track before in what was a surprise move Gblade asked the jockey to take him out to the centre of the track and put him over a few hurdles! Gblade said “He has been off his game the past 3 races and we have not been happy with him. He is in the big league now and he needs his mind to be put back on the job and to be sharpened up.” This schooling trick is age old so look out for a sharp turnaround in this guys performance this weekend. He has shown he has the ability with a stakes win 6 starts back with a 108 speed figure so a repeat puts him in the race here.

The Lake Effect trained by Grandslam: A very athletic looking 4yo colt here by Salt Lake. He is returning to the Graded ranks after 2 failures as a 3yo. He looks like a much more seasoned horse in his 4yo year so he should be a lot more competitive here. He looked great cantering a couple of laps on the inner sand track, but they were in the dark very early in the morning so Grandslam is trying to keep attention away from him. Grandslam said “He is a bit of a loner of a horse, that is why we work him early in the morning in the dark. He has run really well in his past 3 stakes races so he deserved his chance here. If he runs up to his last race where he ran on hard in the stretch he is a chance, the extra half furlong should suit him down to the ground. We are really hopeful!” Another who should run well with pace on, probably a place chance at best.

Reddy Whip trained by Epsom: This guy is a real athlete, he is a 5yo chestnut by Red Ransom. Epsom has found the niche for this guy with the wet track, he has won 2 from 2. Unfortunately the weatherman is not his friend here with a 0% chance of an off track. He has some solid form with 100+ speed figures over this distance but is making his graded debut. He was another kept away from prying eyes at trackwork, as he stayed in the barn as the trainer has a different routine for him. Epsom said “We give him very little work late in the week and a couple of day off help freshen him up. We were really hoping for an off track but we probably aren’t going to get that. He will have to run up to his very very best but he is going well.” Epsom, you are right, he will have to run very very well, but he is capable of a place at best here.

Top Notch Hero trained by Tmaria: Nice looking Distroted Humor 3yo here. He ran well in the Dallas BB Stakes when he was 7^th with a 99 speed figure. He is making his debut against the older horses here, probably a bit early for a 3yo. Tmaria said “He ran well last time out in the Dallas BB behind a very good horse. We know this is a tough assignment but he has continued to thrive and his speed figures are improving”. He looked well in his final hitout but with no 100+ speed figures yet, he will need to pull one out of the bag to hit the board here. It is a good race to see if he can handle the extra distance, which should suit him.

Need Binoculars trained by Meguire: A compact 4yo colt by Rainbow Quest. I hope the name is not indicative of his finishing position in races, need I say to Meguire “LOL!!”, anyway he makes his Graded debut here and he comes off a win 2 starts back on a wet track with a 103 speed figure over this distance. A wet track would really help him but the weatherman is not going to be his friend this weekend. He looked solid in his final run down and Meguire said these brief words as I caught him leaving the track “We need a wet track, I am going to do a rain dance!!” then he ran off chuckling, maybe he knows something we don’t.

Forbidden Treasure trained by Billgulch: A very nice looking 5yo colt by Empire Maker. Trained by the Sim Sports guru himself, that should make it a standout tip! This guy makes his return to the dirt after 6 straight turf starts. Last time on the dirt he was well beaten in The Adam Plus Boom stakes but he has run second in a Grade III in the Big A Handicap back in week 2748 over this trip with a 102 speed figure. This guy looked nice running on the fibre track where he just cantered. Trainer BillGulch was having a coffee when I caught up with him, “He deserves another Graded start and this was a suitable race, he is switching from the turf to the dirt so we are hoping for a bit of a bounce. He likes the distance, and we will run him off the speed so he can run out the trip. We have out fingers and toes crossed but we think he is up to this race”. He is up to the class here but I think a place chance at the best.

Capidad trained by Tamure: A nice looking 4yo Pulpit Chestnut horse here. He has won 3 of his 21 starts and is eligible for much easier races than this. He won over this distance back in 2839 with an 89 speed figure as a 3yo and since then has recorded 3, 100+ speed figures. He appears to like this distance and looks to make a strong closing run in the stretch. We did not get a look at this guy in trackwork as he was on a late flight from Dubai and had not arrived and neither had the trainer. I caught up with an owner who had flown in early and they said “This is a leap of faith with this guy, we were looking for a suitable race to avoid the shipping cost to the American side of the pond, and here we are. We are hoping for a good solid performance, a cheque would be nice.” Good luck guys, if he can run up to the 105 speed figure 3 starts back and get over the jetlag, he could sneak a place.

Armstrong trained by Paddy: Here is a very imposing 4yo colt by Afleet who has won 6 of his 23 starts with his last 4 races with 100+ speed figures. He is no stranger to Graded races but with 3 failures at this level following a super second in the Sparkling Win Stakes back in week 2636 as a 2yo. He won his last start so comes into this race with winning form. This guy was given an easy morning leading up to this race with just a long walk and a roll followed by a pick of grass. Paddy said “All of the work is done, he is fit and alert so a walk and a roll is all he needs just to keep him on the fresh side. He has been in good form but makes a return to graded class and that is a query, but hey, who can fault winning form!” that is very true and winning form is good form so he is a chance here.

Calvados trained by Sonsierra: A super looking and super bred 4yo colt here by Sadler’s Wells. He has been mixing his surface spending the majority of his time on the turf but he has a good record on the dirt with 2 wins from 5 starts. He is suited by this distance with 2 wins from his last 3 starts over this trip. He looked excellent in his final hit out with his galloping companion where he shaded him on the post and pulled up without blowing. Sonsierra said “that is all he needed, just enough to keep him mind on the job. He is a tough horse but very adaptable as he is able to mix his surfaces and is not adverse to sprinting. This is his favourite trip and we think this is a really suitable race for him. We will get up on the speed and he will be one to catch in the stretch”. He looks the logical leader so he will be in this race for a long way.

South River Dan trained by Doubledan: Well this is the veteran of the field, the 7yo Stravinsky horse who has won 7 of his lightly raced 24 starts. Have to say that this guy has been mixing his distance with starts ranging from 8 up to 12 furlongs in his past 9 starts. He ran a super second in stakes class 6 starts back where he ran a 108 speed figure over the mile. He was another that did not do a lot leading into the race this week, he spent most of his time swimming and just relaxing. Doubledan said “He has been racing over the staying trips so he needed to be freshened up for this race, the best way to do that is to not do a lot of work, so he has been relaxing. He is also first up for 5 weeks so that will help his sprinting ability. The concern for us here is the step up in class, he certainly has the ability but we hope he is competitive at this level. There is only one way to find that out though!” He probably needs it a bit longer and will need a few extra speed points but he is certainly up to a place chance.

No tips forthcoming from me, just good luck to all runners!!

Simon