WEST INTO DANCER Challenge Stakes
Saturday’s racing card in Vermont features the Grade II Vermont BB Juvenile and Vermont BB Juvenile Filly. Older females are featured on the under card in the $60,000 WEST INTO DANCER Challenge Stakes over a mile and 1/8 on the dirt course. A very competitive field of 11 will go to the gate, with most of the field certainly capable of stepping up for the win. The field in order of post positions, with early betting odds:
OUR REASONS AGAIN (46 16-5-7 $593,303) [6/1] This 6-year-old daughter of OUR EMBLEM is a multiple stakes winner, including her best outing this year when she won the METRO CONTENT Stakes with an SP 102. Racing for the rharfbeam stable and ridden by jockey L. Secret (5%), this mare prefers to run at or near the front and certainly has the ability to compete in this field.
BARB’S SNOOTY LORI (36 8-6-8 $146,766) [9/2] This 5-year-old has one previous stakes victory, achieved last year in the MAINE BOLD Stakes when she recorded a lifetime best SP of 103 at this distance. She is sired by the very successful producer MISWAKI, whose offspring have earned over $50 million. Ridden by E. Stinson (16%), she races out of the super17 stable and is another capable of being a factor here.
PRETTY PALACE (21 5-3-5 $142,807) [11/1] Another previous stakes winner, this 4-year-old has not recorded a win so far this year in 5 prior outings. She is the only stakes winner produced by the seldom used sire ARAMUS. She is familiar with this surface, coming off a 5th place stakes run at this track three weeks ago. Recent SP’s indicate she may have a tough time with this field, but a big effort could place her on the board. Bred and raced by ladypd, she will be ridden by C. Wolff (10%).
INTERPHONIC (14 2-0-4 $21,351) [26/1] This 4-year-old makes her third attempt at the stakes level, after finishing well back in her two previous outings. This lightly raced mare appears to need a huge step up in performance with jockey D. Fendley (8%) in order to be a factor here for owner and breeder ricdav093.
PPLO (25 9-4-4 $104,876) [7/1] This 5-year-old finished second last time out in her first attempt at the stakes level, following four straight wire-to-wire allowance victories. She races for her 6th owner, gimzo4, following a $20,000 claim two years ago. A late bloomer sired by EVENT OF THE YEAR, she has only begun showing her true ability within the last year. Blessed with an abundance of early speed, quality jockey M. Stearns (15%) will look to have her on the front from the start – only question will be whether she can hold off this excellent field for the entire distance.
SOULTRAPPER (17 7-4-1 $233,975) [4/1] The second betting choice, this 4-year-old is seeking her third lifetime stakes win and second this year. In her stakes win earlier this year, she record a lifetime best SP for this distance of 102. She should benefit from some of the early speed in this field, as she prefers to come from well off the pace. Expect her to do the same here and to be a contender at the finish. Owner/breeder techranger calls on the services of jockey B. Langhorne (11%), second in wins and earnings this year at the Vermont track.
SADFLY’S DESERT (37 1-8-3 $62,021) [27/1] After breaking her maiden first time out, this 5-year-old has not won a race in 36 starts since and is making her first return to the stakes level in over two years. Owned and bred by dessie and ridden by M. Brownlow (10%), she appears to be overmatched here. While very nicely bred (SADLER’S WELLS X GREEN DESERT X SHAM), she has not had an SP over 89 in over two and a half years.
NESSY ALYFAY (24 5-5-5 $136,390) [8/1] This 4-year-old is coming off a 2nd place stakes effort, her best stakes finish in four lifetime tries. Another with early speed, she has shown the ability earlier this year to win wire-to-wire and should be another setting a fast early pace here. Sired by HENNESSEY, her dam was the multiple graded stakes winner ALYFAY (A.P. INDY X ALYSHEBA). She will be ridden by jockey K Youngblood (15%) for owner/breeder burnin.
CATHERINE HAYES (12 2-1-1 $21,823) [99/1] The long shot in the field makes her first attempt at the stakes level following an allowance win last time out with an 86 SP, her first lifetime SP over 80. She is sired by ALMATY, who has produced only two other lifetime runners. Her speed, breeding and past performance history all indicate she will be outclassed in this field. Jockey J. Snowlynn (13%) gets the reins for owner waywardlad.
CLASSIC JACKLAD (21 6-1-5 $257,930) [8/1) The fifth previous stakes winner in this field, her only stakes effort so far this year resulted in a third place finish. A very consistent performer at this distance, she is another that prefers to run at or close to the front. Owner jacklad gets the services of Vermont’s leading jockey, S. Gravina (14%), winner of the feature race two out of the last three weeks at this track.
CASE BY CASE (23 10-2-4 $300,999) [3/1] The prerace favorite, this 4-year-old sired by IN CASE is coming off a huge effort last time out when she won easily in her first attempt at the stakes level with a lifetime best SP 109. One of the few in the field that has shown the ability to win from off the pace, this four time winner in five tries this year looks to prove that her last outing was not a fluke. Jockey N Stelle gets the call for owner allyfarms. .
After seeing my pick finish a controversial second last week, I’ll stick my neck out again with this weeks prediction (guess?): This field appears to have a lot of early speed, so expect a blistering pace from the start with PPLO and NESSY ALYFAY leading and much of the field close behind. All this early speed should allow the race to play out nicely for the late closers, CASE BY CASE and SOULTRAPPER. At the line, it’s SOULTRAPPER, CASE BY CASE and PPLO.