Dublin Lass Returns To Try Again

Dublin Lass Returns To Try Again

New York – It’s the weekend of The New Yorker and with a super undercard of racing I was happy to find a ticket to New York on my desk along with my assignment.  It’s not often I get to travel with so many of our reporters so this should be a fun trip.  After arriving in New York, Squirrel and I found ourselves in the hotel bar along with most of the rest of the staff that had arrived in New York from various hometowns.  We were planning our journalistic attack on the track in the morning when almost everyone decided to head across the street for a little karaoke. 

Being older and wiser I stayed in and studied my notes on The CVBear’s Hometown Handicap.  I had been disappointed to learn that while Cvbear, himself, was covering a race for the BTB, he had come to New York earlier in the week as he also had horses to take care of.  The CVBear’s Hometown Handicap has been carded as the nightcap of the racing afternoon and is a Grade III event for 3 & up fillies and mares traveling a distance of six furlongs over the main track.  Some great trainers have brought some of their top sprinters to New York this week, and they will race for a purse of $125,000 in what has shaped up to be a very competitive race.  It’s a good thing I didn’t stay out with the Karaoke crew because I wanted to be on the rail at 5 AM for some last minute observations of the horses. 

It was still dark when I caught a cab to the stable gate and made my way inside.   By the time the sun peeked over the horizon, I had found a nice spot by the clocker’s table and was ready to check out the horses getting their last workouts before the big day on Saturday.

Tale Of Seattle (6/1) stepped on to the track shortly after I arrived and the bright bay filly with the crooked stripe down her nose was certainly an eye catcher.  Trained by Irishgal, she sparkled in the early light as her feet galloped rhythmically over the track.  She has won 15 of her 21 starts and while most of her races have been on the grass, she has won four of her eight starts on the dirt.  Her last win was in The His Swamp, two races back at 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf.  She has some good speed, a lot of class she should do just fine on Saturday.  Tale Of Seattle is by Phone Trick out of Slew Marilyn (Tale Of The Cat) and is probably the best of the mare’s four foals to race.

I almost missed Stormy Angel (9/1) when she went by hidden down on the inside in a set with two others.  Not a large mare, she has the daisy cutting action so prized by horsemen for the show ring.  By Miesque’s Son and out of Mother Linda (Temperance Hill) she is another that seems to be the best of the mare’s four foals to race.  The copper chestnut certainly knows her way around a racetrack as she has started 57 times and has won 13 of them.  Although she was wearing polos on all four legs she was hitting the ground well as she galloped by on a long rein.  Stormy Angel is one of those nice horses that are rarely off the board, albeit she hasn’t seen very many top of the ladder races recently.  She comes in off a win in The Last Dance Allowance at 4 1/2 furlongs and closed with a rush down the lane.  I spoke briefly with her trainer Marian1 who told me that they had used the 4 1/2 furlong race as a good workout for this race.  “We hate to use up a race in the morning so rarely do we work her.  At eight year’s old we know that each time we send her out it could be her last,” said Marian1, “so we just gallop her a few times and run her.”  

 Bill Gulch was dragged to the gap by a very fractious 4 YO filly, Benny Being Benny (9/2) from his Ebryant stable.  She was to supposedly gallop a slow mile.  “She’s just like her namesake,” he panted as he turned her loose and quickly stepped out of the way.  Flinging her rather large head in the air, she took hold of the bit, and sped off, with the exercise rider hanging on for what looked like dear life.  “Slow her down, you no riding piece of #$@##*& –  Slow-her-down,” he yelled after their retreating forms.  “Damned horse sure has a mind of her own but that rider is no help!”  Benny Being Benny is a plain brown filly by More Than Ready out of a Fusaichi Pegasus mare and although she hasn’t won in nine months she sure looked fit and ready to me as she sped by us a second time with the hapless rider trying his best to get her under control.  Relatively lightly raced she has only started 14 times with six wins but is ranked # 2 among the dirt sprinters and she has brought home almost 3/4 of a million dollars to help feed the family.   She is very capable of throwing out a big effort and if the morning gallop wasn’t too fast this morning she could well run back to her last major win, which was the Grade I Check My Speed Stakes .

The morning line favorite, Calculus Guru (7/2) came by and the 5 YO dark bay mare was certainly enjoying herself as she kicked and cavorted along side the quiet pony.  By Doneraile Court and out of a Dixieland Band mare she had deep rich dapples that spoke of good feed and hand rubbing.  Trained by Jerry78133 she is a 12 time winner and has been turning in some big speed figures winning three of her last four races.  While she has been racing at the allowance level recently she made the lead in the Grade II Unthinkable Stakes at seven furlongs, but stopped like she hit a wall and finished sixth.  She will like this distance better and should give a strong performance.

Dublin Lass (4/1), who competed last year in this race as 4 YO returns looking filled out and much more mature.  A well bred daughter of Storm Cat out of a Mr. Prospector mare she came by going the wrong way in a steady jog with trainer Dublinlad watching her every move.  Almost black and trimmed in white she had an efficient way of moving that could give her an advantage at this distance.  She is ranked # 28 among the lady dirt sprinters and has won almost half (12) of her 26 starts and over $500,000 in purse money. More impressive, she has won four of her last five races, all at six furlongs and all with 100 + speed figures.  The races included The Pack Your Bags Pye, The Another Cheap Star and last time out she took The Corporate Fridge.  She has earned a shot at this level and will try and take the field gate to wire…

Owner/trainer Cuffy likes to gallop her own and went by looking very correct and pretty on her 5 YO mare Suicure (10/1)  A dark bay or brown, she was easily recognizable by the wide white blaze that ran down her nose.  Suicure is by E. Dubai and out of the mare Spectacularstorm G by Storm Cat.   The mare is the dam of three foals to race, all winners.  Suicure has won six of her 42 races and her last win was in January when she took The Hill Dandy by a half length.  Judging by the the length of time it took to warm her up wear and tear might be rearing it’s ugly head but once she warmed up she and Cuffy made a pretty picture.

Just before the track closed for the morning, Given2 came out with Soul Glow (9/2) a long backed bay 4 YO filly By Perfect Soul.  She is out of the Danehill mare, Burnt Czar who is the dam of four to race but this one is her only stakes winner.  Soul Glow is a closer and hopefully she won’t run out of real estate.  She won The Georgia Granny at longer, four back and if her jockey will hustle her along early she is well spotted here.  She looked smart as she breezed down the lane, much more so than Given2 who had just driven in from Arizona.   Given2 is hoping that the short breeze will sharpen her up for Saturday.

With the track closed, I wandered back into the barn area to find the two horses I missed.  I found Ksparrow grazing Bloodbones (9/1) on a small patch of grass outside the shedrow.  Bloodbones is a huge, blood bay, 4 YO filly by Woodman and out of a Storm Cat mare.  She has won eight of her 18 starts including two overnight stakes, The La Excessive and The Twelve Kelly both at six furlongs.  She tried the Grade III Flying Pig Sprint, last time out at five furlongs but ran out of ground.  Her trainer tells me the filly is on her toes and to look for a good effort. 

I waited until last to find Cvbear, trainer of Southern Charm (13/1) and sponsor of this race.  He was seated on a bale of hay looking in the door of stall 49.  Southern Charm, a 4 YO filly by Sweetsouthersaint out of an Afternoon Delight’s mare, was munching from her hay bag and looked half asleep.  She has won three of her 17 starts, including two allowances, the last two back and on paper looks overmatched here.   I sat down on an opposite bale of hay and listened as Mr. Bear told me about his sponsorship of the race and why he entered Charm in it.  “She’s cleaning up all her feed and she’s sound as money,” he mused.  “I like the way she has been training, too.  Hasn’t missed a day and is kicking the barn down every morning.”  A pretty brown eye opened at that remark and I swear she winked at me.  I had to agree; she looked really sharp and was the epitome of good health.  I let her go back to her hay and asked Mr. Bear what he could tell me about the race.

Last year this same race was held in September and was won by Aim For The Moon who beat some talented very ladies, including Kacymygirl, Dublin Lass and Explosive Storm.     “I decided to move the race because I didn’t want my race to conflict with the Sim World Cup in September, plus it seemed like a better spot anyway, on a big raceday. I was thrilled with last year’s race, which was competitive, had a fabulous field, and proved to be an important race in the filly sprint division.  I always wanted a big race named after me, but I didn’t buy it for me. I bought it for the Sim, for one of the under-served divisions of racing that finally is getting some respect.  I think it is a great asset for an important racing card, on a Triple Crown racing afternoon, and it fits, in the same sense the original race was bought, to honor my hometown on one of the biggest days for the area.”

So there you have the nine horse field for the 2007 running of The CVBear’s Hometown Handicap.  Some top horses and some top trainers should make this a thrilling way to end a great day of racing on Saturday.  Good Luck to all.