Gold Glass Attracts Scintillating Dozen
Bigger. Farther. Faster.
While this sales pitch could apply to any number of your favorite double entendres, it perfectly sums up the concept behind today’s feature at Longchamp. Twelve horses will line up to contest the ultimate test in the SIM – 16 furlongs on the turf, with $500,000 and Grade I glory available to the victors. You can’t get any bigger or any farther than that. And as you’ll soon see, we’ve got arguably some of the fastest in the game at this ultra-marathon distance. Just to shake things up a bit, we’ll give you the individual run-downs in reverse order of their morning line odds. We all know the SIM oddsmaker flubs it up from time to time, but in a race as serious as this one, no one will be discounted based on the blinking of the toteboard.
22-1 morning line outsider is the 6yo Fasilyev horse FURSURE(IRE). Eleven time winner was haltered for 50k by roydboy of the punta clan two starts back – he was quite formidable during his 4yo campaign but appears seriously overmatched here. Could produce future stakes dividends for the new connections but he’ll be acid tested for class today. Tactical speed may allow him to make a run nearing the 5/8 pole but will need to sprout wings, for sure, to earn a placing.
The first of two 18-1 shots is MARTSON’S SPOON, pride of the Royal Stables of Ostend’s totje division. Great story here as the Last Lion horse was claimed for 5k out of the CPU stables and has developed into a very nice distance specialist, winning 3 of 7 lifetime starts at this 2 mile distance. He did finish a distant 3rd in this race last year, but always seems to come up a bit short when facing the toughest of company. Stakes winner at 13 furlongs will need a soft pace scenario to have enough gas to hold off the laterunners this afternoon.
Breaking from the eleven hole is 18-1 MYOSLUG of the sdubya stable. Homebred Midyan colt looked really good winning a 1 ½ mile restricted allowance, but jumps right into the deep end against some of the best in the game today. He’s lightly raced and has room to improve, but doesn’t seem to have a pedigree that screams for more distance. Potential is there but its always hard to pick a horse making his stakes debut in a Group I.
Longest price of the mid-range horses is the honor bestowed upon LUCKY’S DUBAI, rising star of the BMW group’s ferrari3 stable and the recently disbanded Down Under Residency. The Dubai Destination colt has been relishing the gradual stretch-out races but ran evenly when 6th in his first try at this Grade I level. He rebounded nicely with a closing 3rd in an age-restricted 12 furlong stint last out to earn the coveted Graded placing. Good candidate for a minor award with capable jock S. Graf, and certainly one to keep an eye on down the road.
BLAZING LIGHTS checks in at 12-1 for the formidable Topicount and his kjracing stable. Classicly bred Sadler’s Wells colt cleared the stakes AND the 16f hurdle at first asking three starts back, and actually led briefly at the 3/8 pole before finishing second in the key race Ky Horsemen Bourbon Cup thereafter. He hasn’t cracked the century mark for speed figures yet, but looks like his best days are still ahead of him. Hard to believe he’s the weaker part of the uncoupled entry as he rates a legitimate second look at those generous double-digit odds.
The SIM loves its pedigree – we get another blue-blooded Sadler’s Wells horse here at 12-1 as well in WILL O’ THE WISP. The 5yo is normally very well spotted by owner/breeder/trainer tatty, but is tackling multiple mountains today in his first try beyond 12 panels and first foray into stakes company. Most of his success has been at the 10 furlong range, so it appears that it may be too much to ask of him to experiment at this grueling level 31 starts into his career.
Just a shade lighter (11-1) in the wagering department is hard-knocking Diesis colt TETE DEPARTURE. 4yo colt from the Sabbath empire / racelord stable is always in the thick of things in marathon stakes, but can’t seem to hang on late at this ultimate 2 mile distance. Ranked 52nd in the Turf Long division, he’s done it with a steady diet of front-running perseverance like his more famous colleague TETE NOVEMBRE. The race does lack speed, so we can expect him on the lead in an effort to try to steal away as he did going 1 ¾ miles at Epsom earlier this year. A pace factor to say the least, with H. Winkler manning the irons. Ayyyyyyyyyy!
Setting up shop in post position three and imposted at 7-1 is the enigmatic and intriguing SHIRLEY YOU MAMBO. I think this is the first time I’ve ever used “up-and-comer” with “5yo horse” in the same sentence; the Kingmambo homebred raced exactly once in a 17 month period between his two and four year-old campaigns as his owner/breeder ajm took extended breaks from the SIM. Shirley came back from the rest no girly-man. A monster emerged as he plowed through allowance conditions on turf and dirt, capping it off with a ridiculous 105 SP figure in his 1 ½ mile stakes debut. Normally you don’t even imagine that a horse jumping 3 levels and running 800 meters farther than ever would be competitive, but this guy has done little wrong since his Rip Van Winkle impersonation and could be mighty tough today. Surely he could be the next star in the making – but nobody said it would be easy. Danzig in the Dam’s Dam Sire slot gives him plenty of speed and class but maybe not staying power for 2 miles.
Now we’re into the heavy hitters – and this guy’s got the credentials to back me up. Topicount’s chop stable sends out the red-hot BAND OF BUDAS to defend his 2006 Gold Glass title. Now ranked #5 in the Turf Long division, the homebred Tribal Rule horse is running as well as ever after 46 starts, 10 wins at the distance, three Grade I victories and over $2.6 million in the bank. He’s had a 6 week break after demolishing a number of today’s competitors in the Bourbon Cup last time out, but reunites with his co-pilot from last year’s race (the Body himself, J. Ventura). Easily the most reliable horse at this level and distance, its been more than 2 years since he has not ran 1st or 2nd at this 16 furlong distance. Doubter’s may notice that he comes from way downtown in a pace-deficient race, but he’s still the one to fear in the last ¼ mile. A straight bettor’s dream, and the 7-1 odds look like a gift from the Buddha himself.
Odds drop to 5-1 on the emerging star MINE D’INVERNE who is quickly making a name for himself after an abbreviated 3yo campaign and becoming a stakes winner as a 4yo. (Note to self – well-bred horses that don’t run much as younger horses are AWESOME!!!) He always exhibited talent but may have shocked many with his $20.80 upset of the Grade I Big Turf Race, defeating Band of Budas, Tete Departure, and some other horse you may have heard of… Throw out the “perfect storm” theory on that race as he simply ran out of real estate chasing uber-monsters Horseshoe Bay and Confederacy in his last start at a paltry 12 furlongs. He was awarded a whopping 105 SP rating for that effort. Only one start at 16 furlongs may raise some eyebrows (95 SP on an off-track) but he won too easily to gauge his real ability. Scary, scary, scary son of Mineshaft may make his owner/breeder/trainer umea very proud…who should be proud already! Nobody likes 7% jockeys (unless they are namesakes), but usually the winning horse is overcoming the rider anyway. I think Irish told me that once…
Adding to the mass confusion is TOTAL CHAOS, another ridiculously hickory 4yo colt with a pedigree that suggests he’ll get better with age (Rahy x Cozzene x Prince John). Never out of the money since benttree of the remiller66 group set him on a turf router’s path, he’s been knocking on the door at the Group level and looks poised to go blasting through it sometime soon. One obvious concern is that he’s never gone 16 furlongs, but he is undefeated (2 for 2) in his two tries at a mile and three-quarters, albeit against listed company. Awfully tough to exclude this guy from exacta combinations, and he gets the always formidable J. Ledwith. If the rust doesn’t bother him (8 weeks on the sidelines), TOTAL CHAOS may cause everyone else to feel all discombobulated.
The morning-line favorite needs no introduction. If you’re reading this and you’ve never heard of SUNNYBANK MEMORIAL, well, you haven’t been paying attention. Guaranteed first ballot Hall Of Famer is currently the leading earner in Simulated Sports history. As in ever. Ranked #2 in this specialty category to old nemesis Horseshoe Bay, he may have lost a step but is still indefatigable and raking in the dollars ($10.8 mil and counting. He’s winless since September of ’06, but here’s the factoid you may not know, and a record that may never be equaled: Sunnybank Memorial has raced in THIRTY-SIX CONSECUTIVE GRADE ONE RACES.
That’s right.
You may already know about his ’05 Breeder’s Bowl Turf triumph and the seven straight Grade I victories he peeled off at age 3, but the 36 stands out like a Dimaggio-esque accomplishment to me. Or maybe Cal Ripken. Edwin Moses for you track and field enthusiasts. Kobayahsi’s two-at-a-time technique. Maybe we’re veering off course here…
The point is…my point IS…SUNNYBANK MEMORIAL is a living legend. He’s done it all and then some. But you, lucky reader and SIM-ophile, you get to see him do something NEW at the ripe old age of 6. Perhaps with no more mountains to climb, perhaps in an attempt to get those old legs warmed up in time for a photo finish, or perhaps to spite silly simulated journalists, the good people of Lilbitfarm have entered the Pride of the Pastures of Green in a 2 mile race – Sunnybank Memorial’s first ever at the distance.
Say wha’?
Thaaaaaat’s right.
Never done that before! He put the “special” in “12 furlong specialist”, but that class is a little crowded at the moment…so why not? His first try at 14 furlongs was promising enough, beaten only ½ length by Band of Budas and 1 ½ by the whippersnapper Mine D’ Inverne. The very few poor races that SM has ever run have always been followed with a superb effort, and that’s what I’d expect from him today. I believe he will continue to race so long as he is competitive at this level, but it would be fitting if he were allowed to ride off into the sunset with B. Wu in the saddle and a geriatric Grade I marathon victory.
I’ve just got a little something in my eye…it’s nothing…I HAVE ALLERGIES, OK????
Sorry. It’s just that I get so emotional sometimes. Why aren’t we allowed to express our feelings? WHY??? NO I AM NOT SHOUTING!!!!! And while we’re at it, how come I always have to pick the winner and you just get to sit there and not do any handicapping? Huh? Of course it’s a really tough race – figure it out for yourself, wiseguy!