Bluegrass Derby hopefuls invade KY for The Land’s End.
THE LAND’S END
Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 2:30 PM EST.
This Grade 2 race will be held on the Kentucky Dirt track and it is restricted to 3 year olds. Racing over the distance of 9 furlongs (One mile and an Eighth) and has a total purse of $375,000.
The Bluegrass Derby Prep season has brought a full field of hopefuls to this year’s running of THE LAND’S END. We have 3 horses that have won at the Graded Stakes level before, while 1 entry will be making his first ever Graded start here. Three entries have posted SP #’s in the triple digits previously. 11 of these colts were born in Kentucky, with 1 each from Canada, Ireland and Chile. 2 of them being scratchbreds. There is a very slim (5%) chance of precipitation headed our way on race day.
NOW LETS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE HORSES:
1- MADE A FUNNY 17-1 gowans F. Duffy
STREET SENSE x TAPIT x GULCH DAM: LAUGHING TAPIT
Has been victorious in both of his 3 year old starts, winning the TOUT OU RIEN DIRT CHALLENGE and a NW2L allowance at West Virginia posting a 91 SP in both races. Will be making graded stakes start and pushing out to 9 panels both for the first time.
2- MONTESORI 10-1 fernando J. Piotrowski
CURLIN x STORM CAT x MR. PROSPECTOR DAM: YOUNG FERN
First time reaching out for the 9f distance. Won last race a NW2L allowance at Delaware with an SP of 99. Finished 8th in his only prior graded entry the G3- NASHUA SPECIAL. Has 2 wins and 2 seconds from his 6 starts that have been evenly split on the dirt and the turf.
3- TOTALIZER 10-1 tees J. Drozd
TONALIST x AWESOMKE AGAIN x A.P. INDY DAM: BENTOVER BACKWARDS
Has been on the board in 4 out of 5 races with 3 victories. Had his 3 race winning streak snapped in February in the G2- FOUNTAIN OF UTE, his only graded race finishing in 10th. In his first 3 year old start put up a 96 SP winning a NW3L allowance over 9 furlongs.
4- JAMISON RIDE 8-1 james34 E. Sharp
OUTWORK x CANDY RIDE x UNFUWAIN DAM: MOUNDS
In February came home 5th in the G3- RISEN STAR STAKES with an SP of 97. Opened the season in a NW3L allowance over 9f coming home in 3rd place. Had 3 graded starts among his 10 races as a 2 year old, hitting the board in 7 of them with 2 trips to the winner’s circle.
5- SEEKING ASYLUM TED 8-1 hilight C. Shoemaker
AWESOME AGAIN x BERNARDINIx RIP VAN WINKLE DAM: WHODINI T
This will be his third outing of this year after coming home 11th in the G1- VERMONT IS 4 LOVERS and a second in the KOWBOY DIRT ROUTE at Idaho where he posted 99 SP. Showed third in the G2- FUTURE STAKES at New York last September, one of Shoemaker’s 3 prior rides. Won 3 out of 8 as a juvenile.
6- DREAM TRAIN 13-1 deyoto B. Kloak
FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND x OASIS DREAM x RAHY DAM: ORAHYSIS DREAM
Last outing finished second after leading the first 7f in a NW3L allowance at Indiana, which was his first ever race on the dirt and posted a 96 SP. Made 3 graded starts on the turf, the best result being a 2nd in the G2- CHAMPAGNE MILE at Victoria. Had 2 career wins in 6 starts on the turf.
7- THE NEXT LIFE 9-1 dixiedotco W. Cahill
UNCLE MO x STREET CRY x ALYDAR
Has made 3 trips to the winner’s circle in just 5 lifetime starts. Opened his 3 year old campaign with a 5th in the G#- GIANT SLAYER CLASSICover a sloppy Denmark track. Has been off since October victory in the G3- CORNSTALK by 1 length posting a 94 SP. Making his first trip at 9 furlongs.
8- QUALITY WING 15-1 nycowboy J. Kirby
QUALITY ROAD x FORTY NINER x STORM BIRD DAM: DOCTOR JO ANN
Opened 2018 running 5th in the G2- SAINT VINCENT at California putting up a 96 SP. Finished juvenile career running in 5 graded events, only hit the board in the first the G2- VERMONT BB JUVENILE winning by a head. He has made 6 straight graded starts and has 3 wins in 9 career races.
9- BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT 5-1 gerque J. White
CONGRATS x ROCKY BAR x MR. PROSPECTOR DAM: ROCKY MARCY ANO
Scratched in last week’s FELIPE ALOU to run here. Has hit the board in 7 of 8 starts. Just over 3 weeks ago finished 6th in the G2- SLEEPY FAN STAKES. In December won the G2- MOVIELAND FUTURITY posting a 102 SP. Has made 5 graded starts in a row but has never went 9f before.
10- ZUES DANCER 16-1 sterlingra T. Naber
FUSAICHI PEGASUS x MEDAGLIA D’ORO x NUREYEV DAM: MEDAGLIA DANCER
Will be making first start as a 3 year old here. Had 2 victories in 6 races as a juvenile. In December ran second in the G3- SAM’S TOWN DELTA JACKPOT posting a 99 SP over 8.5 f. Prior race came home in 6th at the G3- CHARCOAL BREEDERS CUP. Pushing out to get 9 panels for the first time.
11- A TALE OF POES 12-1 spinround E. Nardone
RELOAD x MEDAGLIA D’ORO x STORM CAT DAM: KYTHERA
After winning his first 3 races, he now shows 4 victories in 8 lifetime starts. Began the season with a third place in the GEARED DOWN DIRT MILE a New Mexico putting up a 101 SP. Made 3 Graded starts as a juvenile with the 4th in the G3- MONTANA FUTURITY on a sloppy track being his best.
12- TUMBLE SONG 14-1 stablechampion T. Butler
TUMBLEBRUTUS x LEROIDESANIMAUX x FORTY NINER DAM: PEGGY GORDON
Comes in off of a win in a 75k allowance at New York. Before that finished 5th in the MAGICAL ACT DIRT DASH posting a 92 SP in January. Was entered in 2 graded races as a 2 year old getting a third place in the G2- MIDSOIL STAKES at Spain last July. He has 4 career victories in 13 races.
13- THE ART OF FAILURE 8-1 pointblank M. Clooch
LORD NELSON x CURLIN x NIJINSKY 2ND DAM: DEUCES WYLDE
Started this year out running 8th in the G1- VERMONT IS 4 LOVERS in his only prior graded race. Closed out 2017 by posting a 100 SP in winning the MARY WANNA SMOKE DIRT JUVENILE. Before that a third in the PRINCE LUCKY DIRT JUVENILE. He has hit the board in 7 out 9 starts with 3 wins.
14- NUKA BITTERSWEET 8-1 lenny271 R. Radzinski
CANDY RIDE x STORM CAT x STREET CRY
Has visited the winner’s circle 3 times and has never missed the board in 5 starts. Comes in winning first 2 starts of the year, both with Radzinski in the saddle, and both over 9 furlong allowances at New York. Posted a 98 SP in the February race. Making his first start at the graded level.
RACE ANALYSIS:
MONTESORI & DREAM TRAIN should end up battling it out for the early lead followed by TUMBLE SONG. Without a ton of early speed, the stalkers could easily find themselves closer to the front than they would like to be led by BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT & A TALE OF POES along with SEEKING ASYLUM TED, ZUES DANCER & THE NEXT LIFE. This could bode well for a solid group of closers led by THE ART OF FAILURE along with NUKA BITTERSWEET, JAMISON RIDE, QUALITY WING, TOTALIZER & MADE A FUNNY.
MY CHOICES:
14- NUKA BITTERSWEET
13- THE ART OF FAILURE
9- BY WAY OF KNOCKOUT
11- A TALE OF POES
Thanks JB!