TURF MILERS HILITE SPA CARD IN SATURDAYS FINAL RACE
The Graded Stakes feature this week at the spa in Upper New York is The Grade II Yankin’ Your Molars Out Stakes sponsored by the Del/Penn residency as part of their midsummer day at the spa annual event. 14 horses are entered to go 1 mile on the turf course looking to get the lion’s share of the $250,000 purse.
Let’s take a look at today’s field:
1)CHAMP’S BRO(IRE)—8/1—hoshaba sends this 6 year old horse out of EL PRADO(IRE) with a record of 31-16-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $454,730. He races out of the Doctahg Dentition *No Do Claima’s* Stables, one of the mainstays of the Del/Penn residency. This 4 time stakes winning horse will be looking for his second Graded stakes victory today. He captured his first stakes race as a 5 year old after racing mostly in allowance races and added his 4th stakes win in his last start when he won The Bright Greenshaw Memorial Stakes over 6 furlongs in Ascot posting a 101 speed rating. He posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating earlier this year while winning the Grade II Lone Star Mile in Texas where he wired a 14 horse field. This horse is a proven turf miler who runs best on the front end and should be the one cutting the fractions in today’s race. The jockey for today’s race is Radzinski (20.8%).
2)THIRTEENTH DATE—7/1—congie5 sends this 5 year old mare out of GONE WEST with a record of 28-11-5-4 and lifetime earnings of $2,161,802. She is out of the mare DYNACAT FORM who was 9/21 at the track and who has 4 foals on record of which all are winners including 1 Graded stakes winner and another stakes winner. This 2nd divisional ranked mare runs for the congie stables based at the CR Racers chatty racing club. This double millionaire filly is a 7 times stakes winner which includes 5 Graded stakes wins. Included in that total are 3 Grade I wins. She has raced against the boys on 3 occasions in her career winning once in last years 8 furlong Grade I Breeder’s Bowl Mile Prep in Ascot. In the other 2 races against the boys she was only able to make mild rallies and finished out of the money. She posted her lifeime best 112 speed rating in last years Grade I Queen Ascot stakes at Ascot and she has put up 13 straight triple digit speed ratings to date. She will be one of the late closers charging down the stretch in this race. The jockey for today’s race will be Shelly (5.3%).
3)LAST GROOM T—21/1—eastecho99 sends this 6 year old horse out of GONE WEST with a record of 44-11-7-4 and lifetime earnings of $1,057,095. This 28th divisional ranked horse runs for the TSyndicate group of stables based in the Del/Penn racing club. This horse is a 6 time stakes winner with 4 Graded wins so far in his career. He broke an 8 race losing streak last time out while winning a NW1S allowance race in Epsom. His lifetime best speed rating came early in the 2005 season while winning his first ever stakes win in the 8 furlong The Erica’s Well Stakes in Washington where he posted a 113 speed rating. He also won The Grade I Jack The Man Stakes in France last year. While he is a proven miler his best races may be behind him now and he has a problem showing any consistancy as shown by his 2007 speed ratings varying from the mid 80’s to the 105 range. Still, if he puts together a top race he will be tough here today and he should be pressing the lead to ensure an honest pace in this race. The jockey for today’s race will be Pitts (14%).
4)HOLLOW SUN(GB)—9/1—favoritejj sends this 4 year old colt out of BEAT HOLLOW(GB) with a record of 17-5-0-4 and lifetime earnings of $315,280. He is out of the mare EMERALD BEACON who was 2/36 at the track and who has 3 foals on record of which 2 are winners. This 90th divisional ranked colt runs for the Goody stables based in the backstretch of The Minnesota Downs racecourse. This colt will be looking for his first stakes victory in today’s race. He has managed 2 third place finishes while racing in 6 Grades stakes races so far this year. He has twice posted his lifetime best 106 speed rating this year, with the last time coming in his most recent race where he finished 4th in The Grade II Queen Sam at Ascot. The previous time he hit that mark was his 3rd place finish in The Grade I Sydney Mile in New South Wales. He is a turf mile winner who has shown both early speed and the ability to stalk the pace from a few length off but must reverse the trend of late of tiring in the late stages of the race to have a chance at victory today. The jockey for today’s race will be Ornstar (10%).
5)SIMPLY MAGICAL—45/1—catahoula sends this 4 year old colt out of SADLER’S WELLS with a record of 10-4-2-2 and lifetime earnings of $118,222. This 874th divisional ranked colt runs for The Lone Star Racing group of Fatattack based in The GR Simsters racing club. This colt will be making his stakes debut today after back to back 7 furlong allowance turf sprint wins. In his last race he posted his lifetime best 96 speed rating in a NW4L allowance in Italy. He has finished in the top 3 in all 7 races so far this year and while never winning at the 8 furlong distance he has won at both the 7 and 9 furlong distances so far in his career. He has shown so far to be a late rallying closer in his career. The jockey for today’s race will be Noles (5.4%).
6)BEE WHISTLING—22/1—mac35 sends this 4 year old colt out of MEDAGLIA D’ORO with a record of 16-5-2-1 and lifetime earnings of $151,740. He is out of the mare ROYAL TEA(IRE) who was 6/54 at the track and this is the only foal on record. This 142nd divisional ranked colt seemed to turn his career around when switched to the turf earlier this year and prompltly went on a 4 race winning streak. All of those races were allowance races and in his last 2 starts he has found the competition much more difficult in Graded stakes events. He posted his lifetime best 104 speed rating in Epson in a 9.5 furlongs NW3L allowance, which was the second win in the 4 race winning streak. He will be looking for his first stakes win today in his 3rd stakes start, all graded, with his best black type finish being a 3rd place finish in The Grade I Newcastle Stakes 2 starts ago. He is another closer who will have company in the wild scramble down the stretch. The jockey for today’s race will be Kallor (7.9%).
7)ELUFLY’S GOLDIE—8/1—shazfly sends this 4 year old colt out of ELUSIVE QUALITY with a record of 23-6-8-4 and lifetime earnings of $268,865. This 75th divisional ranked colt runs for the unafilliated Brundlefly stables. This colt will be looking for his 1st lifetime stakes win today in his 6th straight black type start. He has managed 4 top 3 finishes in those 6 stakes starts which have all come in his last 6 races. He has posted triple digit speed ratings in 6 of his 7 starts so far this year. His lifetime best speed rating of 109 was posted earlier this year in a 3rd place finish in The Grade III Royal Calm Stakes in Florida over 8.5 furlongs on the turf. He has won previously at the 8 furlong distance and will be a closer albeit perhaps from the midpack of this field. He will need to fire on all cylinders in the second half of this race to be a factor today but his top speed ratings make him right there with this field. The jockey for today’s race will be Orza (20.7%).
8)SAINTSOUTH—15/1—viperfour sends this 4 year old colt out of ST. JOVITE with a record of 24-11-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $106,226. This 442nd divisional ranked colt runs for the Mano stables located in Vermont at The Patures of Green. This colt was a $2500 claim pickup last season for his current connections who promptly had this one on a 6 race win streak and 7 out of 8 to close out the season. While he has not had the same racing luck this year, he has managed 7 top 3 finishes in 8 starts including 2 wins. His last 3 starts have produced triple digit speed ratings including a lifetime best 105 rating which has prompted his stakes debut here today. He is a proven winner at the 8 furlong distance and will be stalking the pace from midpack. The jockey for today’s race will be Cast (2.1%).
9)HIGHEST RAIDER—16/1—chipendale sends this 5 year old horse out of ALNAAB with a record of 44-15-6-4 and lifetime earnings of $610,616. He is out of the mare POMPOUS SLEW who was 6/43 at the track and who has 5 foals on record of which 3 are winners including 1 stakes winner. This 116th divisional ranked horse runs for the ARSE stables located at the Del/Penn racing organization. This horse’s one and only stakes win was last year when he captured the Del/Penn Turf Mile in a restricted stakes. He has 2 second place finished in 4 Graded stakes starts to date. He posted his lifetime best 106 speed rating last year while winning an 8.5 furlong turf open allowance in Longchamp. While his speed ratings took a turn for the worse this season suggesting that perhaps his best is behind him he did rebound with a 101 speed rating in an allowance win last time out giving faith to his connections that perhaps he is on his way back to top form. He is another closer who usually sits right at the back of the pack early. The jockey for today’s race will be Garbaccio (6.5%).
10)SPARE T(IRE)—5/1—super28 sends this 4 year old colt out of THEATRICAL(IRE) with a record of 25-10-6-1 and lifetime earnings of $1,698,620. This 12th divisional ranked colt runs for the ever famous Super Stables who reside in the Del/Penn racing club. This 9 time stakes winner has also put up 5 Grades stakew wins so far in his career. The hilite win was the Grade I St James Tavern Stakes in Ascot last year. He posted his lifetime best 113 speed rating 2 starts back while finishing 2nd in The Grade II Queen Sam, also at Ascot. He bounced in his last start and his connections assure he will return to form today as the early morning line favorite. He is a closer who runs best when sitting around 6 lengths back in the early going. The rider for today’s race will be the circuits top jockey in Ayya (22.8%).
11)DESERT STAR(IRE)—17/1—super2 sends this 5 year old horse out of HIGH CHAPARRAL(IRE) with a record of 29-8-3-4 and lifetime earnings of $192,731. He is out of the he mare CAT SCRATCH FEVER who was 2/26 at the track and who underwent the patented sim “he was a he and is now a she” sugical procedure at the Mike Wallace veterinary clinic located in Kentucky. This horse is the stablemate of the morning line favorite SPARE T(IRE), and he became a stakes winner earlier this year when he won The Your Sap Stakes in Mississippi over 8.5 furlongs. He posted a 103 speed rating in that race which is 1 point off his lifemark earned last year in an allowance win. He has raced in 4 Graded stakes since that stakes victory posting 2 third place finishes. This horse is a closer who will cut back to 8 furlongs for the first time this year, which is a distance he won 3 times at last year. The jockey for today’s race will be Morgan (10.7%).
12)MOUNTAIN DANCE—7/1—hayoulost sends this 5 year old horse out of MOUNTAIN CAT with a record of 21-10-1-2 and lifetime earning of $285,250. This 269th divisional ranked horse runs for the RobScoobi stables based in the chatty CR Racers residency. This horse was origianlly bred for the Minnesota Downs Sire Series contest for MOUNTAIN CAT sired horses in a 20 race series but was withdrawn from the competition when the owner saw the potential of this horse with a 103 speed rating posted in his 3rd lifetime start. The writer of this article was greatfull for the move as it enabled his horse to win that competition. After winning his first race after leaving the contest he then promptly went on an 11 race losing streak encompossing his entire 4 year old season. Even though he posted some nice speed figures he just was not able to get up at the wire no matter what racing style he used. But, his connctions must have found the secret in this past off season has this year he is a perfect 6/6 and it now seems he has been switched to the grass on a permanent basis after racing almost exclusively on the dirt last year and also in 2 races this year. He has posted back to back 1-8 speed ratings, his lifetime best, in his last 2 starts including his first ever stakes win last time out in The Father Gold Memorial Stakes in Ascot. He is 0/2 in Grades stakes tries but both of those were on the dirt. Three of his 10 lifetime wins have been at 1 mile on the turf. He is another closer who has also shown some speed in earlier races in his career. The jockey for today’s race will be Nation (6.1%).
13)LUCKY DAY—6/1—saddlesore sends this 6 year old horse out of DANZIG with a record of 36-17-4-6 and lifetime earnings of $748,425. This 147th divisonal ranked horse is a stablemate of CHAMP’S BRO(IRE) albeit runs for doctahg’s Vermont division at the Pastures of Green. This 5 time stakes winning horse won his first stakes on the dirt but has 4 turf stakes wins. His lifetime best speed rating is a huge 118 mark he posted in a turf sprint in 2004 but his next best mark of 110 was posted in his last start where he won an 8 furlong open allowance right here at the spa which was used as a prep for today’s Grade II event. He has posted triple digit speed rating in his last 6 starts and 8 of his last 9. He is a speed horse, and with the majority of today’s entrants being closers he could be tough if he is able to cut soft fractions early in the race. The jockey for today’s race will be Solomon (9.1%).
14)YOWZA—8/1—8ballfarms sends this 5 year old horse out of PINE BLUFF with a record of 25-7-6-4 and lifetime earnings of $255,753. He is out of the he-mare INDY’S PROSPECT who was 5/35 at the track and this will be the only foal of record unless new developments in equine sex change operations are discovered by the sim veterinarians at the smart acre clinic. This horse has won 1 stakes race as well as has 6 other black type top 3 finshes in his career including several of those in Graded events. He posted his lifetime best 107 speed rating earlier this year while finishing 2nd in the 8 furlong The Erica’s Well Stakes in Washington. His racing style has him running just a few length’s off the leader and when his final move is timed right he can be tough to handle in the final strides. The jockey for today’s race will be Stowe (10.8%).
A very competitive field for this Del/Penn sponsored Grade II event and I am going to lean towards #13 LUCKY DAY to bring me luck on Del/Penn invades Saratoga day at Upper New York.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO