THIS WEEK IN MINNESOTA—WEEK 3315
This week’s 10th race feature at Minnesota Downs features fillies and mares going 9 furlongs on The Supertoy7 Marshall Turf course. A field of 6 have entered The Woody’s Mars Bonanza Stakes and will be chasing top share of the $50,000 purse.
Let’s take a look at today’s field:
1)ALMA(IRE)—2/1—usoz sends this 4 year old filly out of EL PRADO(IRE) with a record of 28-8-4-5 and lifetime earnings of $909,720. This 8th divisional ranked mare runs for the Rafa stables who has a large group of his stables based here in the Minnesota backstretch albeit this nice filly resides in the NWRC division of his outfit. This 5 time stakes winning filly put together a nice string of 3 wins last season including back to back Grade I wins in California and Kentucky. She posted her lifetime best speed rating of 107 in The Grade I Demona Handicap which was the middle of that 3 race win streak last year. She has not been able to find that form again as of late but by dropping out of Graded stakes to this small field overnite stakes she may find the going easier today. She is a closer who likes to sit at the back of the pack early and should be coming on fast down the stretch in the final strides. The rider for today’s race is S Upertoy (5.7%) who will be making a start at the flats today after racing predominantly in the buggies at the local harness track this season.
2)WORLDLY WISDOM—9/2—oaklawn66 sends this 5 year old mare out of SPINNING WORLD with a record of 32-7-9-3 and lifetime earnings of $301,609. This 67th divisional ranked mare races for the HornedFrog stables based in Kentucky. This filly was in fine form late last season while winning 3 overnite stakes races for the HornedFrog run stable. She is winless in 7 starts this year albeit does have 3 top 3 finshes. She posted her lifetime best 104 speed rating last year while winning The Turn West Angel Stakes in Ostend over 9 furlongs on the turf. She has not posted a triple digit speed rating so far this year and it is hoped that she can refind the form that brought her success late last year. She is predominantly a speed horse and should be either on the lead or pressing the early pace today. The rider for today’s race will be the leading rider of the meet in Bowen (19.3%).
3)SHE WORE LEMON(KY)—8/1—seekgold sends this 3 year old filly out of LEMON DROP KID with a record of 8-3-2-0 and lifetime earnings of $68,670. This 410th divisional ranked filly races for the Flagdown stables based in Vermont at the Patures of Green. This filly will be making her stakes debut race today and this will be the first time she has raced against older fillies and mares. It should also be noted that she was unraced as a 2 year old. She comes into this race of posting her lifetime best 102 speed rating in a NW4X 8 furlong turf allowance. She had won 2 allowance races prior to that race. She is a midpack closer who has also shown speed ability in the past which gives her options as today’s race unfolds. This will be the first time she will race 9 furlongs albeit she has won at the 8.5 furlong distance in her career. The rider for today’s race will be Ballard (7.5%).
4)TURN TO BARATHEA(IRE)—2/1—sjmeola6 sends this 5 year old mare out of BARATHEA(IRE) with a record of 27-8-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $199,652. This 361st divisional ranked mare runs for he unafilliated sjmeola stables. This mare will be looking for her 1st stakes win in her 7th lifetime try, of which she has 3 third place finishes coming in her last 3 starts. She has been a solid allowance campaigner and with any racing luck should become a stakes winner very soon. She has posted her lifetime best 102 speed rating in 2 of her last 3 starts. She has previously won at today’s distance and is a closer who likes to sit in the middle of the field early in the race. The rider for today’s race will be the apprentice O Man (14.3%) who has surprised many in his first season of riding and has had many punters in the crowd screaming “O Man” when they have failed to back him at the windows.
5)JUST BEFORE AGAIN—2/1—chuckrock sends this 4 year old filly out of JUST BEFOREMIDNITE with a record of 17-8-5-0 and lifetime earnings of $197,905. This 59th divisional ranked filly races for the 44 stable strong Chuckrock conglomerate stables that is one of the fan favorites based right here at the backstretch at Minnesota Downs. Chuckrock is one of the more active horseman in Minnesota when he is not to busy following the Mets in the National League. This 2 time stakes winning filly put together a nice 5 race win streak last season and would like nothing better than to start another one here at her home track. She has posted her lifetime best 102 speed rating twice this season, both in allowance race wins at today’s 9 furlongs on the turf. She finished 2nd in the 8 furlong Grade III Montecito Mile in Nevada last time out and that race was probably a little to short for her preffered 9-9.5 furlong distance. She has shown versatility in her running styles in her career but will probably sit close to the pace today with the short field and make a strong bid in the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Friar (18.7%) who holds a 3 win advantage in the jockey standings this season at Minnesota Downs.
6)DANCING DIRTY—18/1—bleudot sends this 4 year old filly out of TAPPIT with a record of 19-3-2-3 and lifetime earnings of $28,718. While this filly runs for the local outfit of Bleudot her connections are a very private group who try to keep out of the public eye. The local connections are the 4th owner of this filly so far in her career who has run for as low as a $2000 claiming price which she did in her 2006 final race. There are no records on file as to how much the current connections paid for this girl. Her best finish for the new connections was a 2nd place finish in a 6 furlong allowance last time out in Texas where she posted an 88 speed rating just 1 off her lifetime mark. She has yet to prove she can go this far in distance and may just be the presser to make sure an honest pace is cut by #2 WORLDLY WISDOM today. The rider for today’s race will be The Australian Flash, J Ritorto (11.3%) who is enjoying one of his best seasons of riding since coming up to Minnestoa from his native Australia.
NOTE #5 JUST BEFORE AGAIN AND #6 DANCING DIRTY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE 200 CREDIT MINNESOTA DOWNS RESIDENCY PURSE SUPPLEMENT SHOULD THEY WIN THE RACE.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MINNESOTA DOWNS RESIDENCE THIS WEEK
Darnath and JMK will be facing off in a Round #1 playdown to see who will join the other winners from last week in the No Mercy Handicapping contest.
Dundey won the high speed rating contest last week with his horse RATS TO RICHES posting a 104 speed rating which won him 200 credits.
Fred won the 7th leg of the Minnesota Sire Series 2 contest for GULCH sired horses with his horse RIDIN’ SHOTGUN and that win moved him into 2nd place in the contest behind Cothill BIG GULP RYRY who remains in first after finishing 2nd in the race.
Fred picked up the double last week as we had a new winner in the Minnesota Last Man Standing contest when SMITTEN FOOL won ending Nameless’s MR HAGAR 2 race winning streak in the series so far. Bluehorses’s MINNESOTA IRON and Pazjazz’s SURVIVOR’S PRAYER were eliminated from the series.
Chuckrock’s horse of the week this week was announced as “This week’s winner won a MSW in Norway goiing 7.5 F on the turf. This 2 year old in her second race wired the short field going a 74 SP, a 3 Sp increase from her 1st race. Jack O(Ger) hails from bigrick’s springtime stable and has a breeding of BLACK SAM BELLAMY (IRE) X INDIAN RIDGE(IRE) X A.P. INDY and was bred from a G rated mare named Raider Mystic. Now I have tried to use Black Sam Bellamy as a sire without success, but i believe rick has found a good combo here. Congrats to bigrick and Jack O.” When he learned of the reward BigRick replied “Thanks chuckrock,looks like a promising youngster.My first try with the sire.Should like more distance as well.”
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO