Sauerkraut or Onions, You Can Never Go Wrong in the $100,000 ESR Dirty Water Dog Stakes

 A field of Seven New York-bred Fillies Three Years old and Up will enter the Big Apple starting gate in the $100,000 ESR Dirty Water Dog Stakes.  The race will be run at Six Furlongs over the  Dirt Course.

What is a Dirty Water Dog? Well if you never wolfed down a Dirty Water Dog then you don’t know what you are missing.  First you need to locate the blue and yellow awnings of the Sabrett metal push carts throughout New York City.  It must be a Sabrett all-beef hot dog in its natural casing with that signature ‘snap’ when you bite into one.  Is it the Bun, or is it the ‘dirty water’, a cloudy, funky water seasoned with onion, vinegar, red pepper, cumin and nutmeg, that presents you with that unforgettable bite?  Next is probably THE most important decision you will make…toppings.  Kids like ketchup, most folks will go for mustard and sauerkraut, but only in New York will you get the tomato-onion topping that originated in New York.  Me personally, I never buy less than three, sometimes one with mustard, sauerkraut and crushed red pepper, one with mustard and onions, and one with everything on them.  The dirty water dog is the taste of New York. ~ dedicated to Mikey Hot Dogs

 

ZIVSATIONAL – the trotter1 trained 4 Year Old Light Grey Filly by Zivo out of the G2 winning mare I’M A ZENSATION (Zensational) tops the progeny list and is the lone stakes winner for this third year New York-bred sire; the winner of 14 of 23 career starts has earned this filly over a half a million dollars as she enters this field off of three consecutive victories; the winner of the 2017 ESR Last of the Time Lords Stakes will be forwardly placed as she looks to record her second ESR Stakes victory…in the mix

 

ALPHABET CADET – is the first of two from the cadet racing stables; the 4 Year Old Bay Filly by Alpha out of the G1 winning, graded stakes producing mare KATIE’S SCAB (Danzig) returns to her preferred racing surface after a failed effort in the One Mile ESR Giant Ryan Stakes over the Turf Course LTO; the ESR 2018 Equinics representative has been facing better horses in recent starts outside the Local competition, but has been shut out in four ESR Stakes events including a second place finish to ZIVSATIONAL in the 2017 ESR Last of the Time Lords Stakes; the route to sprint angle resulted in a victory in the Capades Stakes in 2016, the only other time in her career she employed the long to short  pattern, as the talented NY-bred hopes to turn the tables on her residency rival…dangerous

 

FIFTH AVE CADET – the second half of the cadet entry, a 6 Year Old Light Grey Mare by Bluegrass Cat out of the G1 winning mare FIFTH STREET (Silver Ghost) has been first or second in 20 of 29 career starts with earnings close to three quarters of a million dollars; unlike her stablemate, this sensational local product has won six (6) ESR Stakes races, the latest a victory in the ESR Dancin Renee Stakes two races back;  the fields top money earner is comfortable racing on or near the lead as she looks to notch her seventh ESR triumph…one to beat

 

MOST PECULIAR – the casino trained 4 Year Old Bay Filly by Big Brown out of a Medaglia D’Oro mare is no stranger to ESR Residency races as she makes her fifth appearance in the Local Residency battles; the consistent New York-bred has cashed a check in all but one career start and enters the field off a third place finish in the ESR Giant Ryan Stakes LTO; she was a decisive winner of her lone Six Furlong start at the Allowance level and should be well-poised for a big stretch run in this pace filled field…stretch threat

 

INTEREST SHARED – the donnyb trained 4 Year Old Light Grey scratch-bred Filly by Teuflesberg out of a Runaway Groom x Tabasco Cat mare has been beaten only once in four starts against fillies at the Local level when she gains the lead in the early stages of the race; the lightly raced speedster distinguishes herself as the one to catch in her ESR stakes debut here on Saturday…must not falter

 

MISS ALFALFA – the second of the casino trained entry is a 5 Year Old Bay Mare by Alpha out of a More Than Ready mare; despite a winless streak in more than a year, the winner of 6 of 23 career starts has been a force to reckon with in ESR Stakes competition with a win, a second, and a pair of third place finishes in five career ESR Stakes appearances; look for this seasoned veteran to be on the muscle as she turns back to a sprint for the first time in her last four starts…chance off best

 

BLANK PAGE – the sremel trained 5 Year Old Chestnut scratch-bred Mare by Forty Tales out of a Swiss Ace x Aristocat mare was claimed for 17k by her new connections and has returned 3x the claiming price in earnings in her four starts for her new owners; although doing most of her racing at the starter and claiming level, the revitalized veteran does possess some back class with a stakes win as a 2yo in the Midnite Kat Dirt Juvenile Fillies; on the improve, the local bred filly does display a late turn of foot and will benefit from what is expected to be a hotly contested pace…might surprise

 

Handicapping the Field

 

Although only seven runners have shown up for this sprint for older New York-bred fillies, the highest level of competition is once again demonstrated in an ESR feature race.  The class level is at its uppermost level, so I will handicap this field based on the pace of the race.  With four of the seven starters doing their best running on or near the lead, the pace scenario sets up for the fastest of the fast or a deep stretch closer.

 

INTEREST SHARED has had the lead in all her last six starts and is easily considered the horse to catch.  ZIVSATIONAL never loses sight of the leader and is comfortable pressing the pace.  FIFTH AVE CADET and MISS ALFALFA figure to be a major part of the pace scenario, perhaps MISS ALFALFA being compromised the most.  Coming for home I expect ZIVSATIONAL and FIFTH AVE CADET to overtake INTEREST SHARED and battle it out to the wire hoping to hold off the late charge of ALPHABET CADET, MOST PECULIAR, and BLANK PAGE.

 

Ultimately, I expect the closers to prevail.

 

The Picks

 

ALPHABET CADET – sits the perfect trip behind a wall of speed

 

FIFTH AVE CADET – record speaks for itself

 

MOST PECULIAR – due for a big race and is in a perfect spot