Smark Stakes draw short field

Sprinters keep the top billing, but the focus shifts to the fillies in this week’s Smark Stakes. The race for two year old fillies runs over six and a half furlongs of firm turf, and the field will share the $50000 purse. This is the third running of the Virginia hosted race, with it’s sister race running in Australia a bit earlier this year. It historically hosts a short field, but the tend to be well matched. Six of the nine entries in the last two years have gone on to success in the stakes ranks. Last year’s winner was A Snowballs Chance(IN), closing from the back of the pack to capture a thriller over heavily favored Silver Glory(KY). This year’s race draws only three entries, with the Virginia resident horse pool supplying a fourth to round out the field. Two of the entries are favored with even or better odds, with a 6/1 and a 20/1 shot rounding out the field. Is going to be a slim week on the betting front, unless at least one of the favorites really bombs. Enjoy a couple of cold ones with the money set aside to bet this one, and hope for a better distribution next week.

PP 1) Kitten’s Cover(KY) Sired by Kitten’s Joy, Trained by rams. Kitten’s Cover makes her fifth career run here. This will be her third try at stakes, and she is still looking for her first victory. She has put up a record of 1-1-1-0-0 in her first four, posting a top speed of 64.5, coming in her last start. That run was a six furlong turf stakes in Michigan, where she settled for second after leading most of the way. All four starts have been on the grass, and it might be worth seeing what she can do in a dirt allowance somewhere down the road. This will be her longest start by a half furlong. Kitten’s Joy is a second year sire, and his progeny are already showing a strong route preference as the longer distances become available. His progeny have also shown an overwhelming turf preference in his first two crops. His dam is by Cloud Cover, an under utilized son of Storm Cat, with only fourteen runners in four years through his female offspring. The small sample pool shows slight dirt preference and a somewhat stronger preference for sprints. Kitten’s Cover(KY) seems to do her best work when she has a piece of the early lead. She faces the the worst possible setup here, with a burner to her outside, and also a decent closer that will be sitting off their tail. She is going to need to show a good deal more speed than she has thus far to be a serious threat here.

PP 2) Torcio(JPN) Sired by Agnes Digital, Trained by lawdro2. Torcio(JPN) gets the oddsmakers’ nod here in her sixth career start. This will be her first try at stakes competition. She has never finished worse than second in her five starts, boasting a 3-2-0-0-0 record with a best speed of 81.2 earned in her last start. It does bear noting that her first five were all in races bid by her trainer. Her last start was a six and a half furlong A2x on turf stakes at a tough Florida track, where she simply ran away from a field of six to win by nearly two lengths. All five career starts have been on the grass, and her last race, which was her first at this distance, was her best by a good margin. Her sire, Agnes Digital, is a second sire out of Crafty Prospector. His first two crops have displayed a strong turf preference, and tend to split evenly between sprinters and routers as they start to mature. On the dam side we find Green Dancer, an old standby out of Nijinsky II. As a dam sire, his progeny display a slight dirt preference, and a marked route preference as they mature. The filly we have here is a strong starter, and has both the speed and the stamina to make that work for her. She also shown the ability to close at need which makes her a double threat here. She has been posting the best speeds in this field, and bar a major bounce, I have to agree with the oddsmakers here.

PP 3) Gallopiat G(IRE) Sired by Sadler’s Wells, Trained by ngng. Gallopiat G(IRE) takes the gate for the fourth time here in this race. She has one prior stakes start, and is still seeking her first win at this level. She has gone 1-1-0-0-1 in her first five, posting a career best speed of 71.6 in her last start. That race was a six furlong turf stakes in Upper New York where she closed like a freight train down the stretch, just missing by a nose at the wire. Her first run was on dirt, but after a lackluster start, her trainer immediately switched her to turf, and it paid immediate dividends. She has increased distance in each of her four starts, and she has respnded well with each bump in distance. Her sire, Sadler’s Wells is nearly synonymous with turf route, and he is one of the elite sires in the world. Forty Niner on the dam side is another household name, and he is a stronger dirt influence than turf, though his offspring look just as well in sprints or routes. Gallopiat G(IRE) is a closer without question, and her turf close has been nearly impeccable. The extra half furlong does nothing but help her here. She got some heat out in front of her in this one, and it doesn’t look like there is going to be a lot of early pressure. If she could bump up her speed just a bit here, she could be a very real threat down the stretch.

PP 4) Aixelsyd(AUS) Sired by Dyslexia(AUS), Trained by Virginia Horse Pool. Aixelsyd(AUS) makes a seventh career start here. This will be her first stakes try. Bouncing between trains, she has a 1-0-0-2-1 record in her first six, with a best speed of 54.4 in her last run. That race was a C2L against the boys where she took fourth in a field of eleven. Her performance has been equally dismal on both surfaces and a variety of distances. Her sire Dyslexia(AUS) is a freshman, with only two progeny running so far, and neither has been particularly impressive. Beat Hollow(GB) on the dam side is a bit better known, and in his second year as a dam sire, his best in the field have been turf sprinters. Aixelsyd(AUS) wants to be a closer, but she has shown little inclination to show much of a close when it has counted. Essentially she is cannon fodder here, and it will be a surprise if she comes with ten lengths of this field as they cross the wire.