It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane! No, it’s a Tri-City Sprinter!
Northern California is the place to be for fans of sprinters this weekend. The G1 Tri-City Sprint returns for the eighth running of the 6.5f dirt race. One might say that the Tri-City can be unkind to the top sprinters. Champion Casterly Rock fell short on 2006, and Barely That Auggie also lost his second appearance in the race. However, the best of the best have been known to win this race. Blue Ant and Barely That Auggie are only Eclipse winners to have won the Tri-City in his championship year. Blue Ant holds the distinction of being the only winner to have done so on the lead. Barely That Auggie set the stakes record of 1:14.2 when he won from way off the lead.
Rock N Roll Heaven is the mild favorite at 6-1. The 4yo Fusaichi Pegasus colt is a horse that loves a challenge. He’s always been a good sprinter, but three back he popped a 109 to win a 7f allowance. That was encouraging enough to earn a go in a stake at 6.5 next out. His stakes debut was a great one, as Heaven rolled to a 1 1/4 length victory for a 110SP. So trainer Dundey figured the horse could handle taking on graded company last race. He schooled a deep field of excellent sprinters in the 75f G2 Booker T by tossing out a 114SP for another easy 1 1/4 length win. This horse is getting real hot at just the right time, and there’s absolutely no reason to think he can’t pick up win #10. Pretty remarkable record already for a colt making just his 17th start. The win would put him in a great position for a Breeders Bowl run.
Rock N Roll won’t be having the race his way, however, if Walksthroughwalls has a say in it.The 4yo Forty Niner colt is in at 7-1, reasonable odds considering he’s posted a SP under 104 just once in his last eight starts. Oaklawn66’s colt is a G2 winner at 7 and has the early speed to steal the race on the lead. he’s mostly been running a 7 or longer lately, so the cut back to 6.5 could see him throw out a big number. He’s put up some real big numbers (111 and 112) at 7, and at 6.5 is one for two. Unfortunately, he’s got a horrible jockey in O Sturman – one win from 68 tries is horrendous.
Jimmy James could pick up the slack if Walksthroughwalls tosses his jockey at the start. Blitzer’s 8-1 entry has been doing well if not spectacularly in the graded ranks this year. His last win was the G3 Toboggan in March; the 109 SP he earned for that narrow win was his best ever. Since then he’s placed in grades a couple of times and has a string tendency to be within a few lengths of the winner at the wire, but the Siphon 5yo is too inconsistent to count on for a win.
Dixie Glow, also in at 8-1, shares some characteristics with Jimmy James. Both are 5yos, although Dixie Glow is a son of Dixie Union. Both tend to place in grades more often than they win. DG’s last win was in November in an allowance, however. DG, owned by kaif099, tends to be a deep closer that should find this distance to his liking. And even if he doesn’t do so hot here, history shows next start could be a great one. DG ran in this race last year and finished twelfth. He then turned around for a 112SP and a listed win. This time around, he prepped very well at 6f in the G3 Middle of Nowhere to run third while closing hard. The 103SP wasn’t huge, but it’s good enough to run top 5 in this race many years. It’s too bad the track is fast this weekend, as DG is a heck of a runner in the wet.
The third 8-1 entrant, Ab Fab, already has three graded wins for the year. The 4yo Awesome Again colt was oh-so-hot as a juvenile, and kept it all together for three more graded wins at 3. This year he’s really settled in a a solid sprinter for trainer Dolphinman. His best ever SP (112) was earned in his sole G1 6.5f start in the Deep South Sprint in December. He also won his only other 6.5f start, in the G3 BG Wellington Boot, in July 2006. The return to that distance is a great move for the #1-ranked older dirt sprinter.
Breaking from the far outside in this big field is the 9-1 Ermington Prado. The Pigeon trainee has earned 5 wins in his 22-start career, but has yet to win a stake. He is twice graded-placed, however, and his stakes win (at the listed or graded level) can’t be far off. The 4yo Distorted Humor colt is most effective when he stalks the lead. If he’s in front before the half pole, history says he’s done; the colt has yet to win on the lead. A pair of 107 SPs in his last two starts shows he’s ready to take a big step forward – will it be here?
Just inside Ermington Prado in the gate will start Zewango4’s In A Simple Rhyme. The 4yo Forty Niner colt, 10-1 on the morning line, has already found quite a bit of success. He’s got a great 33% win rate and earned over $300k . Just two stakes wins on his record, but the trainer has given him relatively little chances at graded glory. He placed third in the G1 Kingab Sprint at 5f last start with a strong come from behind run. Getting a bit more ground this start should be a help. His best SP, a 111 earned 3 back at 7f is competitive in this crowd, but he normally posts low 100s, which may not be quite enough to walk home the winner.
We have another at 10-1 in Forest Royalty. The 4yo might be regarded as one of the worst claims ever – for his former owner, that is. Ets5 bought the colt for a mere $50k back in April, then the colt inexplicably perked way up to post six 100+ SPs in his seven starts since the claim, including a stellar 112. In those seven starts, the Forest Wildcat colt has won two stakes and placed second in the G2 Sooner Husker. Last time out the colt tanked in the G1 Kingab Sprint, but that may have had more to due with the very short race than his actual talent. An interesting play here.
Proud and Bold, 11-1 on the morning line, is my own entry running for the bigmoose2 stable. The 4yo Proud Citizen colt spend most of his early career on turf running well enough to win a stake and place third in the G3 Frio Frio Mile, but when I moved him back to the main track about a year ago is when he really started looking up. From 11 starts in the last year he has 4 wins, but this his first try in graded company since February 2006, and his first dirt grade ever. A lot to ask of him, but 6.5 seems to be his best dirt distance and he’s been running enough SPs in the low to mid 100s to make this race worth a try.
Cookie Man is one of my favorite sim horses of all time. Trained by Cgk, the 6yo by Twilight Agenda is one you can count on to run hard every single race. In Smackdown two back, Cookie Man represented NWRC earned his best SP ever (112), a significant accomplishment given the usual effects of wear and tear on horses. It’s been about nine months since he last won a stake, but this is not a horse to be overlooked in the placings. It would be an amazing story if the Man stole this race in start #55 and graded attempt #2. 12-1 odds.
Jtlincoln trains the 13-1 Samoth. The 4yo Storm Cat colt’s closest brush with the winner’s circle this year came when he was second to Casterly Rock at the Sand Castle Festival in March. In four starts since he hasn’t been able to break the 100-SP barrier. After just 21 starts, it’s hard to imagine the colt’s career is over. Perhaps he just needs a vacation. Then again, the drop from a mile back to 6.5 might be what the colt needs to get back to the winner’s circle. He’s only tried 6.5 once, and that resulted in a strong second.
At 15-1 is Natatakaroar. The Roaring Fever colt has been winless most of the last year, but trainer Ontarget2 is hoping for a repeat or improvement on G2 Si’ Amigo Sprint results. In that race three starts back, Nata ran second. He led the way and was just outrun at the wire. Nata has quite a bit of natural speed, but he’s had trouble carrying it all the way in sprints. Strangely, he’s only been routed once, and that was on an off-turf track. Have to wonder what he’d do at a mile or more on fast dirt.
Reclaimed has a longshot in the field courtesy if C.V. Cat. The Storm Cat colt is the baby of the field at just 3 years of age. He’s already faced elders twice, running third in a 6.5f allowance his second try (which was also his most recent start). The Cat was graded-placed sprinting as a 2yo, and is a stakes winner at 6.5 and 8f. Classy colt has the speed to make waves, but has simply had some hard luck getting the job done at the highest levels. Can’t see him winning this one against such talented elders, but a minor placing is more than possible. 21-1 odds.
Our last entrant is the 24-1 Roaringnative. The Roar colt took a huge step forward in December, starting a string of 100+Sp races and setting up for his first (and so far only) stake win in February. Crandy’s prize colt turned his newfound talent into a second in the G3 Pablo Verces, and Roaringnative looked like a cinch for bigger things. Since then, however, he’s had seven straight off-the-board finishes. This is his best distance, but the colt probably needs a refresher in some easier company to locate his confidence again.
Rock N Roll Heaven is in the best position for a win based on recent form. Walksthroughwalls, Dixie Glow, and Ab Fab would also be ones to watch here. If you’re looking for a horse at longer odds, consider Cookie Man.