Favorites at 5/1 in Competitive WV Feature

A full field of fourteen runners will face the starter this week in West Virginia, ready to do battle over ten furlongs on the fast dirt course, all seeking the major share of the $40,000 on offer in the Bigbad Rabbit Bonanza Stakes. Open to all horses three years of age or older, it promises to be an exciting event, with an evenly matched bunch of contenders.

The race is named after Bigbad Rabbit, a dual stakes winning son of Cee’s Tizzy, which raced in the bunnyluv, toogood, whaleboney and exceller stables during his fifty start, $400k+ career

The early market this week is:

5/1 – Don Pedro, Getty Up Go

6/1 – Barb’s Adventure, Ringside Vim

10/1 – Pacific Avenue

11/1 – I’m in Debt

12/1 – Rapid Kransky, If You Dare

13/1 – Tyran The Hulk, Alastor, Winning Mission

24/1 – Pray For Ransom

26/1 – Power Fleet

30/1 – Hope for the Ark

Looking through the field in betting order:

# 3 – Don Pedro – 5/1. – Has earned equal top billing in this race with an astounding speed rating of 111 in his last start victory over this trip. Admittedly that was against allowance opposition, but he has a recent stakes win on the board, and boasts a career best third at Grade 1 level. afc2 returned him to the dirt seven starts back, and he has since brought home a check in each race, triple digits every time, winning three and running fourth in a couple of big, graded fields. A five year old son of Danzig, he’s the best of three offspring of stakesplaced mare Unbridable (Unbridled / Buckpasser). Adept on both surfaces, Don Pedro is one of the major chances in a very solid field.

# 12 – Getty Up Go – 5/1. – Shares the headlines in the market due to a string of excellent recent performances, blemished only by a last start failure in the G1- Billgulch Kentucky Challenge. Three starts back he collected the winners check in a Kentucky Stake, returning a speed figure of 114, the highest number on the past performance formguide. He followed up with a quick flit to Japan, for another victory over the exact conditions he encounters this weekend. A four year old son of Awesome Again, he’s the pride of three issue of the underperforming Stile Project (Dubai Millenium / Nureyev). Trainer breeder coda has led him to nine wins in twenty five trips to the races to date, and with four wins from his last six, he’s racing in career best form. 

# 4 – Barb’s Adventure – 6/1. – This five year old scratchbred son of Palace Music continues his gradual assault on the magic million dollar earnings figure. He drops back just a tad on recent trips, as he returns to the distance of his most recent Grade 2 victory. A winner of three races at that penultimate level of competition, he automatically commands enormous respect in an event of this nature. His last half dozen have all been against this ungraded class, and from them he’s won two, with two seconds, so he lacks nothing in the way of recent form. sprintbarn has had a great run with this moderately bred horse, and he shows no sign of slowing down as he searches for his fourteenth career win here.

# 10 – Ringside Vim – 6/1. – A five year old scratchbred son of Vindication, this horse continues to prove the exception to the ‘maturity curve’ rule, producing the best form of his career despite having faced the starter forty times. His last start victory over eleven furlongs in Mississippi ended a frustrating run of five consecutive third placings in ungraded stakes events. He returned a 110 in that, his fortieth run, which gave him his fourth win at this level. dcsong comes to the track this week knowing this horse is racing consistently well, and stable followers can justifiably expect yet another top run as he seeks win number nine.

# 8 – Pacific Avenue – 10/1. – This colt has been a tad disappointing in his last three runs, leading to a perhaps over-generous price being available from the oddsmakers. If we ignore the current downturn, we have a dual stakeswinner with victories over ten and eleven furlongs within the last twelve months, and a string of solid, triple digit performances against this class within this distance range. Pacific Avenue has provided a windfall for firfight10, after changing hands via a 30k claimer sixteen months ago. Since then the son of Grand Slam / Neurotic (Summer Squall / Buckpasser) has won five from sixteen including the two aforementioned black type events. Immediately recent form puts a question mark on him for this race against several very smart in-form horses, but he owes connections nothing, and if he reproduces his best, he could well be in the mix.

# 9 – I’m In Debt – 11/1. – This lightly raced five year old firmly fits into the desperately unlucky category, being so far winless against black type opposition, despite finishing on the podium in six of eight appearances at this level. A bargain bred son of rarely used Eastern Viewpoint, he’s won three from sixteen and banked in excess of $100k. beerkeg2 has had a handy return from this bloke, as he regularly returns triple digit figures and although it’s hard to see him registering his well deserved initial stakes win against this very strong field, a solid run can be expected yet again. He’ll be well ridden and he could represent a value play in the exotics

# 2 – Rapid Kransky – 12/1. – A solid allowance performer throughout his career, this four year old put in a blinder last start, winning his fourth race from his eighteen starts in a run which had “I’m ready for stakes now” written all over it. Taking apart an allowance field in Pennsylvania, the scratchbred son of Ecton Park gave nothing else a look-in, stopping the clock at 1.54.8 and returning a 105 speed figure. ladofmanor has allowed this colt to mature at his own pace, and if he can consistently repeat his last run, his future clearly lies at this level. Again, if he puts in a repeat performance, he could be the real value runner in this open event

# 11 – If You Dare – 12/1. – A three year old stepping up to open age competition for the first time, this colt has well and truly earned his stripes with close up, graded performances against his own age group at recent outings. His last four trips to the track have all been for Graded events, following his stakes victory five starts back. He comes into this of a closing second in Oklahoma’s G2-Winchester Park Derby after a G3 third two starts earlier. If You Dare is a scratchbred son of Touch Gold and bigmoose3 has established his credentials for this race. The only question mark this weekend surrounds the initial tilt against the more experienced brigade. Eventually his future is at this level or higher and he may prove to have been very good value in hindsight by Saturday afternoon.

# 1 – Tyran The Hulk – 13/1. – He’s been out of the winners circle for a long time, and although his last run indicated that he’s knocking on the door of black type races, this event may be a tad too tough for the breakthrough to come this week. bigheavy certainly snagged a bargain by securing the then three year old through the claiming ranks, but while winning four, and scoring six more podium results, a stakes victory has remained elusive through a career of 42 starts. A five year old son of Forest Wildcat, from winning mare Hulla Hopper (Private Terms / Spend A Buck), he’s won eight and banked over $130k. He’ll need a career best run against a number of better of performed horses to secure an upset victory here.

# 6 – Alastor – 13/1. – A graded winner who, despite running third in similar class in each of his last two, is not living up to the promise he showed as a late two year old and early three year old. There’s nothing wrong with his current form, but connections must be frustrated after being in possession of a young colt which was once developing so well, winning a pair of Graded events which saw him start in the Bluegrass Derby at a shorter quote than that which is on offer this weekend. One of two Graded winning offspring of the 2005 two year old crop of Squirtle Squirt, he’s the best of four progeny of winning dam Marinian Star (Hennessy / Mr. Prospector). marinia has bred and trained a colt who, on his day, can be mentioned alongside just about anything in the sim. He can’t be dismissed because he’s never far away, but he needs to do a bit more than recently in order to be a genuine winning chance here.

# 13 – Winning Mission – 13/1. – A realistic up and comer facing a tough assignment as he selects an open aged event for his first tilt at black type racing. A model of consistency, he’s worked his way through the allowances, recording triple digit speed ratings at each of his last three runs. The oddsmakers, like most observers, would probably have preferred him to take on his own age group at this standard before facing this experienced bunch, but if he’s the genuine article that will hardly matter in the long run. A scratchbred son of Strategic Mission, he looks set to defy his modest bloodlines, and although he’s possibly thrown in a little too deep this week, he cannot be written off as an outside chance. spiderman looks to have set a thoroughly prepared colt for a solid black type future.

# 7 – Pray For Ransom – 24/1. – Three starts back this young colt ran second over this trip in a stakes race against his own age group. Using that as a guide, it’s fair to say that he has a future at this level at this distance range. pazzjazz used his last run, his first against open aged opposition, to test the marathon ability appropriate to his breeding, but the scratchbred son of Red Ransom faltered on that first attempt. Two recent Grade 3 runs in three year old company saw him run creditable races, and although he’s chosen a tough event here, he could well run a better race than his price would indicate.

# 5 – Power Fleet – 26/1. –  His last outing shows that he is developing into a better than average runner, but it’s a big jump from an age restricted allowance to an open aged stake. A sratchbred son of Powerscourt, he’s shown continual improvement since returning to the dirt four starts back. As a two year old he showed he was capable of mixing it with black type opposition, winning twice at stakes level, and recent form indicates a return to that level is inevitable. zooomr2 may have selected slightly too tough a race this week though.

# 14 – Hope For The Ark – 30/1. – The outsider of the field looks to have the job ahead of him here. A three year old scratchbred son of Pine Bluff, he was clearly outclassed stepping up to the Grade 1 Travelers after a couple of very impressive allowance wins. antagonist obviously has a high opinion of this colt, but he takes on some very smart older opposition in his first tilt at open aged company. The only runner never to register a triple digit speed figure, he nonetheless has a bright future ahead of him, but I feel he’s once again bitten off a bit too much

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Selections: – A tough race where only a couple of runners can be dismissed as some sort of winning chance. I’m not brave enough to try and pick the order, but I think the winner will come from the top four in the betting, Don Pedro, Getty Up Go, Barb’s Adventure or Ringside Vim. Randy Kransky (on the up), Alastor (proven class) Pacific Avenue (due to bounce), I’m In Debt (consistent), If You Dare (incredible potential) and Winning Mission (improving) could all run big races without surprising. Power Fleet and Pray for Ransom may run better than their prices suggest, while Tyran the Hulk or Hope For The Ark would surprise this writer