2yos Ready For Challenge in Our Beads

Who was Our Beads?  Our Beads is plump bay 9yo gelding living the good life in Retirement Land.  He’s one of the “old-school” Sim racehorses who predates me.  Our Beads made his 2yo debut on April 8^th, 2000 down in Texas.  The race that day was 5.5F over a fast dirt track.  The eager Our Beads loaded into the gate as the 2^nd-choice.  He finished 2^nd that day.  Our Beads remained in Texas for his next 3 starts, finishing 2^nd, 4^th, and finally 1^st (winning by 3 ¾ lengths).  He shipped up to Nevada in July for an allowance race, his 5^th start of the year – the gelding won again, this time with a juicy 82sp.  His owners were excited and ran him in the G3 Closet Friend Stakes next, but the plucky gelding would lose that day to a filly named Wood Cup, a blitzy daughter of Woodman, who would later go on to win the G1 Getaway Stakes and place 2^nd in the G1 BB Juvy Filly Stakes.  That defeat appears to have broken the young colt’s heart… he ran out of the top money in his final 3 starts of the year.

As a sophomore, Our Beads continued to run a bit lackluster so his trainer resigned and the owners sold him.  The new trainer tried the colt out on the turf a few times with a couple decent starts.  Finally on June 30, Our Beads woke up – he ran a whopping 105sp to finish 2^nd in a 6.5f turf allowance race.  The winner that day was Lepaca Drakon, a monstrous son of Kingmambo, who had done fairly well on the dirt as a 2yo and would later go on to win the G2 Jockey Club Classic with a 118sp as a 3yo and finish 2^nd in the Equinics G1 Jaipur Sprint as a 4yo.  Our Beads trainer switched the gelding back to the main surface for his next 5 starts which worked like magic – he easily won 4 (including a stakes victory with a mighty 114sp) and placed 2^nd in the other.  The long season had caught up to him, however, and his final 4 races of the year failed to take home purse money.

Our Beads would continue on to race 3 more seasons, though he would do so with another new (and final) trainer, Punter34.  He won 4 of 22 races as a 4yo; however, those would be his last trips to the winner’s enclosure.  As a 5yo he started 21 times with 4 2^nd place finishes at best.  His 6yo season was very brief with 2 starts in January where he failed to take home purse money.  The ol’ boy had met his match, and in those quiet winter hours, Our Beads was let out to that great big retirement pasture for some well-deserved R&R after 69 starts.

Let’s see how these 6 2yos will write their stories…

PP 1: MILLVIEW FREINDS(TUR), 2yoC by Unaccounted For x (Stop The Music x Son of Briartic)

Bred & Trained by: millview15                   Jockey: W Meeks (8% wins)  

          Odds: 9/1                                 Rank: N/A

Starting from the rail, Millview Freinds is the stablemate of the far outside horse, Millview Twins – they reign from the Deep Rock Stables.  This will be the colt’s debut event.  Rumor has it he’s been training strongly in the early mornings over long hilly gallops.  He blitzed a sharp 0:34 and change this week when taken 3F.

The colt’s sire, Unaccounted For, won the G1 Whitney Handicap, placed 2^nd in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and was 3^rd in the G1 Breeder’s Cup Classic.  He is currently standing in Turkey.  In the Sim, Unaccounted For has been very lightly disregarded due to his old-fashioned pedigree and lack of victories in “key” big races.  He has a mere 45 starters in the past 5 years with 44.4% winners and 0% stakes/graded winners.  Pedigree-wise, this green colt has much to overcome, but the impossible is possible in the Sim.

PP 2: TOO MUCH DEBUT C(FL), 2yoC by Too Much Bling x (Hennessy x Phone Trick)

          Bred & Trained by: win4fun                       Jockey: P Kelly (16% wins)

          Odds: 5/1                                 Rank: 76

Too Much Debut C won his debut MSW over an offtrack back in July.  Since that time he has started twice more, running 2^nd in an allowance in August and a poor run (4^th) in his first attempt at 8F in the Out At The Affair Stakes.  He did, however, post a 73sp in that losing effort (I say ‘losing’ and ‘poor’ b/c he lost by more than 8 lengths).  The trainer is hoping that a cut back in distance may do the trick.

Pedigree-wise this guy is built from hooves to ears for speed.  Too Much Bling is a handsome grey freshman sire by Rubiano who won the G2 San Vincente Stakes as a 3yo.  The young sire has 45 starters in his initial crop with 26.7% winners and 6.7% stakes winners (3 stakes winners who’ve collected 6 stakes victories); not too bad.  Too Much Debut C is out of the broodmare Debut C.  Debut C is C-Ranked.  She won the G2 8.5F turf Celine Stakes as a 3yo as well as 13 other victories collected over both turf and dirt surfaces alike.  This is the 8yo mare’s first foal.

PP 3: IVOREVIC(IRE), 2yoC by Ivan Denisovich x (Nureyev x Northern Dancer)

          Bred by: cashedup                                      Jockey: T Brewer (23% wins)

          Trained by: sam

          Odds: 2/1                                 Rank: N/A

Ivorevic won his debut MSW over 5.5F dirt.  Next out was restricted stakes competition in a 6F contest; Ivorevic closed to finish 4^th.  Influenced by the colt’s lofty lineage, the trainer started him in the G3 Dalesbark Cup over 6.5F turf – he finished a poor, beaten by nearly 8 lengths. The sleek bay was given another shot on the dirt, this time 6.5F stakes event in Hong Kong.  He ran a so-so 6^th, appearing to lose ground down the stretch.  Last time out was back to allowance company in hopes to regain some confidence.  Ivorevic performed well, showing good courage in the 7F race to close for 2^nd.

Pedigree-wise, the colt is inbred 3X3X4 Northern Dancer.  The sire is Ivan Denisovich who is a freshman sire in the Sim.  The son of Danehill won the G2 July Stakes as a 2yo.  In the Sim, the sire has 46 runners with 28.3% wins and 2.2% stakes victories (one horse with 2 stakes wins).  The colt is 5^th foal from broodmare Norevic who is B-Ranked and a winner of $1.6 million.  As a 3yo, the mare won G3 8F turf Diana Classic, G2 8F dirt Gowader Stakes & G3 8F turf Red Bird Handicap.  At 4 she won G3 8F turf A Plus Mile, G3 8.5F turf Other Spa BB Stakes, and G1 8.5F dirt Superfilly Handicap.  She is the dam of G1 winner Ucando(ire).

PP 4: PURE CHACHIN(AUS), 2yoC by Pure Theatre x (Unbridled’s Song x Majestic Prince)

          Bred & Trained by: gothiccal            Jockey: M Clubb (78: 3-5-4, 4%)

          Odds: 9/5                                 Rank: N/A

 This is my favorite starter in Saturday’s race, Pure Chachin.  The one time runner is a strapping son of Pure Theatre who has an heir of professionalism around him which he demonstrated in his lone race, a very nice win in a Japanese MSW over 7F.  The colt closed from the back of the field to win by a ¼ length with a 78sp (the best of this field).

Freshman sire Pure Theatre, by Nureyev, won the G3 MRC Guineas Prelude.  In the Sim, the sire has a mere 7 starts with one lone winner, Pure Chachin – that makes for 14.3% wins and thus far 0% stakes wins.  Pure Chachin is derived from “he-mare”  Love Explosion who was a winner of 1 in a 11 races.

PP 5: DANEHILL MARTO(IRE), 2yoC by Danehill Dancer x (Forest Wildcat x Red Anchor)

          Bred & Trained by: marto2                        Jockey: B Callguire (7% wins)

          Odds: 5/2                                 Rank: 179

Danehill Marto is the most experienced 2yo in the field with a grand total of 8 races, 1 win, and 5 2^nds;  His first 3 starts were on turf.  His dirt record (his last 5 starts) is a not-too-shabby 5: 1-4-0.  Last time out was when the colt finally decided to break his maiden over 7.5F.  Danehill Marto loved the distance (and actually looks like he’ll love being stretched out to 8F) using a come-from-behind racing style to get up in the final yards of the race and win by ¼ length with a 75sp. 

Danehill Marto is by sire Danehill Dancer who, as a 2yo, won the G1 Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes and the G1 National Stakes.  As a 3yo he won the G3 Tripleprint Greenham Stakes.  In the Sim Danehill Dancer has 235 runners with 56.2% wins, 4.3% stakes wins, and 0.4% graded wins.

PP 5: MILLVIEW TWINS(KY), 2yoC by Tapit x (Chief Bearheart x Century)

          Bred & Trained by: wyndaway3                           Jockey: Q Dumas (6% wins)

          Odds: 23/1                                        Rank: 179

Millview Twins, the stablemate of Millview Freinds, won his debut with a 72sp coming from behind to get his head down at the wire in 5.5f turf stakes.  Since that time he has proven time and again (read 3 times) to be one of those “one-hit-wonders” who excels in their debut and then never performs up to par again… next 3 starts all in turf stakes where he was disgraced with speed figures ranging in the 40s.  The switch to the main track may do the trick for this lil’ guy.  Cross your fingers!

The grey colt is a son of Tapit.  Tapit, by Pulpit, won 3 of his 6 lifetime starts including the G3 Laurel Futurity as a 2yo and the G1 Wood Memorial as a 3yo, setting himself up to be an early Kentucky Derby favorite.  In the Sim the sire has 213 runners from 3 crops with 61% winners, 4.7% stakes wins, and 0.5% graded wins.

MY THOUGHTS:Bottom of Form

There is no clear-cut pacesetter entering the gates Saturday.  I think that either Too Much Debut C and/or Ivorevic will obtain the early lead, though fractions will most likely be slow.  Pure Chachin will most likely lay in 3^rd behind the two mentioned bidding his time till the stretch run.  Millview Twins and Danehill Marto will bring up the rear with their preference for making late runs from the back of the field.  Mystery horse (unraced) Millview Freinds is our wildcard – I think that he will be somewhere in the mid-pack.

At the wire I place Pure Chachin the winner as I believe he is going to have the garden spot.  Danehill Marto 2^nd, Ivorevic 3^rd.  Good luck to all, & I hope that I didn’t jinx anybody!

~Keely J