THIS WEEK IN MINNESOTA—WEEK 3364
This weeks 10th race feature is The Old Plumber Memorial stakes for fillies and mare 3 year olds and up. They will be sprinting 7.5 furlongs on the dirt which has been listed as fast for today’s race. A $55,000 purse is up for grabs with this overnite stakes event.
Let’s take a look at today’s field:
1)RE WESTERN GROOM—16/1—hijacked sends this 4 year old mare out of SADLER’S WELLS with a record of 35-4-4-3 and lifetime earnings of $117,552. She is out of the he-mare WESTERN GROOM who was 20/74 at the track. This 4401st divisional ranked mare races for the Tsyndicate stables based at Del/Penn National. This mare picked up her MSW win as a 2 year old in her 6th lifetime start. She picked up 2 allowance wins in her 3 year old season, one on each surface albeit she did pick up some minor share cheques in several stakes starts last year. She was winless in her 2007 starts until last time out when she won her 10th start of the season in an 8.5 furlong NW1S allowance race on the dirt in DC where she posted her lifetime best 99 speed rating. This will be her first stakes start since last season and while the win will hopefully boost this one’s confidence she will need to still improve more to be considered a contender here today. She is a closer who has yet to win sprinting so far in her career. The rider for today’s race will be Napper (9%).
2)DETAILS—8/1—estreli sends this 4 year old mare out of READ THE FOOTNOTES with a record of 32-7-5-4 and lifetime earnings of $282,996. She is out of the he-mare SNIPE HUNT II who was 6/38 at the track. This 1064th divisional ranked mare races for the Flagdown stables based in Vermont at The Pastures of Green. This mare won 3 races as a 2 year old, of which 2 of them were on the turf including an overnite stakes race. Last year she won 3 overnite stakes races in the spring on the dirt and has picked up another open allowance dirt sprint win so far this year. In that win earlier this year she posted her lifetime best 104 speed rating over the 7.5 furlong dirt race. She has been cutting the early fractions in most of her recent starts and then has been caught late in the stretch in each and perhaps the cutback in distance to 7.5 furlongs from the 8 furlong distance may be what she needs to carry her speed thru to the wire today. The rider for today’s race will be Green (9.7%).
3)THE BLUE SWORD(GB)—7/1—aalusive sends this 4 year old mare out of DIESIS(GB) with a record of 27-9-4-3 and lifetime earnings of $318,520. She is out of the mare NINER NINER who was 0/1 at the track and who has 5 foals on record of which 3 are winners including 2 stakes winners. This 170th divisional ranked mare races for the unafilliated division of the Topicount Stables. This filly won 3 stakes races in her 2 year old season, 2 of them on the turf and another on the dirt track. She picked up 3 allowance dirt sprint wins last year as a 3 year old. She has added another allowance win so far this season. She posted her lifetime best speed rating of 103 last December and was just 1 point shy of that mark 2 starts back when she finished 2nd in The Kentucky Reality Memorial Stakes in Mexico. It should be noted that she has been successfull running as both a front end speed horse as well as a closer and that versatility may help her as the race unfolds today. The rider for today’s race will be the talented apprentice Cothill (14.5%) who is establishing himself as one of the go to guys here in the Minnesota jockey colony.
4)OFLEE HIGH(KY)—6/1—inhalers sends this 3 year old filly out of OFLEE WILD with a record of 24-9-2-3 and lifetime earnings of $597,510. She is out of the mare I’M HIGH who was 8/56 at the track and who has 2 foals on record with this filly the only winner so far. This 8th divisional ranked filly races for the Fortune500 stables. This filly won 4 races as a 2 year old including 2 stakes that included the Grade II Vermont BB Juvenile Filly stakes. She has added 5 more stakes records to her total this year including The Grade III Cadoka Stakes in New York this past March. She posted her lifetime best 103 speed rating 3 starts back while winning The His Sum Special Stakes in Hong Kong over 7 furlongs on the dirt track. This closer sits at the back of the pack early and is a force here which is why she is ranked in the top 10 of her divsion. It should be noted that she is the only 3 year old in the field but she has won against older mares already in her career. The rider for today’s race will be Bowen (19.7%) who is the leading rider here at Minnesota Downs this year albeit is only 4 wins ahead in the riding title race.
5)A. P. SUPERWOMAN—9/2—vampire2 sends this 4 year old mare out of A.P.INDY with a record of 35-10-5-6 and lifetime earnings of $376,403. She is out of the he-mare KING OF THE HILL II who was 4/23 at the track. This 35th divisional ranked mare races for Barn Dog’s DogPound based at the Great Plains Residency. This mare picked up 3 allowance wins in her 2 year old season. She picked up 5 more wins last year in 2006 including 2 overnite stake victories. She has picked up a pair of wins so far this year including a win in The Oro De Galicia Stakes in New Jersey earlier this year. She posted her lifetime best 106 speed rating 2 starts back while winning a 7 furlong open allowance, also in New Jersey. She is a closer who sits near the back of the pack early and will have no problem with today’s long sprint distance. The rider for today’s race will be Adams (10.2%).
6)RAKIDA’S WAR—12/1—bewitch sends this 4 year old mare out of WAR CHANT with a record of 28-8-4-4 and lifetime earnings of $277,495. She is out of the mare RAKIDA’S ROAD who was 18/66 at the track and who has 4 foals on record, all winners including 1 stakes winner. This 78th divisional ranked mare races for the unafilliated Whirlaway stables. This mare broke her maiden in her 3rd lifetime start in her 2 year old season. She picked up 4 wins last year including an overnite stakes race dirt sprint. She has won 3 more races this year including another stakes race in The Orange Shenanigan Special Stakes in February where she posted her lifetime best 103 speed rating in the 7.5 furlong dirt race. This will be her 4th start since suffering what appears to be a setback in Rhode Island and she has not looked to be the same since that race. Hopefully she will be able to regroup here today and regain the ability to get out of the gate quick and show her early speed. The rider for today’s race will be Jackson (7.6%).
7)INNERDAZE—3/1—rharfo2004 sends this 4 year old mare out of WAQUOIT with a record of 15-5-7-2 and lifetime earnings of $200,195. She is out of the mare CARSONS GIRL who was 11/53 at the track and who has 3 foals on record of which 2 are winners including 1 stakes winner. This 71st divisional ranked mare races for Rharfo’s stables based over at the CR Racers racing residency. This mare has only missed the board in one race so far in her career. She was unraced as a 2 year old and picked up 3 allowance win in her 3 year old season. This year she has picked up an allowance win and a stakes win in The Blade Moving Special Stakes in Iowa over 8 furlongs on the dirt. She posted her lifetime best 109 speed rating last time out when she ran 3rd in The Grade I World Cup Ladies Mile which has earned her the morning line favorite status for today’s race. She is a closer who sits midpack early and it is expected that she will be right there at the wire as she has been in pretty well all over her career races to date. The rider for today’s race will be the apprentice Bluehorse (2.6%) who will be looking for the 2nd win in her career today.
8)PATH OF STONE(IRE)—7/2—iant1 sends this 6 year old mare out of GIANT’S CAUSEWAY(IRE) with a record of 44-11-11-7 and lifetime earnings of $224,505. This 189th divisional ranked mare is based in Kentucy with the Kentucky Horseman. This mare broke her maiden in her 3rd lifetime start as a 2 year old which was her dirt track debut. She picked up a pair of allowance wins as a 3 year old and another 2 allowance races in 2005 in he 4 year old season. With 3 more allowance wins last year and 2 more this year she finally won her first stakes race 2 starts back. It was only her 3rd lifetime start in added money events as she was so succesfull bringing home cheques in the allowance ranks. She posted her lifetime best 106 speed rating in that win in The June Bug Stakes in Tennessee and has posted triple digit speed ratings in each of her last 4 starts proving that you can get better as you get older. While she is another versatile runner it is expected that she will stalk the early pacesetters today. The rider for today’s race will be Foster (8.7%).
9)NIGHTSMART—7/1—capetown send this 4 year old mare out of NIGHT SHIFT with a record of 25-8-6-0 and lifetime earnings of $181,195. She is out of the mare LADY LARKING who was 6/33 at the track and who has 3 foals on record, all winners including 1 stakes winner and another Graded stakes winnner. This 97th divisional ranked mare races for Libitfarm Stables based in Vermont at The Pastures of Green. This mare raced on the turf in her 2 year old season and actually broke her maiden in her 1st lifetime start on the lawn that year. She was switched to the dirt in her 3 year old campaing last year where she won 4 allowance races and then won her 1st stakes start in her final races of 2006. She has picked up 2 more wins this year, another allowance and a 2nd stakes win in The Storm Gamble Stakes in Malaysia where she posted her lifetime best 107 speed rating over 7 furlongs on the dirt this past February. She is another stalker style runner who should have no problem with the distance. The rider for today’s race will be Friar (18%) who is in a heated battle for the riding title again this year at Minnesota Downs Racecourse.
THERE ARE NO HORSES ELIGIBLE FOR THE 200 CREDIT MINNESOTA DOWNS RESIDENCY PURSE SUPPLEMENT IN THIS RACE THIS WEEK.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MINNESOTA DOWNS RESIDENCE THIS WEEK
The Last Man Standing continues this week in the 16th race where we are down to 12 2 year old Minnesota sired horses. Whoever finishes last in the race will be eliminated from the competition.
Citation and JMK will replay their first round No Mercy contest matchup after tying last week. The winner will join the other 7 winners in next weeks 2nd round in this handicapping contest.
Theo took home the 1000 credit prize for winning the head to head challenge contest where resident challenge other residents if they have horses running in the same race. A new contest starts this week in the 3 month cycle.
The top 3 spots in the Minnesota $$$ contest after the conclusion of racing in September are 1)RAFA—PalmIsland—$2,571,977 2)JOHN—KingKirby—$1,636,785 and 3)DOZA—Remedy—$1,275,203.
The top 3 spots in the Minnesota BP’s contest after the conclusion of racing in September are 1)THEOLDGUY—Blackbart—2016 BP’s 2)TABOO—Quietjohn—1631 BP’s and 3)WENLOCK—Hullwayne—1606 BP’s.
Theo won the high speed rating contest and the 200 credit prize last week when his horse Captain Ulysses posted a 108 speed rating.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO