Mammoth Jess will be mammoth fun at Longchamps

The MAMMOTH JESS Special
Stakes
Six furlongs
Firm Turf
$75,000
Fillies and mares, 2 years old

Race ID:3378.3510

This turf dash has seven fast fillies and is sure to please this week at lovely Longchamp.

ZIGGOLO(ENG) has five races under her belt and has never been off the board.  The turf specialist is trying her third continent and makes the transatlantic trip from Puerto Rico.  Her sharp victory in the Minsc and Boo there last out stamps her a major contender here at 7/2.  Trainer gradelane has top jockey B Wu up, and she figures to be challenging for the lead.  She is by the little-loved sire Piccolo(GB), who may be one of those British sires given a boost in the sim this year….

MRS. PRADO(KY) is a regally bred (El Prado x Mr. Prospector x Seattle Slew) scratchbred from the irebreds stable.  She is two-for-two since a switch to the turf, including a frontrunning score in the Yarni Marni in Ireland in September.  She is the favorite at 2-1 with solid M Mia aboard, but she may be challenged by the rail horse on the front end in this one.

RAINING DACDACS(ENG) is another frontrunner, this one coming in at 3-1 off an allowance win at Ascot.  The daughter of Dubawi out of a G grade mare had a tendency to fade late before that race, but that skein includes a third in a Grade 3, so the competition could have been tougher back then in July.  J Ventura is having a nice 17% season and gets the call from bmr005.

PSYCHOTHEORY(KY), 6-1, has been raced exclusively on turf and has three wins in seven races on the surface.  Of those three wins, the last was in a stakes down in Queensland and marked a first return to the winner’s since the Grey Car back in May in Hong Kong.  She shows some ability to rate, which could serve her well here with I C Posse in the irons.  Trainer hoseshoe bred this one from inexpensive Bowman’s Band (who was a favorite of mine on the track) out of a Freud mare.

IT IS AS IF I CAN(NZ) is the outsider at 10-1 but gets 21% jockey J Ledwith.  She too has much turf experience, sneaking in a stakes win in the Will’s Acts in Taiwan back in August.  She is not as fast as the best of these, but her most recent three weeks back in Tasmania was something of an improvement.  The expected fast pace may hurt her chances.

NOTHIN’ LEICA T.A.(AUS) represents the best of the crop of 1992 Down Under, with sire Nothin’ Leica Dane and damsire Octagonal.  She is strongly inbred to their main sirelines, Danehill and Sir Tristram.  Dam GEELONG CATTER was not very fast, but this filly may prove the best of her brood, including full sister NOTHIN’ LEICA ARSE(AUS).  She is the lone confirmed closer in the field, and may rate an upset chance at 7-1 despite a low percentage jockey, the lack of a stakes win, and relatively lower speed numbers.  Trainer adrian2 certainly hopes so.

MISS BURONGA(KY) has been kept to turf despite a dirt-friendly sire in Mr. Greeley.  Her dam, stakes-winning BURONGA PROSPECTOR, was a fast one on both surfaces but raced almost exclusively at a mile. This miss was stakes-placed back in May at Newmarket, but has been running in the top three in allowances since that date.  Her allowance win two back in Malaysia was from off the pace, but more often she presses and fades late.  Journeyman jock S Sales will try to reverse that trend for woodsmen and cash in her 5-1 price.