The Bad Boy Set To Duplicate His WC Victory With A Raging Menace At His Heels

New Jersey – The Juvy Turf colts check in over 8.5F over the green stuff.  Oddsmakers like Kepler Tokoyo(jpn) & The Stardust(eng) at 7/1.  But there’s 12 other colts and geldings that have their eye on snagging a piece of the BB glory & prize.  History tends to repeat itself, so take a look at how past winners have made their ways to the winner’s enclosure.

“I am a great champion, when I ran the ground shook, the sky opened, & mere mortals parted the way to victory & I met my owner in the winner’s circle where he put a blanket of flowers on my back.”

Past Winners:

2000 – King’s Millennium (King of Kings) entered the BB gates with a near flawless start to his career.  The colt was a free-running frontrunner who had tasted defeat once in his 4 prior starts – a 2^nd in a short 5.5F restricted allowance.  King bared his heart and courage in his prep race, the G2 8.5F Manofjunk Stakes, by dueling throughout the race to prevail by a nose.  On BB day the mighty King was ready to declare to the world that he was best.  The oddsmakers sent him off with near 8/1 odds from PP 5.  He was clearly on the top of his game, breaking so swiftly that he had a near 3L lead by the 1^st call.  He drew off to a large uncontested lead before duking it out to the end to win by ½ L with a 103sp.  Final Time: 1:43-.

2001 – The Pretender (Nureyev) made his 7^th start on BB day.  His path to the BB was a bit … untraditional.  The 1^st 5 starts of his career were under the training of Santiago.  The “underperforming” Pretender was sold after only winning a lone maiden race.  Under the guidance of new trainer Horsepower, The Pretender won at 1^st asking in his prep race for the BB, the 8F Fast Gold Special.  Strangely, the colt was given 6/1 odds as the co-2^nd choice.  Leaving the gates from PP 5, The Pretender settled into mid-pack before rallying around the final turn.  He won by 3 L with a 102sp, beating Daneye & Ray of Pye.  Final Time: 1:43-.

2002 – Ed’s Pegasus As (Fusaichi Pegasus) start in the Juvenile Turf would be his 7^th.  Ed is another colt that took a slightly unconventional path to the BB.  The lanky chestnut had won 4 of his 5 starts prior the BB, however, none were at the graded level and 3 of those were on the main track.  He prepped in the 8F dirt Burnt Hills Cap.  On BB day Ed flew out of PP 2 as 6/1 2^nd-choice, spread his wings and wired the field by 3-3/4 L with ears pricked, posting an eye-popping 106sp!  Final Time: 1:42.6.

2003 – European Royalty (Forty Niner) made his 6^th start in the BB Juvy Turf.  Coming into the big race, European Royalty was 2 of his 5 starts including the G2 6F turf Little Ones Juvenile.  The colt had not won in his 3 starts leading into the BB, nor had he raced around 2-turns.  On the big day, European Royalty entered PP 12 with 14/1 odds.  He broke sluggishly and settled into the back.  Entering the stretch the colt hit his best stride to cruise past the leaders and win by ¾ L with a 102sp.  Final Time: 1:43-.

2004 – Like A Porcupine (Kingmambo) made his 6^th start on this day.  The colt came into the race off of a great prep race in the G1 8F turf High Flyer Stakes – he won by an easy 4 ½ L with a respectable 96sp.  His overall record prior to the BB was 5 for 5 ITM, 2 of which were wins.  The Porcupine broke from PP 14 as a “2^nd choice”(8/1) … along with 4 other colts.  Breaking nicely, Porcupine settled nicely mid-pack.  By the 3^rd call he was making his move, having moved up to 3^rd.  Down the stretch, the colt overcame Jupitor’s Moon to win by ½ L with a 102sp, defeating the heavy favorite General’s Chariot & longshot (yes, longshot) Horseshoe Bay (never again would you find him at 18/1 odds).  Final Time: 1:43-.

2005 – Always Improving (Trempolino) made the BB start #8.  The 1^st 4 starts of his career were on the dirt, and those were not unsuccessful, on the contrary, he finished ITM each time.  Switching over to the turf and increasing the distance of ground, the colt began flashing a little more talent with fastest sp#s and a 2^nd in the G1 8F turf Globalsim Special for his BB prep.   On BB day, Always Improving entered PP 8 with 10/1 odds.  He broke nicely and settled in off the pace.  Turning for home, the colt lengthened his strides to win by 2 ¼ L with a measly 88sp, defeating Cronus & Omerta Code.  Final Time: 1:44.2.

2006 – Mambo Wildcat (Forest Wildcat) was a nice colt on the dirt in the spring, but trainer jockeymax had secretly been training the Cat on the turf & had discovered a lil’ something special that he planned to unleash on the Sim world.  After 4 ITM starts on the dirt, the unleashing began.  Mambo Wildcat prepped in the 8.5F turf G1 Knick Knack Juvenile where the colt ran quicker every furlong to win by 5 ¼ L with an 89sp.  What would he do in the BB?  A month later, that question was answered as the Wildcat made his 7^th start when he entered PP 7 as the 4/1 fav in a field that included Paper Jesus, The Fast Layne, & Paycheck.  Mambo Wildcat broke sharply, rating momentarily behind the pacesetter before taking command in the backstretch.  Again, the colt was running swifter with every stride.  In the end he shattered the 4-year old BB Juvy Turf Colt record, winning by 3 ¾ L with a 104sp.  Final Time: 1:42.2.

NOTES:

Two winners have come from PP 5 while the rest have come from PP 2, 7, 8, 12, 15… so there is no rhyme or reason to where they break out of the gates.  Only one winner was the post-time favorite (Mambo Wildcat), while 3 others were 2^nd-choice.  The most frequent number of starts prior to winning the BB Juvy Turf was 6 starts.  Three others had 4, 5, & 7 starts. 

Preps (for the winners) have come in the: G1 8.5F(T) Knick Knack Juvenile (1^st), G1 8F(T) Globalsim Special (2^nd), G1 8F(T) High Flyer Stakes (1^st), 6.5F(T) open allowance (3^rd), 8F(D) Burnt Hills Cap (2^nd), 8F(T) Fast Gold Special (1^st), G2 8.5F(T) Manofjunk Stakes (1^st).  One of the 7 winners was unraced around 2-turns prior to his BB victory.

Here are the times for the past 7 runnings of the Breeder’s Bowl Juvenile Turf Colts listed in order from fastest to slowest.  The stakes record is currently held by Ed’s Pegasus As.  It will be extremely tuff to beat as it seems like… well… everybody stops the clock at 1:43-.

Times (fastest to slowest):

2006: Mambo Wildcat, 1:42.2, shattered prior record

2002: Ed’s Pegasus As, 1:42.6

2000: King’s Millennium, 1:43-

2001: The Pretender, 1:43-

2004: Like A Porcupine, 1:43-

2003: European Royalty, 1:43-

2005: Always Improving, 1:44.2

We’ve got some heady trainers pulling into this race with some real talented runners.  Let’s see how these 14 racehorses will write their stories – it’s a day for championship performances…

PP1: VESPUCCI(ky), 16/1, jbfarms, P Haynes

          Vespucci is one juicy looking longshot, I must say!  The handsome bay colt is by the renowned sire Storm Cat out of he-mare Valamar (Gold Legend/Northern Dancer).   He is undefeated around 2-turns going 8.5F.  He only has one little blemish on his record (beaten by 1 L to be 2^nd in the 5.5F(T) Way Mayying Stakes).

            In Knighmare’s words:  “(His he-dam), Valamar, finished 6^th in the 2004 Breeder’s Bowl Juvy Turf. With Valamar I had to bring him into the Juvy Turf off a longer layoff so when Vespucci won a listed stakes race in early August (two back) I started to target this race & juggled his schedule to avoid coming into the race off an extended layoff…

“I looked through the future races & thought that this late in the year turning a 2yo around in 4 weeks would be possible. So I laid him off a bit bringing him into his prep race on 7 weeks rest. After looking at stakes points & races I thought the path of least resistance would get enough points to make the race & that worked out…

“Instead of butting heads with the top runners we took on an easy field in a listed stakes (El Artful Bonanza) & won nicely. This was the target race; I did not want him running a top race before he got here so I avoided graded stakes.
            “His speed figures are not up to par with the favorites (career best is an 80sp), but he won his last two pretty easy so I am not too worried about his speed figures I think those will take care of themselves. If he is good enough he will be there in the end.  He has been forwardly placed in his starts but he is not a front runner. I think he has been in fields where there was not a strong pace runner. I suspect he will be 4 to 5 L off the early pace this time around & that looks like a good place to be with the speed entered into this race.”

PP2: REACH THE PEAK(eng), 12/1, racinpogs2, R Harzheim

          Okay, so how about this for unconventional?  Reach The Peak began his career on the dirt in a restricted maiden race.  The colt rated mid-pack before rallying from 13^th to 3^rd.  His next start came a month later in a 6F turf maiden race.  Reach The Peak struggled throughout finishing well back in 7^th with a speed figure 20 points less than his prior start.  Any other trainer would have jumped back over to the dirt.  Not, Pogo.  Pogo took the colt back to school and didn’t unveil him again until late in June.  The maiden race was over a 6F(T) listed as “good.” Reach The Peak showed up as a completely different horse.  He rated a bit closer before making a run for the wire, running out of ground to finish 2^nd. 

            Finally, two back, Reach The Peak made it real – the colt rallied strongly in a 7.5F firm turf maiden race to lay claim to his first victory with an 82sp.  Pogo prepped Reach The Peak in the G1 8F(T) World Cup Juvenile Colt Turf Mile where he rallied from 13 L back to just miss by ¼ L with a 90sp.

            In Pogo’s words: “My horse goes against the 1^st (Manetee Bad Boy), 3^rd (Buck’s Party), & 5^th (Washinsky) from that race, & I’m feeling confident that I can come out on top this time around. In the WC race, Reach the Peak came from a mile off the pace & just ran out of ground, closing right to the line but failing by ¼ L. He gets an extra ½ F in the BB & that looks right up his ally.  Yes, he can turn the tables on Manatee Bad Boy.  Whilst the WC was only 5 weeks ago I feel this shouldn’t be a problem as Reach the Peak was off for 9 weeks prior to the WC – that race has him spot on for the BB.”

PP3: KEPLER TOKYO(jpn), 7/1, marianus, P Bangs

          Here lies one of the favorites of the race.  Kepler Tokyo is sired by Charistmatic out of Kepler Carson (Carson City/El Gran Senor).  Kepler has won 4 of his 6 starts… the strange thing is, however, is that the colt has only known 6Fs (both turf & dirt).  So the colt has a huge question mark to answer – Can he get 8.5F?

            Kepler Tokyo broke his maiden at first asking in April over the turf.  In his next two starts he tested the dirt in an open allowance race (1^st) and the G2 Irish Futurity (3^rd).  In July it was back to the turf for the colt where he won the Young Turfer Festival Stakes.  Last time out was a convincing victory in the G1 World Cup Juvenile Colt Turf Sprint where he prevailed by a ½ L with an 88sp.

            Watch for this guy to be laying just off of the pacesetters keeping the heat on them.  Will he have the stamina to take on some of these top turf 2yos?  We will soon find out.

PP4: THE STARDUST(eng), 7/1, greatnames, P Harzheim

          The Stardust keeps Kepler Tokyo company as co-favorite.  The son of Generous x (Shirley Heights/Vaguely Noble) is 5 for 5 ITM on the turf and bred to run all day.  The colt broke his maiden on the dirt (1 of 3 starts) before switching over to his chosen surface.  The Stardust is a frontrunner who is tenacious on the lead.  The colt finished 2^nd behind Curious Candy (and ahead of Raging Menace, 3^rd) in the 8F(T) G1 High Flyer where he dueled throughout.  His prep for the BB came in the 8.5F(T) G1 Knick Knack Juvenile where the colt once again battled for the early lead only to cave in the stretch finishing 3^rd behind Raging Menace. 

            In the end, when the dust has settled after the BB Juvy Turf, wish The Stardust have enough stamina to pull off the victory?  We shall soon find out.

PP5: GOLDFRIARS(aus), 9/1, fortune500, D Hogin

          Goldfriars is a great looking son of Blackfriars out of the he-mare Galileo Seeking (Galileo/Seeking The Gold).  The compact chestnut has a great turn of foot that has proven very useful; the colt has been victorious in 5 of his 6 starts and is undefeated in 2 routes.

            Goldfriars lone defeat came in the G3 7F(T) Up North Juvenile where he just ran out of ground.  His last 2 starts came over 8.5F(T) & 8F(T) in undercard stakes races.  He won under a hand ride in both.  I think he has a lot more to give & wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled the upset.  He will have to run a bit faster than he has in the past, but he has proven himself to be capable against graded company, and he is in winning form.  You can’t get too much better than that.

PP6: WOETTE’S SLIPPER(ky), 9/1, woette1, R Case

          Woette’s Slipper is sired by Forest Wildcat x (Kingmambo/Buckpasser).  Forest Wildcat sired last year’s BB Juvy Turf winner (Mambo Wildcat) – with the strong damsire lineage that Woette’s Slipper possess it could happen again.  The colt tends to keep close to the frontrunners as he portrayed two back in the 8F(T) What Till Earl Bonanza; the colt stalked the leader before taking charge halfway down the backstretch.  He lengthened out nicely to win by 2 sharp lengths with an 84sp. 

In his prep for the BB, however, trainer woette1, instructed the jockey to sit his colt a bit further off of the pace, running about 4 lengths back at one point.  As they turned for home the colt’s strides gobbled up the ground barreling down on the 2 leaders with every leap.  In the end it was Woette’s Slipper 3^rd by a minor ¼ L and an honest 89sp in the G3 8.5F(T) Flying Saucer Stakes.  Idol Worship had snagged the lead.  Woette’s Slipper gets his chance to flip the tables on Idol.  Can he do it?

PP7: MANATEE BAD BOY(ire), 11/1, brstable, K Ledwith

Sired by Refuse To Bend(ire) and out of Ballot Box (Deputy Minister/Event of the Year), the big burly bay colt has been a badass from the moment he stepped on the track back in March.  Manetee Bad Boy was rank that day, fighting his jockey throughout, but still managed to hang tuff for 2^nd losing by ¼ L over 6F(T).  Brstable took the colt back to the training oval and attempted to train the headstrong colt to behave himself.   Manetee made his next appearance the last week of April in another 6F(T) MSW; the bettors weren’t too hot on his debut performance & thus Manetee left the gates at odds of 19/1.  The colt broke sharply & as they rounded the turn for home he had gained the lead with ears pricked.  It was enough to make the railbirds jump on the Bad Boy Bandwagon; when the colt returned to the races in June they sent him off at 3/1 odds in his 6F(T) allowance race.  Only 3 others were brave enough to face the monster.  The colt didn’t disappoint.  Next up was a taste of stakes Company & a little added distance.  Bettors sent Manetee Bad Boy to the starter with 6/1 odds in the 6.5F(T) Bert Gulch Stakes.

PP8: WASHINSKY(ire), 10/1, loisblack, A Rolling

Washinsky is sired by George Washington out of he-mare Lowlands Lane (Gone West/Pleasant Colony).  He is one colt that I don’t doubt will be one very tuff cookie when the gates open Saturday morning; the big bay colt has been running competitively in graded company since breaking his maiden.  Washinsky has won 2 G3’s: 4.5F(T) Belgian Tike Stakes & 8F(T) Tiny Toes Stakes.  Last time out Washinsky finished 5^th in the 8F(T) World Cup Juvenile Colt Turf Mile behind Manetee Bad Boy, Reach The Peak, & Buck’s Party; it appears that the colt got shuffled back early on and experienced traffic problems throughout.  When the field turned for home he was able to swing wide and make up some ground, but it was too little too late.  Keep an eye on this guy, he could very well turn the tables on the 3 that finished ahead of him in the World Cup.

PP9: BUCK’S PARTY(eng), 9/1, deyoto4, H Harzheim

          Buck’s Party is from the Champion Lodge stables, trained by Deyoto.  He was so kind as to humor me for a brief interview.  When asked to tell me a little about his son of Motivator x (Green Dancer/Carson City), this is what he had to say: “He’s a handful.  Buck’s got a big set of *bleep* on him, & I think it may be gelding time – he is unable to be restrained by any rider.  The only reason he has a jockey is to steer him.”

            Buck broke his maiden at 1^st asking in a restricted maiden special weight in April.  Two months later he made his graded stakes debut in the G3 6.5F(T) Dalesbark Cup where he attempted to wire the field only to get snubbed by a nose in a photo (Washingsky 3^rd).  August saw Buck having a ball in the 8F(T) Madmans Juvenile Challenge – the colt relished the added distance, cruising unchallenged to a 6 L lead.  He ran under the wire 1^st by 3 ¾ L.  The colt prepped in the G1 8F(T) World Cup Juvenile Colt Turf Mile.  He got away swiftly & attempted a repeat of his prior run.  Late charging Manatee Bad Boy (1^st) & Reach The Peak (2^nd) snuck by in a head bop photo; Buck had to settle for 3^rd (Washingsky 5^th).

            “He is a little speed machine that will go out hard & try to lead them the whole way.  Buck has a ton of ability & is a true 2yo. He’ll take some beating. I’m hoping he can go one better than his stable mate Paycheck’s 2^nd last year in this event.”   The colt is definitely dangerous on the lead.  A good handful of the past winners have come after wiring the field.

PP10: CURIOUS CANDY(ky), 12/1, lopiccolo, A Craig

Curious Candy (by Candy Ride out of Curious S., Kris S./Mr. Prospector) looms from the Evil Empire itself.  I was able to catch up with trainer Lenny (aka: lopiccolo) for a lil chat about his impressive 2yo.  He was quick to put a reporter in her place stating from the get-go, “Keely, just a few words on Curious Candy…”  No problem. J Lenny knows his stuff as he brought I Make Stuff Up to the inaugural BB Turf Sprint last year as a sharp sophomore to steal the show from the big boys. 

Including Curious Candy, Lenny has brought an entire army to the Breeder’s Bowl this year – count that EIGHT starters.  He has 5 other 2yos (4 of which are undefeated): The Gun Went Off in the Juvenile (dirt), Watch Your Back & Thunderlips in the Juvy Turf Fillies, & Autumn Nights in the Juvy Fillies (dirt).  The other 3 include: Passing Stone in the Classic, The Deuce in the Turf Distaff, & Tough As Steel in the Distaff (dirt).

Lenny states, “He (Curious Candy) was bred ultra-early this year in an effort to have a 2yo in our GRSimster baby races.  It took him 3 attempt to break his maiden, but his 1^st two defeats were at the hands of a couple of salty horses, & he’s run well in every race.”  CC has been unstoppable since breaking that maiden, winning an 8F(T) restricted allowance two back & winning his BB prep in the G1 8F(T) High Flyer Stakes. “He can run on or behind the pace & is well rested.”

Lenny’s take on the race: “(It’s) a great field with a slew of horses that are running well. Raging Menace looks tough, & I think Spartiate might be the winner when the dust settles.”

PP11: SPARTIATE(eng), 11/1, wicked, J Benisz

          The chestnut colt is by hot sire Pivotal out of Ytwodubai (Dubai Millennium/Caerleon).  Spartiate was built to go long and has done barely a thing wrong.  His debut race was a bit short for the colt as he closed quickly, but missed by ½ L in the 6F race.  Next out was straight into stakes company – the 6F(T) Dance The Wings Bonanza.  The colt rocked the house by winning with ears pricked by 3 long lengths.  A month later the talented Spartiate jumped into the G3 7.5F(T) Omnipotent Juvenile.  He rated a bit further off of the pace than his normal, but it didn’t matter.  The colt came charging down the lane to score another notch on his belt.  Each race was better than the previous and trainer wicked was beginning to get ideas in his mind.  One more test and then the decision would be made.  In his prep race for Saturday’s big event Spartiate prevailed by nearly 3 L in the G2 8.5F(T) Manofjunk Stakes with an 87sp.  It was all systems go; Spartiate won his ticket to the BB.  This will be the stiffest competition the colt has faced yet.  Will he crumble under the pressure or continue running on strong?  I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet.

PP12: RAGING MENACE(wa), 10/1, teerades, H McCoy

          Raging Menace hits a soft spot in my heart as he is a Washington state-bred (my home state).  The chestnut colt is by Trail City out of Wild ‘N’ Free (Deputy Wildcat/Nureyev).  The colt broke his maiden in his 3^rd start, but don’t blame the colt – once he was given a little more ground to run he relished it.  He went on to win a 7F restricted allowance next out.  Four weeks later he made his route debut, stakes debut & graded debut all rolled into one: the G1 8F(T) High Flyer Stakes.  The colt was a bit rank with his jockey and struggled to settle in off the pacesetters, finishing 3^rd behind Curious Candy (1^st) & The Stardust (2^nd). 

            His prep for the BB played out much more differently.  It appears that in the time between the High Flyer and the G1 8.5F(T) Knick Knack Juvenile trainer teerades schooled Raging Menace off the pace to ensure that another scene like the High Flyer would not occur.  It paid off in dividends.  Raging Menace rated beautifully off the pace, reserving his speed for the stretch run home.  He scored the victory by a smashing 2 ¼ L with a very nice 96sp.

            If the colt keeps his cool, then watch out.

PP13: IDOL WORSHIP(eng), 16/1, stormboot2, F Gossett

          Idol Worship is a son of Shirocco x (Mill Reef/Affirmed) and reigns from Dixiedotco Racing stables.  Dixiedotco has a handful of other BB runners: Privileged in the Classic, September Royalty in the Distaff, & Ten Year Storm in the Juvy Filly.

            At 1^st glance I noticed that it took Idol 4 tries to break that elusive maiden (that was just 3 starts ago in July).  Turns out, all the colt needs was a route!  Two back the colt stretched out from 8F to today’s distance of 8.5F in the Two Pair Stakes; Idol Worship ran on to a nice win, opening up to 2 ¼ L.  Last time out was the 8.5F(T) G3 Flying Saucer Stakes.  The colt rated much further back than normal, but it didn’t faze him in the least.  The colt flew down the lane to get up in time to take the win (and remained undefeated over routes) by a ¼ L with a career best 89sp (Woette’s Slipper 3^rd)

“This guy is coming into the race in great shape, & I expect a very good performance from him on Saturday. He wants every bit of this distance plus more, & he seems to be just getting going as they cross the line.  I’m hoping he’ll be an English Derby type of horse, as he’s bred to run all day…

 “But first things first! He’s undefeated routing, and I think he benefits greatly from the 8.5f distance, as many of the others are unproven going that far. It also looks like there’s going to be a ton of pace, which should really help. One thing’s for sure, he’ll be mowing them down late. Hopefully he can get up in time!”

Who would have thought that the German sire Shirocco would sire a Breeder’s Bowl contender in his 1^st crop?  Dixie of course!  “I also am very proud of the fact that he’s by a freshman sire (and not one of the more heralded ones either). Using new sires is one of my favorite parts of the sim, and a big part of my breeding program. I’m glad one of them could be represented by a BB contender.”  Shirocco, for the record, may have a less-than-marketable pedigree, but the horse won G1s in Italy, Germany, and, yes, the U.S.A (Breeder’s Bowl Turf) – Keep an eye on Idol Worship down the road.

PP14: CREZZINO(eng), 9/1, allyindy, T Loesch

          Crezzino, sired by Cacique out of Undefeated Season (AP Indy/Mr. Prospector), is another colt that has not attempted a route.  He has a near flawless record with only one blemish on his short (4 starts) career – the restricted Smackdown III Stakes (3^rd) where he struggled to obtain the lead.  Head trainer of the Cobra Kai Racing Stables, Brian, privileged me to a quick interview:  “Crezzino’s only career loss came in Smackdown where he lost to 2 other talented GRSimster colts by only a length.”  This could be his Achilles’ Heel, thus in my mind he has a few questions to answer: Can he go 2-turns & will he crumble when pressure is applied to him from other frontrunners?

Last time out came in the G1 7F(T) Nationwide Stakes; Crezzino wired the field and held off a late charger to win by ¾ L with a career best 88sp.  “The move from 7f to 8.5f is a bit of a question mark, but he is bred to get this distance & more. He’s going to have to come out running from the #14 gate, & there is some other quality speed he’ll have to deal with. He’s well rested & sharp so I have that going for me…

“This is my 2^nd career BB runner, the first being Tenacious V in the 2005 Juvy Turf Fillies where she finished a hard charging 4^th.  A win here would rank right up there with my 2006 1,000 Guineas win with Tenacious V.”