Top sprinter Birds Of Paradise headlines Blue Screw
The Blue Screw Stakes is a short little jaunt on the main track at Sweden Race Course. Open to fillies and mares ages 3 and up, the six furlong dash drew a strong field of highly competitive females. Perhaps the juicy $70k purse was a strong attraction. Whatever the motivations of each entry’s trainer,this should be one exciting and competitive race.
She hasn’t done a ton of winning lately, but Barb’s Super Duper didn’t earn her 2-1 field favorite status by being a slowpoke. The 5yo Woodman mare is graded-placed but has really found a career niche in listed stakes. With a deep-closing running style she tends to perform better in longer sprints and may find herself out of room to take over the lead at the wire. The 111SP she popped two back in running second in a stake is among the best of her division, let alone this field. A strong mare who would have a better shot at seven than six, but count this mare out at your own betting peril. Her stable, jakematt, wins at an excellent 15% clip.
Ranked #3 in her division, Birds Of Paradise is the 7-2 co-second choice for trainer Dixiedotco. She’s making start #51 and undeniably not the same mare that pulled off a huge win on DelPenn Champions Day in 2006. However, the grand old dame of the division still has the right stuff to win this race. Just two back she scored a nice 97SP in a 4.5f allowance, and in May the 6yo mare won the G2 Real Danger Handicap. Not only is her breeding impeccable (she’s by Seeking The Gold out of a Storm Bird mare), but she’s got the kind of class that can carry her to the winner’s circle even as she continues the slow decline toward retirement.
No doubt trainer buzzsaw was hoping for some rainclouds, as his entry Black Avenue is very good on a wet track, but the fast track isn’t something she hates. Perhaps the Black Minnaloushe mare’s biggest hurdle will be overcoming her lack of previous stakes success as she enters start #40. Against the likes of graded-quality horses, that inability to win a listed stake despite several opportunities makes one somewhat cautious in backing the Avenue at 7-2 odds. She’s capable of running low 100s, though lately on a dry track it’s more common to see her post speed figures in the mid-90s.
To commemorate the start of the Big Oil Conglomerate’s former association with the GR Simsters, Lordpye6 bred a lovely named BOC Meets GR. The 4yo Orientate filly is lightly raced with just 15 starts on her resume, but she’s put the time to good use with six wins and a respectable sixth in the G3 Dolly Prummond, her only stakes start. That race was last time out, so expect Boc to improve off that learning experience. The filly seems to prefer going 6.5f, but this will be just her third start at 6 and she did win one of her two previous tries (though that was on a wet track). Has been posting improving speed figures, should perform well.
Topicountc has a pretty 4yo filly named Cinematic in at 9-2. The Seeking The Gold filly is a dual-surface stakes winner specializing in sprints. She’s also twice graded-placed, both times at a mile as a 3yo. Her last four have all been on dirt, and she’s got a pair of wins at 6f in allowances out of those four starts. She’s more than capable of 100+ speed figures, has been on a clear hot streak lately, and is proven at the stakes level. Lots to like about this filly.
Hard to believe she’s all the way up at 11-1, but Silver Brandy’s got more talent and promise than the odds indicate. The 3yo Skip Away filly has been steadily improving throughout the year under the care of trainer winhunter. She’s notched five wins from 10 starts including a nice stakes win at 6.5f in May. Despite the lack of experience at higher levels that Birds Of Paradise and Barb’s Super Duper have, Brandy still has to be considered a threat. She tried routing last time out for the first time and while she lost by over 9 lengths, she still managed a respectable speed figure. Dropping back to sprinting she should get a speed boost. If you want to try to make some cash, consider betting this filly.
The final entrant is the 20-1 Giant’s Causeway filly GiantProspect. The 3yo filly runs for the foxmax2 stable. Both ofher wins have come at 6f, but she’s yet to run better than fourth in stakes company.She tends to close, but doesn’t have the speed to out-close the mares in thisfield. Could benefit from a longer sprint as she’s gone 6f and a mile but nothingin between.
A win here would push Birds Of Paradise over $1.9million in earnings, a grand feat indeed. It would also recognize the skill of the well-regarded and popular mare. On the other hand, the upstart youngster Silver Brandy has been coming along so well that if she doesn’t beat her classy elders here her big stakes success can’t be far off. I like these two for the exacta.