Eleven To Run In Sanders Stakes

The highlight race this week in Georgia is the Grade II Sanders Stakes. The race covers a mile and one eighth and is held on the inner turf track. The race offers a purse of $225,000 and is open to all horses four years old and up. The weather has been cool for the past few days but the track is in good condition and no rain is expected the rest of the week. There will be a total of eleven horses running on Saturday. Lets take a look at the contenders.

Drawing the rail in Saturday’s race is Our Little Secret (Bertrando x Secreto x Mr. Prospector), who is out of the graded starter Secret Prospector, and is owned and trained by slim, owner of Tees Stables. The six year old bay horse has been lightly raced with a total of twenty-one lifetime starts. The colt has won six times of these twenty-one times, with four wins coming over the turf, but also achieving two wins over the dirt. His most recent start came in a nine furlong allowance caliber start in Nebraska last month where the colt went on to win the race going wire to wire while setting a sped figure of one hundred six. His most recent graded start came in late September during the World Cup Turf Classic Restricted (G1) where the colt finished twelve and a half lengths back in fifth.

In the second post is The Giant’s Gone (IRE) (Giant’s Causeway (IRE) x Gone West x Unbridled), who is trained by zooom, owner of Zooomr Stables. This five year old bay colt has a total of twenty-four career starts of which there is seven wins and four places. All but one of the horses wins have come on the turf track. His most recent start came early last month on the good turf in the Foot Appeal Bonanza where the horse broke out of the starting gate in the middle of the pack but never fired in the race and finished sixth with a speed figure of ninety-one. His most recent win was in November during the ungraded Love That Rivers Special where he again broke mid-pack, but this time fired just before the stretch and went on to win by two and a half lengths. His most recent graded start was in the twelve furlong Canada Turf (G1) where the horse finished fourth.

With morning line odds of 7/1 is Draco (Sadler’s Wells x A.P. Indy x Unbridled), who is owned and trained by spqr, owner of SPQR Stables. The five year old blue blooded horse has been lightly raced with a total of nineteen career starts. The bay horse has won five times, with three wins coming on the turf and two on the dirt. His most recent start came in British Columbia last month in an allowance caliber race where the colt broke mid pack out of the starting gate and went on to finish six and one-fourth lengths back in third with a speed figure of one hundred three. His most recent win came in an allowance start in Spain where the horse won by one and three-fourth lengths last July. His most recent graded start came on a yielding turf track during the Posh Purse Stakes (G2) where he finished eighth.

Next is Lookadat Von (Aldebaran x King Of Kings (IRE) x Bold Bidder), who is trained and owned by theodore5, owner of Theo Stables Inc. The six year old bay homebred has been lightly raced with a total of thirty-three career starts. Seven of these starts have resulted in wins, with five of them coming over the turf, two coming over the dirt. His most recent start came late last month in the ten furlong ungraded 2nd Minnesota Turf Restricted where the colt broke out of the gate in seventh and worked his way up to fifth before the stretch. But the horse never fired in the stretch, crossing the wire in sixth with a speed figure of one hundred three. His most recent win came in October on the yielding turf track of an allowance caliber race in Michigan where the horse won by two and one-fourth lengths.

Longshot Shirley You Mambo (Kingmambo x Shirley Heights (GB) x Danzig), who is owned and trained by ajm, owner of Ajm Racing, is next. The six year old chestnut has been very lightly raced with a total of only twenty-two lifetime starts. Five of these starts have ended in wins for the chestnut horse, three of which have come on the dirt with two wins on the turf. His most recent start came in November during the ungraded ten furlong Near Between North Cap which took place on the dirt. The horse broke out of the gate in the middle of the pack but dropped back in the stretch finishing seventh with a speed figure of ninety-eight. His most recent win came on the dirt in the twelve furlong Can American Handicap last May where he won the race by two and a half lengths. His most recent graded start came on the turf in the Coalminer Cup where he finished a disappointing thirty-two and a half lengths back in eleventh.

Following will be Dancing Tenpin (IRE) (Theatrical (IRE) x Seeking The Gold x Seattle Slew), who is owned by tenpin8, owner of Rockriver Stables. The four year old chestnut colt has been lightly raced and has a total of sixteen career starts. Five starts have resulted in wins for the Irish-bred colt, all of which have come over the turf. His most recent start came last month in the NC Mile (G2) when the colt broke out of the gate late and tailed the field, crossing the wire in thirteenth with a speed figure of ninety-seven. His most recent win was just the month before in the nine furlong Panhandle Derby (G3) where he colt won by two and one-fourth lengths.

Drawing the seventh post is Concieve (IRE) (Ballingarry (IRE) x Gone West x Alleged), who is out of the dam Lady Carpenter, and is owned by bumsofbums, owner of Smubs Stables. The four year old bay colt has been lightly raced with a total of fifteen career starts. The colt has six lifetime wins, all of which have come over the turf track. His most recent start came in South Africa during the ungraded nine and a half furlong Elrod’s Buster Memorial where the colt broke out of the gate towards the back of the field but began to make his move on the rest of the pack just before the stretch with the Irish-bred colt getting the jump on the field and winning the race by two and three-fourth lengths with a speed figure of one hundred ten.

Nex t is one of our favorites of Saturday’s race, Ollie’s Quest (Rainbow Quest x Lear Fan x Danzig), who is out of the Grade I winning dam Fantastic Ollie, and is owned by beamnreasn, owner of Spartan Racing Stables. The seven year old bay horse has been lightly raced with a total of twenty-seven career starts. Seven of the horses starts have resulted in wins, all of which have come over the turf. His most recent start came in early November during the nine furlong ungraded Lord Gray Bonanza where the horse broke out of the gate mid pack and made his move late in final furlongs of the race. Eventually crossing the wire in second with a speed figure of one hundred twelve, only one and one-fourth lengths off the pace. His most recent win came in August during the ungraded Bounded Que Stakes where he won by one and one-fourth lengths. His most recent graded start came in the 2006 Ark De Triumph (G1) where he finished a well-beaten eleventh.

Next is our other favorite, Theatrical Affair (IRE) (Theatrical (IRE) x Black Tie Affair (IRE) x Nijinsky II), who is owned by dontnagme, owner of Dentition Stables. The six year old chestnut horse has a total of twenty-nine career starts. Twelve of the horses starts have ended in wins, with all of the horses wins coming over the turf track. His most recent start came in late November during the ungrded Bird Seed Bonanza where the colt broke out of the gate chasing the front-runner in second, but he faded in the nine and a half furlong race and finished fourth, eleven and a half lengths back. His most recent win came in September during the King Wench (BRAZ) Memorial where the horse won going wire to wire winning by two and a half lengths. His most recent graded start came early last year in the Lone Star Mile (G1) where he finished twelfth.

Following is Crimson Secret (Kingmambo x Secretariat x Crimson Satan), who is trained by nightracin, owner of Worldwide. The five year old chestnut has been very lightly raced with only twelve career starts, the horse not seeing the track until as a late three year old. Seven of the horses starts have resulted in wins, most on the turf but with one win coming on the dirt. His most recent start came last month in the ten furlong ungraded Knowingly Mark Stakes where the horse went wire to wire in the race and won by three and a half lengths with a speed figure of one hundred five. If the horse were to win on Saturday, it would be his fourth consecutive stakes win. His most recent graded start came in mid-July during the Turf Lounge (G1) where the chestnut finished eight lengths back in fifth.

Drawing the far outside post is Rise To KLP (Capote x Nureyev x Fappinao), who is trained by mccoy, owner of Genebaum Stables. The seven year old brown horse is one of the most experienced horses in the field with a total of sixty lifetime starts. Twenty-four of these starts have resulted in wins, the majority of which have come over the turf, though the horse has also scored two wins on the dirt. The impressive horse has established lifetime earnings of $1,593,615. His most recent start came in a nine and a half furlong allowance caliber start last month in Illinois where the horse broke at the back of the field but made a big move in the stretch to finish second, back by only one and a half lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred. His most recent win came in August during an allowance caliber start in Florida where the horse won going away by three lengths. His most recent graded win came last year in the King George BB Stakes (G3) where the horse finished eighth.