Hubble Telescope Zooms in on Equinics Speed

The Hubble Telescope is the modern Wonder of the World giving name and form to this Sunday’s Filly & Mare G1 Equinics Sprint. Before we get into the horses, let’s take a few moments to recognize this scientific marvel. The Hubble, launched in 1990, has played a role in the following discoveries; the age of the universe (narrowing down estimates by 7 billion years), expansion of the universe, black holes, new galaxies discovered, and the mass and size of the Milky Way. In addition, over 15,000 scientific papers have been published based on data gleaned from the Hubble.

Clearly, the Hubble Telescope has made a significant impact on mankind and this Sunday one of today’s runners will have an everlasting impact on someone’s residency. As we begin our scientific survey of the field let’s begin with Whistletown. A beautiful, light grey filly by Tonalist, she has been on the board in 14 of her career 17 races. She won her debut race at 4.5-furlongs, not an easy thing to do for a sire generally known for both distance and older runners. This gave a hint of her potential and she’s gradually built up a steady, productive career in the allowance ranks. Whistletown comes off a win last time out winning at a mile in Surrey. She makes the trip over the North Atlantic and cuts back for this event. Should benefit from the distance drop in her first career try in stakes company. Her mom, Whittlesby (Speightstown) was a stakes-winning sprinter. She’s run in the colors of Midas on Sunday.

Our next runner, Grandma Birds, is a daughter of the mighty Curlin. Representing Minnesota Test Barn Residency she’s a scratch-bred pairing the productive dirt sire with Storm Bird and Fappiano. Winner of 4 from 14, Grandma Birds has run third in her last 3 open stakes tries. She’s a fairly deep closer and will look to cut into the pace which should be brisk in a race of this magnitude. Currently, in the best stretch of her career with two allowance wins sandwiched around the three open stakes thirds putting her near the finish line all the way through 2020. This will be her first graded race and it seems like now is the time to go for it.

One thing you’ll notice in this field is the care and expense that has gone into many of the pedigrees. Clearly, these horses were bred for races like this. Not Speightful is no exception. Scratch-bred Speightstown x Danzig x Raise a Native oozes class and speed. She’s won 6 of her career 13 races which are tied for the fewest career races in the field. This leads me to believe we haven’t reached the apex of Not Speightful and there could be quite a bit more here before she reaches her peak. Something of a specialist at Sunday’s distance, she’s run her last four at 6.5-furlongs. Not Speightful has won 3 of those picking up her first two stakes wins in the process including a 109 SP winning effort last time. Her running style is diverse as you’d expect with her pedigree giving her a fair degree of tactical speed. An interesting horse to watch if she can elevate her SP times beyond the career-best of 111. If she can do that, Not Speightful can pick up points for Elite Racing Club.

The beautifully named Jasmine Wind has won 11 of her career 23 races accumulating earnings of over $500k. She’s another scratch-bred pairing the speed influence Henny Hughes with Elusive Quality and again Danzig. Not surprising to see Danzig well-represented in this event where a turn of foot is at a premium. Jasmine Wind has spent the majority of her career running at shorter distances and, in fact, has only run at 6.5 or longer once in her career. Comes off a disappointing 8th in a stakes last out where she didn’t fire with a 93 SP. Two back, however, she posted a 106. Jasmine Wind is a solid horse with plenty of experience. This will be her first graded try and is a fitting highlight to her useful career. Jasmine Wind will represent North West Racing Circuit.

Traditionally favoring American-based dirt stallions, there are two international sires represented in the Hubble, Henny Hughes (although actually an American stallion standing in Japan now) and Redoute’s Choice sire of Good Guess who will be competing for Blazing Saddles. Interestingly, both Jasmine Wind and Good Guess use Elusive Quality as the DS. The DS in question here is the G1 winning mare Gowans to Be Good (who was primarily a turf runner). Beginning her career on the turf likely due to her sire and mom, Good Guess transitioned over to the dirt in her last nine races. That switch proved to be a wise decision as the filly ran off a string of four straight wins, including three open stakes at 6.5-furlongs. Recent graded tries have halted the winning streak; first, an unsuccessful attempt on a wet track and last time out a 6th place finish in a G3 at 7 in the Blackhawk Cup. Excuses can be found for each effort – perhaps 7 is too long and the off-track race was so bad it can safely be tossed due to conditions. Good Guess will be looking to rally back to her winning ways at a comfortable distance Sunday.

Our next runner is by the valiant City Zip who exited the SIM with a pair of monster classes. Big City Barbara could be poised for a big race following her 2nd place finish in the G3 Blackhawk Cup where she was beaten by a mere neck. Her two best SP have come in her last two, both 112s. She has plenty of stakes experience running in black type events the last 13 times she’s entered the starting gate. That streak stretches all the way back to Christmas of 2018. And while she’s only won 2 of those, her recent form suggests she might surprise and certainly has a chance to pick up points for her residency. Hoosier Racing’s Big City Barbara is a deep closer although in her best efforts she tends to run more mid-pack. Trainer clearly bred for speed in this scratch pairing with Summer Squall and More Than Ready in the pedigree mix.

Interestingly, we have a second Barbara in the Hubble with our next entry, Midnight Barbara. As you might guess, she’s a Midnight Lute bred over a Curlin mare. She was prepped well for this race, winning stakes at 6.5-furlongs last time out back in early June giving her plenty of rest to come in fresh and confident. That was the third time she’s won stakes at 6.5 so you might safely conclude she knows how to find the wire at this distance. Midnight Barbara is another who has a tendency to hang back and come home fast. The only thing holding her back is speed right now. She hasn’t pushed past 107 SP yet and will need to elevate her career-best by a significant margin for points. The 4yo has 15 races in her career so perhaps there is more under the hood on any given Saturday. This will be Midnight Barbara’s second graded try. She finished a respectable 4th in her first effort at 6-furlongs in a full field of 14. Representing Only Stayers Residency, she clearly has class.

Timing is everything, both in life and in racing. East-West Connection may have found the perfect convergence of form in Dilys Price. The Quality Road mare picked up her first graded win, a score in the G2 Delta Tau Chi Sprint last out posting a 115 SP in the process. That trip to the winner’s circle was her third straight, the natural culmination of two prior open stakes wins. Her times have been strong in this stretch 114,112, 115. She’s the first runner of Mambo Town, a broodmare prospect with a promising future able to harness her Street Sense x Kingmambo genes to good effect here. Dilys Price has already put together an excellent career with earnings just shy of $600K. She does her running mid-pack and the only barrier in her way might be distance. Although she broke her maiden at 6.5, most of her winning has been at 7 or 7.5. How much that half-furlong comes into play will be determined Sunday. Otherwise, has the times, form, and experience to be a major factor.

In a year stuffed with turmoil, one of the tragedies was the early death of Arrogate. Compared to Man O’War on the track, he was having a major impact in the SIM prior to his demise. He’ll have a chance to add an Equinics winner to his brief legacy here with Verduga Mundial who represents Latinos Del Mundo. She’s the third G3 winner produced by G1 winning Storm Cat mare, Miss Universo. Verduga Mundial will look to break through for her dam and grab gold here. Lightly raced with a field low 11 career starts, she’s been on the board in ten of those producing 6 wins included a score in the G3 Kept Safely. That came in a stretch that produced five straight wins to close out her 3yo season. Verduga Mundial hasn’t found the winner’s circle yet in 2020 but has run well in elevated class. Taking nearly four months off, she debuted in April running 2nd in G2 company and followed that up with a 3rd place effort in her first G1 try. Although she has never run at 6.5-furlongs, she seems well-suited for the distance. Could be a filly on the rise and this would be a career transforming star-making win for her.

The oldest runner in the field, K’s Yekuana is one of the three millionaires that will be racing Sunday. A 7yo daughter of the magnificent Giant’s Causeway she is has also been to the winner’s circle the most with 14 trips. Her career highlight was winning the G1 Nutcracker last year. Hispano Parlente is hoping she has one more big effort in her come Sunday. She started 2020 with a kickstarting allowance win but has since found rough going in her three graded tries this season. It’s rare to find a 7yo with such a blue-blooded pedigree (Distorted Humor x Awesome Again) still on the track but perseverance paid off here as K’s Yekuana G1 strike came as a 6yo. This is a fitting cap to an exemplary career.

Empire State Racing will contest the Hubble with the most accomplished mare in the field as G1 winning, EOY award winner Malibu Vixen flies their colors looking for victory. She leads the field in career earnings with over $1.4 million and has 9 wins on her record. From June of 2018 through May of 2020 she has been pretty spectacular accumulating 8 wins. Included in that span is a 5-1-1-3 mark in ultra-competitive sprint G1 fields. That background suggests she is a serious contender to take home points on Sunday. Malibu Vixen has a G2 win at the Hubble’s distance and the only worry is her prep race for this event, a lackluster effort in the G2 Best Flight where she ran a 100 SP running 9th. Whether that was a blip or foreshadowing a decline is a wager betters will have to wrestle over. Regardless, she has put together a commanding career and is a great horse not to be taken lightly. Malibu Vixen, like many in this field, prefers to pounce late and will look to lead the charge home. It will be a severe litmus test for the other mid-closers to stay with this pedigree’d (Malibu Moon x Deputy Minister) and accomplished 4yo.

All-Stars Racing looks for points from Senorita Caballo a lightly raced 4yo sired by Uncle Mo. With only 13 starts under her bridle, Caballo has firmly established herself as one of the favorites in this match. Her form in the last five is impeccable with four wins and a second. Included in this trophy haul are two G2 scores at 7 furlongs. Equally impressive is her elevated SPs which have logged in at 116 and 115 in her last two. The only barrier standing in the way of Caballo is one of class as she has never contested a grade one event before. If she experiences the G1 glass ceiling, it won’t be for lack of pedigree as her scratch bred pairing matches Uncle Mo up with A.P. Indy and Seeking the Gold. Something of a disappointment early in her career as she went 1 for 7 in routes, Senorita Caballo has completely turned around running up a 6-4-1 record in sprints. All signs point toward a filly on the rise and a win Sunday would cement her status as a superstar and perhaps the best dirt sprinting filly in the SIM.

Most experts I’ve seen have been setting the odds for the GR Simsters to seize another Equinics gold as anywhere from 8/5 to 3/1. I would say most honest observers have them as the prohibitive favorites and running in their colors for the Hubble is Otto Pontchartrain. A daughter of American Pharoah, she is a unique horse in that she has only recently become a G1 winner late in her career. She’s won exactly half of her career 24 races, but only as a 5yo has she put together the four-race winning streak she’s currently riding. In fact, it was in her last start when she became a G1 winner taking the Princess Looney with a 111 SP. Was that the star jewel of a remarkably resurgent career or does she have one more big effort in her? At race 25, it would be extremely rare to see another career-best effort as the Hubble will likely require a 114+ to win. But, if anyone can summon up that SIM magic it would be the GR Simsters so Otto Pontchartrain must be considered a threat to pick up points. Like virtually, every other horse in this field, she’s a deep closer. It will be fascinating to see which ones carry on toward the front and which can’t get going Sunday.

Part of the reason I wanted to cover this race was that I didn’t want to read a single paragraph stating The Third Bride running for URC has done this and I think that. She means so much more to me I wanted to convey that and I’m sure many of these horses in this race or other Equinics events mean just as much to other trainers. I wanted the chance to dive into that story which, I believe, is the true meaning behind the SIM and Equinics. There are many similar stories in this wonderful SIM, here is hers.

You have to go through life for a while, get older, acquire wisdom before you realize that life isn’t the destination it is the journey. The Third Bride isn’t my best horse, she isn’t even a G1 winner yet, but it is her journey that has enthralled me and elevated her into being one of my favorite runners ever in the SIM. If you’ve read my words or looked into the pedigrees of my horses over the years you’ll know I have an affinity for Storm Cat. I had a chance to visit the legendary stallion at Overbrook farm before both he and the farm itself passed away. There wasn’t much there, Cat Thief, Grindstone I believe, and the mighty stallion himself who at the time was commanding $500K a cover. He was in his paddock and ran free, unbridled coming over to check me out briefly then turning away pursuing dreams that were his alone.

I bred prolifically to Storm Cat in the SIM attaining much success, including my lone Breeder’s Bowl Champion, Superman, from his line. And while my Storm Cat mares have produced stakes winners and foundations of their own none were as successful as Dan’s Mother of Dragons. I remember racing against her and then followed her Hall of Fame broodmare career with great interest. Often I would (only half) joke that he should let me use her one year. Luckily, I happened to make the request again at a time when Dan’s interest in the SIM was waning so I either wore him down or he figured, why not? I suggested Tapit or Uncle Mo for the pairing and Dan not only generously bred her gratis for me, he named her The Third Bride (the name of my first novel for those unfamiliar) himself without prompting. He forced a filly breeding so I would be able to carry on my part of the Mother of Dragons legacy. It felt like getting a gift from someone that makes you smile not only for the present itself because you know “they get you”.

The Bride, as I like to call her being a fan of Kill Bill, had an illustrious lineage to live up. Mother of Dragons has produced three G1 winners, Tatsu, Whiro, and Yofune Nushi. Both Tatsu and Yofune Nushi won Equinics events. Broodmares tend to have cyclical success known only to harvest gods and wood nymphs. Mother of Dragons best runners was bred a decade ago and the Bride is her only graded winner in that span. A decade. We play this game for so long I can use that word as a qualifier.

A study of the Bride’s PPs will show she may be more bridesmaid than actual bride. Julia Roberts to Cameron Diaz. She’s finished 2nd in three G1 events. Fractions and twists of fate away from being a near hall of fame filly. And that is part of the charm. There is a pre-World Series Red Sox and Cubs bittersweet love for her. Always so close, near always denied by some amalgamation of fate and circumstance. Now, in her last three races where she has elevated herself into one of the top five sprinters in the SIM will she be able to claim that elusive G1 in the biggest race of her career?

One need not be Alanis Morrisette to see the irony in a GR Simsters bred horse from a GR Simsters HoF, Equinics producing champion mare providing a horse for a rival residency. But instead of enmity, there exists only camaraderie over the Bride. One of the many factors that endeavor her so much to me is all the conversations I’ve had with Dan about her over her career on the track; the highs, the tough lows, and the possibilities. That to me is what the SIM is all about, binding people together for decades in friendship through like interest. I apologize if I have spoken too long on my horse and don’t mean to detract from the others. But I wanted to share what goes into these collections of 1s and 0s. They aren’t just entries on a spreadsheet running through an operating system. They are a community, fellowship, and hope personified.

Clearly I can’t make a pick here. Instead, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite images Hubble has picked up. Called Mystic Mountain, the universe is, at times, truly a wonderful place.