Twelve To Run In Diplomat Way Handicap

The sixteenth and last race on the card for Saturday this coming weekend in Kentucky is the Grade I Diplomat Way Handicap. The prestigious race is run over a mile on the dirt and is open to four year olds and up. The total prize purse for Saturday’s race will be $400,000. There was a slight chance of rain earlier in the week, but fortunately it passed us by and the track should be listed as fast on Saturday. Perhaps scared by the chance of rain, the prestigious race has drawn in a field of twelve. Now, lets have a look at this years’ runners.

Drawing the rail is Broadway Storm (Storm Cat x Event Of The Year x Mill Reef), who is owned by wistful2, owner of Topicount Stables. The five year old bay horse has a total of twenty-six lifetime starts, of which six have resulted in wins for the colt. His most recent start came last month in Finland during the listed St. Prospector Challenge where he settled at the back of the field in eleventh and started to make his move in the final turn. He went on to take the lead in the stretch and win by two and one-fourth lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred ten. His most recent graded start came in 2006 on a sloppy track during the RenwalRates.com Juvenile where the colt finished fifth.

In the second slot is Sad In Heaven (Distorted Humor x Forestry x Carson City), who is trained by jh8u, owner of Kaif Stables. The four year old chestnut colt has been very lightly raced with a lifetime total of six starts. Four of these starts have ended in wins, along with a finish in third. The colt has only finished off the board in one career start. His most recent start came last month in an allowance caliber start in Iowa where the colt started out in mid pack and started to make his move in the turn, going on to win the race by two lengths with a speed figure of one hundred four. Prior to this the colt won two other allowance caliber starts leaving him with a winning streak of three straight races. His most recent stakes start came in the listed John Without Work (FR) Challenge where he finished sixth in his only off the board finish. Saturday will be the colts first attempt at a graded stakes caliber race.

At morning line odds of 15/1 is Pye Are Squared (AUS) (Viscount (AUS) x Rahy x Mr. Prospector), who is owned by jeffdrew, owner of The Big Oil Conglomerate. The five year old mare is the only female to be entered in Saturday’s race. She has been lightly raced with a total of sixteen career starts. Five of these starts have resulted in wins, with three of these coming over the dirt. The mare is also accomplished on turf as well, and has won twice over this surface. Her most recent start came earlier this month in the listed Newbie’s Dream Stakes in Arkansas where the mare went straight for the lead out of the gate, but was caught in the stretch by a late running filly and finished second, while setting a speed figure of one hundred two. Her most recent win came in November during the nine furlong Jump Town Handicap (G2) where the mare was held back chasing the front-runner in second. Just before the stretch she was urged forward and managed to cross the wire in the lead by two lengths.

Favorite Who Do You Love (Awesome Again x Damascus x Hoist The Flag), who is owned by lenny9, owner of The Evil Empire, is next. The blue blooded chestnut colt has been lightly raced throughout his career with a total of just a dozen starts. Five of these starts have resulted in wins for the colt, all of which were over the dirt. The colts most recent start came last month in the eight furlong Delaware Mile (G1) where the colt broke out of the gate a length in the lead and carried the pace until the stretch where he was overtaken in the final furlongs to finish just on the board in fifth while setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. His most recent victory came in September of last year during the listed Delaware Destroyer Mile where the colt won the race wire to wire by one and a half lengths.

Next is Modnar (FR) (Noalcoholic (FR) x Native Charger x Djeddah (FR)), who is owned and trained by mesow, owner of Scootboy Stables. The five year old bay colt has a total of thirty-one lifetime starts. Of these thirty-one starts, three have resulted in wins by the the French colt. His most recent start came last month in an eight furlong allowance caliber start in overseas Germany where the colt broke out of the field mid-pack in sixth, moved up to fifth half way through the race, drifted back to sixth, and made a surge for fifth again at the wire, setting a speed figure of one hundred three. His most recent win came in October during another allowance caliber race, this time in Spain, where the colt broke further back in the field but was sent forward with a vengeance in the stretch to win going away by one and three-fourth lengths. The colts most recent stakes start came in the listed Spirit Tom Bonanza last November where, after breaking mid-pack, the colt finished a length off the pace in third. This Saturday will be the colts first attempt at graded stakes competition.

Following will be Etude (IRE) (Street Cry (IRE) x Fappiano x Pleasant Colony) who is owned and trained by super24, owner of More Evil Than The Evil Empire. The five year old bay horse has had a total of twenty-nine career starts. Six of the striking colts’ starts have resulted in wins, with all but one of these wins coming over a dirt track. Her most recent start came last month during the seven furlong DPCD Long Sprint Restricted where the horse broke out of the gate and settled into eighth and gradually started to make a move on the rest of the field. The horse eventually crossed the wire in fourth, setting an impressive speed figure of one hundred twelve. His most recent win came the month before in a mile long allowance caliber start in Delaware where he was held up closer to the pace and made a late run in the stretch to win by two lengths.

In the seventh post is Manius The Mighty (Kingmambo x Seattle Slew x Alleged), who is owned and trained by waremblem1, owner of Winterfell Racing. The five year old horse has a total of twenty-two lifetime starts, of which six have resulted in wins for the colt. His latest start came last month in the Gravestone Cap (G3) where the horse broke out of the gate and settled into fifth stalking the pace of the front runners. At the turn he made his move and challenge the leader in the stretch. However the colt came up just short and finished second, off the win by three-fourth of a length while setting a speed figure of one hundred seventeen. His most recent win came in November during the listed Pye Is Perfect Cap where after setting back in second the majority of the race, the horse went on to win by two and a half lengths.

Then will be Awesome Fore (Awesome Again x Danzig x Saint Ballado), who is proudly owned by camry, owner of Sledge4 Stables. This astounding chestnut four year old, who has been nominated as Three Year Old Colt of the Year, along with a possible Horse of the Year, has a total of eighteen career starts. Of these starts, nine have resulted in wins for the magnificent colt, along with career earnings of $2,895,700. His most recent start came in October during the Breeders Bowl Classic (G1) where the colt broke out of the gate last in the field and trailed the field for the majority of the race. In the stretch the chestnut made his move, crossing the wire just in the money in fifth while setting a speed figure of one hundred thirteen. His most recent victory came in June during The New Yorker (G1) where the colt again broke towards the last horses in the field and made his move early in the final turn. In the stretch he strode past tiring horses to win by two and three-fourth lengths. Last years three-year old sensation also won the Middle Jewel Stakes (G1) but finished tenth in the Bluegrass Derby (G1).

At 20/1 is Henianlauch (Hennessy x Ogygian x Relaunch), who is trained by crandyiv, owner of Crandy Stables. The Kentucky-bred chestnut colt has had a total of twenty-three career races, most of which have come over the dirt. Of his lifetime starts, the colt has won four times, all of these on the dirt. His most recent start came earlier this month in the six furlong Backseat Driver Stakes (G3) where the colt broke out of the gate just a head back in second but began to loose ground in latter part of the race, eventually going down to the wire in thirteenth, posting a speed figure of ninety-seven. His most recent win came in October during the NWRC 2007 Cavalcade Cup Dirt Mile Restricted where the colt won the race going wire to wire by one and three-fourth lengths. One has to wonder, if maybe this cold has lost his edge or needs a well deserved rest, as his best finish in his last three races was an eleventh in the It’s All Your Fault Stakes (G2) in New Mexico.

Next is Belisario (Dixieland Band x A.P. Indy x Mr. Prospector), who is out of the graded race-winning dam Fern Indy, and is trained by fernando, owner of Fernando Empire. The Kentucky-bred four year old has a total of twenty lifetime starts. Five of the colts twenty starts have ended in wins, all of these occurring over the dirt. His most recent start came last month in the mile long 7th Minnesota Derby Restricted where the colt shot out of the starting gate in fourth and held back in that position until the turn where he made his move on the front runners. The colt flew by them and went on to cross the wire one and a half lengths ahead of his nearest advisory while recording a speed figure of one hundred eleven.

Following is Kinlochleven (Forty Niner x A.P. Indy x El Gran Senor), who is trained and owned by monksfield. owner of Brundlefly Stables. The bay five year old has been very lightly raced throughout his career with a total of sixteen lifetime starts. Of these, seven of his starts resulted in wins. Thirteen of these were all finishes on the board. His most recent start came last month in the listed Girl Into Phones Stakes where the colt broke out of the start gate mid-pack and gradually began to pick off other horses fairly early in the race, ultimately finishing third, with a speed figure of one hundred four. His most recent win came in the Alone Reject Special in November in which the horse ran in a similar fashion but went on to win by two and a half lengths. His most recent graded start came last October in the Scottsdale BB Stakes (G1) where the horse finished sixth.

Drawing the far outside post will be Staff Trouble (Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector x T.V. Commercial), who is out of the dam T.V. Project, and is trained by zaza, owner of Zaza Stables. The four year old chestnut has been lightly raced with a total of eleven career starts, of which four have been wins. The colt has also placed four times as well as placing in third twice, leaving the colt only one race in which he did not finish on the board. His most recent start came last month in the Delaware Mile (G1) where the colt hung back off the pace in fifth and made his move in the stretch to finish second with a speed figure of one hundred nineteen. His most recent win came in September during the listed Their Foxes Memorial where the colt hung on to win by a nose.