Upstanding Guy Looks to Repeat in BB Turf Mile
The excitement and anticipation have been building for the better part of a month. The BB Turf Mile is one of the quintessential races of the year. A race of grit and determination in which 3 year olds and up will compete at the highest level for a chance at Breeder’s Bowl honors. UPSTANDING GUY is the star of the show and rightfully so as he looks to retain his Breeder’s Bowl Mile title and show the young bucks he still has plenty left in the tank. TRONIC who is a 4 year old that looks primed to make one of the great runs in the game is out to prove that he can take down last year’s champ and start a reign of his own. Both TRONIC and UPSTANDING GUY have a combined six G1 wins between them but have never met on the track. That is until this Saturday when the two will duke it out much to the entertainment of sim players.
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1. TRONIC (SNITZEL x MONSUN) 7-1
Record (12-7-1-0)
Trainer: silversun9a
Jockey: K Ledwith
Since turning 4 years old he has been on an absolute tear winning 4 out of 5 races which include 3 G1 victories. This guy is in peak form right now, rattling off back to back G1 wins in the Queen Liz Stakes (123 SF) and The Suffix (116 SF). Jockey K. Ledwith was on him for the 123 ride and gets the call here once again. He is a major player in this one and can not be taken lightly.
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2. UNGLUED (FRANKEL x STREET CRY) 8-1
Record (19-10-2-3)
Trainer: lasthope
Jockey: W Cahill
He has done the majority of his damage winning at 9F where in this year alone he’s taken down two G2s and two G3s while also finishing 3rd in a G1. Having just raced and won the G3 Patrick Ewing back on 10-11-20, he is coming into this one on shorter rest then most of the others. Jockey W Cahill has some familiarity with him having the mount four back in the G1 Woody Ford where they finished 3rd. The question with him is will he be able to sustain his front runner style at a shorter distance with this caliber of competition.
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3. WE LOOK HARD (SNITZEL x GIANT’S CAUSEWAY) 8-1
Record (17-8-2-5)
Trainer: eminc6
Jockey: R Harzheim
Finding his way into the starting gate only for times in 2020, his trainer has been very selective with where he has run this season. That patience and selectiveness has been rewarded with two graded victories (G1 Sydney Mile & G2 Al Tahiti Fort) and two 3rd place graded finishes (G1 2020 Equinics Machu – Picchu & G1 Queen Sam). He has been off since August of this year, but has proven layoffs don’t bother him in the slightest. R Harzheim gets the mount for the 4th straight time. When paired together this combination of jockey and horse have only finished out of the money once (7-2-0-4).
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4. MY AWESOME KING (AWESOME AGAIN x KING KAMEHAMEHA) 10-1
Record (18-7-4-1)
Trainer: ddkstables
Jockey: T Small
Won his first G1 race at 2 in the BB Juvenile Turf but, then tried his hand at dirt and made a push for the Bluegrass Derby. His push for glory on the dirt was short lived and ended in a 19th place finish at the Bluegrass Derby and it wouldn’t be till his most recent race (10-18-20) in which he would find the winner’s circle in a graded event again. He took down the G1 DiCaprio handicap in which he sat just off the pace before kicking the turf back at his rivals. Its fitting to see him running on the turf in BB Day once again.
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5. UPSTANDING GUY (FRANKEL x FORTY NINER) 9-2
Record (22-13-3-2)
Trainer: rsb
Jockey: R Michaels
The elder statesman of the group has been running lights out since late September of 2019 where he has boasted a record of (7-6-0-0). What makes this run of success even more impressive is 5 of those 6 wins have been in G1 races with the other coming in a G2. It might be worth mentioning that the lone race in this run in which he did not finish in the money was with current jock R Michaels. Considering he won this race last year, you got to like this guy’s chances here.
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6. READY FOR A STRIKE (MORE THAN READY x SMART STRIKE) 31-1
Record (11-4-3-0)
Trainer: stockswami
Jockey: A Jolly
He is on the younger side of this group but has done his best work to date on the turf winning the BB juvenile last year before taking a crack at dirt glory earlier this season. He has not won a graded race since that BB turf juvenile race in 2019 but has looked tough recently finishing 2nd in the G2 Boston Derby and the G1 The Jean Brat. A definite longshot here but might but might be hitting his best stride now. A Jolly gets the call and this will be his first time in the saddle with READY FOR A STRIKE.
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7. BORDER TRIBE (CURLIN x UNBRIDLED’S SONG) 25-1
Record (11-7-1-1)
Trainer: brightvalr
Jockey: B Ball
Since almost exclusively making the switch to turf in late 2019 he has yet to finish out of the money posting a record of 6-4-1-1. He has earned himself four graded victories two G2s and two G3s and also managed to run 3rd in the G1 Equinics – Space Shuttle. At only 3 years old he has already shown the ability to hang with the older boys knocking them off in the G2 Stepson back in September. B Ball gets the mount for the 2nd time in as many tries and looks to make it consecutive victories.
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8. ALERT THE SOLDIERS (SOLDIER OF FORTUNE x SEEKING THE GOLD) 8-1
Record (22-9-3-2)
Trainer: mitenpower
Jockey: D Evans
Consistency is this guy’s biggest enemy. While he’s rattled off a couple big wins throughout his career doing it in consecutive races has not really been his M.O. His last race saw him score a victory in the G1 Maudlin Cup in which he closed from off the pace. The main question with him is will the horse we saw in the Maudlin show up or will it be the horse who ran 8th in the Suffix two back. D Evans gets the mount for the second straight time and was aboard for both of ALERT THE SOLDIERS’ G1 victories.
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9. EIFFEL ROSE (SIYOUNI x DEEP IMPACT) 31-1
Record (13-5-4-0)
Trainer: deyoto5
Jockey: GD Mate
Having run against the boys as a 2yo in the G3 Looking Forward Stakes (2nd place) she is no stranger to running against the boys. Hard to argue the move here by the trainer as in her one attempt against the boys she did see some success and was competitive. She’s coming off the performance of her career winning the Prix Marcel Boss and scoring a 116 speed fig. The speed fig is 12 points higher than anything she posted previously which might make her a prime candidate to be a bounce victim. She did win the BB Juvenile last year with GD Mate aboard and now he is back for another go of it. It’s a bold strategy lets see if it pays off for her.
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10. HOLY CORNHOLIO (MORE THAN READY x UNBRIDLED’S SONG) 10-1
Record (17-7-2-2)
Trainer: manzarek
Jockey: D Givins
Most recently finished 5th to UPSTANDING GUY in the G1 Sourball Mile and was last seen in the winner’s circle in May of 2020 taking down the G1 The Locksmith. He has been running decently scoring points all year long but will need the best race of his career in order to compete with these. D Givins gets the call which is a bit of an interesting choice considering A Jolly has been the guy used most frequently.
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11. FLAGSTRIKER (U S NAVY FLAG x PIVOTAL) 23-1
Record (13-8-3-0)
Trainer: simsters7
Jockey: L Radzinski
A tough running 3yo who won both the G1 2000 Guineas and 2020 Equinics – Space Shuttle this year. He also ran in the Sourball Mile and finished 6th and is now looking for some redemption against UPSTANDING GUY. Radzinski gets the call for the 3rd time in a row and looks to find the same form from two back where they landed in the winner’s circle.
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12. SHAMHILL (SHAMARDAL x DANEHILL) 8-1
Record (26-9-6-1)
Trainer: looney1
Jockey: T Ace
One of only three in the race who has yet to win a G1 race, but is a multiple graded winner 4 times over at a mile. Most recently finished 2nd in the G1 DiCaprio Handicap where he led almost the entire race before getting passed by MY AWESOME KING. He looks to get some redemption today with T Ace on board.
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13. CADET OF THRACE (SEA THE STARS x REDOUTE’S CHOICE) 41-1
Record (11-3-1-4)
Trainer: creamsoda2
Jockey: F Gossett
He last won the G1 Vermont is 4 Lovers earlier this year but has had a bit of a rough since then sporting a record of 4-0-0-2. He is the longest shot on the board and this race is a tough spot for any horse, let alone one that has struggled to consistently perform at a high level. Like a few others in here he will need the performance of his life to come out on top. H Harzheim gets the mount and hasn’t been on board since they partnered up to break the horse’s maiden in its first ever race. F Gossett gets the call to ride CADET OF THRACE for the first time.
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14. YO BO (AWESOME AGAIN x KINGMAMBO) 5-1
Record (16-8-4-1)
Trainer: oilspill
Jockey H Harzheim
For as many times as H Harzheim has ridden this horse he might as well own a stake in him. Saturday will be the 10th time Harzheim gets the call and has sported a record of 9-3-4-1 to date. They have combined for 3 G1 victories in the Queen Liz (2019), New Zealand 2000 Dark Beers (2019), and 2020 Equinics – Micchu Picchu. His most recent finish was a 2nd place effort in the G1 Queen Liz stakes and is now looking to redeem himself against TRONIC.
Thanks Franc!