Vermont is 4 Lovers – 14f turf – G2

PP

ID

Horse

Owner

Jockey

Odds

Perview

1

84933

BOXCAR BLUES

dshock

F Neely

7/1

Kingmambo 5yo out of an “H” rated mare.  Consistent as the day is long; This guy has cashed a check in 18 straight races!  He has six W’s in that stretch also.  This will be his first visit to the U.S. and surprisingly his first stakes event.  Another first was winning at the distance in a full field last out while cracking the 100SP level.  So, is he ready to take on graded?  Hard to find fault here.

2

129673

MON COUP(IRE)

lasthope1

C Wolff

9/1

Listed stakes winner who broke her “maiden” in graded last out.  That’s right it’s a she.  This gorgeous 4yo filly out of an “A” rated mare and sired by Montjeu won impressively in a full field last out.  That was her 3^rd victory in a row and now takes on the boys.  She’s no stranger to playing with the boys as she has been in two races with them before and won both times.  She’s had 5 races at the distance and won them all.  No doubt this will be her stiffest test to date.  How can one not like her chances?

3

48319

THE GOLDEN FLAME

woody65

H Wilmsmeyer

67/1

Old time claimer that somehow managed to sneak into this.  Jockey was last seen with pooper-scooper. J

4

110259

EIGHTYSEVENTH DR(IRE)

irishsired

E Stinson

7/1

5yo High Chaparral scratch bred that’s coming into this off a nice six race string of wins and places.  Going for the hat trick here, but hasn’t been able to step up to graded as of yet.  He certainly has the credentials to run at this level.  Usually runs well off the pace but has shown signs in the past that he can stalk.  Not sure what the strategy will be here as he does his best running in short fields.  There will be a lot of navigating to do if he falls too far back.  Tough decision for trainer as how to approach this.

5

111936

FOURTH CHANT

richardobe

C Stalcup

26/1

Out of a “G” rated mare this 5yo by War Chant has been running in claimers/starters recently.  Loves to go long on dirt and/or turf: (could be better on dirt).  He may contest the pace for a bit as that is his style; but probably isn’t this class of animal.

6

10307

TOTAL CHAOS

benttree

D Fendlay Jr.

5/1

Another shipping into the U.S. for the first time.  A very successful 5yo scratch bred by Rahy that’s been winning and placing at will on the European and Asian circuits.  This being only his 20^th start and looking to crack $3 million in earnings.  Coming off a near miss in his last, he should be ready for prime time here.  Since switching to turf he has not been out of the top three in 16 straight starts!  Eight wins in that span have this brute on a chaotic roll.  It would be very surprising not to see him in the photo.

7

128857

ALUM BAY(IRE)

super20

F Shaw

7/1

Out of a producing “G” rated mare this colt by High Chaparral is no where to be seen until the stretch run.  He has never backed up in any of his races, although a winner of few.  Still eligible for NW4L might be the reason for that.  He certainly has the class as he has already taken down a G1 at 12f.  Adding 2f here may or may not be to his benefit.  His last out at 13f was OK, but the only competition in that was the winner.  We’ll have to see if he shows up here to win his 4^th condition.

8

26169

BAND OF BUDAS

chop

W McClendon

8/1

7yo war horse that still shows grit, and trainer hoping to reach the $4 million mark before its all said and done.  Multiple graded winner throughout his career.  Sired by Tribal Rule a CA based sire, this old timer has been an over achiever all his racing career.  He is the only stakes/graded winner of 63 runners by said sire!  Talk about luck…lol  However, Laura certainly has given him every opportunity to show his wares.  Patience and proper placing is her game as proven in all her stables as her average winning % is 15.3 and ITM % is 41.5 !!  Back to Buda…he should be making noise in the stretch.

9

113463

NORTHERN GIBRALTAR(IRE)

commbank

G Blackmore

10/1

This is the 4^th stop for this colt as he has been bought and sold and claimed in his short career.  Six wins in his 19 start career and three of those by his present trainer.  It takes a lot to claim a horse for $100,000 that couldn’t crack the 90SP barrier at the time.  Kudo’s to commbank for his foresight.  This colt is slowly proving to be well worth the purchase price as he is doing well at 14-16f.  He will be a force to contend with as he continues to mature.  We’re not going to hand over the reins to him just yet, but with his speed he has a legit shot at this.

10

130231

PLEASANT WAR(KY)

layoff

G Bungard

11/1

4yo colt out of a producing “G” rated mare and sired by Pleasant Tap.  Only 15 starts to date and a G3 win last year, gives this colt the right to be here.  Speed is his game and he crushed his opponents in his last easing to a 7 length win.  His will need to avoid a duel for the lead here to stay charged up enough for the stretch drive.  With more experience he should be breaking the SP100+ barrier so he can regularly compete with the big boys

11

10327

THE STUPID HORSE(IRE)

corza4

N Frank

37/1

This 6yo by Theatrical out of an “H” rated mare detested his name from the start and frustrated his owner by never really putting his heart on the line.  Even when dropped in claimers and starters he would give half hearted efforts to avoid the race caller’s mention of his name.  So be it.

12

88846

AN URBAN LEGEND

martialis

B Langhorne

5/1

6yo Machiavellian sired horse out of an “F” rated mare whose progeny have done very well in the track.  After a stint on dirt to start his career; the switch to turf has produced multiple listed stakes wins for this elder.  He has one place in a graded affair back in the summer of ’06.  He has been hot as of late in listed stakes at today’s distance.  There is no reason why he shouldn’t be in this as his condition is sharp.  Jock Langhorne is a decent rider and should get the most out of his talents.

13

126551

BLAZING LIGHTS

kjracing

S Gravina

7/1

Sired by the great Sadler’s Wells and scratch to a mare that must be 30 years old!  This was her only foal as she died three years ago of old age J  Very lightly raced with only 18 starts, this horse had a nice run at graded last summer.  He has yet to enter the winner’s circle at the highest level but certainly has the talent to do so.  Last out in a 4 horse listed field he literally walked home on the lead.  A 360 degree switch from his normal running style.  With such an easy win he could be pushing the speed in this to the limit or revert back to his lay back and wait tactics.

For the most part a very nice field with a good deal of speed and off the pace horses (and gal).  This punter would like the filly to give them a run for the money. J