THE 2021 SLUGGER’S BREEDER’S BOWL

Kentucky (KY) Saturday, May 1, 2021
|Race ID: 2615513

Kentucky (KY)
Saturday, May 1, 2021 — 2:10:00 PM EST | Race ID : 2615513

The Slugger’s Breeder’s Bowl

All the pomp and splendour that comes with the running of one of our beloved Sim’s most Holy Grails, The Bluegrass Derby, will be witnessed at the Kentucky track this coming weekend and the Weather Gods have looked favourably upon the participants this weekend and with a fast dirt and firm turf track awaiting the horses in their respective events.

I will be covering one of the GII races on the undercard, The Slugger’s Breeder’s Bowl, a dirt event run over 8.5 furlongs (1710m). The race has brought together a strong field of 14 and each and every trainer will be hoping for the Lion’s Share of the spoils on this amazing day of racing.

With a loose favourite offering 9/2 and the supposed longshot at 21/1 this really is a very open event and each and every entrant has a fair shot at making the Winner’s Circle.
I took on the writing on this race unaware I had a runner in the event, so will try to be as unbiased as possible for which horses will fill the spots behind my entrant 😉
So, onto the commentary for the runners in The Slugger’s Breeder’s Bowl …

1 CAPRICORN COAST 4M deyoto8      GD Mate 11/1

Breaking from the inside gate is this DEYOTO Racing Stables trained 4yo by Zoustar out of stakes winning broodmare Meet At Nandos (Giant’s Causeway X Deputy Minister). Having fashioned a handy enough record in lower level racing, Capricorn Coast showed enough in his last start to make connections think should take a punt at this GII event. In that last start, he came from well off the pace to finish an ever decreasing 2 length second to a stakes proven rival, One Drop over the 8.5f on the dirt track at Arkansas, boasting an SP# of 117 for the effort. Prior to the stakes event Capricorn Coast thrived on his return to the dirt surface when winning an NW4L allowance event over 8.5f. Again he settled towards the rear and stormed home late to secure the 1-3/4L victory, posting an impressive SP# of 112. Before the return to the dirt surface he has proven his versatility stringing together a solid form line on the turf surface when chalking up 3 wins and 3 minor placings from his nine turf starts, all at comparable distances to today’s event. So he heads into this event with 4 wins and 7 minor placings for earnings of $202,559 and on the back of recent racing has a very lively chance of adding to his earnings. Whilst offering 11/1 and yet to face graded level horses, he has top jockey GD Mate in the stirrups and looks to be maturing and coming into his own on the dirt at this distance so he must be respected by his race rivals. Just one of the runners with a more than a runner’s chance in The Slugger’s BB.

2 TRAFFORD     6M      alibilane4      F Allen 7/1

OAKRIDGE Racing Stables offers up The Slugger’s eldest runner in the form of their Palace Malice sired horse, Trafford and the first of two entrants from the stable group. Out of a Pulpit x Unbridled’s Song mare, Trafford has excelled on the dirt and is a winner of 7 from 22 starts. He is a stakes winner, is also Graded placed and has earned in excess of $330k to date. Was sharpened for this event by running second in an open allowance event over 8.25f, finishing just 1-1/4L behind the pace making winner, Crystal Sea and scoring an SP# of 113. Preceding the last start, Trafford ran back-to-back at Graded level for 2 disappointing races, finishing an ordinary 12-1/2L 13th of 14 in the GIII Corvette (9F) and before that an equally ordinary 15-1/2L 12th of 14 in the GII Windy City Gold Cup (10F). His last winning run came four starts back when victorious in a URC Residency Stakes event, The Whitney over 9F, where Trafford was seen stalking the pace before coming clear and holding off the late closers for a 1-3/4L win scoring an SP# of 114 for the effort. Scrolling back not too much further you will find the alibilane4 stabled 6yo running a very noteworthy runner up effort in last year’s running of this very event! In the 2020 version of The Slugger’s BB, Trafford ran on the pace and showed great fight to hold onto the second placing, just 1-1/2L off the winner and producing an SP# of 119. Some may find the 7/1 odds offered a tad short, but if he can produce an effort anything close to the form of this event last year, Trafford might prove the 7/1 a bit generous. Will be primed and up for the fight.

3 THE FUN QUIST     5M       royalatw    D Givins 11/1

The Fun Quist exits the 3 gate and is one of two hopefuls for the ATTHEWIRE Racing Stables in this race. The 5yo son of Nyquist out of multiple stakes winning and graded placed race mare The Fun Dragon (Hussonet X Storm Bird), has left the race gates on 25 occasions for 7 victories and 6 other top 3 results for earnings of over $250,000. He starts this race fresh from back to back 4th placings at allowance levels when 5-1/2L 4th of 9 racing over 9 furlongs with an SP# of 105 and before that he again registered an SP# of 105 for his closing 3L 4th of 9 over 8.5 furlongs. 3 and 4 starts back The Fun Quist scored back to back wins in the British and European Dirt series, firstly going wire to wire in winning the 8F qualifier sporting an SP# of 114 on the rain affected track and backed that effort up in the final again leading throughout the 10F dirt event, holding of his rivals to win by an easing 3/4L with an SP# of 102. So back up to graded level for this event and back to a distance that he hasn’t really shown his best efforts, The Fun Quist will likely be needing a career best effort to get the chocolates in this year’s Smuggler’s BB. Offering 11/1 by bookmakers in a pretty even field, so is definitely not out of his depth, but will need to be at his best.

4 DOWN IN THE FLOOD      5M      olathe1       J Piotrowski 9/2

The race favourite breaks from the 4 gate and TSEALS1 Racing Stables conglomerate should be rather confident about the chances of their GI winning millionaire Down In The Flood. Sired by sim favourite Curlin out of GII winning broodmare Angle Of Repose (Tapit x Sunday Silence), Down In The Flood has won 10 of his 20 race day appearances and on only 3 occasions been out of the top 3 placings. Most of his successes being at or around today’s event’s distance of 8.5F. He will be looking to rebound from his last start’s disappointment when he started as favourite but finished in 13th position, some 17+ lengths off the winner, I Choose Daggers in the GI California Handicap over 10 furlongs. That failure came off the back of a 4 race winning tear where he won the GI Glenn Kegasus Tradition Killer (9F), The GII Lewis & Clark Stakes (9F) and the GIII Save A Buck (8.5F) and started that streak with an open allowance win over 7 furlongs. Each win was fashioned via his tried and true race pattern of settling mid-field for the opening half before grinding home solidly to secure his victories. The three back to back graded successes were easily the most impressive of his victories, winning the GI by 2-3/4L with an SP# of 121, the GII by 2L with an SP# of 118 and preceding those efforts was the 1-1/2L GIII win with an SP# of 120. Some super impressive runs can be found scattered through his race career and it would be a brave man to say he won’t be a massive chance in this event. Only blight, apart from the last start failure would be his effort in last year’s running of this Smuggler’s BB event, when he was seen fighting on to a 8-1/4L 6th of 14 with an SP# of 111. Another year older and wiser now and in career best form, the odds seem bang on in relation to his chances in this event. Look for him to finish over the top and collect the spoils. Top tip.

5 TAKE CHARGE HUMOR     5M    ddkstables32        T Ace 7/1

The Stockswami group continues their impressive rise since joining the Derby Fever simulation and offers up this event’s 3rd most favoured runner in the form of the Take Charge Indy sired runner, Take Charge Humor. The 16 race start 5yo, based on the GI winning horse Storm Cat Humor (Distorted Humor x Storm Cat) has only won 3 races and placed top 3 another 8 times, but Take Charge Humor usually finds himself there or thereabouts in any event he lines up in. A winner at GIII level over 8F as a 3yo in the 2019 version of the Bluegrass Derby Trial Stakes, the now 5yo just hasn’t seemed to lift enough to become a real force on the race track, despite being multiple grade placed and usually producing handy enough Speed ratings. In his only start of 2021 he ran a battling 5L 5th of 14 in the GIII Winchester Cap run on the dirt surface over 8 furlongs with an SP# of 115, where he took the lead at the halfway point, before succumbing to the hard charging closers in the home stretch. Before that he raced in the GIII Santa Claus Stakes, again over 8F on the dirt and fought on well for a 1-1/2L 3rd of 14 posting an SP# of 116. So although the race record isn’t splattered with multiple wins, (equal least winningest horse in the race), his speed ratings and consistency has not been lost on the bookies. His speed ratings of 105+ in his last 8 starts, the best being 115 two races back, will be more than a handful for many of his race rivals in The Smuggler’s BB event and another top 5 finish is more than likely. The first of Stockswami’s two pronged attack.

6 HERITAGE HOUSE    4M      alibilane51                N Lawton 16/1

Second cab off the rank for the OAKRIDGE Racing Stables is the Flatter scratch breed, Heritage House. Out of a Sunday Silence x Damascus mare, this now 4yo has raced on 14 occasions, winning 7 of these races and finishing top 3 in another 4 events and has amassed just under $240k for his owners. He won at stakes level as 2yo when we tasted success in the Owner restricted Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, scoring an SP# of 89 in the one length win over 8.5F on the dirt. It was as a 3yo that he showed his connections he might be a horse with a solid future when seen pulling decent numbers when rising through the allowance ranks. In the second half of 2020 he won 3 of 4 allowance events when he won an NW4X on the dirt over 8.25F, winning by a fighting ¾L margin with an SP# of 107. He backed that up with an Open Allowance win over 8.5F, cruising to a 3-1/4L win with an SP# of 108 and then he closed out his 3yo season with another Open Allowance victory in November, this time over 8.25F with a career best SP# of 111 with a comfortable 1-3/4L gap to the runner up. As a 4yo Heritage House has not been able to find the finishing line first in his two 2021 races to date. Last time out he was pipped at the post, going down by just a neck after leading throughout in the 8.5F Dirt NW1T race, with an SP# of 108 and in his first 2021 start he finished a 4-1/4L 3rd of 11 in a relatively strong Open Allowance event over 8.5F. His SP# was 110 that day. At 16/1 he is amongst a group of 5 entrants whose odds point to them being neither here nor there in this event and thus gives him a decent shot at producing an upset. He needs to take a giant step up though as a now 4yo and hope that a bit of maturity comes to the fore and he can provide a real challenge to his more favoured rivals. He knows how to win and could be a factor with a favourable trip, so discount at your peril.

7 FROSTY NINER     4M     bmr11                      L Radzinski 21/1

Bouncing from mid gate we have the runner from the BMR006 Racing Stables conglomerate. The Frosted sired 4yo, Frosty Niner, comes into this GII event fresh from his Graded debut effort when he nearly pulled off somewhat of an upset by finishing a hard charging 1-3/4L 3rd of 10 in the GIII Town Of Tokyo 9F event. Frosty Niner settled in a rearward position and ran on late amongst a group of closers down the stretch and was unlucky not to nab 2nd place as the wire approached. The SP# of 113 was certainly strong proof that racing in graded events was not above his class level. His three victories had come as a 3yo and at 7.5 to 8 furlongs and all on the dirt track. He scored back to back allowance level wins in the last 2 months of 2020 over the distance of 8F, producing SP#’s of, firstly 109 in his 2L win in the NW2L event where he came from a rearward position and backed that up with a 107 in his 1/4L winning margin NW3L race when settling a little closer to the pace. He started his 4yo career in February with a solid runner up effort in an NW4L event, finishing 3-1/2L behind the winner with an SP# of 110 and that race’s winner has gone on to taste success at stakes level, so that in itself connections will take as a plus. Add that stat to the fore mentioned debut GIII effort and the Smuggler’s BB least favoured runner could provide his owners with a hot boil over shot! 21/1 offered for this nicely bred horse out of a Forty Niner x StormyAtlantic broodmare.

8 LAST CHANCE HANSEN     4M     racinqueen        T Loesch 17/1

The second representative for the ATTHEWIRE Racing Stables is this handy Hansen sired 4yo out of the graded placed race mare LOL Wire (Distorted Humor x Giant’s Causeway), Last Chance Hansen. He is a winner of 6 races and placed top 3 another 8 times, earning his connections in excess of $270k. He takes a step up to graded racing again this weekend after a strong run of results in local racing grades, the best result coming 3 starts back when he came from the rear to gun down his rivals over 9 furlongs by 1-1/2L with an SP# of 112. He backed that up with another local allowance event again over 9F, easing to a 2L winning margin with an SP# of 102 as the short priced favourite. Last time out an extra half furlong was added to recent successes and this was seemingly his undoing as Last Chance Hansen could only grind himself into a 6-3/4L 4th of 9, with a speed rating of 106 for the 9.5 furlongs. Earlier in his career connections gave him a shot at graded success where he ran in a GII and GIII event as a 3yo … unfortunately both efforts were less than impressive, posting a 9-1/4L 13th of 14 over 9F in The Scam (G3) and then 2 starts later he finished 6-1/2L 6th of 14 in the G2 8.5F Less Heat Stakes. Based on recent runs the 17/1 offered might be pretty close to the mark, but he won’t be without his hopes based on the run 3 starts back.

9 YOUNG FREE SINGLE      4M      kiwirharfoex      M Buck 14/1

Jumping from the number 9 gate is my own representative out of the KIWIRHARFO Racing Stables. The 4yo son of Mineshaft is a scratch breed from a Deputy Minister x Forty Niner broodmare and has won 4 of 14 starts and another 5 top 3 finishes. Residing at the ALLSTAR RACING (ASR) Residency, he got his racing career of to an impressive MSW win in one of the monthly ASR sponsored MSW events when he won over 6.5F with an SP# of 73. Now although that does seem to scream “Champion In Waiting” members of the ASR know that success in any ASR event usually points to you having something special on your hands. So with the debut win, this trainer was rubbing his greedy hands together with delight .. bring on the Bluegrass! Well things did not go to plan, but Young Free Single has fashioned somewhat of a handy record grabbing 3 more wins since the debut effort and it was his last start win at allowance level over 8.5F where he posted an SP# of 117 that gave the owner a push in the graded stakes direction. With 3 wins in his last 5 starts and with seemingly maturing efforts and increased speed ratings at or around this race’s distance I am hopeful of a more than competitive effort from my noble steed, and am liking the 14/1 odds on offer. Took on this report before realizing I had a runner entered, so hope I don’t come off too biased.

10 RYANS SAND     5M     goldenmyst      A Jolly 6/1

The second most favoured runner in this year’s Smuggler Breeder’s Bowl in the goldenmyst stabled Footstepsinthesand sired 5yo Ryans Sand representing the RBOKIE24 Racing Stables group. Out of the Mineshaft x Storm Cat race mare Voodooshaft, Ryans Sand comes into this G2 event on the back of an impressive hard finishing 3rd place effort in the G3 Winchester Cap, raced on the dirt course over 8 furlongs, coming from behind midfield to close within 3-3/4L of the race winner, Awesome Giants, boasting an SP# of 116 on the day. Prior to the G3 effort he won comfortably at allowance level when seen coming from off the pace to secure an easy 1-3/4L win at the NW2S level with an SP# of 111. The race before the allowance win is the race that will justify the shortish odds on offer, when Ryans Sand was seen closing from back in the field to get within 2 lengths of the winner when finishing 4th of 14 in the G3 Santa Clause Stakes on the Californian dirt track over 8 furlongs. He registered a speed rating of 115 in that effort and continued his string of triple figure speed ratings stretching back to February 2020. With 2 wins in the last 4 starts and a racing style that will relish the extra half furlong offered in this race, Ryans Sand is going to prove himself a very worthy adversary for the race favourite.

11 JAMISONCRAKEN     4M      james42               R Bokie 17/1

Jamisoncraken is the representative of the james42 barn from JAMES34 Racing Stables. The now 4yo scratch breed is sired by McCraken out of a Seattle Slew x Storm Bird broodmare and has amassed over $310K from his 7 wins and 9 top 3 placings from his 21 career starts. All wins have come at allowance level after his MSW victory and stepping up to stakes grade and beyond seems to have been a step a bit too far … to date!
He comes into this G2 event on the back of a very solid open allowance win on the dirt track over 9 furlongs, when he raced on the pace and cruised to a 1-3/4 length win over 5 rivals with a solid SP# of 108. It was a great rebound from back to back disappointments at G3 and then at stakes level, when seen firstly being well beaten in the G3 Heaven Stakes over 9F, finishing 10-1/2L 6th of 10 with an speed rating of 102 and then followed that effort of with what may be seen as a more disappointing effort when 12-1/2L 13th of 14 on the dirt track over the mile in the Annual Home Dirt Mile, with an SP# of 100 in the overnight stakes event. Jamisoncraken seems to be at his best when he can dictate terms in the front, so securing a soft lead will be first and foremost for jockey R Bokie. With odds around 17/1 he will need to further improve on his last start victory and might need a career best speed rating in excess of 110 to force his hand and be a major player. That kind of effort might be in him.

12 THIRD MAN IN     4G      xpansion1               W Cahill 11/1

Hailing from the formidable DIXIEDOTCO Racing Stables comes the xpansion1 stabled 4yo gelding Third Man In. This 7 race winning gelding is sired by Blame out of the stakes winning race mare Third Target (Awesome Again x Kingmambo). He has $186,010 in earnings from his 17 starts and has 5 top 3 placings to compliment his 7 victories, all at allowance level after the MSW success. GI placed as a 3yo over 9 furlongs in the Funky Buddha, this excursion into the higher grade of racing will not prove too daunting for him. Recent racing has seen an increase in speed ratings, especially since being gelded. Last time out, although beaten by 3-1/4L 5th of 14 at overnight stakes grade in the 8.5F Unamazingness Dirt Route, he did run a career best SP# of 117, a speed that will strike worry into a few of his rivals in this event. The first start after being gelded Third Man In led from “Go to Whoa” in an NW3Y allowance over 8.5 furlongs, fending off the closers down the dirt straight. Will likely be challenging for the lead in this event and might only have one other rival looking to dictate terms up front … top jock W Cahill will have to either sit just off the pace if the lead can’t be locked up. From a stable group that wins for fun and Third Man In is one of 9 graded runners for the DIXIEDOTCO Racing group racing this weekend. Stable name alone will have other rivals tracking his colours as the race pans out.

13 EYE FOR QUALITY     4M     rollingrock1               C Snowden 11/1

STEVE555 Racing Stables pin their hopes on their 3 race win Quality Road 4yo, Eye For Quality. The 16 start galloper has earned his connections just shy of $300k amassed from the 3 wins and 3 runner up efforts. Two of those top 2 finishes have come at G2 level both as a 3yo and both times he was very close to nabbing the spoils, going down by just a head in the 8.5F GII The Lair event with an SP# of 112 and then 2 starts earlier closed to within 3/4L of the winner in the 9F G2 The Land’s End, with an speed rating of 103. Racing in 2021 as a 4yo has been promising, but not being eye catching when racing in back to back to back graded events for finishes of 11th, 8th and a last start 7th. So although the finishing positions don’t read pretty, the efforts, speeds and class of events do give the rollingrock1 trained horse are decent chance at turning the waning form line around. His last start 7th was recorded in the rich G2 Sand Castle Goldolphin Mile with an SP# of 110, 7 lengths off the winner. Before that he finished an ever decreasing 4-3/4 lengths off the victor in the GI February Stakes, speed rating of 113 and that result followed his 8 length 11th in the G2 San Valenzuala Breeders Bowl Stakes recording an SP# of 107 for the 8.5 furlong distance. So although soundly beaten the speeds produced in those recent efforts are on par with many of his rivals in The Slugger’s BB and he has performed at the highest level well enough to suggest he could be this event’s dark horse and potential boil over at 11/1.

14 GIANT PERFORMANCE     5M      ddkstables12               F Gossett 10/1

Offering number 2 from the Stockswani group is 5yo, Giant Performance, a horse sired by Giant’s Causeway based on a under–performing Malibu Moon x Awesome Again galloper. Having greeted the judge first on 5 occasions from his 17 race day starts, he has earned just shy of $250k to date those earnings topped up with 5 other top 3 finishes. Yet to be successful beyond allowance level, he suggested that a higher honor might not be too far from his reach with a handy last start G3 effort when 4-1/2 lengths 7th of 10 in the 9F The Town Of Tokyo dirt event. This race was preceded with an eye catching NW5L allowance race on the rain affected dirt track in Kentucky where Giant Performance lived up to his name with an easy 2-1/2L win over 9 furlongs and boasting an SP# of 118 in the process. Career speeds have been up and down and consistency could be his main rival. When good, he is very good, but when bad he leaves connections scratching their heads. He is maturing well and looks to be racing solidly enough to hold his own in this year’s running of The Smuggler’s Breeder’s Bowl. Sitting in the middle of the bookies board so has more than a “Runner’s Chance” in the event. A little bit of precipitation would have really brought Giant Performance to the fore, but do not totally discount his chances.

So there we have it, 14 solid entrants and each with their own pluses and minuses … some have the experience at the highest level and some have respectable speeds at lower levels. All have proven themselves competitive at distances around the 8.5 furlongs this G2 event offers and some may prefer a slightly wetter track, but each have shown they will handle the dry dirt surface on offer.

Hard to go past the race favourite in the race, that being the Olathe1 trained Down In The Flood, winner of 50% of his 20 races and could easily make it 11 from 21 here.

Second place I give to Goldenmyst’s Ryans Sand, the extra ½ furlong could be all this horse needs to pose a real threat to the fore mentioned Down In The Flood and the other rivals in the race.

To round out the top 3 I’ll offer up the Deyoto8 trained runner, Capricorn Coast. Improving with racing and maturity, and on recent runs looks ready to challenge this field.

Good luck to all in this event and the rest of the runners in the big events on Derby day.