3YO FILLIES SPRINT ON THE DIRT IN THE SIMS ONLY GRADE I FEATURE THIS WEEKEND
It is a light weekend in simland for Graded races but Kentucky will host the only Grade I of the week in the 16th and final race on Saturday in The Grade I Circusham Derby. A full field of 14 have entered the fray for this 7 furlong dirt sprint restricted to 3YO fillies. This time of year all 3YO’s are the hope for their handlers as they try to see if they have the next superstart for the upcoming triple tiara series. $500,000 in pursemoney and the always important stakes points are up for grabs here today.
Let’s take a look at today’s field:
1)SILVER CITY GAL(KY)—12/1—squity sends this filly out of SILVER TRAIN with a record of 9-4-0-1 and lifetime earnings of $551,944. This 3rd divisional ranked filly races for the Baggio stables based over at Minnesota Downs. This filly looked like a world beater in her first 4 lifetime starts winning them all including a pair of Graded stakes hilited by The Grade I Hoserhead Juvenile Filly’s in BC where she posted her lifetime best 91 speed rating over the 6.5 furlong sprint. She went to the inaugural World Cup after that win and like some other runners has just not been the same since. She is 0/4 since that last win including a last place finish in the BB Juvenile Filly race but her speed ratings have started to come back up lately and hopefully she can work out her problems and refind the form she had when starting her career. She runs best as a pace stalker and then makes her move in the far turn and hopefully she can use the rail to her advantage today. The rider for today’s race will be Cadigan (13.9%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88
2)EE BRIGHT LIGHT(JPN)—11/1—autumnwind sends this filly out of FANTASTIC LIGHT with a record of 10-4-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $465,930. She is out of the mare GIZMOS GONE WILD who was 5/36 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 25th divisional ranked filly races for the Whirlaway stables based over at Minnesota Downs. This filly won her lifetime debut and added a pair of Graded stakes wins in her 2yo campaign last year. She won The Grade III Little Momma Debutante in Portugal where she posted her lifetime best 91 speed rating over the 7.5 furlong race and The Grade I Frickazee Stakes in New Jersey. She finished the year with a turf try and then a rough Grade I outing in California. She prepped for this race with a nice win in The Dynathe Turf Handicap in Arizona over 8.5 furlongs and drops back down in distance for this start today. She is another stalker who should not be too far behind the leaders at any point in this race. The rider for today’s race will be Lynch (19%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88
3)DANCE AWAY RENEE(KY)—12/1—hornedfrog sends this filly out of CAME HOME with a record of 10-5-1-1 and lifetime earnings of $320,820. She is out of the mare DEGAS’S DANCER who was 6/45 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 11th ranked filly races out of the Hornedfrog stables based over at the Kentucky Horsemen residency. This filly was another quick started winning her first 3 lifetime starts last year and 4 of her first 5 races. Included in those wins were a pair of stake races including The Grade II Vermont BB Juvenile Filly. She would add another restricted race win in her 2007 finale. She prepped for this race going 8.5 furlongs in The North Stock Stakes in North Carolina and while posting her lifetime best 87 speed rating she was never a factor in the race always running near the back of the pack. Hopefully a return to sprinting will bring on better results today. She is a late closer who sits at the back of the pack early and charges down the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Allen (7.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—85
4)GIGANTIC HOPE(KY)—17/1—3rdtry sends this filly out of GIANT’S CAUSEWAY with a record of 7-4-2-0 and lifetime earnings of $131,555. She is out of the mare TRIPLE CROWN HOPES who was 4/39 at the track and this is the only foal on record to date. This 53rd divisional ranked filly races for the GR Simsters division of the Clemente-Migliore Stables. This filly won he dirt debut after 1 start on the turf to start her career and added a pair of overnite stake wins in her 2 year old season. She prepped for this race by finishing 2nd in The Project Baby Challenge in BC where she posted her lifetime best 87 speed rating over the 6 furlong dirt sprint stake. While she does possess some speed she usually stalks the leaders and maker her move in the far turn. The rider for today’s race will be Kester (5.3%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—83.
5)MISCALCULATION(KY)—7/1—fanatical sends this filly out of UNBRIDLED’S SONG with a record of 4-4-0-0 and lifetime earnings of $264,120. This 12th divsional ranked filly races for the unafilliated division of the Circumsham stables which co-incidently (not?) just happens to be the name of this Grade I race today. This filly started her 2YO career in the late fall and won all 3 races in her freshman year. Included in those wins were a pair of overnite stake races. She made her 2008 debut in The Grade II Yanta Snez Stakes in Northern California where she timed her closing mover perfectly winning the 7 furlong race and posted her lifetime best 95 speed rating. She should be one of the players in this race today as she puts her unbeaten streak on the line in her Grade I debut. Look for her to sit about 2/3 back early in the race and then be one of those charging down fast in the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Givens (27.2%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—92.
6)DISTINGUISH(JPN)—19/1—honeylu sends this filly out of MINING with a record of 9-5-1-2 and lifetime earnings of $209,370. This 14th divisional ranked filly races for the unafilliated Piglett stables. This filly has never finished worse than 4th in her career but it shoud be also noted that she has never races in a race against more than 7 opponents and usually races in short 4 race fields. Never the less she did win 4 times in her 2YO season including 3 overnite stake wins and prepped for this race by wiring a 4 horse field in The Cupid’s Companion Challenge in Hong Kong where she posted her lifetime best 84 speed rating over the 6 furlong stake race. She is a speed horse who likes to run on the front end but it remains to be seens whether she will be fast enough to handle both this field and a full 14 horse field. The rider for today’s race will be Sipe (5.2%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—82.
7)BALLAD(KY)—14/1—super29 sends this filly out of ELUSIVE QUALITY with a record of 9-2-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $144,620. She is out of the mare BARELY THROW who was 0/6 at the track and who has 5 foals on record of which 4 are winners including 2 stakes winners. This 61st divisional ranked filly races for Super’s More Evil Than The Evil Empire stables based over at Del/Penn National. This filly won her lifetime debut last year and added an overnite stake sprint win in her freshman season. She also picked up several 2nd place finishes including one in a Grade III event. She posted her lifetime best 92 speed rating in another of those 2nd place finishes, this time in Indiana’s The Not Made In China Special over 7.5 furlongs on the dirt. She has started in Grade I races in her last 2 starts and has not been able to compete in either of those races and hopefully she can turn this around here today. She does have some speed and should be pressing the lead today but how long she will be able to last against this field is anybody’s guess. The rider for today’s race will be McCarthy (9.65). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—82.
8)MEAN GIRL(KY)—5/1—gg sends this filly out of CAME HOME with a record of 9-3-1-1 and lifetime earnings of $312,730. She is out of the mare REGINA GEORGE who was 2/23 at the track and she has 2 foals on record of which this Graded winner is the only runner to date. This 45th divisional ranked filly races for the GR Simsters division of the Topicount stables. After winning her lifetime debut on an off track last year as a 2 year old she would add a pair of stake race wins to her record before the end of 2007 . The hilite came when she won The Grade II Walnut Tree Stakes in California over the 8 furlong race. She finished 10th in the BB Juvenile Filly before ending the year with a 2nd place finish in The Grade I Mother Story Handicap In Maryland on DPCD. She showed early speed in her 2008 debut in Vermont’s valentines day card but tired in the stretch ending up 5th, albeit she did post her lifetime best 99 speed rating in that 8.5 furlong race. She drops back down in distance today where it is expected she will utilize a midpack closing style of racing for this contest. The rider for today’s race will be Hoge (12.5%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—95.
9)RUBY GLOOM(TUR)—8/1—beamerback sends this filly out of STRIKE THE GOLD with a record of 12-4-3-1 and lifetime earnings of $403,990. She is out of the mare MISS BROOKE who was 3/17 at the track and who has 6 foals on record of which 4 are winners including 1 Graded stake winner. This 8th divisional ranked filly races for the unafilliated Beamerback farms. This filly won her first start in a DUR restricted MSW race. DUR has since disbanded but this girl came back to win 3 stake races over the duration of her freshman year including wins in The Grade III Butterfly Futurity and The Grade II Red Fish Blue Fish Stakes. She posted her lifetime best 92 speed rating in her last win last November and has matched that rating one more time since. She stretched out to 8.5 furlongs in a Florida Grade I last time out and she was never a factor in the race and hopefully the drop back in distance will have her more competitive in today’s race. She is a closer who sits at the back of the pack early and she will have company with others in getting racing room to ensure a clear path for the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Lambert (4.5%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—90.
10)QUEEN OF THE SKY(AUS)—8/1—skipnhappy sends this filly out of FLYING SPUR(AUS) with a record of 9-5-2-1 and lifetime earnings of $224,306. This 20th divsional ranked filly races for the Queensland divsion of the Nextbonus stables. This filly won her 3rd lifetime start (2nd on the dirt) last year and added 3 more wins including a pair of overnite stake victories before her freshman season was over. She posted her lifetime best 95 speed rating in the 2nd of those wins over 6.5 furlongs and matched that mark in her 2008 debut while finishing 2nd in the EAAA residency challenge 3yo dirt filly sprint race. She prepped nicely for her Graded stakes debut today by winning an 8 furlong overnite stake race in Japan where she put up her 3rd consecutive 90+ speed rating. She should be pressing the pace from up close in today’s race and looks like she is going to be a very nice 3 year old runner. The rider for today’s race will be Jazz (10.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—93.
11)POMEROY’S QUEST(FL)—14/1—pointblank sends this filly out of POMEROY with a record of 9-2-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $121,275. This 69th divisional ranked filly races for the unafilliated Right At Home stables. This filly has not missed the board since her 3rd race lifetime and posted a pair of wins in her 2 year old season including 1 stake victory in The Horned Ginger Special in Ontario over 7 furlongs on the dirt. She made her Graded stakes debut earlier this year in North California where she rallied from the back of the field to finish 3rd in The Grade II Yanta Snez stakes where she posted her lifetime best 92 speed rating over the 7 furlong race. She will be facing the winner of that race again here today. She is definitely one of the possibilities in this race today but her late closing style should also merit some consideration to seeing how she will do in route racing, something she has not yet tried in her career. The rider for today’s race will be Garber (0%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—88
12)VEHEISSU(KY)—6/1—astinator6 sends this filly out of SPEIGHTSTOWN with a record of 6-5-1-0 and lifetime earnings of $161,750. This 30th divisional ranked filly races for Astin’s Don’t Feed The Animals stable, a massive operation that usually dominated the EAAA racing residency trainer competition standings. This filly has won 5 of 6 lifetime starts and comes into her Graded stakes debut on a 4 stake race win streak. She posted her lifetime best 97 speed rating in her last start at The Alyivor Ransom Memorial in BC over 7 furlongs on the dirt. She is a closer who will have to fight others for the racing room as they shuffle for position getting ready for what should be an exciting stretch run. The rider for today’s race will be Connor (17.4%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—95.
13)DANETOYOU(AUS)—15/1—japrufrock sends this filly out of DANE SHADOW(AUS) with a record of 8-5-1-0 and lifetime earnings of $143,140. She is out of the mare FORTY BEGONE who was 4/39 at the track and who has 2 foals on record, both winners including 1 stakes winner. This 34th divisional ranked filly is based in Vermont at The Pastures Of Green. This filly won her 3rd lifetime starts (2nd on the dirt) last year and added 3 overnite stake win in a row at the end of her freshman season. She made her 2008 debut in West Virginia where she won The Granny Robe Challenge over 7.5 furlongs on the dirt while posting her lifetime best 95 speed rating, a 10 point improvement on her previous best. She makes her Graded stakes debut today. She is another closer who starts her move in the far turn. The rider for today’s race will be Sherman (7.5%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—90.
14)STORMLEAR(MD)—14/1—xssessivx sends this filly out of FANTASTICAT with a record of 8-2-2-0 and lifetime earnings of $141,000. This 24th divisional ranked filly races for the RASH division of the B4RCA stables. This filly broke he maiden last year in a State Tag contest race and then became a Graded winner in her 2nd lifetime start when she won The Grade III Television Stakes in Kentucky. The bad part of all this is that she has yet to win again since albeit she has picked up some minor cheques in races since. She opened up the 2008 season in Northern California and will have to improve on that 14th place finish in The Grade II Yanta Snez Stakes if she wants to be a factor in the results today. She does possess some speed and will probably be trying to get to the front from the outside post today. She posted her lifetime best 91 speed rating in her 2007 finale and will probably have to beat that mark to be close to the leaders in this Grade I race. The rider for today’s race will be Coleman (0%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—86.
A really tough race to judge here today as I am unsure of just how quick this pace will be as reallly none of the early speed horses have really been dominant. I am going to give the edge to #10 QUEEN OF THE SKY(AUS) to win this race as she should be up close to the leaders and may well just decide to take matters in her own hands if the race is to slow. I also like #5 MISCALCULATION(KY) as she has looked good with a perfect 4/4 record so far but we will have to see how she handles the rise to Grade I’s here today albeit she has already beaten several starters in this race already.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING
THEO