G1, The Razorback Route: They go 14 furlongs in Arkansas.

Arkansas (AR) Saturday, June 19, 2021 — 3:00:00 PM EST | Race ID : 2616235
The Razorback Route
Grade I / Group 1*CPU – Purse : $750,000
Restricted to 3 Year Olds and Older
14 Furlongs | ~2800 Meters | One Mile and Three Quarters	Fast Dirt

This week I will be headed to Arkansas for an exciting 14 furlong race that is on the card.  We will have the running of The Razorback Route which will be across the dirt track for horses 3 years olds and older.  This year we have a full field of fourteen horses that will be running on what will be a fast track at post time.  Last year we saw a horse by the name Tacco A Spillo (TAPIT x SADLER’S WELLS x RIVERMAN) get up for the win in The Razorback Route as he traveled the distance to win by five lengths with a 115 speed rating.  Tacco A Spillo is owned by the Dahmamas master stables.  This year he will not be running in this race and thus we will find a new horse in the winner’s circle at the conclusion of this outing.  This is a nice looking and well decorated field of horses that will be running in this year’s race.  The field looks fairly tight and well matched.  Picking the winner will be most difficult for the odds makers and those that will be placing their bets on Saturday’s race.  The morning line odds have now been posted and the horses have received their post position draws.  We will now take a preview of the horses that will be running here in Arkansas for this year’s running of the G1, The Razorback Route.

1

IM EIGHTY SIXED

CA

4M

jastables10

G Porter

15

4

73%

$283,994

70.00

11/1

Breaking for the first gate will be this four year old Chestnut Colt that was sired by I’ll Have Another.  He has fifteen career starts with eleven strikes on the boards.  This horse is fairly new to running at the Graded level, but he has already picked up a win when he ran in April of this season in the G3, Doppler Effect Stakes in Wyoming.  He was then sent back out for his most recent race to travel 12 furlongs on 05/16/2021 in Japan in the G3, The TV Stakes.  Again he made a big closing effort down the stretch and ran a 111 speed of which was good enough to cross the wire in third.  The owner now turns his sights to bring his colt to Arkansas where he will face a tough field of horses.  The call has been placed to bring in jockey, G Porter who will be flying in from Spain to take the ride up top.  I look for this horse to linger back a little at the start of this race and make his big run late when they head out representing the Empire State Racing residency.

2

OLD TIME COUNTDOWN

SKOR

4G

aussloth

M Zeus

12

4

83%

$244,349

38.13

24/1

Here we have a four year old Light Grey Gelding that was sired by Old Fashioned who in twelve starts has found the boards in ten of his races.  He is currently on a hot streak with three wins in a row as he comes into this race on Saturday.  In his most recent trip to the track which came on 04/24/2021 he ran in China going a distance of 16 furlongs in the G3, The Olympic Torch.  This was his first Graded run in his career and he proved he had the goods when he made a gate to wire trip with a 107 speed to get up for the win by two and a half.  He will be going out on Saturday with jockey, M Zeus from Spain up in the saddle to take the ride.  This pair will be headed out in the post parade representing the East-West Connection residency.

3

LOCAL SOLDIER

GER

4M

inzamam3

J Whaley

14

6

71%

$879,135

218.00

11/1

This is a four year old Bay Colt that was sired by Soldier Hollow.  He has been running very well for his owner in all of his most recent trips to the track.  He comes into Saturday’s race with five wins in a row for his owner and has hit the boards ten times in his fourteen career starts.  In March of this season he went out to travel 16 furlongs in the G1, The Cayuga Lake Special in New York where he ran in his first Graded level event.  He proved he had the stamina and heart to compete in this race when he bolted down the stretch for home and put away the field by five and half lengths.  His most recent trip to the tack came when the owner sent out his horse on 05/16/2021 in Maryland in the G2, The Baltimore Special.  This horse found himself thirteen lengths back at the third call of this 16 furlong race.  But a couple of good taps of the whip sparked the interest once again in this horse and he was able to make his way to the wire first, winning by a quarter with a 112 speed rating.  The owner has called in a familiar jockey, J Whaley from China to once again come in and saddle up for the ride with his colt.  This pair will be headed out at post time representing the All-Stars Racing residency.

4

LUCKD’ORO RED

KY

5M

deepesr11

V Cabaniss

19

2

42%

$325,619

72.00

23/1

This is a five year old Light Grey Horse that was sired by Medaglia D’Oro who in nineteen career starts has produced eight hits on the boards.  This horse has been struggling as of late with a combined total of over fifty-two lengths off in his last two starts.  The odds maker have taken note of this and have therefore made him one of their longer choices in the field.  One of his best performances came last September when he ran 14 furlongs in Spain in the G1, The Monster Mash of which he finished up in second with a 109 speed rating.  His most recent trip to the track came on 04/24/2021 when he traveled 16 furlongs in China in the G3, The Olympic Torch.  He again found himself in trouble early in this race and was never a factor when he crossed the wire in sixth.  For the race here in Arkansas the owner made his way over to the jocks room to find jockey, V Cabaniss seeking a mount for this race.  This local jockey will saddle up in the paddock and will bring his ride out in the post parade representing the Empire State Racing residency.

5

LET ME BE CADET

KY

5M

cadetrx

R Dowell

21

10

67%

$2,133,030

488.00

9/2

This is a five year old Bay Horse that was sired by Maclean’s Music who in twenty-one starts has found the boards in fourteen of his races.  He is currently on a hot streak and in coming into Saturday’s race with four wins in a row.  In March of this year this horse traveled 14 furlongs in Dubai in the G1, The Desert Stamina Cup.  He would prove the best that day when he crossed the wire two lengths out in front with a 111 speed rating.  His most recent trip to the track came on 05/02/2021 when he ran 12 furlongs in Kentucky in a $48700 NW2t Local Allowance.  Again he had no trouble in putting away this field when he got up for the win with a 114 speed rating.  The owner brings his horse to Arkansas to try for his fifth win in a row and has called up a familiar jockey to the horse in R Dowell who will be coming in from New South Wales to take the mount up top.  This familiar pairing will be headed out to their post draw representing the Empire State Racing residency.

6

MORE OF THE SAME N

CA

4G

aabulb3yos

E Eberhard

12

5

75%

$400,979

96.00

19/1

This is a four year old Brown Gelding that was sired by Game A.P. that has twelve starts to his credit and that has hit the boards in eight of his races.  This horse went out in February in Thailand and traveled 16 furlongs in the G3, The Cowboy Handicap.  He was making an attempt at a gate to wire run when he tired late in the race and was caught in his stretch run for home.  He was able to hang on with a second place finish running a 101 speed.  He was then sent out by the owner to run in his most recent trip to the track on 03/28/2021 in Dubai where he traveled 14 furlongs in the G1, The Desert Stamina Cup.  He stayed close to the front the entire race and finished up with a 110 speed which was good enough to get him across the wire in second place.  The owner is looking for another big run out of this horse this Saturday and has called upon jockey, E Eberhard from South Africa to take the trip.  This jockey and horse showed a good performance in Dubai together and thus they should work together well in this race when they break from the post representing the East-West Connection residency.

7

MAC DADDY SLEW

KY

4G

larksfarms7

M Carruthers

15

7

67%

$288,950

48.50

11/1

Coming out of gate seven will be this four year old Bay Gelding that was sired by Maclean’s Music.  He was picked up as a $25000 Claimer last year in June and is now racing under new ownership.  This horse has fifteen starts to his credit and has finished on the boards in ten of those races.  He will be making his first start on Saturday facing Graded company.  He is a multiple Listed Stakes winner and is coming into Saturday’s race with four straight wins in a row.  In his most recent race he ran on 05/15/2021 going the distance of 14 furlongs in Maryland in the Lord Tow Dirt Stayer.  He found himself back in third over nine lengths off the lead at the third call.  But with a few taps of the whip he found extra effort in his stretch run and exploded on this field.  In a blistering stretch run he was able to take the wire first getting up by four and three quarters lengths with a 109 speed.  The owner has put in the call to jockey, M Carruthers who will be coming in from Arizona to take the mount up top with this horse.  Expect a big closing effort out of this horse if he fires on Saturday when they head out to their post draw to the cheers of an excited crowd.

8

THE SLITTER

KY

4G

given10

O A Haack

15

7

73%

$265,841

34.00

35/1

This is a four year old Bay Gelding that was sired by Flatter and that has fifteen career starts with eleven strikes on the boards.  He too is on a hot streak coming into Saturday’s race with four straight wins to his credit.  Three of these wins came at the Allowance level, but in his most recent trip to the track he came up with a Listed Stakes win.  He ran on 03/27/2021 here in Arkansas going 13 furlongs in the Ks Rumor Has It Dirt Endurance.  He proved the best in this field when he went gate to wire to get up for the win by three and three quarters lengths with a 107 speed.  He will be jumping up in Class and Distance on Saturday for this race and I would expect him to try and make his way up towards the front early.  The jockey that has been called in is O A Haack from Florida to take to the irons and saddle up for the ride.  This horse is going off as the longest choice in the morning line and may need to step things up a little here if he is to show well against some of the bruisers in this field.  Horse and jockey will make their way out to their post draw representing the GR Simters residency.

9

THANKUFORTHEVENOM

IRE

5M

sremel63

E Newcomb

22

7

59%

$876,773

152.50

5/1

Here we have a five year old Bay Horse that was sired by Australia and he seems to like both the dirt and turf surfaces.  He is a prior G2 winner on the dirt when he got up for the win in January going 16 furlongs in the G2, The Buckeye Stayer in Ohio.  This horse has twenty-two prior starts and has hit the boards in thirteen of his races.  The most recent hit on the boards came in his most recent outing when he ran on the turf on 04/17/2021 in Kentucky when he entered the G3, CEO Classic which was at a distance of 12 furlongs.  He attempted a big closing effort in the stretch call and was able to make his way from seven lengths back to finish in second just one off the leader with a 117 speed rating.  The owner has secured the services of jockey, E Newcomb from Ireland to come in and take the mount with his horse.  I expect to see a late closing effort out of this horse as they travel this 14 furlong race representing the Empire State Racing residency.

10

USUALLY PAY DOUBLE

KY

5M

john5540

T Ace

22

8

64%

$1,960,697

256.00

10/1

This is a five year old Bay Horse that is a scratch bred (EMPIRE MAKER x SADLER’S WELLS x SEATTLE SLEW) that is coming into this race sporting many accolades, badges and bling.  He is an EOY award winning horse and it should be noted that he got up for a huge win back in August of last season when he traveled 16 furlong in the G1, Equinics-Mount Rushmore.  Unfortunately since that big win he has had his share of struggles finding the boards only one time since that race.  His most recent trip to the track came on 05/16/2021 in Maryland when he ran 16 furlongs in the G2, The Baltimore Special.  He was over twenty-one lengths back at the third call and finished the race in fourth, but was still over twelve lengths back when he crossed the wire with a 105 speed rating.  Here in Arkansas the owner is calling in a familiar jockey to this horse with T Ace from Texas that will take the mount once again.  This horse is going to need to show up with a little more effort than he has in his recent trips to the track.  The owner is in hopes for some rebounding effort when his horse breaks from its post draw representing the Universal Racing Club residency.

11

FROSTNAUGHT

KY

4G

given12

Q Cassell

14

7

71%

$296,684

39.25

11/1

Another horse that is on a hot steak with three straight wins is this four year old Light Grey Gelding that was sired by Frosted.  This horse has fourteen career starts and has found his way to the boards in ten of those races.  He is a multiple Listed Stakes winner and they both came in his two most recent trips to the track.  This horse went out for his most recent race on 05/08/2021 in West Virginia when he traveled 16 furlongs in the Gingerbread Man Dirt Stayer.  By the time of the third call he had taken control in this race by three and a half lengths.  He went on to cross the wire first holding on to that three and a half length lead and had a 106 speed rating.  For this race the owner has called up jockey, Q Cassell from Dubai who will be flying in to take the ride up top in this race.  This horse has shown his ability to run at the Listed Stakes level and is now being given the opportunity to run against Graded company for the first time.  He has shown good speed in the past and the owner is looking to see that again when they break from their gate representing the GR Simsters residency.

12

JOKARDINI TED

KY

5M

bestobene4

J Ledwith

24

6

75%

$724,243

160.50

5/1

This five year old Bay Horse was sired by Bernardini and he is a prior G2 winner.  He found that win in Turkey when he ran back in January going 14 furlongs in the G2, The Old Man.  He stalked the leader in this race and when asked for a little extra he was able to snatch the wire first by three quarters.  This horse was most recently seen running in Japan on 05/16/2021 when he went 12 furlongs in the G3, The TV Stakes.  He had another good trip in this race but fell a little short when he crossed the wire in second with a 111 speed rating.  He now comes to Arkansas where his owner has called on a familiar jockey, J Ledwith to take the mount and guild his horse.  They have paired well together in the past and the owner is seeking more good results here when they head out to the track representing the Universal Racing Club residency.

13

OUTBACK CALASH

KY

5G

yozgeld02

M Scott

19

9

63%

$698,680

128.00

7/1

This is a five year old Bay Gelding that is a scratch bred (MALIBU MOON x MEDAGLIA D’ORO x DEPUTY MINISTER) and he has had nineteen starts and found the boards in twelve of his races.  This prior G2 winner found himself in the winner’s circle in Virginia when he got up for a gate to wire win in the G2, The Rocky Top Derby.  Then he was sent out for his most recent race in Maryland on 05/16/2021 where he ran 16 furlongs in the G2, The Baltimore Special.  He was again trying to make a gate to wire run, but was caught late in this race as he was taken down to finish in second by a quarter with a 112 speed rating.  For the race here in Arkansas the owner has secured the services of jockey, M Scott who makes his way from Thailand to take the ride with this horse.  This horse likes to be up front or on lead and he will need some extra effort coming out of this thirteenth gate to get there when they head out to the cheers of an excited crowd.

14

FLEETWOOD JR

KY

4M

fleetwoodiii

R Waples

15

4

60%

$279,831

69.25

20/1

Breaking from the far outside gate will be this four year old Bay Colt that is a scratch bred (STREET SENSE x UNFUWAIN x UNBRIDLED’S SONG).  He has placed in a couple of G2 outings but hitting the wire first at this Graded level has thus far eluded him.  He has fifteen prior starts and has hit the boards in nine of his races.  His most recent trip to the track came at the distance of 14 furlongs in Dubai on 03/28/2021 in the G1, The Desert Stamina Cup.  He never got his footing in this race and it was to be a very difficult trip for him.  He was never a factor and showed up lingering across the wire in tenth nearly twenty lengths back.  He will get the chance to rebound from that disappointing race with jockey, R Waples from Ontario in the saddle.  This jockey rode up top in this horse’s last race in Dubai.  They are looking to show much improvement here in Arkansas when they break from their post draw representing the Northwest Racing Circuit residency.

Good luck to all owners and horses!

Skippy’s Watch List

5-Let Me Be Cadet:  Has a couple of recent G1 wins and has four wins in a row.  Will it be five?

9-Thankuforthevenom: Coming in with a nice 117sp on the turf. Can he do that switching back to dirt?

13-Outback Calash:  Showing up well in G2’s.  What about at G1?

Tarton’s Long Shot

6-More Of The Same N:  This horse has been showing good effort in his recent trips to the track and has not missed the boards in his last five outings.  He ran well in a G1 in Dubai his last time out and the horse has shown he can travel well at this 14 furlong distance.  This 19/1 choice in the field could be a game changer if he can show up with his best of efforts.  At these odds he deserves to be on some exotic tickets when I head to the betting windows here in Arkansas.