Sophomores Stretch Out in the Ridge Gordon Stakes

The sophomores are finally getting to stretch out past nine panels, and eight three-year-olds are doing just that in the 9.5-furlong Ridge Gordon Stakes. The dirt track promises to be fast on a brisk late-winter afternoon.

1 LETHAL KISS Salamander 5/1

El Prado colt is born to go long, so he should be very happy to stretch out for trainer Given. He ran huge in an allowance last time out and is taking a well-earned first step into stakes territory. He has been first or second in five of seven starts and has a good jock up. He looks like a serious contender and will most likely come charging hard late in the game.

2 WIZARDS FIRST RULE Aaafarms 7/2

This Dynaformer son is second in the betting. He’s won four of seven starts, but has faltered just a bit in his last two after a nice string of wins. He has been stuck at a 92 speed figure for each of his last three races. He’s stretching out here and will need to improve just a bit to hit the board. He has a good jockey aboard. Very hard to say about him; it’s all going to come down to how he feels about the added distance.

3 BUDZIG Outinfront 13/1

Well, this Buddha colt deserves to be at double digit odds, but he has been improving radically with each start as he stretches out. With only a maiden win under his belt and an 87 lifetime best speed figure, he’s not a good bet, but it will be very interesting to see how he responds to the race. Potentially a nice little horse.

4 OUDENOS CHORION Sunshine87 9/2

Bernardini colt ran a nice speed figure in his last race, but finished a disappointing seventh. He’s facing a lighter field here, but questions remain about his ability to take on stakes-caliber runners. He’ll need both better numbers and more competitive fire than he should in his last race. Not at all out of the question, but he has to prove something this weekend if he wants to keep running at this level.

5 GOIN TO GUSTOS Pointe 7/1

This Smarty Jones son has been solid but unspectacular in allowance company and is taking a step up here. This will be his first time past a mile. While he’s certainly a useful colt, the big jump in distance and unremarkable record in allowances make it unlikely that this will be his best race.

6 FREE RISER Ups 22/1

Longshot colt was a nice claim for his current owner, but looks out of his depth here in a stakes. He finished up the track last time out in his first stakes attempt and there’s not a lot of reason to believe he’ll be tons better this time around. Anything’s possible of course and that outing could be a fluke, but more likely that he’ll go back to being a nice starter allowance type colt. Rotten luck in the jockey draw doesn’t help his case.

7 SHOCKED Isisbabe 9/2

Ghostzapper colt really flourished last time out going nine furlongs in an allowance. He has been in the money six of seven races and this will be his first stakes race. That nine-furlong race bodes well for this weekend; if he can run that well again, he has an excellent shot at hitting the board. A nice colt with a respectable jockey aboard.

8 SHOOT FOR THE GOLD Super5 5/2

Superstables’ colt has been a little uneven, but he generally hits the board and has put up some impressie numbers. Posted a 100 fig last time out, though that was only good for fifth in an overnight stakes. By far the highest speed figures in the field, but he has yet to win a stakes despite three attempts. He’s stretching out past 8.5 furlongs for the first time. He seems quite happy going past a mile, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he can handle this distance. This guy is certainly a vulnerable favorite, but a strong effort him would bring home a win.

Good luck!