Saint Pat’s Legacy

Fifteen horses have showed up for the Saint Pat’s Legacy, a Grade II affair at a mile on the dirt that is a high point of the Crock of Gold Undercard. Some top-notch milers have shown up to try to get their share of this weekend’s treasure.

1 SUPERDRIVE II Sdmf7 13/1

First up is Sdmf’s Unbridled’s Song colt. He runs big in allowances and recently ran second in an ungraded stakes. But the two graded races he’s been in were disasters. Looks like a nice horse, but hasn’t shown that he’s up to this level of competition at this time.

2 HALO’S VICE Mouskers 26/1

Halo’s Vice has been solid in allowance company for his breeder/trainer, but hasn’t shown anything in stakes company yet. This Rainbow Quest son is a useful horse, but is at these odds for a good reason.

3 CREEPY MESA Darthblur 20/1

This guy’s name probably rings a bell because he was in last year’s Bluegrass Derby. A terrific runner at 2, he has been having a rough time of it the last year or so. With only sixteen races under his belt he has a lot of races left in him, but he hasn’t shown that he is capably of running a race like this right now.

4 PRESENT DANGER Benelux 14/1

Five-year-old ex-claimer has been crushing allowances company, winning his last four on fast tracks. There’s a big difference, though, between an allowance and a graded stakes, as he is about to find out. He’s certainly earned a chance at a stakes field, but I don’t love his chances in a race this tough. Certainly an excellent claim!

5 ZYGOTE Isisbabe 9/2

The morning-line favorite really stands out from the crowd this weekend. The A.P. Indy son is coming off a respectable fourth in a Grade III preceded by a strong win in a Grade II. The reliable son of A.P. Indy is a consistent sort who rarely fails to deliver a good run. He has a very good jockey aboard who will help him find his way through traffic to deliver a late kick. He’ll be hard to beat this weekend and may leave the others competing for second.

6 DIVER DOWN Beefcake8 25/1

One of the longer shots in the field, this modestly-bred son of Alydeed was absolutely explosive in an allowance last time out. That was against a field of horses that was both smaller and weaker than this one, however. He’s taking a big step up and would have to equal his career best to have a real shot at hitting the board this weekend.

7 BELISARIO Fernando 7/1

Belisario has run some very big numbers in recent races and looks like a horsee with an excellent shot at doing some damage in this race. While his record in graded stakes isn’t great, the field here isn’t phenomenal so his chances are better than they have been in some of his other starts. He likes to sit just off the early pace and has a problem with fading in the stretch. If he can find a way to hold on as he approaches the wire, he could be a real threat. Lousy jockey doesn’t help, but this is a fast colt who could be tough if he manages to dig deep.

8 PIVATING Graywolf6 11/1

This ex-claimer has been running very well for his barn in allowances with a lot of firsts and seconds in recent starts. Flopped badly in a stakes last time out, but has had respectable finishes in some previous stakes runs. I’d feel better about his chances here if those ungraded stakes races had gone better overall. Has a shot at the board with a top effort, but doesn’t really look like a horse who wants to compete at this level.

9 BOATSWAIN Bigfive 17/1

I think this guy has a better chance of at least picking up a paycheck than the odds suggest. He tends not to run huge speed figures, but when you look at his record, he’s pretty consistent about hitting the board in mile-long ungraded stakes. That’s more than a lot of horses here have going for them. So, I certainly don’t expect him to win and I don’t think his chances of hitting the board are outstanding, but I think this guy has a real shot at earning some points and dollars on Saturday.

10 THUNDER PUNCH Cream 7/1

This Thunder Gulch son has been putting up some huge numbers in overnight stakes lately and has been either the winner or very close to the winner in his last three outings. It’ll be tough for him to take out the favorite, but he’s looking like a very good candidate to hit the board. Not much luck in graded stakes, but that’s true for most of the horses in this race. Respectable jockey should at least not cause any problems. Look for a good run from this guy.

11 GARGAMEL Lopo87 10/1

Galileo son is looking to smurf the competition and he just might manage to do it. While I’m not looking for him to crush the favorite, this frontrunners been running solid races in ungraded stakes lately. That puts him in the upper tier of competitors in this race. Although he’s put up big speed figures, he hasn’t won a stakes , so he’ll need to dig pretty deep. But in a race without a lot of speed, he’s talented enough that he could well hang on for a piece of the action.

12 SHA LA LA Eirann 21/1

Sha La La’s runs have been all over the map, including a solid third in a Grade 2, but numerous bad runs in overnight stakes. He may be poised for a big run after a dismal 11th in his last outing and it might be worth a look at these prices. He has a solid jock aboard which is a big help. As one of the few horses in this field who has hit the board in a graded race in the last few months, he’s probably worth a second look.

13 MISSILE HUNTER Best2run 10/1

Jade Hunter son is coming off a huge run in an overnight stakes in Hong Kong. He’s consistently on the board in those races and has probably earned a shot at a graded race, but this one looks a hair short for him. He has a terrific jockey up, which will help, but he’s been running 9+ furlongs for a long time. He’s talented enough to potentially do well in a graded stakes; it’s just going to come down to whether the finish line will come too fast for him.

14 DOWNPLAYING TED Stakes 9/1

Ted had an impressive win in a Grade II a while back, but hasn’t been better than third in four subsequent races, including allowances. With 37 races under his belt, he may be winding down his career. If he can find one more big race, this frontrunner could do very well indeed, but with the struggles he’s had lately, I wouldn’t bet on it.

15 PRIVATE CAT TWO Redbullet5 8/1

This veteran of the Versatility Challenge is a well-rounded sort who can run a variety of races. The bad news is he hasn’t hit the board in a graded race since 2004. He’s coming off a couple of nice runs in ungraded stakes, but those were both on of tracks. With the track fast and the company more difficult, this weekend’s race may well prove to be too much for him. A weak jockey doesn’t help his case any.

Good luck!