Breeders’ Bowl Turf Champ Iconigold Returns in Los Angeles Turf Cup

A field of 13 older horses, including four previous grade one winners, will go postward in Saturday’s $750,000 Los Angeles Turf Cup in California. Twelve furlongs on California’s firm turf course will serve to separate the contenders.

I remember some old rule of thumb I read somewhere early in my handicapping days where one starts one’s pursuit of a particular race’s puzzle by examining the horse with the highest speed figure in its most recent start. In graded stakes in the Sim, one might be wise to start by first getting to know the Lenny entry in the race. The Chaos Gene, a 5-year-old gelded son of Frankel represents that prodigious stable operation in the Turf Cup. Last time out the big bay built a sizable advantage through the early stages of The Grand Carlos before being swept past in the stretch by mkrbargain’s A Joy to Behoove. There was a sizable gap back to the third-place finisher and a return to the form of his two graded stakes wins from earlier this season (The Expensive Jalopy (G1) and the grade two Carlsbad Lessons) would give him a shot Saturday. The Chaos Gene (6/1) breaks from post 12 in this 13-horse field with D. Raymond taking the mount.

There is other early pace signed on besides The Chaos Gene (Comical Risk N and Aerial Lawman) with srmel9’s Toll and Thunder possibly the best advantaged of that group as he possesses tactical speed. The 4-year-old son of Awesome Again has yet to win above grade three company, with that accomplishment coming in a nice 2 1/4-length score in September’s The Plaid Skirt. That race, though, was at 10 furlongs and 11 furlongs seems to be just about his limit. Since winning the Plaid Skirt, Toll and Thunder set the early pace before fading to fifth in the Canada Turf (G1) and rallied mildly from midpack to finish second in the Flying Carpet Handicap (G2) on Halloween. Toll and Thunder is set to roll from post 12 with N. Lawton again in the stirrups. He’s 7/1 on the morning line.

The old rule of thumb would have had this story begin with cbextra91’s Iconigold, who recently earned a 122-speed figure for his smashing 2 3/4-length win in the Breeders’ Bowl Turf (G1) at this same track. The 4-year-old son of Sixties Icon seems to favor this oval having earned his first grade one win here in February’s San Francisco Capitan Handicap before stretching out a bit too far while beginning to cycle through a bad patch of form in the 14-furlong San Juan Invitational (G2). At his best, Iconigold has a devastating stretch run (see also August’s Polish Damsire (G2) win) but his kick was lacking in the prestigious Ark De ComicDog (G1) and the Los Angeles Turf Cup will be his third top-level start in nine weeks. Cbextra91 continues the parade of out of town jockeys on Iconigold, signing on Kansas jockey L. Bucholz for Saturday’s race. Bucholz has been hot lately, winning over 26-per cent of his races in the last three months. He’ll have to find a way to save ground from the extreme outside post and is a slight second choice at 5/1. Obvious contender, possible underlay.

Like Iconigold, King of Thieves enters here with two career graded stakes wins and like his rival they both came at the Turf Cup’s 12-furlong distance. Iconigold’s grade one wins both came this year, for King of Thieves it’s been about 18 months since the son of Flintshire secured a top-level victory, that coming in none other than the Derby de English. Prior to that classic win he took the Sydney Derby (G1) in dominant fashion. Despite that pair of grade one victories at 12 furlongs, one could theorize that King of Thieves doesn’t really stay 12 panels, that as his less precocious rivals matured, he no longer had the ability to get the job the done at the distance against horses of the quality of this Saturday’s field. His last graded win came last December in the Northern Beer Cap (G3) at 10.5 furlongs and he was a close third in the 11-furlong Greatest Show On Turf (G1) in June. Now he did show excellent form in winning an owner-restricted listed stakes race at 12 furlongs last time out over a field that included seven other previous grade one winners. That win marked his first career victory in non-age restricted company. T. Ace, who was up for his Sydney Derby victory will ride King of Thieves (7/1) from post two.

Wfstables3’s Who Warned You looks the part at first glance. The 4-year-old Street Sense colt won four-straight grade one races this year at distances ranging from 10- 12-furlongs before finishing a well-beaten fourth in the Breeders’ Bowl Turf. Despite the 1 1/2-length win in the Classic Turf Stakes (G1) at 12 furlongs, one realizes the book is still out on whether Who Warned You isn’t a bit better at races a bit shorter. (See the weak field for a grade one in the Classic Turf and the drop off in speed figures from his other grade one wins — a pair of 118s and a 119 — to his 111 in the Classic Turf and 112 in the Breeders’ Bowl Turf. He’s the favorite on the morning line though at 9/2. W. Kewmwa has the mount from post nine. Intriguing, but pass.

One that will have no problems with the 12 furlongs is myoldmoonfarm’s Michael Edison (10/1). The 5-year-old gelded son of Edison has earned four wins at the distance from six tries, with two of those wins coming in stakes races. Overall, he has won nine of his 25 career races, the highlight of which was a two-length score in the 13-furlong Nikki Show (G2) in March. After that race, the bay Canadian-bred seems to have lost his form, failing to hit the board in three attempts in graded company before finishing a well-beaten third in a listed stakes race, some 11 lengths in arrears. Racing back to his top speed figure of 116, earned when winning the 12-furlong Harvester of Eyes Turf Challenge just before the Nikki Show, would give him a shot here. Michael Edison and M. Kiprusoff will leave from post five.

Clk2000’s House of Fortune (15/1) raced exclusively on grass early in his career, winning just one of eight races before switching to synthetic track racing. That proved a propitious decision as the son of Soldier of Fortune went on to win seven straight races after a second-place performance in his synth debut. Those seven wins came at either 11 or 12 furlongs and included two stakes races, highlighted by a 1 1/4-length score in the Purchased Race for stockswami (G3) at odds of 32/1. For this autumn, the 4-year-old colt has switched surfaces again, finishing third in the Sick No More (G3) and winning the Carlton Fisk Handicap (G2) on turf. A stout closer, House of Fortune should be showing himself in the stretch, but he’ll need an improvement over his career best speed figure of 112 to get the job done.

Juniorbarn’s Impact B (post eight, 16/1) will likely have good position early in the race, but the 4-year-old son of Deep Impact has yet to prove his stamina at this trip and may see his stretch run blunted on Saturday. His victory in the 10.5 furlong A Bus Turf Special represents his longest winning performance, since then he finished a well-beaten fifth in the 12-furlong Polish Damsire (G2) and an even-finishing third in an 11-furlong listed stakes race. In that 11-furlong race in early October, he earned a career high 110 speed figure, which would likely need to be improved upon to impact matters here. L. Fenner will be the 18th jockey to ride Impact B in his 18th race.

Aawirekiller’s Illinois-bred Comical Risk N was romping along in career best form this summer, winning a local championship stakes and finishing second in two other added-money heats. Then there was the Coffeefields Cup (G1) in mid-October. Whether it was the acid-test of grade one company or the sludge-test presented by the off going that day, the 4-year-old gelded son of Risk and Return (available for 14 breeding points as I type this) stubbed his toe badly, finishing seventh of eight, 24 1/2-lengths behind winner Kremlin Politics and ahead of only a turf debuting West Virginia-bred (Hoserhead Juvenile (G2) winner City of Juba). Still, Comical Risk N may take it to The Chaos Gene in the early going and a move forward from his previous best could put him in the mix. He’s the second highest price in the field at 17/1 and has the services of B. Wu.

Wings of Malinche (16/1) was a $35,000 claim for owner chaposfarm early this year and since then has reeled off three allowance wins and two placings in 12-furlong stakes races. Last time out, the 4-year-old son of Wings of Eagles (also 14 breeding points at the moment) finished second in the Sick No More (G3) where he took the lead in deep stretch only to be caught late by a hard-charging winner while just outlasting fellow L.A. Turf Cup aspirant House of Fortune. He’s in career best form at the moment and could pull off a surprise Saturday. S. Wild rides Wings of Malinche from post position 10.

Flurgen5’s Shock Smitty is another lacking convincing credentials at 12 panels, having lost over eight lengths late in the running of his only previous attempt at the distance, albeit on dirt. Further, Shock Smitty has yet to win — or even hit the board — in three tries in stakes company and with 26 races already under his belt is it likely he has any surprises (shockers) left? The 5-year-old Teofilo horse, out of a stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare, may be circling back to the peak of his form cycle, however. His prior best speed figure (115, earned in a two-length allowance win at 1 3/16 miles) marks him as a possible contender if he can display that kind of speed at this trip. Jockey M. Staples will attempt to accomplish that task with the 9/1 shot as they exit from post seven.

Lightly raced Praise Design enters here following a mild closing third-place performance in the 10-furlong Roberto Clemente (G1) in his stakes debut and third race on grass. He has yet to win on the turf but has won twice on the main track at nine and ten furlongs, not a surprising result from a horse with an Unbridled x Broad Brush mare. The top speed figure of 110 came in the turf debut for this 4-year-old son of Deep Impact, when he finished second to a subsequent stakes winner. Orsolya’s bay colt is another entrant here with stamina questions and whose previous best race is probably not enough to get the job done. Still there’s hope for the future here as this will be just his 10th race. Favorably drawn in post three, B. Ball will guide the field’s longest price (21/1).

Cocobella5’s Aerial Lawman is able to get 11 and 12 furlongs in the allowance ranks, but since switching to stakes company in March he’s lacked a closing run at any distance, with his best result coming in the first race of that stretch, a third-place finish in a 11-furlong listed stakes in which he garnered a 110 speed figure. His 115 speed figure in his February allowance win shows him as possible for this, but one wonders if he is capable of that sort of performance in this class. The 5-year-old son of Lawman (with a Flying Spur x Ferdinand bottom side) breaks from the rail at odds of 15/1 with D. Brock in the irons.

I was higher on The Chaos Gene earlier in the week, but some late entries have changed the likely pace scenario. I also can’t get off the notion that Iconigold might bounce here (But might his bounce still be good enough to win?). I think the winner will come from the group of King of Thieves, House of Fortune, Wings of Malinche, The Chaos Gene, or Iconigold. Of these I’m higher on King of Thieves and The Chaos Gene, and inclined to use House of Fortune and Wings of Malinche in verticals and only use Icinigold defensively. He’ll probably burn me. Best of luck to all.