Jumron’s Memory the One to Beat in Carolina Route

The ALVARELLA(IRE) Handicap
A mile and one eighth
Firm Turf
$45,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up

 

PP    Horse           Owner       Jockey      Odds 
1 TERESITA(KY)  layeguada  C Morrison  2/1 
2 ALOTTA BALATA(SAF)  deadman  T Parker  14/1 
3 DAMIGELLA(GB)  4wide  T Gentry  48/1 
4 JUMRON’S MEMORY(GB)  bigblueone  V Webb  8/5 
5 FIRST LADY(IRE)  kf  M Mickson  6/1 
6 DAM THE RIVER  soulbleed  M Epps  2/1

 

 

A half dozen older distaffers will greet starter Otis Campbell in this week’s South Carolina feature, The ALVARELLA(IRE) Handicap, to be contested at the distance of nine furlongs over the Andy Taylor turf course.  Let’s meet the six classy Southern belles in post position order.

 

 

Breaking along the hedge will be Rafa Stables’ razor sharp Teresita.  The striking daughter of Hennesy and Teresa (Kayf Tara) will be seeking a fourth victory in her last five tries.  Last time out, in North Dakota’s The Green Ham Memorial which was also run over nine grassy panels, the NWRC based mare stalked the speedy Nightsong for six furlongs before putting that graded placed foe away.  She then dug in gamely and held favored Pressure Drop safe by a diminishing neck at the wire.  Teresita will most likely use her excellent tactical speed to be on or near the lead throughout.  Looms a major threat.  

 

 

The Residency of Anarcho-Syndicalist Hermits will be well represented in this contest as R. A. S. H. guru Donny Beisbol’s Alotta Balata will proudly carry his red and black colors into combat.  Donny’s homebred comes off a rousing victory in New Zealand in a conditioned claimer at this week’s distance.  I asked Donny about his filly’s name.

 

 

“I named here for esteemed Canadian trainer Balata, who has a penchant for Northern Dancer inbreeding…and golf.   One day, in the chat, he shows me all his horribly inbred, super fast runners.  So I breed a horse using three different grandsons of Northern Dancer, all out of Habitat mares (you know, for extra EXTRA speed), and guess what?  She can actually run a bit!” 

 

 

Far be it from this reporter to tarnish a fellow conditioner’s reputation, particularly one I call friend, but there IS a reason the King of King’s filly wasn’t claimed out of that race.  Let me just point out that NOBODY has yet improved one off of Donny “Needle Man” Beisbol.  I’m not saying Donny B uses a lot of hormones or steroids on his stock, but Alotta Balata has an awfully low pitched whinny.  If you see the vet’s truck in front of the D B barn this week, RUN to the windows!  On a serious note, it should be pointed out that Donny’s filly is three for three lifetime at the distance on grass.  And we all know that anything can happen in a horse race.

 

 

Do not let the price scare you off.  Damigella is much better than those 48-1 odds might indicate.  Fastnfirm is a rock solid trainer who has earned his reputation and impressive statistics ( 13.5% Wins, 44% ITM) by placing his stock where they can compete.  His big daughter of Pivotal and Cat Linda (Acatenango) won two straight before encountering road trouble in her two most recent outings.  She has hit the board in four of six starts for this barn and a return to the surface over which she broke her maiden at first asking may bring improved results.  

 

 

Whether you’re talking Eclipse Champions, stc claimers, or anything in between, the name Kaif is on most everyone’s lips.  The popular and controversial conditioner with the big ego and talent to match sends out one of his all time favorites for this contest.  Her name is Jumron’s Memory.  And she is very special to Greg.  Jumron x Northern Dancer x Mr. Prospector might look like a colossal waste of credits to you or me, but Greg has a soft spot in his otherwise hard heart for Jumron. 

 

 

In the mid 1990’s, Greg was eking out a meager living betting horses, playing poker and working odd jobs when the handsome son of Sharpo and the French mare, Flambera, caught his eye.  Jumron’s final crop is now five years old and consists of only seven horses.  Two are stakes winners.  Both were bred by Greg.  Jumron’s Memory prepped for this stake with a very quick (1:48, SP 107) allowance tally in South Dakota.  Leading jock Victor “Spider” Webb gets the leg up. 

 

 

Kf Stables sends out marathon mare First Lady for this tilt.  The long winded daughter of Fasliyev has won three stakes between twelve and sixteen furlongs.  Two back the huge (17 hands) filly blew the doors off a fine field at Woodbine in the two mile Round Well Stakes.  First Lady raced mid pack until roused by jockey Linville in head stretch.  At that point, Kf’s charge virtually exploded past her startled rivals.  As track announcer Dan Loiselle called it, “First Lady has it by four and she’s lookin’ for more!”  Looms a major threat if she can shorten up successfully.

 

 

Rounding out our compact but classy field is the lightning quick, DelPenn based, Dam The River.  Carrying the familiar but forbidding colors of Black Label Stables, the speedster will be trying the turf for only the fourth time in her career.  Trainer Sdmf is hopeful that his Green Desert X Vice Regent five year old can make the transition smoothly.  Dam The River turned in her fastest career speed figures (102 and 103) two and three starts back finishing second both times in allowance competition.  Her first three turf tries were not encouraging and she will need to take a big step forward here in order to justify her short odds of 2-1. 

 

Come out early as the first five thousand fans will receive complimentary R. A. S. H. T-shirts with the slogan, “If it don’t itch, don’t scratch it”