This week the feature race is the All Comers Stakes, a Grade I race for all horses 3 years old and up and it will be contested at a mile on the turf. We have 13 horses set to take the field and it looks to be a promising race.
1. (8/1) ROCKABILLY ROCK (IRE) – marusha – (Rock of Gibraltar X Sadler’s Wells)
2. (5/1) VERY SILVER – acote – (Silver Ghost X Secretariat)
3. (11/1) PUB CRAWL (IRE) – stormborn – (El Prado X Giant’s Causeway)
4. (6/1) LEO’S JEWELS (IRE) – bicuspid – (Galileo X Danzig)
5. (99/1) GEORGE W. LOSER – monimonica – (Polish Precedent X Personal Flag)
6. (47/1) PRO GROOM TED (KY) – stakes – (Monashee Mountain X Mr. Prospector)
7. (24/1) EUROTRASH (KY) – desimster5 – (Eurosilver X Storm Cat)
8. (9/2) BASKETBALL JONES (KY) – guyinchlt – (Smarty Jones X Seattle Slew)
9. (10/1) AZKABAN – lenny4 – (Rainbow Quest X Lyphard)
10. (61/1) SALTYSTICKYSWEET (IRE) – tsunami363 – (Fair Mix X Salt Lake)
11. (5/1) MIA THEN BACK – madhibby5 – (Forty Niner X Danzig)
12. (6/1) OLLIE’S GONE – beamnreasn – (Gone West X Lear Fan)
13. (8/1) WHITE BUTTERFLY (ENG) – indigo1 – (Red Ransom X Sadler’s Wells)
Hello racing fans. Hybrids are good when it comes to vehicles and plants. Maybe not so much for BTB stories, we’ll see. But Taffy had to scratch after getting this far, so you’re stuck with me for the rest of the ride. Ha-ha! Okay, lemme open up the past performances and see what we have here.
Breaking along the hedge is the fleet, fit, Rockabilly Rock. Marusha’s five year old is lightly raced and the trainer’s judicious spacing of races has paid big dividends. The Rock of Gibraltar stallion arrives fresh off a gate to wire score at Gulfstream in the Grade III Fort Lauderdale Handicap. In that event, Rocky set very quick splits and still had enough gas left in the tank to hold the fast closing Backstage Buda safe. Major factor in here.
The aptly named Very Silver drew the deuce. Acote’s rangy gray has been off form recently. He ran poorly last time out in the Grade I Crock of Gold as second choice to the victorious Red Raven. Very Silver is a Grade I winner (The GLOBALSIM Special) and was second in the Breeders Bowl Juvy Turf. So the millionaire has plenty of back class to call upon if he’s feeling like his old self.
Speaking of gray millionaires, here’s another. Pub Crawl earned the majority of his money at two when he won the Grade I The Bass Reach For Greatness Stakes, the Grade I Digging The Grave Handicap and finished third behind Always Improving and Very Silver in the BB Juvy turf. Unfortunately, Stormborn’s handsome son of El Prado hasn’t won a stake since his Digging The Grave tally 2005. He still shows lines which would make him competitive here, but a win seems unlikely.
Leo’s Jewel is a solid turf miler from the high class Doctahg stables. The Doc has his Galileo four year old all cranked for a big effort. Last time out Leo’s Jewel was a sharp second in Maryland’s Grade III Tally Ho at a mile on the soggy lawn (SP 109). He is a graded winner and will be a formidable foe on Saturday.
George W Loser has been distanced in his last four starts at average odds of forty gazillion to one. Same stuff, different day.
Pro Groom Ted is a three year old with some real talent. Has missed the board only once in seven lifetime turf outings and is already stakes placed in his brief career. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this very classy band of veteran lawn mowers is light years faster than he right now. Another time. Another place.
Eurotrash was inexplicably dropped into a $15,000 claimer two back by trainer Roberto. The well bred gray is a multiple stakes winner on both surfaces and a multiple graded winner on grass. Shamrock stables astutely picked him up for the tag and the big Eurosilver colt paid immediate dividends with a powerful allowance win (SP 100). It would be no big surprise to this reporter if Eurotrash upset this bunch.
Basketball Jones is the narrow favorite. The sleek son of Smarty Jones and Upper Crust (Seattle Slew) sports fast break credentials and slam dunk speed figures. The troubling thing to me is his inability finish in the clutch and a tendency to lose focus in critical situations. Is 0 for 3 in graded stakes and his last race was not inspiring. That 100 speed figure is far below par for the Great Plains based speedster. Talented enough to win this with his best effort but questions linger regarding current form.
Lenny’s Azkaban hits the board a lot and has made a nice living ($434,099) primarily in longer turf routes. He shortens up for this contest and certainly is in with a shot off his very best. Main concern right now is double digit defeats in last two outings. The handsome son of Rainbow Quest must step forward to contend in here.
Saltystickysweet has toiled for five different trainers since being claimed for $25,000 in his parimutuel debut. His current conditioner, Tsunami, is a raw rookie. And it shows. Later with much, much softer.
Mia Then Again may be the 500 pound gorilla. He has a dirt record of six starts, five wins and a second. His best dirt speed figure is 105. The homebred Forty Niner stallion is, perhaps, even more impressive on the grass. Madhibby’s monster won the 2006 Grade I Penn Mile defeating a sensational group in a lightning quick 1:33 4/5 (SP 114). He’s run only five times since but has never missed the board and consistently posts big speed figures. Could prove very difficult to beat.
Ollie’s Gone is the third of five foals from the sensational broodmare, Fantastic Ollie. Bred, owned and trained by handsome international playboy R. Bennett Okerstrom, the graded stakes winning son of Gone West has made R. B. O. both proud and rich. Although he hasn’t won in a while, Ollie did post a 109 speed figure in Tampa Bay Downs’ Grade III Boogity Bear last time out when beaten less than two lengths. One of several with a legit shot.
Rounding out our field is the streaking White Butterfly. No fewer than fifty three jockeys have been forced to stare at the ginormous smiley face on the back of Wenlock’s garish red, yellow and black silks lately as the flashy son of Red Ransom has reeled off five straight wins. White Butterfly has not been tested of late but that situation is about to change right now. Can be the one with only minor improvement.