The $55000 EASTERN BOW Challenge Stakes
A field of six 3 year olds and up will head for the starting gate in the $55000 EASTERN BOW Challenge Stakes on Saturday at the Wisconsin Racetrack. The 10th Race feature will be run at a distance of a mile and five sixteenths over the Turf Course. The field features the very promising 4yo LATEST SCORE against one last year’s dominant forces on the lawn, CALELLA.
Breaking from the rail making only his 3rd start of the 2005 season is babybarns CALELLA. The 4yo son of Fantastic Light returned to the racetrack in June off of a six month well deserved rest after an aggressive 2004 campaign that saw sixteen races, nine of which were of the Black Type variety. This impressive Light Grey colt has won half of those starts last season, and has four lifetime Stakes victories to his credit. Connection hoping 3rd time’s a charm this season after a pair of uncharacteristic starts in 2005, but he will have to contend with LATEST SCORE on the front end to pull this off and that is no easy task…chance off best
Looking for his 2nd Stakes victory in his 7th Stakes appearance is stormcat55’s LATEST SCORE. This 4yo E Dubai colt has been the picture of consistency for his connections finishing ITM in all 14 of his career starts. Comfortable setting the pace, this imposing homebred has opened up lengths on the field in his last three starts, but has failed in the past to maintain that advantage in Stakes competition with the exception of the MINER JOHN Special when he scored a wire-to-wire 5 ¼ length victory. Look for him to dictate the pace, but if the rail horse is on his game, you can expect a two-horse battle at every pole, a battle that this unswerving colt is always up for…one to beat
Looking for his 1st Stakes victory in only his 3rd Stakes appearance is dpl’s HUNGRY TRICK. The 10yo son Bitter Rain out of a Nijinsky mare has shown no ill affects of age, winning 5 of 17 starts with earnings of more than 100k, and has seemingly found a fountain of youth when switched to the lawn back in May winning 3 of 5 starts while finishing 2nd LTO in the FANTAST STAMPING Bonanza. Throw out his first Stakes effort two back on the dirt, you won’t find him over that surface again, and look for him to be picking them up and laying them down in the stretch in a race that sets up perfectly for what could be his first Stakes win…dangerous
Another hoping to break through the Stakes ranks for the first time is calmriver2’s MUCH DRIVE. The 7yo son of Blue Razor out of a Habitat mare has proven to be a very solid Allowance contender, but has failed to carry forward that ability against Stakes rivals. He finished 3rd over the off going in a five horse field two races back while racing evenly throughout, but failed to menace LTO when beaten 14 lengths in the BOUNDED QUE Stakes. While this Dark Grey 7yo benefits from a fast pace, I’m not convinced that he is up to this level of racing yet, but if the pace falls apart he just might wind up with a minor share…must show more
Hoping to be a Stakes victor for the first time is flurgen2’s GREEN MOON. The 4yo Green Tune progeny was a 40k claim last year that paid quick dividends for his new connections when, after a pair of poor off track performances, turned in wins in two of his last three starts of the 2005 putting up triple digits in two of those three appearances. His 2005 campaign met with similar success when he ran 2nd in his first Stakes appearance for his new barn in the CAN BUD Memorial Stakes while posting an impressive 105 SP figure. Capable of running some big races, this colt has been plagued with some unexplainable starts that leave you wondering which horse will show up in its’ next outing. Comes into this race off a pair of decent Stakes efforts, and could surprise if in the mood…your call
Breaking from the outside making his 9th straight Stakes appearance is drbydude’s THE DIRTJANGLER(NZ). The 5yo son of Zabeel(NZ) out of a Danehill mare is another that was rescued from the claiming ranks in 2004 that has been a steady source of income for his current connections. This crafty veteran homebred was a winner of 4 of his first 10 starts for drbydude, the last two coming in a pair of Stakes races to close out his 2004 campaign. The 2005 season picked up right where he left off with a Stakes victory in the OLD DISCO Challenge Stakes, but his performance has been on the decline in recent starts finishing out of the money in 4 of his last 5 starts by a combined 63 lengths, an indication wear and tear may be setting in after a notable 40 race career…look elsewhere