BLUEGRASS SPRINT DRAWS 14

The day that all equine fans wait for has finally arrived…  Derby Day!

Of course, there ARE other races on Derby Day…  The ones that go on all day while the infield crowd, nearly completely oblivious, parties the day away.  By Derby post time, they’re usually so well-lubricated that they’ll be barely able to watch as the 3yo champions race for the Roses… Yeah, THOSE races…

The Bluegrass Sprint is one of those, the 11th, to be exact.  The infield mosh-pit, er, crowd, might not pay much attention, but fourteen trainers, fourteen owners, and (hopefully) fourteen jockeys will be locked-in on the race…  This looks like a good one, as two 3yo’s that took their shots (and missed by not all that much) at making the Derby field will try their handing
sprinting seven panels against some pretty well-established older sprint stars.  Let’s have a look at the field:

SECAUCUS SEVEN     O A Haack 24%      baggio         10/1

This 5yo has seen much action lately; this is the fourth consecutive time he’s raced off just three weeks’ rest.  A winner of just over $200k, he has, for the most part, been running fairly well against listed-stakes company.  This is a stern test for the brown Saratoga Six offspring.

DE FU                     B F Abman 25%      minnesota    54/1

Here’s one of the 3yo’s that dropped off the Derby Trail.  He has a solid win vs. other sophomores in the Gr. 1 Ring Of  Fire Special.  While that field contained no less than seven other graded-stakes winners, this move to face older is quite a step upward, at least according to the CPU oddsmakers.  If you’re willing to draw a line through that dismal Florida Derby performance and think he’s capable of repeating that graded-win run, this one might well be worth a look, even more so if you decide to forget he’s a 3yo facing older in early May.

HIGH HEART    F Gossett 28%        losthecode     7/1

This 4yo son of Septieme Ciel, running under the charcoal-grey-and-red colors of the successful Topicount conglomerate, finished 2nd in the Kentucky BB Sprint on this surface last time out.  The tough brown colt should be in contention today, also.  Good chance to at least get a piece of the prize.

SULPHUR SPRINGS                D Sherman 8%       gipper5         13/1

In his first stakes effort since early 2005, this guy closed rapidly down the lane at 13/1 in the 6f Nasty & Bold Handicap (Gr. 3) and earned a strong figure in the process.  Can he repeat that effort four weeks later against this stronger field?  Maybe, but an improvement from even THAT effort might be needed to contend here.  He drew a rather weak 8% rider from the Derby-bolstered jock colony, also.

K’S STORM MAKER                 D Givins 28%         wreckagees    11/1

This 4yo colt was closing extremely quickly last time out, missing by just two lengths in the Kentucky BB Sprint to finish 3rd.  This effort, at 16/1, was the lightly-raced 4yo son of Empire Maker’s only graded-stakes try.  I know what you’re thinking…  Was this a fluke, or is this colt the real deal?  Do ya feel lucky?

HUNTER CREEK    V Gardner 26% rocket25        6/1

This guy gets the “toughest race schedule” award for today, with 4 of his last 5 in graded company.  He hasn’t won any of those, but he’s been very close
in all except his most recent, getting drubbed by a solid California field.  Hard to figure what strategy his connections will use…  He’s run well from the front, and run well from well back.

ROCKIAVELLIAN      McClendon 26%      fatattack2        11/1

This colt was recently purchased at auction for a whopping $5.6 million by the extremely successful Lonestar Racing syndicate, and has raced twice since.  The first time, he won a minor stakes so impressively that Lonestar decided to roll the dice.  Unfortunately, things came apart in his most-stern test to date, the Billy and Jimmy Stakes, and he faded badly to 13th.  Can he spring back?  He probably deserves at least a look here…
 
SATAN’S STEED  J White 29% worldwide       9/1

Here’s the one horse that Rockiavellian beat last time out…  He’s had some VERY impressive runs in minor stakes, but has been thumped badly in both of his graded tries.  Looks like tough sledding here.  Could he be “more evil than the evil empire”?

CORPORATE FINANCE N Lawton 25% grandview        42/1

Here’s the other 3yo…  He’s been quite impressive against his age group, especially when sprinting.  Tough call again…  Can he make the jump to older company and pull an upset?  Hard to ignore at THOSE odds!  He hasn’t faced quite the strength of competition that De Fu has, but he’s run faster, for the most part…

RED NATIVE WOODMAN I Hoge   9% dowelly2         17/1

This guy keeps falling short against allowance foes while his races are very close together…  Might be a good one with a bit more trainer patience…  Has been a pace victim in both recent stakes tries; more of the same?  Didn’t get the best break in jockey selection, either.

MR TOMS RIVER NJ  P Haynes 25% honeyj         7/1

This regally-bred colt has been patiently handled, and this has paid off nicely thus far.  He’s got a recent graded win and was right there in his last (The Kentucky BB Sprint) at this track, and will likely benefit from a very positive jockey change today.  Things set up well for a “stalking trip”, making this one the hoss-to-beat, even though several in here have faster recent speed ratings.  Beware, however…  This guy has raced four times since Feb. 2… Will he bounce?

FERNANDO STORM  A Rolling 32% muninn240       6/1

5yo speedball will get a battle if he wants the lead today…  Jock has a ridiculous 32% win percentage, however.  If anyone can keep this guy from frying himself on the front end, it’s the guy aboard.  Colt has rested a bit since his fadeout run while facing the toughest sprinters around in the Sand Castle Golden Sprint on Mar. 22, a race in which he only had 3 weeks away beforehand, not his usual training pattern.

THE BOOM  J Caves 19% ausracing          8/1

This representative of the Ohio Racing residency (Hey…   Gotta prop up the rez I belong to!) had a very nice string of impressive performances end with an off-day in the Kentucky BB Sprint, his Graded-race debut.  He’s back for another swing at Graded types, and has a reasonable shot to rebound vs. these.  He WAS gaining at the end last time…  The connections of this 4yo colt hope that this race will be the springboard to a long graded-sprint career for The Boom.

SOBRON   H McCoy 22% palmisland         8/1

Here’s another up-and-comer hoping for a nice stakes-running career…  He ran his career-best speed fig last out in just missing at Arkansas, and his connections figure that an extra furlong will be to the 4yo colt’s liking.

My picks…  12-13-11.  But take a good look at those 3yo’s for later this year…

Just for the heck of it…  Sim Derby, 7-12-19 and the Derby we’ll all be watching on TV…

Colonel John – Pyro – Big Brown

Good luck to all!