Juvenile Dirt Sprint Starts Big Day

Leading off the Saturday Breeders’ Bowl card is the Juvenile Dirt Sprint. The fourteen horse field features eight graded winners with the rest of the field made up of graded placed stakes winners. There are two fillies in the field who may be interesting plays but the colts look loaded. Let’s take a look at the field.

#1 Rock the Dawn 12/1

Rock the Dawn has been first or third in seven of his nine starts. He’s looking for his first graded win in this spot but his three thirds all came in graded races. At this distance he was beaten a length and a quarter in the Grade Three Manor of Bashford back in June. He tried to wire the field that day but was run down late. His closes finish came when beaten just a neck in the Grade One April Fools behind fellow entrant Dark Beer. In between those two starts he tried the Grade Three Television at five furlongs but was beaten two lengths after he never made the front end. He won his most recent start, a listed going five and a half furlongs where he ran a career best 87 speed. He had a very easy lead that day and coasted home to win by a length. He’s bred for turf through and through as he is a son of Dawn Approach out of a Fastnet Rock x Miswaki mare. He’s her eighth foal and first stakes winner.

#2 Westward Mischief 7/1

The horse with the least experience in the field, Westward Mischief has only furn four times but he’s done quite well in them. He’s won three times and finished second twice. That second came in his most recent start, the Grade One Hopeless Stakes at seven furlongs. He tried to wire the field but lost by a length and three quarters. Prior to that Westward Mischief ran three times in a race series for the Empire State Residency and dominated there. He’s a confirmed front runner in what is a field full of horses who like to be on the lead. He’s a son of Into Mischief out of the grade three winning Tiznow x Gone West mare Gone North Now. This is her first foal.

#3 Dark Beer 19/1

The filly Dark Beer is no stranger to facing the boys. She broke her maiden versus them and then jumped straight up to the Grade One April Fools, both of which she won. She’s a filly who needs a strong pace to run at which she will likely get here. After the April Fools she has had difficulty in races against fellow fillies. She’s been off the board in her last four starts. Two of those races came in routes and one was on turf so perhaps they can be thrown out however her best speed of 82 is well below the leaders here. Trainer Coagulate is hoping that this gall just likes tossing the males around and will be back to her best form meeting them again. She’s a daughter of Mehmas out of a Dark Angel x Fastnet Rock mare so her dirt form is a bit strange. She’s the third foal for her dam and first stakes winner.

#4 Indicador 14/1

Trainer Ivanyamil says about Indicador “This horse has been one of the most pleasant surprises amongst my two year olds. He’s proven to be a very nice sprinter, winning a stakes race and placing in a grade two.” This gelded son of Indy Snow out of a Flower Alley x Storm Cat mare is his dam’s first stakes winner. That second in a grade two came in the six and a half furlong Upper New York Special. He finished behind Unruly Ghost that day after sitting just off the early pace before taking the lead around the turn and just getting run down late. He ran a very strong 90 speed that day in August and he’s hoping for a similar trip here. Most recently he was tenth in the Grade One Freshwater Sprint but Ivanyamil says “you can draw a line over his most recent race. 4.5 is too short for him. The six furlongs is the perfect distance for him and I expect a much improved effort on his part. Hoping for a hot tempo up front to come flying late.”

#5 Charles Oakley 11/1

Charles Oakley won his first two starts before jumping directly into grade one competition. His last three races have all come at that level and he’s done fairly well. He was second in the Happy Easter in April when he closed from tenth to lose by just a neck. He was second again in the Happy Independence Day using the same style before running an uncharacteristic eighth in the Dell Computer Futurity. That was the only time he was off the board in his career and with his style he will benefit from a strong pace here. It’s possible that six furlongs is really his preferred distance. He won an allowance at this distance and his last three starts have all been longer. He’s a gelded son of Knicks Go out of a Candy Ride x Gone West mare.

#6 Unknowingly Impure 19/1

A winner of four of five starts and undefeated in three runs on the dirt is this son of Chysoberyl out of an Awesome Again x Danzig mare. He is her second graded winner. Unknowingly Impure’s two turf runs came in his most recent starts so he’ll be making a surface switch that often helps horses improve in the game. It’s interesting that he tried turf at all as his three dirt victories at the beginning of his career included a listed win and then a win in the Grade Two Midsoil Stakes at this distance. He’s another horse with a lot of early speed but in all of his dirt wins he battled for the early lead in second or third so his connections are hoping he can sit back and pounce on those early leaders.

#7 Metallinut’s War 10/1

A colt who may be a bit of an overlay in the odds is Metallinut’s War. He’s a horse who will be far back early but has proven his closing kick is killer. He finished second in a Universal Racing Club maiden in February before winning three straight. His biggest win came two starts back in the Grade Two Closets Friend Stakes at six and a half furlongs. He ran a very strong 91 speed there where he sat twelfth early on before getting up to win by a quarter of a length beating By My Jamison who came back to win another grade two. You can put a line through Metallinut’s War’s last start. It came in the Grade One North Fork Stakes but it was his only try at a route and his connections are certain the cutback to a sprint will help this colt. He’s a son of War of Will out of an Unbridled’s Song x A.P. Indy mare. He is her second graded stakes winner.

#8 Drowned And Reborn 8/1

Drowned and Reporn has some big shoes to live up to. His dam Weeping Water (Giant’s Causeway x Kingmambo) has already produced two grade one winning two year olds, one who won at a mile and a sixteenth and the other who won at seven furlongs with both winning on the dirt. This colt is a son of Into Mischief, a big upgrade on the sires of the other two. Drowned and Reborn enters off a fifth place finish in the Grade One Sparkling Wine Stakes at a mile where he was only beaten two lengths. Trainer Given says “I was hoping he’d blow up stretching out but he was just so-so and I figured the turn back wouldn’t hurt.” Prior to that run he was a winner of the six furlong Grade Two Stanford where he sat fifth early on before getting up and winning by a neck with an 87 speed. He did improve to a 93 in the Sparkling Wine but Given is a bit concerned about those speeds saying “he has to get faster to win but he’s classy and training very well and I think he’ll make a good showing of himself.”

#9 West Menlo 13/1

West Menlo is a California bred gelded son of Stanford out of a Vindication x Tiznow mare. He’s been first or second in five of his six starts which include a listed win two starts back as well as two graded placings. The first came in the Grade Three Television Stakes in May where he lead early on before losing in the final strides to drop the win by a neck. Most recently he was second again in the Grade One Freshwater Sprint at four and a half furlongs. In that spot he sat right off the early leaders before gaining position around the turn. Unfortunately Deep Tuna was just in front of him and West Menlo could not get past that rival, losing by a quarter of a length. He did run a a career best 87 speed in that spot. One thing that handicappers should not is that this horse has never run this far before. This will certainly be a gut test for him but if he can use the same tactics as he employed in the Freshwater he could be dangerous.

#10 Unruly Ghost 5/1

Our favorite today is also one of the two most experienced horse in the field. Unruly Ghost has nine starts under his belt, seven of which have come at the graded level. He’s earned money in all of those races with his worst finish being only a fifth. He’s a horse who sits midpack and tends to move well down the stretch but not always enough to get up for the win. That said he’s won two of his last three starts, the Grade Two Upper New York Special and the Grade Two Big Hill Stakes. And he’s run some of the top speeds in those two starts with a 92 in the Upper New York and a 96 in the Big Hill. Both of those races were slightly farther than this one but he did run second in the Grade Two Vermont BB Juvenile in his only try at six furlongs. He’s a son of Trinniberg out of a Ghostzapper x Storm Cat mare.

#11 By My Jamison 6/1

By My Jamison’s first three starts came at this distance and while he didn’t win he hit the board all three times. He broke his maiden going a sixteenth farther and added two more wins at seven and seven and a half furlongs. Those wins include the Grade Two Future Stakes two starts back where he ran a strong 92 speed. He sat just off the early pace before taking the lead around the turn and cruising in the stretch. Last out he was off the board in the Grade Two Big Hill Stakes but he was much farther back early on and did close down the stretch while running a 90. This race may be just a touch to short for him but it is possible that he’ll show more with a more favorable trip. He’s a son of By My Standards out of the graded placed stakes winning Candy Ride x Storm Cat mare Hannah Hill. He is her second stakes winner from five foals.

#12 Deep Tuna 21/1

Getting absolutely no respect in this field is the undefeated Deep Tuna. The daughter of Deep Sky out of a Summer Bird x Kalanisi mare is her dam’s first stakes winner. She’s seven for seven with victories on all three surfaces. Two starts back she made her stakes debut in a five furlong listed which she won by sitting in third early on before getting up to win by three parts of a length. Her connections felt so strongly about their filly’s quality that off that effort they entered her in the Grade One Freshwater Sprint against the males. She ran the same style of race and won by a quarter length over a field that included four graded winners. The three horses who finished behind her that day are all running back here. Six of her races have come at shorter distances than this but she had one six furlong start on the grass.

#13 Campo Massimo 10/1

Campo Massimo is one of those horses who ran in the Grade One Freshwater Sprint. In that spot he was twelfth early on and only lost by three quarters of a length. Trainer Dixiedotco says “he was flying at the 4.5f last time, so the stretch to 6f should be to his advantage…he’ll be running at the end and I expect him to fire.” He was undefeated going in to the Freshwater and won a listed stakes in his race prior. He ran an 84 speed there and then an 85 in the Freshwater. Says Dixie “this guy doesn’t have the gaudy speed figures of some of the others but there’s a reason for that. He was winning handily in his first three and then the last two have come at abbreviated distances where the numbers can come back low.” He’s a son of Maxifield who, says Dixie, “was a top two year old” out of the grade one winning Tapit x Medaglia D’oro mare Rubinetto. She was based on the 2013 Breeders’ Bowl Turf Sprint and Champion Turf Sprint winner Cavallo Verde and has produced one other graded winner and two stakes winners from four foals. Says Dixie “was a little late to get my 2yos going this year and this was one of only a few to hit the track relatively early. Being out of a G1 sprint winning mare figured he would be an early developing type and all his half-siblings have been pretty fast and suited to sprints or middle distances.”

#14 More Tothe South 8/1

Our final entrant is a rather surprise runner here. More Tothe South was most recently second in the Grade One North Fork Stakes at a mile and an eighth. He likely had enough points to draw into the Juvenile but his connections have chosen to shorten up here. He did win the Grade Three Montana Futurity at five and a half furlongs back in June and was second in the Grade Two Stanford at six furlongs next time out. He’s never been behind a horse in the early stages of a race and he’s never been worse than second in six career starts. He also owns the highest speed of any horse in the race with a 97 which he ran in that North Fork effort. He’s a son of More Than Ready out of a Dehere x Cape Canaveral mare. He’s her third stakes winner and only graded winner.

Good luck to all!