Torch The Flame Favored in Breeders Bowl Game
The excitement is building here in New York. A very full day of racing with 2 stakes and 6 graded races. The third graded race on the card is the 10th running of the Breeders Bowl Game – Grade III. Ten fillies and mares will race 1 mile on the turf track. There was a slight chance of some rain, but instead we have a gorgeous, sunny June Saturday in New York and the track is listed as firm. The Breeders Bowl Game has attracted two top twenty turf classic ranked mares and some of the sim’s best trainers. Both GR Simsters and DelPenn are well represented here, perhaps a foreshadowing of the upcoming Smackdown. The stakes record is held by 2004 winner Ice Princess (madman999) with a 116. Let’s take a look at the field:
PP 1 BREAKDANCE (DANZIG x IRISH RIVER (FR) x HARD WORK) bred and trained by alluvial (Topicount Stables, 15%) Odds: 11 to 1
Breakdance is one of the older ladies in today’s race. She is a 6 year old scratch bred daughter of Danzig. Late last year she was consistently putting up triple digits speeds, but she seems to be struggling this year. Her only win and triple digit speed of the year came early in February. Although most of those races where her speed was under the century mark, the field was only a point a two faster, she wasn’t losing big. And those races were all at 7.5 and she seems to run faster (with speeds comparable to the rest of the field) at 8, which is what she will have today.
PP 2 SEEKING A NATIVE (SEEKING THE GOLD x GREEN DESERT x RAISE A NATIVE) bred and trained by domedriver (Afc Stables, 15%) Odds: 5 to 1
Not only does is trainer AFC here with Seeking a Native, he is nervously waiting for the 14th race on the card to see if his filly Sabbath Point can win the Triple Tiara. His stable mate Seeking A Native is a scratch bred daughter of popular sim sire Seeking the Gold. She is the experienced one of the bunch, this seven year old has raced 50 times to 12 victories and 36 in the money finishes. She is coming off two victories, included a graded win, but three of her last 4 wins have come on off tracks and she hasn’t won at this distance in over two years, most of her victories coming at 8.5 or 9 furlongs. But she did put up her fastest speed last time out with a 109. You can’t count the old lady out of this one. And best of luck to AFC and Sabbath Point!
PP 3 BALALAIKA (IRE) (SOVIET STAR x VICTORY GALLOP x LEAR FAN) bred and trained by ranulff (Chesapeake Stables, 11%) Odds: 7 to 1
After a pair of allowance victories and a pair of allowance in the money finishes, trainer runulff decided to try stakes for the first time since her 2 year old season. She won her second stakes try with a career high 107 and finished 5th against a tough field in her graded debut last time out. She has only had 3 weeks of rest since then. Disregarding one race on an off track, she has been putting up triple digits speeds all year long. I definitely think she will be in the mix here and I think she will be one of the horses to stay well back and then try to take the lead coming down the stretch.
PP 4 BABES IN TOYLAND (KY) (WOODMAN x NUREYEV x SUNSHINE FOREVER) bred and trained by sasscass (Keely’s Stables 14%) Odds: 8 to 1
Babes in Toyland is making her second try against graded company today. In her graded debut, last time out, she started strong and held the lead for the majority of the race. The field was loaded with late speed and she wasn’t able to hold on when they started passing her and she finished 10th, 8 lengths back. Theory of Love, also in the field today, took second place in that race. This scratch bred daughter of Woodman has been hard to beat in allowance races, but class maybe an issue for her. She has only finished out of the money 7 times in her career, twice were her first career starts on dirt, one was an off track and three have come when she has tried stakes or graded company. She definitely has put up the speed to be competitive if she can handle herself in this class. She is the only one in the field who likes the early lead, so I expect her to set the pace and wait to see who is going to put the pressure on.
PP 5 DASH NO MORE (JPN) (GERI x DANZIG CONNECTION x NASHUA) bred and trained by derbyking9 (Jef’s Thoroughbred Club, 18%) Odds: 22 to 1
From PP 5 we have Dash No More, a lightly raced 4 year old out of Dash Around. She is coming off two allowance wins, both at this distance. Since trainer derbyking put her on the turf she hasn’t finished out of the money and her speed has just been increasing. She is one of the long shots of the field, but if her speed continues to increase like it has been and she can handle herself in this class she could provide someone with a nice return on their investment.
PP 6 INFERNAL TUTOR (GB) (MOULIN (GB) x TREMPOLINO x APALACHEE) bred and trained by lender (Deadinthelane Stables, 15%) Odds: 4 to 1
Infernal Tutor is a 4 year old scratch bred daughter of Moulin, a rarely used sire in the sim. She is Moulin’s only graded winner. . She has only finished out of the money 5 times in her 20 career starts, but unfortunately 4 of those times have come in the last year. She has raced successfully in this class before, winning the G3-Ida Ore Stakes in November, but has been struggling recently against graded company. Infernal Tutor has faced Torch the Flame in her last three graded tries. Infernal Tutor was beaten by her in the two most recent tries, but in her third place finish at the G1-Penn Debutante in December she finished over two lengths ahead of Torch.
PP 7 TORCH THE FLAME (KY) (KINGMAMBO x SEATTLE SLEW x ALYDAR) bred and trained by super7 (More Evil Than The Evil Empire, 16%) Odds: 7 to 2
Out of PP 7 is Torch the Flame, a 4 year old mare out of Gordie’s Seattle. Torch the Flame has been consistently running this distance and in this class and had a nice streak of graded wins last summer. She hasn’t won since then, but she has come close. And while many in today’s field have struggled against graded company, she has been racing in this class for well over a year. I think she will find the competition here a little easier than what she has had the last few months. A Rolling (29%), top jockey here in New York will be riding her today. Like many others in the race she likes to run just off the pace and then close it up in the stretch.
PP 8 NORMAN DANCER (IRE) (NOVERRE (IRE) x NUREYEV x DARSHAAN (ENG)) bred and trained by misti (Tallin Stables, 11%) Odds: 19 to 1
Norman Dancer, a 5 year old out of Perfect Plie is the second long shot in the field. She has a handful of stakes victories in her three years of racing and the majority of her wins have been at this distance. But despite not finishing out of the money in any of her starts in 2008, I think she may be in over her head here. Her last time out ended in a third place finish, but it was a fairly easy stakes field and her two tries against graded company did not go well. This race has never been won with a speed factor below 100 and Norman hasn’t put up a triple digit speed yet. It will take a career best to be in the mix here.
PP 9 THEORY OF LOVE (KY) (FORESTRY x CAPOTE x AFFIRMED) bred and trained by cub (The CVBear Racing Empire, 8%) Odds: 9 to 2
Theory of Love is a scratch bred daughter of Forestry. She debut on turf, then tried dirt for a handful of races, some more successful than others, then trainer CVBear put her back on the grass where she has won two stakes races and one graded race. She finished well behind Infernal Tutor and Torch the Flame at the G1-Penn Debutante, but she is coming off a close second place finish and her career high speed of 110 her last time out which should be a boost for her confidence.
PP 10 RISK OF RUIN (KY) (STORM CAT x PINE BLUFF x DAMASCUS) bred and trained by lenny10 (The Evil Empire, 20%) Odds: 9 to 1
Risk of Ruin is making her first graded try since last April when her 5th place finish in the G2-Storm Dog Stakes (which Torch the Flame won) ended her winning streak. Since then she has 3 allowance wins and 2 stakes wins. She had a hard time last time out, finishing last with a 10 point drop in speed. She has had a long rest since then (4/12/08), but coming off a bad race, I am not sure trying this jump in class is going to pay off. But then again, she is trained by The Evil Empire, and it isn’t wise to dismiss any of The Evil Empires horses (did you notice the win percentage he has?).
There are many possibilities for this race. There are so many horses in the field that like to let others fight it out for the early lead and then when they tire themselves out, they move up. There is only one horse who likes to take the lead early, Babes In Toyland, so it will be interesting to see how the horses that like to run just off the pace will handle that. If they aren’t careful Babes In Toyland could run away with this race. Although Theory of Love has finished behind both Torch the Flame and Infernal Tutor in recent races (both who have better odds than her), I think she is going to come from the back and close strong for the win here. And I don’t think Babes In Toyland will be able to hold on, so I will pick Infernal Tutor and Balalaika for second and third. Good luck and happy racing to all. J
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