Inner City Sprint

Inner City Sprint – GIII

Inner City Sprint 3609.0715
Grade III
Seven furlongs
Fast Dirt
$150,000
Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up

Barb comes into this race after her first try in graded stakes company where she finished 7^th of 14^th beaten only 2 ½ lengths. That race was at 6 furlongs and today’s race is 7 furlongs with a record of 2 wins from 4 starts at 7 furlongs.  Her best races though have come on an off-track and today’s track is rated fast so she may be at a disadvantage from a speed figure standpoint.

The favorite in this field of 13 comes in off a victory in the G2 Unthinkable Stakes at 7 furlongs earning an eye-popping 114 speed figure matching her career best. Her previous race was in the G1 The Billy and Jimmy Stakes where she finished a fast-closing 2^nd. A whopping 6 wins at today’s distance this mare has really blossomed after having time off between her 2 year old start and her first try on dirt as a 4 year old. Proof that you may want to keep those well-bred babies in your stable and give them time to develop and mature. With good spacing between her races she looks very strong and capable of racing near her top of 114 which would easily win this race. Even with a couple points of regression she still is the top competitor and deserving of favoritism.

Story Peg a 4 year old daughter of Storm Cat comes into today’s race running 6 straight triple digit speed figures where she won 4 of those races finished 2^nd once and finishing 4^th in her last race out in the G3 Ferry Dust Handicap. A speedball she did not get the lead in her last race which may have contributed to her getting 4^th. The only other race where she finished out of the money was her first try at two-turns so she has an excuse for that. She has stuck to running in one turn sprints since then and has excelled. The 6 horse looks to be the only other threat speed wise so having the 3 post and inside advantage should help this filly. If she isn’t pressed early she can take this field wire to wire.

Terror Tale barely cracking the triple digit speed figure mark will have a tough time in her first try against graded stakes horses. She already has 19 starts as a 4 year old so while she did just reach a new top I’m not sure another one is coming and she will need to run considerably faster to have a chance today.

This spot looks a little tough as this mare has trouble competing in allowance company. Only 1 speed figure above 100 from 39 tries and a 110+ will be needed to win this race.

Ray comes into this race with almost a year-long losing streak in tact with her last win coming on 6/16/07. In those races Ray has been putting up competitive numbers but the competition has always been better as all the races have been stakes with several graded stakes attempt tries. Ray is another horse that looks like she has speed and is not competitive if she doesn’t get the lead. Only 1 of her 9 total wins wasn’t won in wire-to-wire fashion. I think the 3 and 7 are both faster out of the gate so she may be in for another long day.

La Vinotinto has the 2^nd highest top (tied with the 9 and 12) in this race behind the favorite #2. With her top of 113 occurring in her last race, a 2^nd against the #2 in the G2 Unthinkable Stakes. She regressed after she hit her last top of 112 so she has to move forward if she wants to beat the favorite this time as I don’t expect the favorite to regress. This horse likes to be near or on the lead and should get an ideal stalking trip behind the 3 and the 6. Last time she couldn’t hold off the #2 in the stretch will she be able to this time?

My ex was a teacher so I’m not sure I can write anything good about this horse. She does sport a win at this distance from two tries and only has 20 starts which is not bad for a 6 year old. She just recently hit her top of 109 3 races back and then regressed to 103 her next race out but won the race. She followed that with another 103 so she may be sitting on a big one this race. At 12/1 not a bad play if you are looking for a longshot, though I will pass b/c of the name.

Noone likes a Traffic Stop either. All kidding aside this horse comes into the race off a 4^th place in the Vixen’s Hulk Handicapat 7.5 furlongs. Her top figures come in slop and going a little bit longer which lead me to believe their may not be enough real estate coming down the stretch for this horse. Her top of 113 is competitive with this field but considering that was in the slop at 7.5 furlongs I’m not sure today’s race is her optimal conditions.

If you’re a funky name player than this is the horse for you and at a price. The only 3 year old in the race she is steadily improving but I don’t think she will make that kind of big jump to be competitive here. With a top of 94 she will need at least a 15 point improvement to be close.

After running 7 straight triple digit speed figures this mare regressed into a 95 speed figure her last race out. If you toss that race out her recent numbers should be competitive. The question is if she starting to wear down at 6 years old and having run 35 races. I think she can bounce back and have a decent shot of finishing in the money.

Another horse with a top of 113, seems to be a common number in this field as 3 mares have that as their top. She just recently achieved her top two starts back at this same distance of 7 furlongs. This mare broke her maiden on the turf but never broke a 80 speed figure so her owner tried her on the dirt again where she exploded for a 94 speed figure and since then has been steadily increasing her figures. Although she is pretty heavily race for a 4 year old having already made 23 starts I think there still might be some improvement left. At 6/1 not a bad price but she might want a half a furlong more to run.

With a recent top of 104 in her last race Pot of Rye tries graded stakes company for the first time. 104 is slightly on the low side for this field and I’m not sure this horse is able to run the 110+ needed to win this race. Possible exotic play though if you are a fan of the book Catcher in the Rye which is her sire.

Handicapping Recap :

There are about 7 horses you can play in this field and not be wrong with any of them though I’m going to chalk it up. I feel 7/2 is an overlay on the #2 MRS. STARK REALITY and she should win easily. Me being a player of speed I have to go with the #3 STORMY PEG(KY) for 2^nd as I feel she should get an easy lead and coast until the stretch. My third was a much tougher decision but decided to go with the #12 MISS ROBERTS(KY) over the #7 LA VINOTINTO. Good luck to you all you bettors and owners participating in this race.

1^st : #2 MRS. STARK REALITY

2^nd: #3 STORMY PEG(KY)

3^rd: #12 MISS ROBERTS(KY)

(Note: I listed the sires but for some reason they aren’t appearing in the article)