Toss up in ROUND THE FLEET Cap

This week five horses are getting set for the fourth running of the ROUND THE FLEET Cap on the Kansas dirt. The weather should be clear and the track will be fast as two-year-olds get set to go seven furlongs for the $45,000 purse in this listed stakes.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s contenders:

PP1      Saloon Shots Ted(NE)          refinement                   L Buchholtz                5/1

Drinkwiththedevil-Western Grace, by Gone West

This brown colt goes to bat for trainer refinement with four races under its belts, four of which were top-two finishes. After impressively breaking its maiden first time out back in February, Saloon Shots Ted finished second at the allowance level. Last time out he got his second career win at 6.5 furlongs in an allowance. His lone out-of-the-money finish came in his only stakes run, but something went terribly wrong there with a speed of 12, and it is probably not indicative of how this horse should run, even against stakes competition. His highest career speed is a 77. He seems to like to run around the front, so a good start may be key for Saloon Shots Ted.

PP2      Kwai Change Kaine(MD)    plano                           B Coates                     4/1

Fantasticat x Timeless Moment x Best Turn

Planoaxia Stables sends this brown colt out in its fourth race, coming off a win in a low level allowance last month. Kwai Change Kaine broke its maiden first time out before testing the listed stakes waters, finishing fifth in the KICK UP YOUR HEELS Memorial. He ran a 77 in his last race and appears to be improving each time out. He has a strong jockey here, but has never gone longer than 6 furlongs. He’ll be looking to close here.

PP3      Fly With Kirby(AUS)           kirby77                        R Feese                       9/5

Flying Pegasus(AUS)-Easy Kirby, by Afleet

Trainer kirby and Minnesota Downs look to continue this chestnut Aussie’s nice juvenile career, coming off his career-fast speed of 80 in an allowance race last time out. That was the third of Fly With Kirby’s career wins, with the other two coming in an MSW and the WOODCUTTER Cap stakes. He finished fourth, just back of the leader, in the ALNAAB AVENGER Special in June. He seems to prefer to stalk, but looks like he may be able to handle settling further back in the pack as well. It’s hard to ignore a stakes win and an 80 speed mark at this point in his career. The bettors haven’t ignored that.

PP4      Grandiyev(JPN)                    skomagam                   G Alan                                    5/2

Grandera(IRE)-The Greek Key, by Mr. Greeley

Nickesyd Racing Club and the Ireland residency are hoping for some luck of the Irish with this brown colt. Grandiyev has already run five times, finishing in the money four of those times. He earned a win to break his maiden with a 72 speed at the end of May, and has since run in two stakes races. Last time out he finished runner-up over 6.5 furlongs in the MR. BEVIS Bonanza with a career-best speed of 77. Another horse that will look to come from behind and make his move later rather than sooner.

PP5      Mach of Prime(IRE)             horsequest                   T Roberts                    5/2

Primary-Brabaclearance, by Cryptoclearance

This brown colt is another Ireland residency representative, and is coming off a third-place showing in the ROYAL LOUIS Bonanza last month. Before that he ran a speed rating of 80 for an allowance win, which was the second victory of his career. Mach Of Prime is the only horse here with graded experience, finishing seventh but not far back of the lead in the Television Stakes (Gr. III) in May. His longest run has come at six furlongs, and he will probably go right to the front and look to win the race going away from the start.

The bettors give every horse in this race a shot, and with good reason. It’s hard to go wrong with any pick, but there are a few things to remember when looking at this race.

I like Mach of Prime at 5/2 odds. He is one of only two horses in the field to hit 80 on the speed rating, and he has both listed and graded stakes experience. In a race with virtually no pace setters, Mach of Prime is the speed of the race and he may be able to break in front and hold his lead un-harassed. This will be the longest race of his career, but the same can be said of every other runner. My second pick is Fly With Kirby. The other runner to reach 80, he already has a stakes win on his resume. He seems to run comfortably throughout the pack, and that versatility is always a plus. However, because this looks to be a slow-paced race, I will go out on a limb and say this favorite will not be able to catch Mach of Prime down the stretch. Rounding things out, I pick Grandyiev. He went 6.5 furlongs last time out, so the stretch will be a little smoother for him. As a closer he may be able to make a move and hit the board. Another thing to watch: If “long-shot” (if you can call him that at 5/1) Saloon Shots Ted puts pressure on Mach of Prime up front from the start, it could alter the makeup of this race. He also has gone 6.5 furlongs before, and may find the length easier going than some others.

I’m sure to be proven wrong come Saturday, so just sit back and enjoy the race.