Summer classic draws Kissin Streetcry to New York
Mid-August in New York means it’s Travelers Stakes time. The Grade 1 event traditionally draws the best of the 3yo dirt classic crop to the Empire State, and this year is no exception. Headlining the 10f race is the brilliant Kissin Streetcry. The Bluegrass Derby and Equinics champ isn’t getting a walkover however. Top runner Dance Steps and up-and-comers Demeco, Dardanelle, and Kitten No More are here to spoil Kissin’s party. The other nine entrants aren’t going down quietly either.
The stakes record is held by Granhee, who won in 2004 with a swift final time of 2:00.2. Such notables as I Seek U (2003) and Macho Niner (2005) have also won. Interestingly, the second-place finisher many years might be the more famous. Ermington Pegusus lost to New Found Cyclone in 2006. Awesome Force couldn’t beat Passing Stone in 2007. Tower Storm fell short to Kilimanjaro in 2002.
It’s something of a GR Simster event this year, with five of the entries (Angles Out, Silver Sunrise, Fallen God, Dance Steps, and Adrammelech) representing that residency. DelPenn has two strong candidates as well in Demeco and Broadway Dancer. Vermont is the only other multi-entrant residency, fielding Kissin Streetcry and Eddington Lake.
Favored at 4-1 on the morning line, Kissin Streetcry really has to be considered the best of this field. Sherwood’s star Streetcry colt has been having a rocking 3yo campaign, picking up huge wins in the Bluegrass Derby, New Yorker, and Equinics. A narrow half-length prevent a Triple Crown sweep, but the way this horse is performing he’s an early contender for end of year honors and the year isn’t even two-thirds over. Paired with N Lawton and running at Kissin’s favored 10f distance, can anything beat this horse to the finish line?
Dance Steps might just be the one to take down the big guy. Trained by Twoofus2, the Seeking the Gold 3yo really has been better in the long route division as evidenced by G1 wins at 11 and 12f. He’s not exactly a slouch at 10f, however, Indeed, he pushed Kissin Streetcry in the Equinics, ending second with a superb 115SP. That was his only 10f race, and if he runs to par he should be a serious contender for the Travelers crown. The 9-2 second betting choice.
Unreal’s Kitten No More squeaks in at 5-1 off the strength of a superb win in the Eddie Haskell last out. The Kitten’s Joy colt has finished too two for seven races straight now (and only been worse than second one time ever), and is fast enough to possibly make it four wins in a row with some luck. He’s stepped up very strongly in both class and distance, but this will be his first go at 10 and something that extra furlong is just to much for horses to handle. If you’re looking for a horse to take down Kissin, take an extra look at this colt. He appears to have that extra special something that gets a horse to perform his best every time, a rare and valuable quality indeed.
Running for the Fatattack stable at 10-1 odds is Demeco, a strapping young son of Awesome Again. He’s riding a four race win streak including a very strong graded (and stakes!) debut in the Mountainous Derby last out. The 3+ length win was pretty easy for the horse who loves to run from way way back. He needed the 109 to prove the 111 he ran just prior in an allowance was no fluke. For a horse undefeated at 10f in three tries, and a combined win margin of 10 1/4 lengths, 10-1 odds are extremely generous for the betting public. Keep an eye on this colt throughout the fall campaign, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing much more of him.
From the Super20 barn comes Broadway Dancer, a top 2yo who has struggled through much of his 3yo campaign. Looks like that turned around in the Colorado Sophomore Classic, however, as the Kingmambo colt earned his first triple-digit speed figure on a fast track. The 110 was a nice complement to a 1 3/4 length victory. Hard to say how he’ll take to 10 panels. Dancer ran dead last in the Bluegrass Derby, but many horses that fail to perform in Kentucky come back for very respectable careers, often at the 10f distance. Will need to step it up to win this one, but this is a horse with talent in him somewhere and he could well pull it off. 11-1.
2007 Eclipse nominee Indy Prospector is still hunting for his first two-turn graded victory, but at least he finally won a route stake two back to cement his credentials as a possible classic runner. Mayflowers’ Indy King colt is a graded-winning sprinter with designs on the big boys’ division with luck and his sprint speed to carry him across the finish line. This will be his first go at 10f, but if he can wire the field like he did two back he just might pull off the shocker. Of course, he’ll have to greatly improve on his 102 lifetime best SP. 11-1.
Angles Out runs from the far outside post and trainer Mav1763 must be hoping the Tiznow colt refuses to live up to his name. Angles Out is a stakes winner long sprinting and at a mile, but two tries at 8.5 (his longest races) have resulted in board finishes not wins. Two graded efforts have resulted in sixth and eighth place finishes. This is a a nice colt for sure, but is he up to this test? I’d sure like to see a Tiznow baby win some big sim races.And hey, a GR Simster is always a good bet in big grades. 12-1.
Adrammelech took the It’s My Birthday Stakes last out by 3, earning a very nice 108SP for trainer Hibachi. The Anabaa colt has turned a corner since his spring campaign, going from fair speed figures and allowance wins to that super G1 win. Tested at 10f just once on derby Day against GR Simsters foes, it’s tough to predict how he’ll handle the distance against better company here. One thing looks certain: he’s getting better and could turn into a quiet force during the fall season. One big advantage: he’s tested against older horses and came back successfully against his own age, which I love to see in 3yos this time of year. 13-1.
Silver Star Road ran third to Adrammelech last out in the It’s Your Birthday, but the race was probably a bit too short for Onyourmark’s Silver Train colt. After all, he had just won the Princess Cup at 10f a month prior and did it in solid time less than a second off the stakes record. The 107 was a real good clue as well. I really like this colt- he clearly relishes 10f, he’s been brought along slowly, and he’s responded well to every challenge. At 15-1 he’s getting some of my betting dollars.
Bateau’s Eddington Lake makes an ambitious leap from third in the Mountainous Derby to his first G1 ever. It’s actually not such a huge leap if you note that the Eddington colt has six starts at 9.5f for a nice 3-2-1 record. He jumps to 10f for the first time but with such a solid base under him the extra sixteenth should be no problem. What might be is his lack of previously displayed speed. With a top SP of 104 he has some work to do to catch up to the likes of Kissin Streetcry and Dance Steps. Still, tough horse with a penchant for finishing well means you can’t leave him out if you like betting longshots. 16-1.
Mr Clowsh just lost by over 18 lengths in the Eddie Haskell so it makes perfect sense to go right back against G1 company, right? It does to trainer Beefcake5 anyway. The Encosta De Lago colt is graded-placed (in the 9.5f Clerk Of Scales) and an allowance winner at 10f, but can the horse that loves to run in front stay clear for 10 panels against some very good closers? If he does, it means he improves at least 8 points from his best of 102. 16-1.
Vkstables has Silver Sunrise running here after a strings of board finishes against GR Simsters and open company. He was second in the Princess Cup to Silver Star Road two back, then came back for second in an allowance last out over this same track. The Zabeel colt has run second in all three 10f attempts, posting 103+ twice. Perhaps he needs more ground to really shine; after all, the colt was a good third in the Simster’s version of the Belmont in June. Silver needs to get over his bridesmaid habit and get into the winner’s circle if he wants to keep playing in the bigtime. 18-1.
The LOLman, Meguire7th, sends off No Walking At Dawn for his first graded attempt after winning a lovely 10f listed stake in Texas. Mostly lovely because it drew just 4 entrants yet carried a nice $75k purse. No Walking didn’t get a walkover; indeed he faced some decent horses and had to work for his winning 105SP. I like the move from a good listed win to graded company but have two small field stakes given the Footstepsinthesand colt the base he needs to excel at the highest levels? We’ll find out.
The last time I recall seeing a Lenny entrant as the field long shot is, well, never. But Fallen God earns that rare distinction as he runs for the fairhaven1 stable. Blame the poor odds on an equally poor showing in the mud three back. He’s actually a decent colt with a 9f G2 win to his credit. This will be the Montjeu colt’s first try at 10, though he has run longer once (that 11f disaster of a rainy day). A pair of 102s earned at 9 says he should be able to handle 10 as long as the only water near the New York track can be found back in his stall in a nice red bucket. Needs to pick up the speed figures but should run far better than his odds suggest.
Kissin Streetcry is clearly the horse to beat, but I’ll try to beat him anyway. I’ll take Silver Star Road to pull off the big upset, with Dance Steps coming home in second and Demeco rounding out the top three.