The Good vs. Evil Handicap
The Good vs. Evil Handicap
Grade III
6F
Firm Turf
$125,000
All horses, 3 year olds
The Good vs. Evil handicap is sure to bring plenty of excitement to Northern California. There are some good looking colts looking to continue their graded winning success and others trying to make history by capturing their first graded win. There are 13 hopeful horses and trainers and without further ado lets meet the field.
1) Too Much Zip – 13/1 – graywolf31
This colt has yet to capture that elusive stakes win and has not performed particularly well in the graded races level. His last time out he ran in the G2 Cane Toad Stakes but, finished well behind the lead in 10th. The 6 furlong distance has plagued this horse with inconsistency as sometimes, he will make a push at the end and others he will just fade into the distance. His jockey seems to provide him very Whittle hope in picking up his first Stakes and Graded win.
2) Lions and Bally – 6/1 – estreet
Lions and Bally is still looking for his first graded win. Last time out he ran his fastest speed of 107 in the G1 Adopt a Greyhound. But, he will certainly be looking for better than 4th this time out. He has posted an impressive five stakes wins and over $347,000 career earnings. This Ballingarry X A.P. Indy colt likes to get out early to the middle part of the race. This paired with C. Winter at the helm gives him a shot at upsetting the favorites. Trainer estreet is certainly hoping Lions and Bally can pick up his first graded win.
3) De Fu – 18/1 – Minnesota
De Fu is another colt who has been quite inconsistent. Despite winning a G1 and two G2’s this horse’s pattern has yet to be uncovered. He ran his best speed at 7 Furlongs with a speed of 107 in the G1 The Ring of Fire Special. Last time out De Fu ran a career worst speed of 66 in the Smackdown. But, ‘tis another day and who knows what the day will hold for this colt.
4) HasGotTheSimTalkin – 8/1 – austrainer
Last time out was a refresher race after 7 weeks off. He was coming on strong at the end in an Allowance race but, finished 5th. This time out I expect him to be fresh and improve on the 100 speed posted. This will be his first graded race and I expect him to fall short in his push at the end to get in the money.
5) Credit Castle – 9/2 – brentuk
This colt boasts a win in the G2 Vermont is 4 Lovers. He has historically ran his bests speeds at 7.5-8 furlongs. This will be the first time Credit Castle has ran at 6 furlongs since his second maiden race, in which he won. In the longer races where he has had success he has always had the late push to get him in front of the field. Brentuk certainly hopes Credit Castle can catch up to this field and play a factor.
6) This Giant’s Ready – 7/1 – devilsdoo
In the 6th gate we have This Giant’s Ready. In his last race he ran a speed of 99 in an allowance race, which was good enough for 4th. This colt gets out early in all his races but, fades late. Even at the 6 furlong distance, last time out he faded quickly from 1st to 4th in the stretch. I expect this colt to challenge for the lead early but, eventually lose ground to the horses that make their moves late.
7) Tiger Hill Colt – 12/1 – reman12000
The pride of Tiger Hill lines up in the 7th gate. This lightly raced 3 year old posted his best speed in a stakes race last time out with a speed of 106. He has won 3 of his last 4 races, two of which were stakes and the race he lost was the G2 After Shave Sprint. This horse is looking primed for an upset as he has been coming on really strong towards the end of races.
8) Against A Tyrant – 8/1 – lenny3
Eight of the ten times this horse has ran on turf he has finished in the money. Better still, every time this horse has ran on turf in a sprint he has won. Given all three of those were allowance races but, he also boasts 3 stakes wins. He has come up empty in both previous graded races but, both were also above 8 furlongs. Lenny3 certainly hopes that the combination of turf, sprint, and J. White’s winning percentage of 24 can sum up to Against A Tyrant’s first graded win.
9) Morahy – 39/1 – crandy
Morahy has yet to break into the 90’s as far as speed is concerned, and his odds seriously reflect that. He has won a stakes race but, it was a field of 4 and ran an 85. Last time out this colt ran an allowance race finishing 2nd with a speed of 87. I expect this colt will not have the speed to keep up with the field and should fall well out of contention for finishing in the money.
10) Alarphard – 18/1 – trazi4u
In 8 of his 11 races Alarphard has finished in the money. His last time out he made his graded debut and it is one that would be much easier to forget with a good showing this time out. He finished 11th in the G1 The Telling Lies and Getting Paid Stakes. The time before that race he ran a 102 in an allowance race. He does have already have a stakes win at this distance and surface that may prove helpful. But, for a horse that likes to get out early I just don’t think he will have the speed to carry him to the finish out in front.
11) Slainte Chugat – 35/1 – greentreef
This colt won the G3 Bad Deal Stakes in his third career race. Since then he has managed to win another stakes race and finish 2nd in two others. However, his speeds are less than ideal for a 6 furlong race. He has posted his best speeds on an off track at 92 and 93. He has also ran at the graded level twice since his first graded win only to come up empty by 6 lengths and 13 lengths respectively. He won’t be able to get out quick enough to keep pace with the favorites in this race and that return to graded success will have to wait for another day.
12) Six Gun City – 4/1 – erracing
Six Gun City has been posting blazing fast speeds, trouble is he has only one stakes win to show for it. He has boasted speeds of 100 or more in 5 of his last 7 races. His last time out he put up a 108 speed in a G1, which was good enough for 3rd. If he can replicate that performance this time out, on the same distance and surface, it is hard to imagine him finishing out of the money or even not winning. This well bred colt (Forestry X Carson City X Dixieland Band) is well deserving of being labeled the favorite by odds makers.
13) Gold River Dancer – 8/1 – jumpmoose
Making his graded stakes debut in the last gate is Gold River Dancer. This colt has been a bit inconsistent in speeds and finishes over his career. His last time out he ran a speed of 102 in a 6.5 furlong stakes race, in which he faded late to fall to 3rd. He likes to get out early but, tends to run out of steam before it is all said and done. He does have 4 stakes wins but, most were short fields and much less competitive than the field he will face this time out. He may get out early however that late push of other horses will run him down once again.
As my first choice I would take Against A Tyrant to capture his first graded win. This combination of distance and speed seems deadly with the way this horse has performed throughout his winning career. With my second pick I will comfortably take the favorite in Six Gun City. His speeds have been amazing as of late and there is no reason to think they won’t continue. And with my final pick I would take Lions and Bally as he seems to have hit his stride at the right time to try and pick up his first graded win. No matter the outcome it is sure to be a hard-fought race that I expect to come down to the wire.
As always good luck to all the trainers involved in the race!