Spankie-Shoo All Comers Has Writer Seeing Brown
You readers are sick. You see the words spank and brown and immediately your mind wanders into the gutter. Shame on you all, now bow your heads in shame for a minute. Go ahead, I’ll wait. . . .
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Done? Ok. The main reason for the headline was that eight out of the ten runners for Saturday’s eleven furlong run over the firm turf, also known as the Grade II Spankie-Shoo All Comers, are listed as brown. See, a very simple explanation. So without further delay, since you never know when the electricity will disappear again, let’s get to these ten fillies and mares that will compete in the fifteenth race in
PP #1 BUZZARD’S NET (IRE) laserbeam D.
The race favorite, BUZZARD’S NET, has drawn the rail and enters this run on a four race win streak. All four of these wins were stakes level runs over ten and ten and one half furlongs. The laserbeam trained brown runner has also had some success in graded races with third place finish in the G3 – Exploding Outhouse Stakes (again reader, please keep your mind out of the sim-gutter, this is a family paper after all). The four year old filly looks to lurk just off of the lead pack of horses out of the gate until the half way point. Here, she will start moving up to the front and looks to overtake the leaders during the stretch with a nice kick at the end. Jockey D. Davis will be up.
PP#2 NORSE PRINCESS ninerdust R. Duffy 4/1
I’m envisioning a horse with a braided blonde mane wearing some sort of horned helmet every time I read this ninerdust’s six year old’s name. NORSE PRINCES has not seen the winners circle of a race for almost a year when she took the G1 – Yellow Submarine Stakes (perhaps meeting Ringo has affected this mare). In the brown mare’s six starts since that win, she has managed to place second three times. R. Duffy will be guiding a runner similar to BUZZARD’S NET as NORSE enjoys lacking off of the early pace only to catch the front during the second portion of the run.
PP#3 MAGICAL MIA (IRE) boots K. Ledwith 7/1
Another six year old brown mare, MAGICAL MIA returns to the distance (11 furlongs) that she won last year’s Breeders Bowl Distaff at. Interestingly, trainer boots has kept her away from eleven furlongs since that BB win preferring to place MAGICAL in runs of fourteen to sixteen panels instead. The longer distances have not really slowed the winning, she won in June at the SKY MIXING Special, but have certainly has taken a toll on MAGICAL’s speed numbers. Winning the BB Distaff with a 115 speed rating, she has recently been running 90 to 103 speeds. Perhaps the switch back to a shorter distance will help boots’ runner get another graded victory.
PP#4 INVISIBLE POWER (KY) ziploc L. Fenner 24/1
Trainer ziploc is apparently looking to really test his brown three year old filly, INVISIBLE POWER. Not only is this INVISIBLE’s first run against the older ladies, but it is also her first go at graded level competition. If she is to do well, it appears that jockey L. Fenner will need to get her out of the gate quickly as INVISIBLE appears to finish as she starts. This is not saying that ziploc’s filly cannot succeed in this race, she did win the eleven furlong GREEN EYED MONSTER Challenge, but doing so will take a mammoth effort (and possibly some divine intervention).
PP#5 K’S MASTERPIECE (KY) sledwith2 A.
If not for a disappointing eleventh place finish in the Equinics, runner K’S MASTERPIECE could possibly be the odds on favorite in this field. Prior to the Equinics, the sledwith2 trained brown filly was running the best of her career reeling off four straight wins highlighted by the G1 – Rich and Famous Handicap. A. Hudson will be riding yet another runner that enjoys lurking off the lead and looking to close in the second half of the race. The main question will be if this four year old’s Equinics performance was just a bad go, or signs of a decline in form. I suspect trainer sledwith2 is hoping for the prior explaination.
PP#6 EXCUSE (IRE) stormborn C. Roser 9/1
The stormborn trained EXCUSE looks to get back into the stakes level racing with her second lifetime run against graded competition after running in two straight allowances. That drop in class hopefully will help EXCUSE regain the form that saw this five year old brown mare win the ten and one half furlong NAPPY DUGOUT Special. C. Roser will be riding a runner who enjoys closing from about mid pack.
PP#7 HOLY HOLY HOLY kateri B. Parker 13/1
By far the most religious runner in the field (sorry INVISIBLE POWER, that may hamper the divine intervention), HOLY HOLY HOLY (that’s three times holy) is looking for her first lifetime stakes level win (and third lifetime win overall on turf). If the five year old brown mare is going to do it, she too will need to show great improvement over her past starts which have resulted in just one third over the last five starts. HOLY shows a tendency of wanting to be a closer when she is running well. Trainer kateri looks to jockey B. Parker and as much holy holy holy as possible to try to find the board.
PP#8 STAYER (IRE) landen1
What!?!? An entrant that is not brown? STAYER, the light grey mare, is the only runner in the field that enjoys breaking to the front out of the gate and holding on for the win. This technique has resulted in two wins over her last four starts (the SHIN BROOK Challenge and the ELK FLAUNTING Stakes). The landen1 trained five year old has been running well lately which explains the handicappers picking her to finish second according to the odds. Jockey N. Tippins will be riding most likely by himself during the first half of this race, and if STAYER has anything to say about it, during the second half too.
PP#9 KITSAULT (KY) squirrel3 J. Babb 23/1
It is fortunate that simulated horses do not understand English. Otherwise trainer squirrel3’s quote about her four year old chestnut (isn’t that just a light shade of brown?), KITSAULT, may cause bad vibes in the Squirrel Empire. That’s right folks, this reporter obtained a quote for this article because you, the reader, deserve only the finest and most thorough coverage. Anyhow, when asked about KITSAULT running in the Spankie-Shoo All Comers, squirrel3 replied, “she really doesn’t belong, but what the hell.” Like I said, good thing poor little KITSAULT doesn’t know her trainer’s true feelings towards her. Of course, when looking at the filly’s past performances, only one win on turf, never started in a graded race before, speed ratings in the mid-nineties, squirrel3 could be right. But let’s not tell poor KITSAULT that, she could be a sensitive simulated horse you know.
PP#10 FLAMMEN SEHEN (GER) rusher G.
Something tells me that FLAMMEN SEHEN is either some very lewd German phase is just a weird spelling for ‘flaming sea hen.’ Whatever the case, this winner of the G1 – Liberty City Oaks completes our field of ten from the outside post. The rusher trained brown three year old filly is looking to make her first start against older competition, and unlike her fellow three year old starter (INVISIBLE POWER) , FLAMMEN looks to be ready for the step up. Running eleven to twelve furlongs in her last five starts, the filly has hit the board all five times with three wins and two third place finished. G. Arnold will ride the girl who enjoys closing from near the back of the pack.
The only speed in the race, STAYER, will most likely be all by herself out of the gate holding onto the lead at the half way point over lurkers BUZZARD’S NET, NORSE PRINCES, and MAGICAL MIA. I look for STAYER to be able to hold off all but MAGICAL MIA (who will enjoy getting back to under a mile and a half) in the end. Three year old FLAMMEN SEHEN will close nicely to post a third place finish against the elderly ladies. Of course what do I know with these things, I have yet to get one prediction correct. But I’m sticking with MAGICAL MIA, STAYER, and FLAMMEN SEHEN. In the words of trainer squirrel3, ‘what the hell.’