A Clash of Young Versus Older In Grade III Bickerknocker
A field of ten fillies and mares with differing expectations and aspirations will go to the post in Saturday’s Grade III $150,000 Bickerknocker Handicap over a mile and one eighth on the New York turf. One millionaire mare is looking for a strong performance to merit a Breeders Bowl entry. Several of the other four and five year-olds are hoping to add a first, and until now elusive, graded stakes win to their resume. And two of up-and-coming three year-old fillies likely see this race as a steppingstone to even greater future glory. Here’s the field in post position order:
1. Wassie’s Star G (wassie) 4/1
This millionaire daughter of Sadler’s Wells, from an A.P.Indy mare, was cut out to be a top runner from the start, but was undistinguished after eleven starts on the main track. A switch to the turf, a logical and probably long overdue move at the time, brought immediate results. Wassie’s Star G became a different horse and now claims eight stakes wins, three of them graded, including the G1 Queen Ascot Stakes last September. Her lifetime best SR is an outstanding 115, but she comes into this one off two consecutive sub-par efforts, earning just a 95 SR in her last, her weakest figure since last June. Currently ranked in the top-ten of middle distance older mares, owner/trainer wassie might consider a Breeders Bowl entry with a return to form in here. A deep closer who should benefit from what will likely be a contentious pace.
2. Jumron’s Memory (bigblueone) 9/2
This five year-old mare is the product of the little used and now inactive sire Jumron and the legendary dam sire Northern Dancer. A winner of seven of eighteen lifetime starts, she’s a consistent runner with just one stakes win, earned almost exactly one year ago, but who has placed in stakes a remarkable eight times, including two third-place finishes in Grade 3 events. She comes into this one off an impressive allowance win in which she matched her career high SR of 108. Can press the pace or make it herself, and she’s as good as she’s ever been, but that likely won’t be enough to take down the top prize in here. Must be rated an underlay at 9/2.
3. Brown and Gray (borrow3) 12/1
A three year-old daughter of Storm Cat, she has made just nine career starts, the first six of which were on the main track. She looked like a solid dirt router, having just missed in a stakes race before running a creditable fourth in a Grade 3 event after having lead to the stretch. Then, owner/trainer borrow3 tried this filly on the turf, and she liked it. A lot. She wired two consecutive allowance fields in impressive fashion, and then tried stakes company in her last start. Sent off at 15/1 against older fillies and mares at today’s distance of nine furlongs, she again made a comfortable early lead and never relinquished it, winning by almost three lengths. More impressive was the 109 SR and the fact that she likely hasn’t yet been asked to do her best running. She looks to be the speed of the speed in here and is a monster overlay at 12/1.
4. Tupungato (hipica) 5/1
Has two stakes wins to her credit and became graded stakes-placed last summer in Dubai. Has been patiently handled by hipica, who ran her through all available allowance conditions this season and has carefully placed her in small stakes fields. She does her best running on the lead and figures to try that tactic again today under low percentage but veteran rider Haffner. Her lifetime top is a competitive 112, but it’s a full seven points better than anything else she’s ever run. Gets a big class test today and must be considered a slight underlay at 5/1.
5. Dragon Awakens (upperhand2) 12/1
This four year-old daughter of Mineshaft, from a Nureyev mare, has won eight of twenty-two lifetime starts, including three stakes victories. Her lifetime top SR of 108 is competitive with the rest of the field, but she’s run in the mid-to-low 90s much more often than she’s topped 100. Crushed a tiny field of allowance foes in her last, nothing more than a workout in her first start in more than two months, and should be primed and ready to go for this one. Mixed signals.
6. Best There Is (desperado5) 13/1
This graded stakes-winning three year-old daughter of King’s Best is approaching the half-million dollar mark in career earnings. Won the G2 Roberto Clemente two starts back with a powerful late rush (lifetime top 107SR), but followed that one with a disappointing effort over a yielding turf course last time out. The firm ground in store for today’s field should be much more to her liking. She tries older fillies and mares for the first time today, but gets leading rider Lawton, will have plenty of pace to run at, and seems to have more room to develop. Another to be considered a sizeable overlay in this field at 13/1.
7. Buzzard’s Nest (laserbarn) 7/2
The betting favorite is a four year-old daughter of North Light, from a Seattle Slew mare. She has ten career wins, nine of them on turf, including five stakes wins, but none graded. Had a streak of four straight stakes wins snapped in her last. Her lifetime top of 110 was earned two starts back, but on a yielding turf over ten and half furlongs. She has won at today’s distance, however, and fires something close to her best almost every time out. Astalker who should get a great trip in this race with plenty of early speed, she can’t be left out of the betting, but others represent much more value.
8. Tete In A Zashaan (bizalls1) 6/1
This front-running five year-old daughter of Zabeel was claimed for $75,000 last year by Ireland-based owner/trainer bizalls1, who immediately turned her back in distance to races between eight and nine furlongs. She responded with four wins in her first six starts for her new barn, including a stakes victory, and markedly improved SRs. Her lifetime top is 109. She likes the lead and will be winging from the start, but the level of competition, the number of other speed types to contend with, and the nine furlongs are sizable concerns.
9. Aveline (kingfish) 10/1
This five year-old daughter of High Chapparal has earned almost $400K over forty-six lifetime starts. Remarkably, only four of those starts were in stakes company. Today, this veteran of the allowance wars tries graded stakes company for the first time, fresh off a front-running score in Italy in which she matched her lifetime best SR of 102. Another who does her best running on the lead, she won’t have an easy time getting there in this field. And frankly, on paper, she’s just not fast enough.
10. Porcelain Porpoise (bearcub) 17/1
A lightly raced daughter of bargain sire Clear Choice, she has just twelve career starts under her belt, including a stakes win two starts back in Utah. She ran her lifetime best 100 SR that day but will have to do much better than that to contend in here. If she does, we’re looking at a new star. If she doesn’t, she still has NW3X allowance conditions to explore. Not bad for a filly who debuted for a $5K claiming tag.