Race – The Out To Win Stakes – $60,000

Track – New Hampshire

Restrictions – All horses, 2 years old

Distance – seven and half furlongs on the Firm Turf Course

PP1 – Marracash – O Noe – 2/1fav

Galileo x Ridge Day (Indian Ridge x Daylami) – Prematurely retired F-ranked dam, a half sister to 2yo MSW winner Day On Moon, raced 17 times winning 3 times at around a mile. Sire, noted for producing turf routers, has a win rate of 45.9% with this year’s 2yo crop and 4 Stakes winners.

 Form – 143         High SP – 76 (9/20/08) – Strongly fancied at short odds when narrowly winning a weak 6f MSW at California on his debut back in July but, possibly feeling ill effects from the travel over to New Zealand, he was a well-beaten favourite and last of four in a 6.5f Stakes race next time. He ran much better over a mile LTO, giving the impression this 7.5f should suit, but he may find one or two of these rivals having slightly too much speed.

PP2 – Urko’s Dynamite – P Haynes – 5/2

Dylan Thomas x Oop (Kingmambo x King Of Kings) – G-ranked he-mare is a son of the triple Stakes winning turf sprinter King’s Dragons. Sire, leading freshman, has a 41% strike rate this year with his first 2yo crop including the BB Juvenile turf winner.

 Form – 1334111    High SP – 83 (10/04/08) – The highest earner of the line-up is coming into his eighth race having had a very busy season since winning on his debut in an owner restricted Allowance back in March. Having won his last three Stakes races he is ranked #12 in his division and, considering the stylish way he accounted for his rivals over 7.5f LTO, it’s surprising that he is not the favourite here. This race should be set up perfectly for him, being the only proven closer and he is the one to beat.

PP3 – Pinewood Bay – R Buck – 10/1

Sligo Bay x California Pine (Pine Bluff x Woodman) – Lightly raced H-ranked dam remained a maiden after a total of seven lifetime starts. Bargain priced sire, with 3 winners from eleven 2yos so far this season, has not had a Stakes winner since 2005.

Form – N/A        High SP – N/A – Relatively cheaply bred colt is making his first racecourse appearance here and we should know a lot more about him after the race.

PP4 – Blue Heat – B Gates – 7/1

Latent Heat x Blue Rainbow (Rainbow Quest x Forest Wildcat) – F-ranked dam won 4 S/A’s on dirt from 9f-16f. First season sire, with a G2 winner already, has had 26% of winners with his opening crop, the majority of which are on dirt.

Form – 013        High SP – 77 (09/27/08) – Improved for the switch to turf when winning a 6.5f MSW on his second start and then ran well in defeat to finish 3 lengths third, behind a pair of decent 2yos, in a 6f Stakes race five weeks ago (Kash Register 10l behind) A repeat of that last run would give him a big chance here and, provided he can handle the extra distance, it would not be a shock to see him challenging the favourites.

PP5 – Kash Register – N Ritcher – 7/2

Lemon Drop Kid x Cozzene x Tom Rolfe – Scratch breeding. Multipurpose sire, can produce dirt/turf/sprinters/routers equally well, has a 30.4 win% with his 2008 juveniles including two Stakes winners.

Form – 15         High SP – 76 (08/23/08) – Looked very promising when comfortably winning his maiden at the first time of asking over 6f at Florida in August but then ran as though something was amiss, finishing a well beaten last in a Stakes race five weeks ago. His debut win would give him a big chance here but, after that dismal effort LTO, it remains to be seen how much his confidence has been affected.

PP6 – Hintons Red Hill – N Ambrose – 3/1

Hinton Wells x Danehill x Red Ransom – Scratch Breeding. Strong turf influence on the dam’s side, with the DS capable of getting Graded runners over a variety of distances. Bargain priced freshman sire has made a good start at the shed with 32.1% winners from his first crop, including 3 Stakes winners.

Form – 122       High SP – 76 (08/09/08) – Looked like a horse with a bright future when winning a 6.5f Stakes on his debut at Arkansas in July, beating three previous winners, and he has since went on to run second in a pair of Listed contests. He appears to be comfortable running at this level, his speed figures suggest he should be able to be competitive here and he is one of the leading players.

Summary

Everything points towards Urko’s Dynamite and it was hard not to be impressed by the manner of his last win. He should be able to sit off the early speed battle here and pick them off as he chooses. The one worry would be that a hard season may start to take its toll, but he has shown no signs of fatigue in the build up to this race and he is selected to win his fifth race of the year.

Morning line favourite Marracash and Hintons Red Hill may just cut each other’s throats in the early battle for the lead and the main danger to the selection could be the generously priced Blue Heat. He fared well in a decent race LTO and there is a suspicion he’ll enjoy this extra distance.

1 – Urko’s Dynamite

2 – Blue Heat

3 – Marracash