Golden Red Stakes GII

We are in Nebraska for the Golden Red Stakes. 250k in purse money is on the line in what is expected to be a great two year old fillies and mares race. The 8.5 furlong race will test the youngster’s stamina this Saturday. The race has some interesting pedigrees on display like The Roof Is On F(ire), Cozzy Delight, and Include Strawberry. There is also a lot of speed on display with the likes of Funny and Brave, and Doctor Who. Of course with two year olds anything can happen. As of now I am leaning towards a win ticket on Funny and Brave. I like the breeding and big race experience she brings to the table. Now a look at our runners:

1 NINETY FIVE THESES(KY)                9/1             

JOHANNESBURG x SEATTLE SLEW x DEFRERE            

Trainer:      theprofit     Jockey:       P Slaven    

Career:       7 3 1 1 $167,780

It looks like trainer thepofit has experimented with running Ninety Five Theses up front. That wasn’t successful. Nonetheless her speeds have been good, and she will be a strong contender here in Nebraska.

2 VALDESTALE(KY)                                         6/1    

TALE OF THE CAT x SEATTLE SLEW x MR. PROSPECTOR

Trainer:      valdes         Jockey:       H Desitter 

Career:       6 4 0 0 $268,220

She won the G2 Margarine Stakes while displaying a nice finishing kick. She then jumped up in class to Grade 1. The result was a 8^th place finish, but she ran a speed of 89. We know she can run this distance, and she has the speed to get it done. She ran 4^th at Equinics, and that is no small feat.

3 THE ROOF IS ON F(IRE)                              22/1    

RED CLUBS x LE FABULEUX x RED RYDER

Trainer:      photonic     Jockey:       A Matthews 

Career:        7 2 2 2 $220,500

She was running okay on turf, but photonic moved her to dirt for the Delpenn Fillies Juvenile Race. She responded with a blazing wire to wire win notching an 88 speed figure.  She is a wildcard with little experience on the dirt, but don’t count out this long shot by any means. 

4 COZZY DELIGHT(KY)                         19/1    

COZZENE x KRIS(GB) x DAMASCUS

Trainer:      super19      Jockey:       R Bickett 

Career:       7 2 3 1 $110,472

Making a jump up in class after finishing second with an 86 speed in regular stakes. She won back to back allowances before that. She has plenty of stamina in her breeding, and could surprise the field here in Nebraska.

5 MAKES A POSITIVE(KY)                             12/1    

BROKEN VOW x EXPLOIT x RAHY

Trainer:      thereason   Jockey:       I Siragusa 

Career:       8 2 0 2 $124,300

She has been raced hard, but been a consistent stakes performer. She needs to rebound from a 9^th place finish in stakes. Odds makers seem to like her okay, but I advise caution before putting any money down on her.

6 INCLUDE STRAWBERRY(KY)           22/1    

INCLUDE x VINDICATION x CRAFTY PROSPECTOR

Trainer:      crandyii      Jockey:       K Geathers

Career: 6 2 0 2 $76,995

Coming off two ITM finishes in stakes races. She has run high 70’s the last two times out. She is a front runner and could play a factor if she can step up her game.

7 DOCTOR WHO(KY)                             8/1    

SEEKING THE GOLD x GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (IRE) x DANZIG

Trainer:      super17      Jockey:       L Bracken 

Career:       5 1 1 1 $70,340

Who knew Doctor Who likes dirt. She liked it so much that in her first race on dirt she finished 2^nd in a grade III stakes race. She posted an 87 in that race, and repeated the speed figure in her last race. Her breeding is simply a thing of beauty, and she should be right in the mix of things.

8 FUNNY AND BRAVE(KY)                    9/2    

DISTORTED HUMOR x BROAD BRUSH x NIJINSKY II

Trainer:      hillhouse     Jockey:       C Garber

Career:       6 4 0 0 $180,410

She was 5^th in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile Filly race. She has run back to back speeds of 90 or better. I love Funny and Brave’s breeding, and I see her as a strong contender to win this race. She certainly has the stamina.

9 INSOME GOLD(KY)                             10/1

INVASOR (ARG) x AWESOME AGAIN x SEEKING THE GOLD    

Trainer:      tenpin8       Jockey:       O Holt 

Career:       5 3 1 1 $128,421

Lately all Insome Gold does is win. She is coming off three consecutive impressive wins. Last time out she ran an 89, so she can move when she needs to.

10 SCAT NINE(KY)                                  13/1    

SCAT DADDY x FORTY NINER x STORM CAT

Trainer:      paceman2   Jockey:       T Sandstrom 

Career:       6 2 3 1 $110,250

Finished 2^nd in a G III back in June, but that was an off track. She may be ready to take a stride forward though. She certainly has strong bloodlines.

11 CK ZABRIO(NZ)                                 18/1    

ZABEEL(NZ) x DARBY CREEK ROAD x CON BRIO II

Trainer:      ckstables3  Jockey:       L Heart 

Career: This interestingly bred horse showed it can really move last time out in a grade II stakes. CK Zabrio ran an 89 in that race finishing 2^nd, and proved she is not to be taken lightly.

12 EAGLE FLYER(IRE)                          6/1   

INVINCIBLE SPIRIT (IRE) x INDIAN RIDGE(IRE) x KINGMAMBO

Trainer:      roosters04  Jockey:       S Jenkins 

Career:       6 3 1 2 $152,000

She has back to back wins in stakes races with speeds of 89 and 92. Those are very impressive speeds, and I think you can expect Eagle Flyer to be in the middle of the action for this one.

13 ENCOSTACAT(AUS)                          10/1   

ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) x STORM CAT x CLEVER TRICK

Trainer:      muninn240 Jockey:       K Mac 

Career:       6 2 3 1 $91,305

Encostacat had an 87 speed factor last time out in stakes finishing third. She can move, but is going to be tested here. She shows a lot of potential, and I think she might really surprise a lot of people this week.

14 XTRA BRILLIANT(KY)                      11/1 

STREET SENSE x FORTY NINER x NUREYEV    

Trainer:      ejdstable     Jockey:       T Dory 

Career:       7 3 3 0 $91,100

Xtra Brilliant certainly has pedigree on her side. She is coming off back to back allowance wins with speeds of 83 and 85 respectively. She will have to like the jump in class, and her breeding suggests why not. She certainly is a wildcard.

Lebowski’s Selections: 8, 3, 7, 4, 2