A Bevy of Chances in the Cool Classic

A full field of 14 fillies and mares will contest Saturday’s $1-million Cool Classic (G1) from New South Wales. The contentious field includes many with a legitimate shot at taking down the 7 1/2-furlong turf contest.

Lenny271’s Lenapalooza is in the twilight of her career, but the 6-year-old daughter of Galileo is very much still a contender here. A four-time grade one winner, the bay mare most recently accomplished the feat in November’s Hong Kong Sprint Classic, where she won the seven-furlong heat by four lengths, earning a 114 speed figure. Her career best speed figure of 115 resulted from a fourth-place finish in the Desert Queen Turf Sprint (G3) last year, just before finishing ninth in the 2024 Cool Classic. In eight subsequent starts last season she won four grade one races and finished third in two additional top-level races.

Iron Queen finished second to Lenapalooza in Hong Kong, and while that day’s winner raced once since then (a fourth-place finish in the grade one Misfit Sprint), Migman11 chose to train his daughter of I Am Invincible up to this race. Iron Queen’s lone grade one win came as a 4-year-old in last year’s QLD Snowy Sprint and since then she has finished second in a pair of grade one races. She’s won two of four career races at 7 1/2 furlongs, setting a career best speed figure of 114 when taking the Greenland Turf Mare Dash last March (a speed figure she would equal when second by a head in the 6 1/2-furlong Lyrical Genius (G1) in August.

Ksparrow’s Boneford earned her career speed figure top of 113 when winning a residency-restricted stakes race at a mile in November, then nearly equaled that (112) while besting Lenepalooza in the Misfit Sprint at seven furlongs. So that’s a nice grouping of speed figures just shorter and just longer than the Cool Classic distance. The 4-year-old daughter of Exceed and Excel then finished fourth in the Domino Effect (G1) at 6 1/2 furolongs. Unlike Lenepalooza and Iron Queen, Boneford will likely race prominently from the start (she wired that mile stakes race and was never more than a length back in the Misfit).

The other previous grade one winner in the field is Intencity’s Crook As Rookwood, whose current form looks a bit off but that may be misleading for several reasons. Back in October, the daughter of I Am Immortal won the Queen Ascot Stakes (G1) at a mile earning a speed figure of 110, but things seem to have gone off the rails since. Three weeks later, Crook As Rookwood finished a well beaten ninth in the Empire Rose (G1) before washing out in the 7 1/2-furlong Flying Johnno Stakes (G3) on a good-rated course in late December. Then, just 13 days later, she made her 5-year-old debut while facing males in a local championship race at nine furlongs and finished 12th of 12 and over 20 lengths back. Now, given adequate rest, back against distaffers only, and racing at what may be her best distance (she won the Optimistic Moods Turf Mare Sprint at this distance, earning a 112 speed figure), she could be all set to rebound from her recent darkened form.

With so many enticing prospects among the entrants who have yet to win a grade one race, I’m inclined to think one of them will get the job done Saturday. Kingab’s Fire Needs Ice certainly fits the bill. While the 5-year-old daughter of No Nay Never has finished behind both Iron Queen and Lenepalooza when fifth in the Honk Kong Sprint Classic, and behind Boneford (by just a half-length) in the Misfit, she did turn the tables on Lenepalooza in the Misfit, beating that rival by two lengths. More telling, Fire Needs Ice earned her career best speed figure of 116 while winning the 7 1/2-furlong Meanest Girl Stakes (G2) in August (the middle of a string of three straight grade two victories). Perhaps the extra half-furlong she’ll race Saturday as compared to her two most recent races will allow her to get the job done.

Teece’s Navy Hill enters here off a pair of graded stakes races at the Cool Classic distance. In December’s My Heart Will Go On Sprint (G3), the daughter of Home Affairs raced evenly to finish fifth, then in her 4-year-old debut she aced the Desperada Stakes (G2), coming from just off the pace to win by 1 1/4 lengths. She earned a 114 speed figure there, which equaled her previous best earned at the same distance while finishing a close second in the Singing Without Purpose Sprint (G3) on a track rated good. She should be able to negotiate a clean trip from near the front of the pack and should be one of the first to pounce as they hit the 3-3/4 furlong mark.

Abracadazzle races a little further back than Navy Hill, but like that fellow 4-year-old, Abracadazzle enters off a graded stakes win at 7 1/2 furlongs, hers coming in the Desert Queen Turf Sprint (G3). The daughter of Zoustar out of a stakes winning Siyouni mare was awarded a speed figure of 113 for her victory there, which puts her in the mix here. She’s finished first or second in six of her last eight races. The downside to that stat is the two non-placings came in her only attempts in grade one company, an eighth-place run in the Belle of the Turf and a tenth-place finish in the Misfit.

Back in December of 2023, as a 3-year-old, Worldclass Racing Stables’ Without Permission earned a 119 speed figure when winning the eight-furlong Black Dahlia (G2). That’s quite an accomplishment for a sophomore filly and it would seem to foretell a bright future. Her 4-year-old season, however, would prove to be a washout. She failed to win in all seven starts, hitting the board just once, a third-place finish in the 7 1/2-furlong Keep Them Safe Stakes (G2). One of those other races was a last place finish in the Cool Classic. Things brightened for the Dark Angel mare as a 5-year-old, where in her only start she broke the losing streak by winning the Ian Sprint (G3) by a cool two lengths. Should she be back in consistent form, she’ll have every shot, afterall she does have that 119 speed figure to run back to.

Tees’ Hell Yell has finished in the top two in seven consecutive races, including a second-place showing in the Fujimoto Sprint (G1) three starts back. The 5-year-old daughter of No Nay Never is one of three graded stakes winners thus far produced by her grade one winning Giant’s Causeway dam, Screamo. Hell Yell has won two straight races, an owner-restricted stakes race at 5 1/2 furlongs and a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race on a yielding turf course here at New South Wales. Hell Yell won two graded stakes races last year, the 7 1/2-furlong Twilight Stakes (G2), in which she earned a 114 speed figure, and the seven-furlong Parlay Stakes (G3). Hell Yell is another deep closer with every chance to at least hit the board.

After winning her first stakes race in May of 2023 (the grade two Sandy Ring), I Am In Command has lost all seven of her attempts in added money races (and four of five allowance contests) at distances ranging from 5 1/2 to nine furlongs. Since turning four at the start of 2024, owner Slowroll has narrowed the focus to races between seven and 8 1/2 furlongs with generally better results. Her last three races, in particular, show some promise: a seven furlong allowance race victory, a second-place showing in the Golden Trinkett Stakes (G2) in which she earned a 109 speed figure — both at seven furlongs — and an even fourth in the one mile Motherly Love Stakes (G1) in November. The daughter of I Am Invincible has been rested since then and the 7 1/2 furlong distance might just suit her best given she earned a then career best speed figure, a four-point pop over her previous best, in a 7 1/2-furlong race last February and has a previous win at the distance.

Gcutty’s Speightsense is one who appears on the fringe of contention here, but 5-year-old daughter of Street Sense is lightly raced on turf (and in sprints) and may be finding her best stride now as she heads into the gate for her 25th career race. She notched her first graded stakes win last time out in the six-furlong Jenkies Sprint (G2) on turf earning a 106 speed figure. The added ground Saturday may prove the catalyst to exceed her career best speed figure of 109 earned in an eight and a quarter furlong dirt track allowance race. Her grade two winning Speightstown dam was proficient at the Cool Classic distance, earning her top speed figure of 115 at the distance, albeit on the main track (she never tried turf).

Slowjet’s SPF Thirty comes to the Cool Classic following a two-race experiment in dirt racing. Race one went excellently, the daughter of The Autumn Sun tried a seven-furlong allowance race on a sloppy track and won for fun, capping her 3-year-old campaign with the top speed figure (108) of her career. Already a grade two winner on turf (see also last May’s Don’t Be Salty Stakes) she then mixed it up in the Santa Maria Stakes on the main track in California and finished a respectable third, though never really threatening the top pair. She’s already shown a propensity for racing at the 7 1/2 furlong distance (her first stakes win came at the distance), and the switch back to turf could propel her forward Saturday.

After racing to a 109 speed figure when second by a head in September’s Chai Rose Stakes (G2) here at New South Wales, the then 3-year-old Runawaywithyou jumped into the deep end of all ages racing and stubbed her toe a bit on the bottom of the pool, finishing ninth and eighth in a pair of grade one races against some of her Cool Classic competitors. I keep going back to that 109 speed figure though, given the passage of time and the added maturity, Tenpoint’s daughter of War Front could be ready for another big race Saturday. She was grinding her way past runners in the stretch of the seven-furlong Misfit Sprint and she’ll get that extra half-furlong Saturday.

If there is one horse I have concerns about her ability to get the Cool Classic distance it’s Corza’s Spinsters Ball. Unfortunately, I also have speed and more negligible class concerns. In five races contested between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 furlongs in which she’s entered she’s given up ground in the stretch in all five. The 4-year-old daughter of Maurice raced poorly in her lone grade one outing (albeit on dirt) but earned her career best speed figure of 103 when third in the Amalie Brunn Sprint (G3) on grass in July, so I’m willing to ignore my class concerns, but I have a hard time seeing her hit the board in a grade one race at this distance.

At 22/1 on the morning line, I have to use Crook As Rookwood aggressively. I’ll do an ersatz across the board bet: $20 to win, and $2 backwheel exactas with Lenepalooza (5/1), Iron Queen (6/1), Boneford (13/1), Fire Needs Ice (5/1), Navy Hill (11/1), Abracadazzle (10/1), Without Permission (7/1), Hell Yell (7/1), and Runawaywithyou (21/1) on top. I’ll then put in some trifecta bets with those nine in the first and second spots and Crook As Rookwood keyed in third. Boneford at 13/1 is also good value and I’ll use her on top and bottom of exactas with that previous group of nine and Crook As Rookwood added to the mix. Good luck to all.