The Bluegrass Cup Classic
The first of the
(PP1 – 8/1) Paleskin, of the James22 stable, holds down the rail for this full field of 14 runners. Paleskin, Cherokee Run X Majestic Light X Crème Dela Crème, has hit the board in 12 of 21 races, while winning four races. He has never won a stakes race at any level, though. Paleskin seems to run better from the front. I am not sure if he will break from the gate in the lead in this field, but if he does he could be there at the end. What else would you expect from the # 88 ranked Dirt Classic category horse? Good placement for James22.
(PP2 – 9/1)Woody’s Smurfs, of the Galaxystar stable, goes off at 9/1 for the morning line. This Woodman X Nijinsky II X Bazaar horse is very well traveled. Woody’s Smurfs has broken from the gate in 48 races and has hit the board in an incredible 31 of them!! With over $1.25 million in earnings, this is one tough hombre. And talk about a closer, Woody’s Smurfs was in 12th place 14 ¼ lengths back at the 2nd call in the Grade I Oaktree Handicap. He finished up in 4th only 2 lengths back of the winner!! So if you are looking for an exciting bet, put a $ 2 ticket on Woody’s Smurfs and feel the adrenaline flow through your veins as he flies down the stretch. Hehehe. Not only that, this 8 year old, according to Sinoboy’s SP# index, has fired the best SP within one furlong of this distance with a 117.2!! Not a bad little bet here, folks.
(PP3 – 21/1) Sir Fapsir, of the Jarrod1 stable, is one of the race’s long shots. This Sefapiano X Sir Leon X Sir Tristram(IRE) 4 year old colt, has 36 races under his belt. Sir Fapsir has never finished better than 3rd in any stakes race and that was as a 2 year old. He has also never run in a Graded Stakes race. He is very overmatched here. He looks to be a very dominating allowance horse, but not quite cut out for Stakes company.
(PP4 – 15/1) Piano Pro T, of the Youngnhung stable, is a 5 year old horse. This Smart Strike X Fappiano X Mr. Prospector horse has 50 races to date and currently holds the # 124 Dirt Classic ranking for older horses. Piano Pro T has only run in three Graded races, and has one win out of those three races, winning the Gravestone Cup (G3), his final race as a 4 year old. He has the ability, but not the consistency to win here. To win this race, the winner will have to fire well over # 100 SP, and I doubt Piano Pro T will fire big enough to hit the board, much less win. Too much talent in this race for the Youngnhung stable’s entry to compete.
(PP5 – 13/1) Lincolnism, of the Glenys123 stable, is a 5 year old horse. This Storm Cat X Generous(IRE) X What A Pleasure entry holds the # 75 Dirt Classic ranking with 70 stakes points earned. In his (G1) and (G2) races so far this year, Lincolnism has finished with two 3rd place finishes and one 4th in five races at those levels. He certainly has the ability. Lincolnism likes to run from the back of the field and try to run down the leaders as they hit the stretch. If he wins this one or hits the board, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock to the Glenys123 stable. Good placement and nice odds if Lincolnism runs according to his ability.
(PP6 – 46/1) Hydrocarbon, of the Whoami2 stable, is the long shot of the race. This Lemon Drop Kid X Forty Niner X Seattle Slew 3 year old only has 10 races under his belt, but he has won 4 of them. Hydrocarbon has the blueblood breeding lines, and has won his last four races, but he has NEVER run in a Stakes race, much less a Graded Stakes. He would have to run a career race to compete here. Nice horse, but I would run him in regular stakes races and force him to show me he can handle that level first. I would also dominate the races against his own age before running him against older horses at this level. He may factor better against Graded runners in the 3 year only category.
(PP7 – 5/1) Patu Picin, of the Ceejaygee stable, is one of the morning line odds co-favorites. This 5 year old horse has won 11 of 29 races and has nearly hit the $1 million dollar mark in earnings. Patu Picin holds the # 87 Dirt Classic ranking of older horses. This Kris S. X Theatrical(IRE) X Sadler’s Wells entry is coming off 3 straight wins, two of those in lower level Stakes company. He has finished up with a win and a couple of 2nd place finishes in (G2) company. Patu Picin has also never failed to fire at least a # 101 SP in his six races this year. Very easy choice for a co-favorite. I think Patu Picin will be there at the end, the question is where will he hit the board??
(PP8 – 7/1) Political Patriot, of the Focusforce stable, is another 4 year old colt. This Machiavellian X Deputy Minister X Storm Bird colt has won 6 of 13 races and has hit the board in 9 of 13 races. Political Patriot is currently ranked # 31 in the Dirt Classic category. He never finished worse than 5th in any Graded Stakes race before his last race, where he finished up 11th. This race is a furlong and a half shorter than his 10 furlong preference so that could affect Political Patriot in this one. He likes to close down the stretch, but today, there may not be enough track left for Political Patriot to hit the board. He could factor into this one, but he is running uphill with the shorter track.
(PP9 – 16/1) Kidman, of the Aussie stable, is a 4 year old colt that joins the other long shots of the race. This A.P. Indy X Little Current X Top Ville(IRE) colt’s best finish in lower level Stakes company was a 3rd. He ran one (G2), but finished 9th in that one. He can fire over # 100 SP, but he is better suited to dominate the allowance level races. Kidman is not a Graded Stakes level horse, at least not yet.
(PP10 – 5/1) Year Of The Vote, of the Catahoula stable, is a 4 year old colt that holds the morning line odds co-favorite honor. This Event Of The Year X Northern Baby X Alydar colt is the # 10 ranked Dirt Classic horse for the Older Horse category, with 226 stakes points under his belt. He has won 7 of 23 and hit the board in 18 of those 23 races. Year Of The Vote is a Graded Stakes machine!! He has two wins, a 2nd, a 3rd, and a 4th in 7 total Graded races. He has only fired less than a # 104 SP twice this year. Look for Year Of The Vote to hit the board somewhere. I can’t see betting against this one being there at the end.
(PP11 – 6/1) Raider Property, of the Penamacor2 stable, is a 4 year old colt slotted to finish 3rd by the morning line odds. This Belong To Me X Kingmambo X Seattle Slew colt has won 9 of 23 races and is ranked # 57 in the Dirt Classic category. Raider Property’s only finish outside the winner’s circle in his last five races was the Prims Memorial (G2), an 8th place finish. I can’t blame the Penamacor2 stable for throwing him back into the Graded level stakes races. Raider Property has the ability to compete here at this level and in this race. If he doesn’t fire, at least he can really dominate the lower level stakes races with confidence. But I think this is a real contender in this race. Not really a closer, Raider Property prefers to run right off the pack in stalking position. Look for a nice run from this 4 year old today.
(PP12 – 16/1) Poker In The Back, of the Rharfo1 stable, has the honor of my favorite name in the race. Ha ha ha. It may be the only honor he takes in this one. This Broad Brush X Ack Ack X Hoist The Flag is a 4 year old colt with 5 wins in 11 races and has hit the board in 8 of 11 races. Although Poker In The Back has yet to run in a Stakes race at any level, he could be surprise today. Since stretching out to the longer races, Poker In The Back has won three of four races and the one he didn’t win he finished up in 2nd. Granted they were allowance races, but this is a horse that doesn’t yet know his plateau. He is running uphill, but I can’t blame the Rharfo1 stable for taking a shot. This is a helluva field to take that shot in though. Good luck to Poker In The Back.
(PP13 – 8/1) Tricky Tony, of the Skirom stable, is a 4 year old colt with just under $1 million in career earnings. This Minds Music X Crafty Prospector X A.P. Indy colt has won 8 of 33 races and is ranked # 107 in the Dirt Classic category. Tricky Tony has the ability to fire big SP #s, but he has never finished better than 5th in a (G2) race. I think his 8/1 odds are a gift here. I think he is outmatched in this one. Most of his glory days were last year when he won a couple of (G1) and (G2) races. Tricky Tony could finish up in 5th here, but I think even that would be a stretch with this field.
(PP14 – 21/1) Geodesic Quark, of the Derbyrun stable, is another 3 year old long shot. This Exploit X Beau Genius X Alydar colt has won 3 of 12 and hit the board in 7 of 12. He is the # 187 ranked 3 year old colt in the 3 year old Dirt Classic category. He won his first try at Stakes company in a lower level stakes race, but when he tried Graded Stakes he fell off, finishing up in 6th and 4th. Those last two races could be deceiving, however, since they were at the 10 and 13 furlong distances. He could be a real surprise in this one. I guess it all depends on how Geodesic Quark can handle the distance he likes against tougher company than he has faced at that distance. If you were gonna bet a long shot, I would take this one. He could factor into this race when it’s all over.
Bigbaba