Get Your Scrubbing Brushes Ready

It’s finally here, the Toilet Scrubbers Anonymous Handicap!!! And somehow I always get lucky assignments. Last time I got to get the 10-cent weanies out at the Epsom track. This week, the track is giving away discount coupons. Coupons for 50% off on all scrub brushes!!! That ties in with the Grade 2 running of the feature race, a 9.5 furlong dirt race with a field of 14 packing the starting gate. But the weather God’s decided to honor the feature race by sprinkling some rain onto the track, thus we have conditions labled as Good. Let’s see if we can find a horse that will run good for us in this race…..

1. Sovereign Silver 44-1
Spvereign has won 3 of 7 starts going over a mile and makes his first graded start. He has run in one stakes race, finishing 7th going 10f. He hasn’t broken the 100-speed level yet which makes him an unlikely candidate to win this race.

2. Ucantbreakmyspirit 17-1
Ucantbreakmyspirit shows a liking to the wet track. He has a win and a show in three off-track starts. He won an allowance race on a sloppy track three races back. Back in May, he finished second in the Grade I Road to the New Yorker. He has raced on this track once before and put in a second, so there is a sign of a liking to the track. His last two races do lend concern finishing 8th and 10th. He likes to run on the lead, and failed to do that in the last two starts. I’ll pass on him, but the offtrack may bring some life back.

3. Dance Steps 7-1
Dance Steps may be doing some dancing in this race. He has won 2 of three starts on the slop, both Grade I stakes. Dance is taking a drop in distance, where he has been running primarily at 12f. He tends to pace right behind the leader and leaps out for the lead late. He has been posting speeds over 100 since this past May and stands a chance to win here.

4. Trophy of Triumph 10-1
Trophy has won 5 of his 8 starts. He has been in the money every race except his last, which was his first start in a graded race. He ran in the Grade I Delaware Mile and put in a nice effort, finishing 4th my just over a length. He came from well back in 8th to just miss hitting the board, while posting a speed of 111 (on a good track). This was also his first start on a different track. All his starts were in Nevada before moving to race in this Delaware stakes. He has the ability to run 110+ speeds, and has done well on the off-track. Worth considering.

5. Henry Clay 7-1
This horse is what I call a sleeper. He doesn’t like to run. He breaks extremely slowly from the gate and spots the field a generous lead. The alarm clock goes off at the 2nd call, and he hits the snooze button. But that goes off just before the third call, and he wakes up. Just pass the third call, he jumps out of bed and takes off. This is how he has won 5 of his 9 starts, including his last two, which he ran in 113 and 114. Sleepers are always worth watching, but keep in mind that he has yet to run on an off-track.

6. Forty Short 6-1
As one of the favorites, Forty Short comes in with 9 wins in 22 starts. Trainer Helenus was lucky to obtain this colt out of a claimer last April. He won the $2 million Topicount Special in December, his only graded stakes race. In that race, he posted a speed of 115 and followed that up with a win and a speed of 109. He looks sharp and shows the ability to handle an off-track. He’s also a hard closer and looks to be a factor in this race.

7. City Fortress 19-1
City is 6 for 14 coming in the money going in routes. He has three graded stake starts, with a forth place finish in the Texas Derby being his best result. He shows one start on a sloppy track in the Captain Hook stakes where he put in an uneventful 5th place finish. City is coming off an allowance win that he breezed to the wire and won by 7 strides as the 1-10 favorite, posting an 83 speed. The speed looks low, but considering he had an easy win, he was not driven too hard. He can run speeds over 100, but looks unlikely in this race and I think he will consider to struggle in the graded race class.

8. Help From Heaven 11-1
Help has shown some life since Trainer Chance4bad took ownership. Since being acquired, he has been in the money 10 of 12 starts (5 of 18 prior to ownership transfer). He makes his first graded start in well over a year. He has recorded speeds over 100 in his last 6 starts. He has appeared mainly in allowance races and the leap up may be a bit overwhelming I feel. Help will probably run in mid-pack and try to fight his way forward late. He hasn’t run on an off-track, which is another factor to consider. I feel he’ll find himself overmatched in this race.

9. Horatio Nelson 5-1
Horatio is extremely consistant, hitting the board in 18 of 22 starts and walking away with 7 wins. He ran on an off-track last race, finishing 8th after being pressed for the lead early on. He has only one win in 9 graded starts, however, hit the board in five. He hasn’t posted a speed below 100 since mid-2007. Despite his last start, he has a win and a show on the wet surface. I’m not sure that he’ll be the winner, but he should be considered in any exotic wagers.

10. Wrisky Cat 7-1
Wrisky Cat is making a return appearance to this race. Wrisky ran last year and finished 7th, not a factor in the race. However, it was his first of three graded races. Wrisky hasn’t done well in graded races, but is fairing better in non-graded stake races. In his last 5 stake starts, he has won twice and showed twice, posting speeds between 103 and 112. He jumps back up to the graded level and will need to show he is at his best.

11. Seven More Days 9-1
Seven has won 6 of 10 career starts and is making his debut in graded stakes. He comes off a win by 4 in the Colonial Saddle, where he posted a speed of 104. He has a win on the slop, but I don’t put a lot of weight on it, as it was against a short field of four. He’ll be near the rear of the field early and make a strong late charge. Despite moving up, he has the ability to win.

12. Listening 9-1
Listening has only two wins in 14 route starts, but has been on the board 10 times. He is another “sleeper” who wakes up very late and flies down the stretch. He has never won a graded race in 11 starts, however, has been on the board seven times. On the offtrack, he has mixed results, hitting the board 3 of 5 times. No doubt he has ability, but he has put in some poor efforts on the off-track and that concerns me.

13. Buckminister 21-1
This longshot could very well be the pace setter. Buckminister loves to run on the lead and there aren’t many in the field with early speed. Buckminister has a lot working against him. First, he’s only won one stakes race in 10 starts. Second, he hasn’t hit the board in his last 9 starts. Third, he doesn’t care for the off-track (on board 2 of 9). In order for him to win the race, he will need to build a huge lead early and have the stamina to hold on. There are a lot of hard closers and it’s doubtful he’ll be able to get a large lead.

14. Broken Paw 19-1
Broken Paw is taken a leap up to the Graded level from a long series of allowance races. He’s coming off two consecutive races with speeds of 102, including a 9f on an off-track. Broken hasn’t run a stakes race since 2004, as a 2-year old, and the class jump appears to be too much. In any event, he has only one win in 8 route starts, which was the before mentioned off-track win. He has hit the board in all 5 of his off-track starts, showing a liking to the moisture. A non-graded stakes race may be a better testing ground for his ability.

Several horses have a shot at taking home the toilet scrubber trophy. Henry Clay, the sleeper, gets my top pick. The race lacks any serious early speed and the late closers all have opportunity. Henry Clay is the one to watch.

With few speedsters, Forty Short might be closer to the front enhancing his chances. He has some late speed and looks to be in peak form.

Horatio Nelson rarely misses the board and will be my third selection. It’s hard to exclude him from exotic wagers.