Full Field for the Ferdichenko Cup
Welcome to Japan and the 8th running of the G2- Ferdichenko Cup. Amanda Jane, the only mare to win this race, holds the stakes record from the inaugural running in 2001. She ran the mile and a half in just over 2 and a half minutes, wiring the field of 7 horses. She is one of only two favorites to win this race. Twice the entrants have had to contend with a yielding turf track, but the track is dry today and listed as firm. This race has only drawn a full field once before, but they have done it again today. Let’s take a look at the 14 horses vying for the win:
PP 1 SAKE (KY) (DYNAFORMER x DANZIG x ALYDAR) bred and trained by 2tohold (More Evil Than The Evil Empire, 15%) Odds: 9 to 1
First we have Eclipse Award nominee for 2008 Champion 3yo filly on turf Sake. She may have lost out to Otto Tribute for the Eclipse Award, but she stomped out the competition in the G1-Penn Oaks last time out. She raced that 12 furlongs in 2 minutes 30 seconds which if she could repeat here would break the stakes record. Today she will be running against the boys for the first time, but she has proven herself in the class and this distance and I think she will hold her own. She is a late runner and will gladly let someone else have the lead to start, but she can make up a lot of ground in the stretch. She is the first of two horses trained at More Evil Than The Evil Empire.
PP 2 DARKDOUN (IRE) (GALILEO x PEINTRE CELEBRE (IRE) x CERLEON) bred and trained by peepsclaim (Conquest Farms, 15%) Odds: 7 to 1
Next we have Darkdoun, the first of our older horses in the field and the first of our 4 co-second favorites. He is a 6 year old son of Galileo coming off an overnight win with a blazing hot speed of 111, which is his career high. He has won 8 times in his career and the majority of them were stakes wins. He is a graded winner, although you have to go back to his 3 year old campaign to find it. Before his last time out win he was not in the best form and was struggling in a mix of overnight and graded stakes. Hopefully the win marks the turn around and he is getting back into form. Post position two is a great spot for him; all of his wins were wire to wire. He will push hard out of the gates for the early lead and we will have to see if there is some other early speed in the race that will challenge him.
PP 3 GALIESIS (IRE) (GALILEO x DIESIS (GB) x COZZENE) bred and trained by goldsmith (Goldsmith Stables, 9%) Odds: 17 to 1
Galiesis is out of post position 3 and is another one of our up and coming 4 year olds. He had a very promising 3 year old campaign, winning the G1-Harbour City Stakes, G1-The Irish Derby and just missing in the G2-Horseshoe Falls Stakes. Unfortunately he has been struggling since last August and hasn’t finished in the money since then. Last time his trainers at Goldsmith Stables dropped him down from the G1’s he had been trying for a 10.5 furlong listed stakes. He finished just out of the money there and like Darkdoun next to him, might be getting back in to form. His last race was on January 17, so he will only have 2 weeks rest for today’s 12 furlong challenge. He is another horse in the field that will let others fight for the early lead and try to make his move coming into the stretch.
PP 4 SHRIVER MINE (DYNAFORMER x IRISH RIVER (FR) x BLUSHING GROOM (FR)) bred by trained by shawke (Jrogue Stables, 18%) Odds: 30 to 1
We seem to be alternating younger and older horses in this field and next we have one of the older horses. Shriver Mine is a 7 year old son of Dynaformer. He started his career strong, breaking his maiden at first asking when he was 4. He then struggled until the end of his 4 year old campain when he started winning again. He raced 16 times in 12 months and picked up his 5 other career wins. His only stakes win came at the G1-Doomben Cup on an off track, which he won’t have today. He came close in two other graded tries, but has struggled recently. Shriver Mine did win at 14 furlongs once, but all other attempts over 10 furlongs have not been successful. He is an early speed horse, but will need a great start here to get out into the lead and hold it.
PP 5 CIRCLE OF SOLACE (KY) (AWESOME AGAIN x A.P. INDY x NIJINSKY II) bred and trained by weller1 (Deadinthelane Stables, 16%) Odds: 7 to 1
Circle of Solace is the second of our 4 co-favorites. He is a 5 year old son of Awesome Again, who is one of the sim’s A list sires. Although he started his career with 3 dirt tries, netting him one win and two in the money finishes, his trainer at Deadinthelane Stables switched him to turf and he exploded. In his next 15 races he only finished out of the money once and won 9 times, including his only graded win at the G1-San Francisco Capitan Handicap. He has struggled since that G1 win, but looks to be turning the corner. In his last two starts he has been close, finishing second both times. His last time out he tied his career high speed with a 111. Circle of Solace will contribute to the early speed in the race, but he doesn’t need the lead to win, which could be to his advantage with many of the other favorites liking the early lead too.
PP 6 DASSAULT (KY) (OURAGAN x DEHERE x CHIEF’S CROWN) bred and trained by tenpin (Rockriver Stables, 11%) Odds: 7 to 1
Out of post position 6 we have Dassault, a 5 year old son of Ouragan. Since Ouragan became a sim sire in 2006 he has only produced one graded winner and this is it. Add a handful of stakes wins to his graded win and you have got a very nice horse. You have to go back almost a year to find the last time he put up a speed under the century mark. He had his career best last October with an impressive 115 on an off track. He won’t have an off track here, but should still be competitive. Dassault seems to be alternating wins with out of the money finishes and if this co-second favorite continues that trend he could find himself in the winner’s circle.
PP 7 SILENCERS (KY) (KINGMAMBO x DANEHILL x PLEASANT COLONY) bred and trained by super1 (More Evil Than The Evil Empire, 15%) Odds: 7 to 1
Super brings us the last of our 4 co-second favorites with Silencers. This 5 year old son of Kingmambo hasn’t won since last August, but to his credit has been racing for the most part in tough G1 races. He is a G1 winner at this distance and surface and 3 other of his 5 career wins were at the stakes level. He has raced quite a few of these horses in his last starts; Max California and Circle of Solace finished ahead him, but he crossed the line before Impacted, Galiesis, Shriver Mine and he and Delpenn Gold raced twice, each finishing ahead of the other once. Perhaps 2009 will get Silencers out of the rut he has been in, and if this is the case watch out for him in the stretch, he can make up a lot of ground.
PP 8 CAMPOBELLO (IRE) (HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR x STREET CRY (IRE) x SADLER’S WELLS) bred and trained by bearfan (The CVBear Racing Empire, 9%) Odds: 17 to 1
Campobello is coming off a win in a listed stakes and his career high speed of 108 against a decent field. That was his second stakes win and he is making his graded debut here today. This 4 year old son of Holy Roman Emperor based on a G ranked hemare. Most of his recent wins have been at 11 furlongs, but he has also won at 12. The biggest question for him here is if he will be able to handle the jump in class. Holy Roman Empire has produced only 2 years and Campobello is one of his 4 stakes winners and if Campobello were to win today, he would be the first graded winner for him. A very nice looking colt.
PP 9 MAX CALIFORNIA (KY) (ROCK HARD TEN x SECRETARIAT x DANZIG) bred and trained by buffy5 (Winterfell Racing, 16%) Odds: 7 to 2
Out of post position 9 we have our morning line favorite and second horse in the field to receive an Eclipse nomination (this time for Champion Older Horse on Turf). Max California is a 5 year old scratch bred son of Rock Hard Ten. Max California is from his first crop and is the top earner for Rock Hard Ten since he became a sim sire. Max California has only finished out of the money once in the last year and even though he hasn’t always been winning, he has been a factor is some tough graded races. He has shown a lot of speed lately and although he can close or help set up the early speed, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to wire this field. He will have top jockey K Ledwith in the irons. Watch out for this one.
PP 10 DELPENN GOLD (IRE) (SADLER’S WELLS x ALYDAR x BOLD RULER) bred and trained by sdmf2 (Black Label Stables, 17%) Odds: 8 to 1
Next is Delpenn Gold, a lightly raced 4 year old son of Sadler’s Wells. Of his 12 turf tries, the only time he finished out of the money was in G1 events. He does have both a G2 and G3 win, so class isn’t an issue. Last time out he finished behind Circle of Solace and Max California, although ahead of two others in today’s field. He is a late runner and he will have a lot of competition in the stretch. Although he has had a successful start, as a son of Sadler’s Wells his best races might be ahead of him and he could turn into a monster.
PP 11 IMPACTED (JPN) (DEEP IMPACT x SAKHEE x STORM CAT) bred and trained by artracing (Worldwide, 15%) Odds: 10 to 1
Impacted, a son of Deep Impact is trained by artracing at Worldwide. After struggling on the dirt he made great improvements after his trainer at Worldwide switched him to turf. He was very successful in allowance races and won two listed stakes. He then tried the G1-Japan Classic, which was one of his worst turf finishes, and he just hasn’t been able to win since. Although he has won at 12 furlongs, the last two times he tried this distance he finished well behind the leader. Like many others in this race he is coming into the race not in the best form and is hoping to turn it around here.
PP 12 BARB’S STICKY (KOR) (EXPLOIT x IRISH RIVER (FR) x RED RANSOM) bred and trained by eurobarn (Jakematt Stables, 14%) Odds: 11 to 1
Out of post position 12 is Barb’s Sticky, a 5 year old son of Exploit. She is one of only 5 stakes winner produces by the son of Storm Cat and is Exploits number 1 offspring for 2006. Since her trainer at Jakematt stables started racing her on turf she has won 6 of her 20 starts and finished in the money 75% of the time. In her last 5 races she has 2 stakes wins and 2 in the money finishes. She has only tried 12 furlongs twice and unfortunately in those two tries she finished a combined total of almost 40 lengths back. This is her graded debut, so not only will she have to deal with the jump in class, but also the distance. She has one win at 11 furlongs, but the majority of her wins came at a mile or just over a mile.
PP 13 RAINBOW MOONSHELL (RAINBOW QUEST x SADLER’S WELLS x KRIS (GB)) bred and trained by cleverdoc (Cleverdoc Stables, 18%) Odds: 85 to 1
Rainbow Moonshell has a very impressive past performance history. This 8 year old has won almost 30% of his races and has finished in the money almost 70% of the time! You have to go back to last summer to find he last win, but at the time he won 3 out of 4 of his stakes tries. And today he is coming off two second place finishes in his last two races. Many of his wins have been at a full two miles or 13 plus furlongs, but one of is recent second place finishes was at 12 furlongs. Despite finishing second, his last out he only put up a 60 and that is contributing to his long odds here today.
PP 14 HAMMER OF THOR (IRE) (RAKTI (GB) x CRYSTAL PALACE (FR) x CUSTINO (GB)) bred and trained by blacksoxuk (Balcksoxuk Stables, 6%) Odds: 73 to 1
Last we have Hammer of Thor, one of our young colts in the race. This lightly raced 4 year old is making only his 11th career start. His last out was his stakes debut where he struggled and finished next to last 15 lengths back. Hopefully that was just an off day, prior to that he had won two and finished in the money twice in his last four starts. He is making quite a jump in class and is only making his fourth start against winners. Hammer of Thos is coming off only 3 weeks rest and will need to put everything he has out of the track if he hopes to be in the mix here.
Historically this race has been won by late runners and there are plenty of them in the field today. Also, the race has been won by a horse coming off at least an in the money finish in a graded or listed stakes. Sake, Darkdoun, Circle of Solace, Campobello, and Max California are the only horses in that position. There is quite a nice mix of early speed and late runners. I expect the favorite and many of the co-second favorites to be at the front setting the pace and I think they are going to be hard to beat.
Morning line: 1st – Max California
2nd – Darkdoun, Circle of Solace, Dassault and Silencers
3rd – DelPenn Gold
Kloie’s picks: 1st – Cicrle of Solace, 2nd – Dassault, 3rd – Max California
Good luck and happy racing. 🙂