Female marathoners take up the gauntlet in Hard Gulch Memorial

Virginia offers up another marathon to race fans this week, having a look at the female long distance runners in the fourth annual running of the Hard Gulch Memorial. The race, for fillies and mares four years old and older, runs over fourteen furlongs of turf, and carries a $45000 purse. Once again this week, the weather has held out, and the track will be rated as firm for this event. Historically, the race has had short fields, but a fast pace. Every previous winner has cracked the 100+ barrier, and the shortest margin of victory has been last year’s two and a quarter length win. That win went to Vouvray, in a star studded field including Otto Platinum and Salfly’s Spur, and she set the new benchmark for the race with a blazing 108.275 speed figure. This year, the race draws a field of four, but it shouldn’t be short on excitement, with two of the top one hundred ranked divisional ladies squaring off here. Things may be a bit less exciting at the betting windows. Three of four entries are at 2/1 odds or better, with the favorite weighing in at a short 7/5, backed by an 8/5 second choice. The longshot here is a mere 7/1, and if the oddsmakers are right, payouts in this one should be minimal.

PP 1) East Coast Turbo(ENG) Sired by Red Ransom, Trained by ks00003. East Coast Turbo is a five year old mare, making her twenty sixth career start in this race. Her recent starts have been a hodge podge of everything from high level claims to graded stakes, but she hasn’t been able to buy a win since her maiden debut in the 2007 season. Over the course of her last ten she sports a 0-2-4-1-1 record, with a top speed of 92.5 earned in an allowance start early last summer. Her last run was a fourteen furlong stakes in Mississippi, where she gave up a four length lead late, but showed decent stamina, finishing second in a field of five. She did some time on dirt early last season, running passably well, but turf has always been a more comfortable surface for her. Distance hasn’t been a problem for her, and in ten turf starts at twelve furlongs and longer she has three place and three shows to her credit. She’s a rabbit, showcasing a fast break, trying to put some distance on the field early. She’s the only real early speed in this one, which works to her advantage, and should allow her to open up a decent first half cushion. Unfortunately, she hasn’t really shown enough speed so far in her career to be able to hold on to that lead late in a field of this calibre. Look for her to set the pace early, but unless she’s been hiding some extra speed, she’s likely to be swamped as they head into the stretch.

PP 2) Rock Me Mambo Sired by Sadler’s Wells, Trained by kingfaust. Rock Me Mambo is running in her six year old campaign, taking the gate for career start number thirty one this Saturday. She has five stakes wins on her resume, her most recent coming in her last start, and comes in with a 95 divisional ranking. She’s run to a 2-3-2-1-0 record in her last ten starts, putting up a best speed figure of 99.6 late last April. Her last start was a thirteen furlong stakes in Jamaica, where she simply dominated down the stretch to walk away with a four and three quarter length victory. She tried dirt late in her two year old season, running well against some tough competition, but turf has always been her claim to fame. She’s a distance specialist, with twenty of her thirty starts coming at twelve furlongs and beyond, where she has garnered nine wins and seventeen top three finishes. She’s prefers to run as a midpack closer, but her close has been up and down over her last several starts, ranging from brillaint to virtually nonexistent. She’s won two of her last three starts, though, showing enough speed to hold her own against the favorites here. She’s going to be unlikely to be able to break clear down the stretch in this one like she has in her last two wins, however, and that could be a deal breaker for her winning hopes here.

PP 3) Corey’s Realm(IRE) Sired by Singspiel(IRE), Trained by ace. Corey’s Realm(IRE) is a five year old mare, and she steps to the track here for her twenty ninth career start. She boasts a pair of career stakes wins, coming in her last two starts, and they have propelled her to a number 68 divisional ranking. She’s made eleven starts under her current trainer, her fourth, who picked her up virtually for a song late in 2007, running to a 5-2-4-0-0 record, with a best speed of 100.2 which she earned two starts back. Her last race was a thirteen furlong stakes on a tough Kentucky track, where she ran away from a short field in the second half to post a three and three quarter length victory. She’s made a few token dirt starts, where she hasn’t managed to earn a penny, but the combination of turf and marathon distance under the guidance of her lastest trainer has paid big dividends for her. She has twelve starts at twelve furlongs and longer, which she has turned into six wins and a perfect twelve top three finishes. She’s a midpack closer, and she has been quite good when she is within about six lengths at the half. She’s had problems making up the bigger gaps though, and she hasn’t shown the same power when she finds herself out too deep. She’s been putting up some of her best speed figures lately, and has shown the distance doesn’t bother her. The fourteen furlongs here makes her my pick to take home the winner’s trophy here.

PP 4) Costa Del Sol(IRE) Sired by Rock Of Gibraltar(IRE), Trained by johhndo. Costa Del Sol(IRE) is the up and coming newcomer in this field, and the four year old filly makes only her sixteenth career start in this one. She’s comes in riding a four race winning streak, including her first stakes victory in her last start. She’s produced a 5-2-1-2-0 record in her last ten starts, breaking the 100+ barrier three times, capped by a 103.0 speed figure two starts back. Her last race was an eleven furlong stakes in New York, where she eked out a hard fought victory by a sacnt quarter length in a field of four. She’s had a couple of dirt runs, but she’s been tough on the grass, never finishing worse than fourth in any of her thirteen turf starts. Five of her starts have been at twelve furlongs and longer, and she has a pair of wins and a place in those runs. She generally like to close from the midpack, but she has also shown the capability to perform well with a faster start. Her close has been very good for the most part, especially over her last few starts. She has shown by far her career best form over here last four starts, and that earns her the favorite billing here. The fourteen furlong distance is the only question mark for me here. Her start at thirteen earned her her lowest career turf speed, and although she won handily in a sixteen furlong outing late last year, it wasn’t with the speed she’s been showing in the eleven to twelve furlong range. That being said, though, she should be fighting hard down the stretch here, and she with definitely be a factor as they approach the wire if she shows the same form she has in her last four starts.