Ghost Whispers favored in G3 Shawnee River Handicap
Shawnee River Handicap
Grade III
A mile and one eighth
Firm Turf
$125,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up
Welcome to the 10th running of the Shawnee River Handicap in North Florida. This race has rarely attracted a full field, but today we only have 6 competing for their share of the $125,000 pot. It has attracted the third ranked turf classic mare and some up and coming 4 year olds. In the early history of this race it was won by early speed, but in the last 5 races it was won by a late runner. Today our heavy favorite is a late runner, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see that trend continue. Let’s look at the field:
PP 1 URBAN QUEST (ENG) (RAINBOW QUEST x KRIS S x VAGUELY NOBLE) bred and trained by battlers (Ozsteve Stables, 15%) Odds: 7 to 2
Up first we have Urban Quest, a 5 year old daughter of Rainbow Quest out of game dam Noble Princess. She is a very successful turf router, winning well over a million for her connections at Ozsteve Stables. She is a graded winner as a juvenile, and has some in the money finishes as an older horse, but no graded wins. Her last 4 wins were all in listed stakes. She has been consistently putting up speeds over the century mark, although in her last race she finished 8th in a G1 event. Hopefully she can put that race behind her today.
PP 2 GHOST WHISPERS (KY) (GONE WEST x SADLER’S WELLS x RED RANSOM) bred and trained by trij (Trij Stables, 14%) Odds: 8 to 5
Next we have the favorite Ghost Whispers. She is a 5 year old daughter of Gone West out of game dam Sadie’s Ransom, who was a dirt sprinter. Ghost Whispers started her career on dirt, but when her trainer at Trij Stables switched her to turf early in her fourth year she really took off. She has quite a string of triple digits speeds as she finished her conditions and won her first graded race at the G2-Dollplayer Price Stakes. The only time she finished worse than second in her turf tries was in her G1 debut, but after that race she went on to win 2 G1 events. She is coming off those two wins and her career tying high speed of 115. She is a late runner, but doesn’t like to get too far back. This looks to be an easy field for her.
PP 3 LEAD ACTRESS (KY) (THEATRICAL (IRE) x ROBERTO x LYPHARD) bred and trained by peeps11 (Conquest Farms, 15%) Odds: 5 to 2
Out of post position 3 is Lead Actress. She is a lightly raced 5 year old scratch bred daughter of Theatrical. Like Urban Quest she is going for her first graded win here. She does have two second place finishes, but no wins. She will be making her 18th start today and she will go for the early lead. Almost all of her 7 career wins have been wire to wire. With Ghost Whispers just to her inside she should get a great start out of the gates and be able to get over to the rail. She has only finished out of the money 3 times in her career and two of those were on her first stakes and first graded stakes tries. The biggest concern for her will be if she can get enough of a lead to hold off Ghost Whispers in the stretch.
PP 4 ETRUSCA (ENG) (MEDICEAN (GB) x BUDDHA x KAYF TARA (GB)) bred and trained by 2aussie (Rafa Stables, 14%) Odds: 8 to 1
Etrusca is the first of two four year olds in the race today. She had successful two and three year old campaigns, winning 3 of her 8 stakes tries and finishing in the money in another two. In the last six months she has been running in allowances races and after two decisive wins her trainer at Rafa Stables tried a listed stakes where she won again. Today will be her graded debut and although she put up triple digit speeds in her last two races, those were the first of her career. Three races ago her trainer starting racing her in routes and she definitely seems to like the added distance. If she is able to match her efforts in her last few races she could be in the mix here.
PP 5 HEAVENLY SWORD (KY) (APTITUDE x UNRIDLED x EXPLODENT) bred and trained by adrian0 (Astins Place, 24%) Odds: 12 to 1
Heavenly Sword is the second of our four year olds. She has been a turf router her entire career and since breaking her maiden has only finished out of the money once. In her four stakes tries she has a first, second, third and a disappointing 11th place finish. After that race she got an eight week rest. She came off that rest to win an allowance and finished third in a listed stakes. She will be making her graded debut here today. She is late runner and will need some amazing speed to catch the leaders in the stretch. She has only put up a triple digit speed once before and she will need that if she wants to be in the mix here.
PP 6 OTTO CAPITAL (EMPIRE MAKER x ELA-MANA-MOU (IRE) x RIVERMAN) bred and trained by nocalbred (Pierchinski Stables, 17%) Odds: 9 to 2
Otto Capital is the oldest in the field at seven years old. Last time I saw Otto Capital was in New Hampshire at the beginning of the year at the G3-Remember Stakes. Although I thought she was a nice looking mare, I thought her best days were behind her. Probably to prove me wrong, she went out and wired the field with her career high speed of 109, beating Lead Actress and Urban Quest, also in the field today. There are a few other early speed horses in the field and all her victories have been won wire to wire, but tough competition for the early lead didn’t stop her last time.
Up until the last running of the Shawnee River Handicap in 2007 it had always been won by the first or second favorite and the winner came into the race of an in the money finish in a listed or graded stakes. In 2007 the winner didn’t continue either of these trends, so all bets are off. The favorite looks really good in this race, she is in great form winning to G1s in a row with her career high speed. She is also making a drop in class, where as many in the field are making a jump in class. There is some early speed in the field so an early speed duel could set up Ghost Whispers perfectly. But remember last time I counted Otto Capital out and she surprised. Good luck and happy racing. 🙂