The Jack Kerouac Merry Pranksters Special
Race : The Jack Kerouac Merry Pranksters Special – Grade III – $125,000
Track : Kentucky
Restrictions : All horses, 3 years old
Distance : A mile and three sixteenths on the Dirt
Welcome to the inaugural running of The Jack Kerouac Merry Pranksters Special. This race is for 3 year old colts, 9.5 furlongs on the dirt. This early in the year it will be the first time at this distance for many of these colts. Young 3 year olds are unpredictable at best and given the new distance it is going to be near impossible to foresee how this race will play out. We have 11 colts vying for their first graded win and one hoping for his third. Let’s take a look at the field:
PP 1 FOLLOW MY SHOES (KY) (DISTORTED HUMOR x SADLER’S WELLS x GONE WEST) bred and trained by woodhead (Bond77 Stables, 14%) Odds: 5 to 1
First we have Follow My Shoes from Bond77 Stables. He is a son of Distorted Humor out of game dam Follow the Path, a multiple stakes winning mare. She never won at the graded level, but perhaps her first offspring can. He has a stakes win and second place finish in his two stakes tries. In his graded debut he finished 6th, his only career finish not first or second across the finish line. Like most of the field, this will be his first try at 9.5 furlongs, but he looks like he will handle the distance without any problems. Last time out he was at 8.5 furlongs and he finished over 3 lengths ahead.
PP 2 DURRON (KY) (SHAKESPEARE x GALILEO (IRE) x PEINTE CELEBRE) bred and trained by niarchos (Galileo Stables, 17%) Odds: 14 to 1
Out of post position two is Durron, a son of Shakespeare out of game dam Triton. He made his first three starts on turf, which made sense looking at his pedigree, but on his fourth start his trainer at Galileo Stables switched him to dirt and he has really taken off. He broke his maiden at first asking on dirt, won a 4x allowance and placed in his stakes debut. Today will be his graded debut. He is a late runner and can make up ground in the stretch. Although the oddsmakers put him as a long shot, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the mix here.
PP 3 LIOTTA (KY) (SEEKING THE GOLD x POLISH NUMBERS x AFFIRMED) bred by slowhand and trained by lenny29 (The Evil Empire, 21%) Odds: 7 to 1
Making his first start as a 3 year old is Liotta, son of Seeking the Gold out of game dam Ixworth. Ixworth is a prime example of a well bred mare that only has a few wins, but is great in the breeding shed. Although she only won 4 times, she has produced two stakes winners and 1 graded winner. Liotta is the first in the field to show some early speed, but he usually runs a length or two back. He struggled in his first stakes try, but last time out he won a listed stakes at 8.5 furlongs. This is his graded debut
PP 4 SISSON’S SUMMER (KY) (DIXIELAND BAND x SUMMER SQUALL x MR. PROSPECTOR) bred and trained by anewhope1 (Biznaman Stables, 12%) Odds: 7 to 1
Sisson’s Summer is out of post position four and is the first scratch bred colt in the field. Like all of the horses inside of him he has shown improvement every race and he showed a nice jump in speed after turning three. He is coming off his first stakes win after a second place finish in a listed stakes and a disappointing eighth place finish in his graded debut. Hopefully he will handle the jump in class better this time. Add Sisson’s Summer to the late runner list. Hopefully some of the outside horses can help set up the early speed.
PP 5 CHECK MY STELLO (KY) (EMPIRE MAKER x GALILEO x VINDICATION) bred and trained by willyam39 (Willyam13 Stables, 12%) Odds: 10 to 1
And speaking of early speed, Check My Steelo definitely likes the early lead and can help set up the early speed for this race. He is a scratch bred son of Empire Maker and in his 6 career starts he has only finished out of the money once. He made his stakes debut last out where he led for the majority of the race, but couldn’t hold on at the end. Perhaps the added distance he will have today will benefit him. The two race he won were wire to wire, so he definitely will be going for the lead out of the gates.
PP 6 GHOSTLY SLEW (KY) (GHOSTZAPPER x SECRETARIAT x SEATTLE SLEW) bred and trained by manoroflad (Briant Breeding and Racing Empire, 11%) Odds: 9 to 1
Next we have Ghostly Slew, a scratch bred son of Ghostzapper. He is making just his 5th start here in his graded debut. He won at second asking and then won in his first stakes try late last year. He is coming off a fourth place finish last time out in a listed stakes. He is another late runner and is going to have a lot of competition in the stretch to get to the finish line first. Unfortunately he hasn’t shown improvement in his speed figures in his last few races, even in his first race as a 3 year old. This is a very well bred horse and at this age they can definitely surprise, hopefully he will today.
PP 7 VOTE FOR CHARM (JPN) (SILVER CHARM x MR. PROSPECTOR x CADEAUX GENEREUX (GB)) bred and trained by mv4ever (Mv4ever Stables, 13%) Odds: 12 to 1
Vote for Charm is one of only two horses in today’s field without a KY tag. He is a son of Silver Charm of Japan out of game dam Prospector Voting. He is making only his fifth start today and not only his graded debut, but his stakes debut as well. After taking three races to break him maiden he won next time out in an allowance race and now is trying his in a graded event. Since 2004 Silver Charm has only produced 2 graded winners and 11 stakes winners. Vote for Charm is in good form coming into this race and if he can handle the jump in class he could be in the mix here. He is one of the few early speed horses in the field.
PP 8 BEACH MUSIC (KY) (FOREST WILDCAT x MT. LIVERMORE x FORTY NINER) bred and trained by parrothead (Tulloch Stables, 11%) Odds: 8 to 1
Beach Music is one of only two horses in the field to be tested at 9.5 furlongs alreay. He raced that distance last time out against allowance company and won easily. He is a son of Forest Wildcat out of game dam Sailor’s Delight. In his 6 career starts he has only finished worse than second once. He is making quite a jump in class here, having never raced in stakes before. He usually like to run just off the pace, a few lengths back. His last time out speed figure is right in the mix with the rest of the field, but the jump in class is my biggest concern.
PP 9 ARDHMOR ROCK (KY) (GONE WEST x MILITARY x SHADEED) bred and trained by monksfield (Brundlefly Stables, 12%) Odds: 13 to 1
Monksfield at Brunlefly Stables sends in Ardhmor Rock. He is a lightly raced son of Gone West making his fifth career start today. It took him three tries to break him maiden, and then he jump up to the stakes level where he had a slight improvement in his time on the mile race, but he only finished fifth, over four lengths back. Perhaps another listed stakes field would be more appropriate, but you never know what young three year olds are going to do. Most in the field have been tested at 8.5, but this will be Ardhmor Rock’s first try at anything over a mile.
PP 10 CANYOUSEEMENOW (KY) (GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (IRE) x UNBRIDLED’S SONG x PANCHO VILLA) bred and trained by kewmwa (Willyam13 Stables, 12%) Odds: 14 to 1
Canyouseemenow is a son of Giant’s Causeway out of game dam Mouflon. He started strong, breaking his maiden at first asking and then winning his first try against winners. Unfortunately he hasn’t won since then. He struggled in a listed stakes and a G1 event, but that could have been from the off track there. His last time out was an allowance race and he finished in the money. He is another late runner in this field full of them, but I really think the added distance is going to help him here. He is coming off only two weeks rest. He is the second horse from Willyam13 Stables in the field.
PP 11 ON THE ROAD (KY) (DYNAFORMER x UNBRIDLED’S SONG x NIJINSKY II) bred and trained by super4 (More Evil Than The Evil Empire, 15%) Odds: 7 to 2
And finally we get to the favorite and the highest ranked horse in the field by far at number 3. On The Road has 9 career starts already and impressively has 4 wins and 5 places in those starts. In this field with many colts making their graded debut, he not only has raced in 4 graded events, but he has won two of them, including a G1 late last year. He has shown improvement with each race, except for the try on an off track and he is the only horse in the field to have broken the century mark. Even if all the horses in the field continue their improvement like most have been doing, this one looks hard to beat. He won his last two by 2 lengths each time and I don’t think the added distance will be an issue.
PP 12 JUPITER MOON (JPN) (ADMIRE MOON x SILVER DEPUTY x ALLEGED) bred by temp3 and trained by vkstables (Vkstables Stables, 11%) Odds: 24 to 1
Last we have the long shot of the field at 24 to 1. Jupiter Moon is a scratch bred son of Admire Moon. The is the second of only two horses in the field without a KY tag and only the second horse to have attempted 9.5 furlongs before. Those two attempts are his only two career wins. After a disappointing debut his old owner sold him to Vkstables where after taking a few tries to break his maiden has shown a lot of improvement and he is coming into this race in good form. This is his stakes debut so class might be an issue here.