G1 Itch Tribute

The G1 ITCH TRIBUTE race honors one of the best writers (and undoubtedly the best) for the BTB who passed away way too soon.  Itch provided deep coverage of the races he covered and was very detailed in painting a wonderful picture of all horses in the field.  He was very informative and would provide suggestions to players in the games chatroom and had a delightful sense of humor.  He is greatly missed in the game and this is one of a pair of races held this weekend in his memory.

The Itch Tribute event is an open event for all horses age three and older, and is race in West Virginia on the dirt track at a distance of 9-furlongs.  

As this race is a Tribute to Itch, we ask that readers make comments to this article to share any memorable times they had with Itch. 

This is the third running of the Itch Tribute and longshots have won each time.  In 2023, 33/1 Devon and Cornwall won the event with a 120 speed on the turf track.  Last year, the race was held on the dirt and My Messiah at 26/1 pulled off the upset with a 116 speed.  Will this trend continue?   Let’s look at the large 15 horse field:

1  CHARLES DRAGON  9/1-Won his first career listed stake race back in July with a 112 speed but the late close maneuver he pulled off in that race failed to appear in his last pair of outings.  In the G2 Brookline Handicap, he ran a flat 9^th and was never in the picture with a reduced 109 speed.  His last start in the G3 Stubborn Pheasant showed an improved speed to 111 and a better 6^th place finish picking up a few strides in the later part of the race.   He has struggled with stake fields for most of his career and will need to focus on the task ahead of him.

2  INTO POETRY 10/1-Took home a win in the G2 Insulin Cap with a 110 speed on an offtrack setting.  This mid-field runner put a fine effort in the G2 Hoffa Cup, finishing second with a 115 speed.  The outcomes of these two races helped him find a spot tin the G1 Breeders’ Bowl Dirt Mile where he had nothing to offer and finished a well back 16^th with a 108 speed.   He was never a threat in the Bowl race and this brings concerns of his current form into the picture.

3  BOQUERON  17/1-This runner has a lot of work to do to pull off the upset (but this race already has  a short history of upsets).  He has been racing in the claiming levels in his last four starts  with 103 being the tops speed in that set of races and he was off the board each time.   He does have a pair of listed stake wins that were earned last year with a career best speed of 119 in one of the events.  While he has shown ability last season to hit some nice speeds, that has not followed into this season.  This is his first stake race for 2025 and also his first time going a route distance.  His chances look slim, but he is here to honor Itch.

4  ROCKIN MALIBU  7/1-This runner, at age 6, is the oldest competitor in the field.  He started the year in the claiming/starter allowance levels and hit the board each of his first three starts.  Then he changed barns and captured a listed stake win at 10-f and a 116 speed.   Since achieving this feat, he has been shutdown in his last five starts in a mix of listed and grade level stakes.  Despite not hitting the board in these races, he has hit the 110+ speed level twice.   He’s a contender if he can position himself 6^th or closer by the first quarter.  If not, it has been a tougher task for him to become a threat, especially in stake races.

5  ROYAL INFLUENCE  6/1-This colt will be looking to wire the field.  He’ll be charging out of the gate aiming to take the early lead and probably will, as he has done so in his last 5 starts.  Thes races include a pair of allowance races (both resulting in wins) and a beaten by a neck 2^nd in the G3 Full Island followed by a win in the G2 Bluegrass Cup Classic.  His last start was in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic where the field caught him in the stretch and dropped him back into 9^th.   Speeds have been sharp in these races, ranging from  111 to 117.   He drops a furlong from the Bowl race and that could make a big difference for this front runner.

6  DREAMS IN COLOR 11/1-On win in five starts this season for this colt who has struggled to hit the board all year.  That win came in a listed stakes event in July where he chalked his career best speed of 117 and held close to the front runner to overtake the lead and win by just under a length.   His last start was in the G1 Deadwood Stakes and he disappointed with a 10^th place finish and over 10-strides back with a 105 speed.   This will be his second career grade level start.  If he can pull off another 117 speed (or close to that) he could end up taking down the field.  It should be noted he is returning to the dirt where he has yet to win.

7  ON THE UP AND OUT  7/1-Thirteen consecutive starts in grade level races have delivered three wins one second and four shows.  Those third place finishes all came in his last four starts the G1 Cosmopolitan Handicap, G2 Foolish Tom, G2 Middle Ground and G1 Breeders’ Bowl Dirt Mile.  He has six starts this season and five of them have speeds between 113 and 115 (the other was a 108).  He enjoys taking a mid-field spot early on and when he does win or finishes 2^nd in graded company, he has been under three lengths behind at the 3/4 -pole.  His speeds are competitive and getting within that striking range will be key to wrapping up the victory.

8  AT THE EL REY  16/1-This guy may be waking up.  After missed results for much of his early career, things are coming  together for this 3yo.  He has won four of his last 5 races which include a second and a win in listed stake events in his last two starts.  Speeds have flown up to 111-114 in his last three outings.  This will be his first grade level start and his form currently shows he is comfortable in a mid-field location or coming from behind.    He looks to have an honest shot in this field but will be facing older horses for the first time.

9  READY FOR JUSTICE  22/1-Charges into this field after hitting a career best speed of 115 and winning a listed stake event by wiring the field by a quarter-stride.   This front runner has won twice in listed stakes and will be looking to use his speed again to outrun the field.  Grade level races have been a sore spot as he has been off the board in four tries and speed numbers have b/een in the low 100’s.  Duplicating that 115 speed in his last race will be needed to take this race and will be a task he must deliver on to win this tribute race and competing with older horses for the first time could be a challenge to overcome.

10  BOY EATS UNIVERSE  24/1-In the early 2025 season, this entrant stung a 4-race win streak together where he won a listed stake event with a 110 speed at the conclusion of this.  The streak ended with his first grade level race, the G2 State Penn Derby where he finished second and trailed by 15 at the half to miss by a stride and a 111 speed.   This 3yo took on older runners for the first time in his last start, the G3 Blue Jays and he took a bit of a licking finishing 9^th with a lower 106 speed figure.  He did cut his deficit of 18 strides at the half down to 5 by the wire, so he was making up nice ground.  He will have to keep himself much closer by the half in order to reel in the field.

11 EARN THE NUMBERS  13/1-Racing in the claiming ranks for much of 2025 ended when he swapped barns in September and the first thing he was challenged with was to compete in a listed stake race.  The maneuver worked as he rallied from the back of the five horse field to win with a 115 speed at a17/1 odds.  This is one of two horses who have won a race for sire Earnshaw, who is a dirt-cheap sire.  He could become the sires first grade winner as his last start was in the G3 The Corvette where he sported a 111 speed but was sixth and made up some ground late in the race, cutting a 9-stride deficit down to three strides.  Could be a Cinderella story in the making for this former claim runner.

12 GUN TRAFFICKING  9/1-In his last three starts, this horse hit his career best speed of 114 twice.  The first came in a listed stakes race in July that he won by a neck.  The other was in his most recent start, the G3 Stubborn Pheasant finishing second.  Between these two races was a very poor outcome in a listed stakes race where the speed dropped to 99 and the 17^th finish in the huge 20-horse field was a big letdown.  This start will mark his second time he competes in a grade level event and if he can keep and maintain the speed near the 114 range where two of his recent starts have been, he could be a factor.   But he does have only one win since November 2023 and wins do not come easily for him.

13  STALKING CLAREMONT  5/1-This front running gelding brought home his first grade level win in his last start, the Bull Durham, holding on to win a photo finish by a head and a 114 speed.   Speeds of  111-114 have been delivered in 6 of 7 starts during 2025 with a 107 mixed in.  He has hit the board five of those 7 starts and the consistency gives him a valid chance for a top-three finish.   Repeating off his last outing could be a bit harder as there are at least two other runners in this field who aim to set the pace and he will have to battle with them to get his way.

14  THE PAINTER  29/1-This young 3yo has made his last 7-starts in G1 races and has a pair of thirds to show for it.  Speeds topped at 108 over this duration and he had a tough time in his last start the G1 GoodyGood where he faced older runners for the first time and finished 11^th and never made a serious challenge.   Other runners are capable of hitting 110+ speeds and this runner has not yet reached this level.  He will need to notch a career best speed to defeat this field and his last race with older horses did not leave a lot of hope.

15  KYMARI THATAA 17/1-Enters into the race after hitting a career best speed of 114 with a quarter-stride win in a  listed stake event, marching from 8-back at the half to earn the win.  This 3yo does have a G2 win back in May in the Buckeye Derby with a stride win and a 109 speed.  He has mixed results in five grade race runs, hitting the board twice (including the Buckeye win).  He takes on the older horses for the fist time and the last race provides a lot of promise but he will have to carry that same speed into this event in order to be the victor.

My Picks

On the Up and Out has finished third in his last four starts and expands an additional furlong which could be enough distance to finally get that win.

Stalking Claremont has had consistent results and speeds.  Figures to hit the board.

Royal Influence is loaded with early speed and will probably engage in a battle for the top speed, which could wear him down a bit.  Should have something left to get a spot on the board.

Longshot Selection

Boy Eats Universe is my longshot choice in this race.  The late runner may catch and rundown the early pacesetters and could deliver at a huge price and keep the trend of longsots winning the Itch Tribute in place.