Hutchingson Stakes

Hutchingson Stakes
Grade II
Seven and half furlongs
Fast Dirt
$150,000
All horses, 3 years old

Welcome racing fans to Florida today home of some of the fastest sprinting horses in simdom.  This is the second of two graded sprints on the card and they are bracketing a nice open sprint in the middle. There is also the Fountain of Ute and The Jai Lai which makes four graded races on the card. Wow what a day in the sunshine.  I think this maybe the most intriguing race on the card. What was looking like a soft race, suddenly firmed up with a few big names throwing their hat in the ring just before the race carded.  This race shapes up a bit like a coffee additive, half and half.  7 look like real contenders and 7 look like they jumped in the deep end without reading the warning signs… Beware of SHARKS.  However as we know it is very early in the 3 year old campaign some are on the come and some are in the process of showing the were very good TWO year olds.  This race however will go a long way to sorting out a lot of issues. Which of these are moving forward, which are regressing, which are sprinters, and are any of them really Derby horses in disguise.  Experience is a virtue but the wear and tear can be a counter balance. We will do our best here to identify these characteristics in looking at the race. When it comes to training 3 year olds plans vary, not everyone is necessarily out to win this race. Some may be looking to find out what kind of horse they have so keep that in mind when you are planning your wagers. Lets head down to the paddock to get a closer look at the contestants. Keep in mind that all opinions expressed with in are the writer’s own and have no actual basis in fact. Am I the only one Squirrel makes write that in their lead?

THE FIELD

1 KIT KAT CLUB(ENG) TR super16 JKY A Darling  ML 6/1

The super’s have a darling horse with A Darling riding. This strapping son of Dansili x Storm Cat can flat out fly. He has struggled a bit beyond 6.5 furlongs and the 7.5 they are running here, has to be the main concern. The 8 furlong flop really stands out to me and the fades in 7 furlong events leave me with doubts. The speed figs are huge and the raw speed is dazzling. 9 starts and 7 ITM says Kit Kat Club knows how to DanceSili for the money.

2 SILKY TOP HAT(KY) TR river7 JKY B Boggie ML 10/1

You can almost hear Tony Bennett tying up his white tie while River7 is brushing of this colt’s tail. He is the kind of colt that’d make you want to sing a bit if you owned him. This dynamic duo has not yet seen the type of horses they will face today and how Silky Top Hat will handle them is a cause for pause. Another issue is the 7.5 furlong distance; will a second run at this length be a charm or a confirmation that it is too far?  Speed is not a question mark though and 10-1 is a square price. I will consider him for the Hat Trick errr I mean Trifecta.

3 DEL PENN DUDE(KY) TR topicountc JKY V Gardner ML 7/1

The name is full of curiosity for those intrigued by the recent membership changes over at Del Penn even though this guy still bears their flag. It also begs the question, are there “dudes” at Del Penn? The rez has a conservative rep, so while we know there are men there…not sure there is more than this guy fitting the definition of dude. Topicounttc no dude herself has a horse that looks to me to be begging for the extra half click he will get today and he is quite classy as well, proven by him drawing a top jock.  If he wins his mommy’s name will be apropos because Del Penn will rock. Looks like the one to beat.

4 SUNSET CAJUN(KY) TR  twoofus2 JKY M Wright ML 11/1

Does this precocious son of 2 year old champ Dehere have a second act in him? It looked like maybe we had seen the best of Sunset Cajun but his first race at 3 said he may be closer to sunrise than sunset. He flopped at 8f as a baby but was closing hard in his last at 6.5. Is 7.5 the magic number? If it is 11-1 is a tasty treat for a horse this good. Twofus2 is playing it close Two the vest on how this one looks since his last effort. Boom or bust… They are both possible.

5 LATENT RUBY(KY) TR trauma92 JKY L Buchta  ML 6/1

It is hardly surprising that this no longer latent jewel traumatizes his opposition with his speed. He makes no bones about saying “I am going as fast as can as long as I can, catch me if YOU can.” Look for this one to go the front and try and wire this group. He is in the midst of a hard stretch of races for a 3 year old but trauma coddles no baby and Latent Ruby should be up for the task here. His 102 is the fastest fig in the race so 6-1 looks generous.

6 HAWK UR STUFF(IRE) TR unreal JKY R Jones ML 14/1

Unreal is hawking his stuff here bumping this fine looking 3 year old up from the allowance ranks to grade II. His breeding says he will love the stretch out to this distance but this is the sim, so if they have not done it, it’s still a question mark. He likes to win for sure and if you are looking for a real live long shot this one is one to peruse closely. However as a handicapper it is tough to select one that has neither won at close to this level or at this distance.

7 SUGAR MAGS(NY) TR clooch122 JKY O Barrett ML 30/1

Clooch122 is well known as a close friend of the late great Jerry Garcia, and named this one after the smash hit Sugar Magnolia. Even Sugar Mags breeding speaks to the Utopian vision one must have to see him scoring in this race. 1-12 lifetime and coming in off an 8^th place finish in a NW2L say we’re just here for the beer and other sundry items, but he may also see (through the haze of Smoke Glacken) that the 7.5 distance is Sugar Mags sweet spot. With a little luck and a lot of pluck, maybe a check?

8 POWER RANKING(KY) TR ticketman0 JKY F Lincoln ML 10/1

Here is a head scratcher… Eligible for NW1x after breaking his maiden at 8.5, cuts back to 8 for an open stake and is well beaten. Now off that effort we will cut back to 7.5 and bump up to a Graded Stake. Well the incredible belief Ticketman0 has in his colt may come from it’s, to quote Desperado, “SICKO” breeding. Flash some talent with Awesome Again x Danzig X Secretariat as your bloodline and perhaps you can justify this entry. Then again maybe the thought process is the result of being stalled between Sugar Mags and Chem Lab. 10-1 says the speed figs are in the neighborhood.

9 CHEM LAB(KY) TR redturkey2 JKY C Faucher ML 8/1

The well seasoned Chem Lab is not a bunch of random ingredients in a beaker but rather a very well constructed 3 year old colt. A winner of 6 races at such a young age is normally a red flag for those afraid of early wear and tear, but this colt may be just hitting his best stride. Look for Chem Lab to hook up early with Latent Ruby and the first one to blink may watch the other one win. Of course they also may fry each other in a suicidal speed duel that sets up the closers. You have to think this one has a real chance to win at 8-1

10 CLEVER CONCERTO(JPN) TR lure92 JKY W Marshall ML 21/1

After running his first 7 races on grass, Lure93 switched this one over to an open dirt stake in his last. Turns out the move was a Clever Concerto, as the son of Stravinsky seems to prefer the dust. His effort was a fine second but I am not sure it warrants a bump up to the Graded level. As I said though liking 7.5 is a big thing in this race with so many preferring longer or shorter. Maybe the entry will lead to some beautiful music for this one or perhaps just a nice effort that inspires the next stanza.

11 SEEBISCUIT(KY) TR megaman42 JKY W Case ML 8/1

The Pollards Vision son maybe following his namesake’s script. He started brightly scuffled around for a bit and now maybe finding his talent. Ok  that has nothing to do with Seabiscuit but maybe it caught your attention the way his last effort caught Megaman42’s. The connections are very impressed with what that are SEEing from this colt in morning works and are fully confident he is ready to bump up. I am not sure he puts the biscuit in the basket but a check is a real possibility if he runs back to his last race.

12 RUNNING SAMURAI(KY) TRmeguire7th JKY T Barnett 8/1

As of late Tuesday night this one looked the one to beat, when this race was looking like a Carvel cone… Soft and easy to eat… Since then things have tightened up quite a bit and he no longer is the favorite.  After trying to route and looking more like Belushi than Toranaga, this Samurai cut back to a sprint last time. The results were very good and if it was not the slop he liked, but rather the distance he could be more than a handful on Saturday. His 99 spf is the second fastest in the race and it comes at today’s race distance. Meguire is very savvy so my money may wind up right here.

13 STYLEZ(KY) TR reman12000 JKY R Maire ML 29/1

Not sure that is was knowingly, but Reman has named this solid looking Silent Name colt after Blazing Saddles breeding guru Stylez. The trainer is well versed in the way of the sim, yet he is making a curious entry here. He is perhaps noticing how much better this one has run on dirt, even though he won a stakes on grass. The turf stakes win was at 7f so my guess is that Reman believes Sylez will like the distance here. That is an awful lot of guess work to go on and even still he would likely need to top his career best by 10 or more to be in the thick of it.

14 COLOR AND LIGHT TR mavrkstbl4 JKY W Baumann ML 10/1

From the far outside post comes the Mavrkstbl4’s three year old Awesome Again x Seattle Slew. Impeccably bred and brought into this race off a top flight effort in an open stakes at the race distance. He is outside of the other early speed and everyone else for that matter, but I still look for Baumann to gun this one for the front. 7.5 looks like his best distance right now and that makes him a major threat when coupled with his top level speed figures. You gotta make your first graded try somewhere, so why not here? The knock is that he may not like to win enough with only 1 W from 5 starts.

ANALYSIS

With three of the best chance horses in the race all looking for the lead I am going to find the one I think closes the best and throw him over a couple of the front running monsters and look to hit an exacta. The search leads me to pick Del Penn Dude and I am going to put him over Latent Ruby and Chem Lab in the exacta… For a Tri try I will say Del Penn and Latent Ruby over themselves Chem Lab and Color of Light over the same. Good luck and enjoy what is sure to be a scintillating sprint.