Desperately Seeking Perfection in Grade One Race!
There is no better place to spend a weekend in Autumn than at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware We are forecast for 71 degrees and sunny for The Oak Grove Grade 1 Stakes race on Saturday. This mile and an eighth race for three year old fillies has a purse of $500,000 and there are several candidates for the winners circle so lets take a look:
#1 GAHD DAM BUSHPIG trainer – monimonica, ( 92/1), Jockey – C. Butts (7%), Avg Sp # (62.7)
This interestingly named Thunder Gulch filly is running her first Stakes race this year and seems a bit overmatched here. She ran her best time last time out but that was in a five furlong race. I expect her to be looking at a lot of tails in this race.
#2 SEEKING PERFECTION(IRE) trainer – galileo, ( 9/2), Jockey – B. Ironside (15%), Avg Sp # (99.3)
This nice Galileo filly out of The Nature Boy has never finished out of the money in eleven races and has won three stakes in a row and five overall. She was convincing in her last race, winning the Grace Kelly Memorial Grade 1, moving up from fourth at the top of the stretch. Jockey B Ironside knows how to guide them on this track and will be “Seeking Perfection” here.
#3 TERMANTIA trainer – zatopeck, ( 9/2), Jockey – Z.Whyld (13%), Avg Sp # (97.4)
The early speed in this race will be offered up by Termantia, the little Pulpit offspring. She has had a problem with getting passed at the wire as she has only found the winners circle twice this year in 11 tries and both of those were ungraded stakes. She threw a nice time last out and may be rounding back into form.
#4 TECHNICALLY T(IRE) trainer – youngnhung, ( 8/1), Jockey – T. Crow (11%), Avg Sp # (96.8)
In the final race of last year, this Theatrical filly won the GSR Diamond G1 and trainer youngnhung had to be ecstatic waiting for 2005. Technically T is still looking to find herself, though one of her best races all year was in the Bluegrass Oaks back in May. She’s had a particularly rough stretch lately and may need some time off to sort things out.
#5 BERENGUELA trainer – fernando, (11/1), Jockey – Ra. Williams (8%), Avg Sp # (87.9)
This Tale of the Cat out of Carby’s King offspring has only run this far one time this year with poor results. Her best race was three back in winning the Vanilla Fuzz Handicap then inexplicably tried one on the grass for the first time. She may have a tough time competing here against this field and at this distance.
#6 SEE JAY TEE trainer – cjt4, ( 22/1), Jockey – C. Long (5%), Avg Sp # (89.0)
The dark grey Crafty Prospector filly finished 15 lengths behind Seeking Perfection at the Grace Kelly Memorial in her last race. She has two wins in 18 tries and seems to like a mile and three eights better. She had a fairly long layoff before her last race so she may be better ready this time out.
#7 SAM THE MAN(IRE) trainer – roberto2, ( 13/1), Jockey – I. Wimpy (10%), Avg Sp # (90.3)
Sam the Man sounds more like a Boy Named Sue but this filly offspring of Black Sam Bellamy is going to run in her very first Stakes race after winning her past two allowance races. Those were both at a little longer distances as she drops back to a mile and an eighth. It is always tough to jump into a G1 for your first time but this filly may be “man” enough to give it her best shot.
#8 HOT MOP DARBYY trainer – jeandeaux4, ( 23/1), Jockey – D. Silver (9%), Avg Sp # (88.8)
A Cinderella story could evolve here as this Arazi filly was claimed for the second time four back, won her maiden three back, won a claimer two races ago and won her first non MCOS race in an allowance last time out with a triple figure speed. If trainer jeandeaux4 is able to keep her winning streak alive in her first stakes race, they will be looking at movie rights! Stranger things have happened.
#9 EMPIRE REEF trainer – lenny13, ( 7/2), Jockey – H. Ross (22%), Avg Sp # (100.9)
Slight favorite Empire Reef will probably be right on Termantia’s shoulder at the start of the race. She had quite a string of triple speed figures going until her last outing. She seemed to run out of steam in that race at a mile and a quarter. With H Ross up in the stirrups, she has a good chance of getting back to form here. With most of the field on the downward side of training right now, that may be enough to get her home.
#10 CORZAFFAIR(IRE) trainer – corzak, ( 4/1), Jockey – G. Rogers (10%), Avg Sp # (101.0)
Corzaffair led most of the Grace Kelly Memorial until she faded in the stretch and came home in fifth. The Black Tie Affair filly finished third in the Bluegrass Oaks and has searched for the winners circle ever since. We will see if she is enjoying her stay in the the First State and if the rest has done her any good. She could well be in the mix at the end.
#11 BUSTED IN DIXIE trainer – yahoo, ( 7/1), Jockey – P. Fabre (9%), Avg Sp # (N/A)
Busted in Dixie reminds me of story when I was speeding through Georgia once…but I digress. This Housebuster filly has only run under a mile this year but ran a blinding 109 speed figure at six and a half furlongs last out. She is looking to stretch things out a bit which may be to her advantage. We will see what she has left at the end.
This race is pretty much anything goes with all of the training problems and distance changes and such. I’m going to choose BUSTED IN DIXIE to sneak into third just behind a fading TERMANTIA and SEEKING PERFECTION does just that with her fourth trip in a row to the winners circle.
Good luck to all runners!
Paz