G3-Razorback Cap
Welcome to Arkansas and the 11th running of the Razorback Cap. This is a G3 event for horses 4 years old and up, 8.5 furlongs over the dirt. Today we have 10 4 year olds and 4 older horses as the race has attracted a full field. This race has been won 4 times from post position three and has been won evenly between early speed and late runners. The stakes record is held by last year’s winner, San Pellegrino who raced the 8.5 furlongs in just under 1:41. He broke Waxed Cap’s record that was set in the inaugural running in 1999. Waxed Cap was the only mare to win this race and her record of 1:41 held for a long time. Let’s look at the field for today’s race:
PP 1 BOOGALEE (KY) (SEEKING THE GOLD x DANZIG x A.P. INDY) bred and trained by deejai2 (Deajai Stables, 13%) Odds: 6 to 1
First we have one of the three co-favorites, Boogalee trained at the Deajai Stables. He is one of 10 4 year olds in the race and this son of Seeking The Gold out of game dam Lagniappe is going for his first graded win today. This will be his fourth attempt in graded company and he hasn’t fared well in his other tries. In fact the only times he wasn’t standing in the winner’s circle since last July were his 2 graded attempts. He definitely has the pedigree to be a graded winner and drawing the post closest to the rail should benefit him with his tendency to run at the front.
PP 2 SYSTEM FAILURE (UNBRIDLED’S SONG x PREMIERSHIP x IN REALITY) bred by bonnie and trained by tsunami06 (Tsuanmi, 11%) Odds: 99 to 1
What to say about System Failure? There was a time in his career that he was putting up triple digit speeds in sprints and recently even had two in the money finishes, one in a starter and one in an allowance. By my calculations that netted Tsunami 18bps. I would rather 8 or 10 bps in a starter or allowance race and finish third than by finishing last in a graded event and earning 5 bps, but that is just me.
PP 3 BUDGET DAY (KY) (AWESOME AGAIN x A.P. INDY x MR. PROSPECTOR) bred and trained by hollofly (Brundlefly Stables, 12%) Odds: 12 to 1
Next is a 4 year old scratch bred son of Awesome Again from Brundlefly Stables. Budget Day, like Boogalee, is trying for his first graded win. Unlike Boogalee though, he hasn’t won any stakes yet. After 2 wins and 3 second in his first 5 starts he attempted his one and only listed stakes where he finished second. He then tried 4 graded events, but his best finish was second again. Since last July he has been racing exclusively in allowance races, but has been showing steady improvement. He is coming off his career best last time out with a 113 and looks to be in good form to attempt graded company again.
PP 4 REPOSATO (IRE) (GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (IRE) x KRIS S. x GONE WEST) bred by queenab and trained by farm304 (Farm304 Stables, 18%) Odds: 6 to 1
Like Budget Day, Reposato is coming off his career best last time out as well with a 113, but that is where the similarities end. Reposato is a 6 year old son of Giant’s Causeway out of game dam Granny L. Reposato’s career best came in his graded debut where he made up almost 10 lengths coming up the stretch to win by a head. He also has three stakes wins to his name. He is also coming off a three race win streak and is the fastest of the late running horses in the field. No wonder he is one of the three co-favorites. He looks hard to beat.
PP 5 BOCELLI (IRE) (MONTJEU (IRE) x RED RANSOM x NIJINSKY II) bred by fatattack2 and trained by jmb (Jmb Stables, 15%) Odds: 24 to 1
Another of the older horses in the race is Bocelli out of post position 5. He is a 5 year old scratch bred son of Montjeu. He broke his maiden at first asking, but the struggled to get his first win against winners and his trainer put him in the auction. Jmb Stables picked him up and though it took quite a few races to find that he likes dirt routes, once he did he has been successful. He last 6 starts have all been dirt routes and he hasn’t finished out of the money except in his stakes debut, but it was also an off track. Hopefully he just doesn’t like the mud and it isn’t a class issue. This is his graded debut coming off an allowance win at this distance. He will need a career best to be in the mix here.
PP 6 RIGHTEOUS BEEF (KY) (BLUEGRASS CAT x AWESOME AGAIN x SEATTLE SLEW) bred and trained by stevemunoz (Stevemunoz Stables, 16%) Odds: 9 to 1
Out of post position 6 is Righteous Beef, a 4 year son of Bluegrass Cat. He is the first of many in the race with either Storm Cat or Storm Cat lines in his pedigree. Righteous Beef’s sire is a son of Storm Cat and in his third year as a sim sire. He has already produced 9% stakes winners and 5 graded winners. Righteous Beef is one of the stakes winners, but he is going for his first graded win here in his fifth graded try. He started his career strong with a lot of wins and in the money finishes, but since his second graded try last August he hasn’t been in the best form, only winning once in 8 tries. He has been racing in stakes and graded company and his last time out speed is tied for his career high. He doesn’t need the lead, but if he gets too far back he is unable to make up the ground, so hopefully he will get a good start out of the gates.
PP 7 RAGE OF THE TITANS (IRE) (MONTJEU (IRE) x CARSON CITY x STORM CAT bred and trained by lenny16 (The Evil Empire, 21%) Odds: 9 to 1
Next is another son of Montjeu with Storm Cat as DDS. Rage of the Titans is an up and coming 4 year from The Evil Empire. In his 18 starts on dirt he only has 3 out of the money finishes, unfortunately they were all in stakes attempts. He did finish second in the G2-Texas Derby last April (ahead of Righteous Beef, also in the field) and he has 2 other stakes in the money finishes. And he is coming off his best stakes finish since last may, a second by a nose in his last time out where he put up his career high speed factor of 116, also the highest in today’s field. And like Righteous Beef next to him he usually runs just off the pace, although there isn’t a lot of early speed in this race, so I would be surprised to see him right at the front.
PP 8 TAP DANCES (KY) (KINGMAMBO x DANZIG x NIJINSKY II) bred and trained by gg (Topicount Stables, 15%) Odds: 6 to 1
Tap Dances is a 4 year old son of Kingmambo from Topicount Stables who is the third co-favorite today. He danced he way to a win at the Arkansas Juvenile – Derby Lock Prep last year and then had the honor of racing in the Bluegrass Derby and Middle Jewel. He has been in some pretty competitive races since then and has managed a handful of wins and in the money finishes. It seems the G3-Whirlaway Cap was the place to be last time out for many in this field. It was won by Reposato (one of the co-favorites today) Righteous Beef just missed the board. Tap Dances had a 7th place finish, ahead of Boogalee (another one of the co-favorites). She has won wire to wire before, but usally is in the midst of the pack just a length back. Like Rage of the Titans next to him, without a lot of early speed I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out in front.
PP 9 CAT’S GOT GAME (KY) DISTORTED HUMOR x STORM CAT x SEEKING THE GOLD) bred by fatattack and trained by sdmf5 (Black Label Stables, 17%) Odds: 10 to 1
Cat’s Got Game is one of three horses in the field bred by Texasace, although only one is still at the Lone Star Racing. (Bocelli and Smackzapper are the other two bred by him.) After 13 starts with Texasace he put Cat’s Got Game in the auction where he was bought by Black Label Stables last fall. Since the move he has a couple of wins and in the money finishes in allowance and stakes races, but he hasn’t been able to get it done at the graded level. Today will be his fourth graded try in a row. He has been trying G1s and G2s, so perhaps a G3 is just what he needs to get that graded victory. He is one of many late runners in the race so he will have some competition making up ground in the stretch.
PP 10 OISHI (KY) (FORESTRY x SEEKING THE GOLD x ALYDAR) bred and trained by fetti50 (Fetti50, 19%) Odds: 7 to 1
Next is Oishi, another with a son of Storm Cat as Sire, this time Forestry. He is a lightly raced 4 year old and is the next favorite after the 3 co-favorites. This is only his 17th start and sixth route. He really exploded when his trainer started giving him the extra ground and three races ago put up a blazing 122, which might be the highest I have ever seen. All of his route tries have been an even mile and this will be his first try at 8.5. He has tried graded company twice before, but both were on off tracks so it is hard to know if it was just the condition of the track or the jump in class. We can add him to the list of late runners in the race.
PP 11 SMACKZAPPER (KY) (GHOSTZAPPER x GONE WEST x SECRETARIAT) bred and trained by texasace (Lone Star Racing, 26%) Odds: 15 to 1
Out of post position 11 is Smackzapper, another lightly raced 4 year old. He is a scratch bred son of Ghostzapper going for his first graded win today. After performing well as a 2 year old and early three year old Texasace thought he would try the G1-Corkscrew Derby Lock Prep so see if he had a Derby runner on his hands. Unfortunately that race was his worst finish to date and every other time he has tried stakes or graded stakes he hasn’t hit the board. One was on an off track, one the competitive Derby Lock and the third he just missed the board, so perhaps it isn’t a class issue. He does have one of the lowest last time out speeds and career high speeds, so he will need to put it all out there if he wants to be in the mix here. He has gotten almost all of his wins wire to wire and will help up set up the early speed in this race.
PP 12 CAT CHARM TED (JPN) (SILVER CHARM x STORM CAT x HAIL TO REASON) bred and trained by ted (Ted Stables, 7%) Odds: 9 to 1
With a name like Cat Charm Ted it isn’t surprising that he is another one of the colts with Storm Cat in his pedigree, this time as DS. He is a 4 year old scratch bred and one of the few in the field that can claim the title of stakes winner and graded stakes winner. Since breaking his maiden at first asking he has been racing exclusively in this class, except for a handful of allowance tries. He hasn’t won since late last year, but this race is a little shorter than what he has been running, so maybe that change up will help get him back into form. He has been putting up competitive speed figures and will probably contribute to the early speed in this race.
PP 13 GRATEST (FL) (CONGRATS x GONE WEST x LYPHARD) bred and trained by theatrical (Theatrical Stables, 17%) Odds: 14 to 1
Gratest is another 4 year old in the field who made a derby run last year. He finished second in the G1-Florida Derby – Derby Lock Prep and had the opportunity to run in the Bluegrass Derby. He finished 14th in the Derby and hasn’t been in good form since then. His second place finish in the derby lock prep is his best dirt finish in the last 12 months and he hasn’t won since last February. He has been racing in some competitive graded races and stakes and has some in the money finishes. Last time out was disappointing allowance race, but the race before that he put up his career high speed in a fourth place G3 effort. He will need a similar effort to be in the mix here.
PP 14 WRISKY CAT (KY) (STORM CAT X DYNAFORMER X PLEASANT COLONY) bred and trained by tcrowell (Tcrowell Stables, 14%) Odds: 10 to 1
Last we have 5 year old Wrisky Cat, a son of Storm Cat. He had a muddy G2 race two back and his poor speed figure there is contributing to his odds today. With the fast dirt track he will have the conditions he likes and can definitely be competitive. He had a nice run of in the money finishes and wins last fall, but hasn’t won yet this year. He is also going for his first graded win here today in his sixth graded start. He is a late runner and isn’t intimidated by a lot of ground to make up in the stretch.
Morning Line: Favorite: 1, 4 and 8
Second favorite: 10
Third favorite: 6,7 and 12
I agree with the oddsmakers that it is going to be a close race. I will saw Reposato (4)for the win, Wrisky Cat (14) to place and Rage of The Titans (7) to show. Good luck and happy racing. 🙂