The Fort Lauderdale Cap

This week’s D.C. feature, the Fort Lauderdale Cap, has drawn a full field of fourteen to compete for the $100,000 purse. The race is 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf and open to all horses three years old and up.

1 (4/1) – Grade II stakes winner TORINO is the lukewarm favorite here. He’s capable of posting a number in the low-110s, and even his relatively lackluster efforts result in a three-digit speed number. Torino is coming off a good second-place in the Six Up Monster Special on Valentine’s Day.

2 (22/1) – THEBUX STOP HERE G spent most of his career running on the dirt quite successfully, but recently he’s shown he’s just as good on turf. Unfortunately, he’ll need more than versatility here. He has not done well in stakes attempts on either surface, and his all-time best speed number of 102 just isn’t brilliant enough to be a top contender against the likes of Torino, Cocaine Train, and Shouldn’t Matter.

3 (8/1) – FANTASTIC A.P. was claimed for a $150,000 tag last August. Since then he’s rewarded new owner/trainer dorrin with a win and two seconds in open allowance races, against tough fields. From time to time he’ll throw in a little bit of a clunker — like in his last race, where he just ran a 92 to finish up the track. He does have the talent to threaten on his good days; Fantastic A.P. has posted a 110 speed number and has come close to matching it on more than one occasion.

4 (25/1) – TULL’S SPARKLE couldn’t break his maiden until he tried claiming races, but since then he’s developed into a solid allowance runner. Here, he tries a stakes race for the first time, and the competition should prove to be considerably more challenging than what Tull’s Sparkle is used to. This five-year-old normally runs speed numbers in the high-90s; to hit the board here he would need an unlikely ten-point improvement.

5 (7/1) – CK EL PULPO has displayed plenty of brilliance, like when he posted a 110 in the Gordon A.P. Memorial last time out. On the other hand, there’s also some inconsistency – there were a couple times last year when CK El Pulpo could only manage a number in the 80s. Another question mark for CK El Pulpo is the three-month layoff he’s returning from.

6 (10/1) – KING OF CLOUT is a little hard to figure out. He finished right behind CK El Pulpo in the Gordon A.P. Memorial, and followed that nice effort up with a win in the Greenhaw’s World Challenge. However, in his next two races, he dropped back down to numbers in the low-90s and poor finishes. Against this field, King of Clout will need to bring his A-game to have a shot.

7 (5/1) – COCAINE TRAIN is the co-second choice and has the credentials to back it up. He had a remarkable streak of good races from last September to January — including finishing second in the Grade II NC Mile — but he dropped back slightly in an open allowance in last January. Is the Cocaine Train about to derail after a temporary high? With a preference for a front-running style and a lack of speed in the field, he could have a tactical advantage here.

8 (12/1) – UNO OJAI unfortunately looks to be on a downward trend following some very impressive performances last spring and summer. He hasn’t hit the board since the winning the Standard Pluto Special in August. Perhaps he will be refreshed after a longer-than-usual break between races.

9 (9/1) – OPIUM manages to find the winner’s circle quite often, despite not posting massive speed numbers (usually something in the low 100s). Apparently he knows how to grab some Christmas magic, because two years in row he’s won the Elf Tilt Stakes with a speed number right around 110. A duplication of those races could throw him in the mix.

10 (5/1) – Grade I stakes-placed SHOULDN’T MATTER shares second-choice status with Cocaine Train. He won a restricted stakes on Valentine’s Day with a 111 speed number, and often has posted numbers just under that. He has a good chance to hit the board.

11 (13/1) – PASAME LA BOTELLA has run some nice races, but is record is somewhat erratic. Last fall he finished third in the Grade II Jockey Club Classic, then finished third to last in the Grade III Panhandle Derby. He’ll need to be at his best to be competitive here.

12 (69/1) – BETTER RUN NOW is a lightly-raced four-year-old making his stakes debut. He hasn’t won for a year, when he strung together a Maiden Special Weight victory and two allowance wins to make it three in a row. Since then he has performed respectably in allowance company, usually picking up a piece of the purse and some breeding points, but this is a tough spot for a first stakes try. Almost every other horse in the race has hit the 100 speed number mark, while Better Run Now has only notched high-90s on his best days.