A Rose is a Rose but it’s Gold in Old Vic
Race ID:3882.5314
Grade II The Golden Rose Stakes
$800,000, All horses 3 Years Old
One Mile (8 F)
Track: Turf Firm
Victorian spectators have long been treated to competitive racing and this weekend holds no exception as fourteen three year olds begin their Breeders Bowls quests in this 1st Edition of the GII Golden Rose Stakes over one mile of firm turf. This evenly matched field features several of the SIM’s leading divisional opponents led by #3 SUPER RISK(IRE) wistful0 and #5 CREDIT SPENT(IRE) brentuk. Despite their status within Turf Classic Division they received little respect in the morning line as they parade to the post as co-favourites but at a plump 7-1 … a great wagering race for all you punters out there! Let’s examine the field more closely …
Race Analysis by Hladun
PP 1: PASS THE MIC(KY) lenny28 (7/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 7
Colt: Mineshaft x Awesome Again x Caerleon
This lightly raced colt by Mineshaft comes into this race off of a winning effort in his three year old debut in the GIII Rantofan Handicap over 8.5 furlongs of Oklahoma turf. Covering the distance in 1:42:4 for a 98 speed figure, his stalking style is well suited to today’s conditions. This colt has improved with each outing and has four wins in six starts in his young career. As a two year old, he finished third in the GI Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf where he got to within a nose of the lead at the top of the lane but just couldn’t get by. He cuts to a mile here after a five week break and a repeat of his last will put him right there at the wire. A strong contender.
PP 2: NORTH’S LOCK(KY) hollandia4 (8/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 16
Colt: North Light(IRE) x High Chaparral(IRE) x Seeking the Gold
A winner of five races in nine attempts, this son of North Light(IRE) is graded placed having finished third in the GIII Finnish Line Stakes as a two year old over six furlongs. He comes into this event on a four race winning streak with three of those in stakes company including the Pusher Bonanza (8F), the Senor Football Memorial (9F) and the Lois’s Prospects Stakes (9.5F). He cuts back to one mile where he has won twice before and suits his speed style. Two starts back in the Senor Football Memorial he ran a triple digit figure (100) for the first time. On three weeks rest he finds himself in perhaps his most difficult challenge to date but he won his last in wire-to-wire fashions in jand so may have conserved some energy for today. A contender.
PP 3: MOUNT SAMSON(IRE) bjbandit (11/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 32
Colt: Danehill Dancer(IRE) x Gone West x Nijinsky II
This son of Danhill Dancer(IRE) comes into this race off of a surging win in the Horseshoe Bay Stakes running the 8.5F distance in 1:43 flat for a 96 speed rating. In his three year old debut, he took a stalking position and pounced through the stretch to win going away by just over two. e of ground lately and gets his wish today. In his last two races as a two year old, he finished second in the GIII Grand Critter Stakes and third in the GIII Apparently Juvenile Stakes earning 91 and 92 speed figures respectively. His prefered style is to stalk and pounce but he’ll need to stay closer to this group to be effective as he meets better today. A similar efforts makes him a contender today but the mile may be a tad short for him. A minor award.
PP 4: ZECO DE LAGO(AUS) loisblack (15/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 251
Colt: Encosta De Lago(AUS) x Seeking the Gold x Storm Bird
After a disappointing start to his career, Zeco has made the most of his trips to the post for his connections. This Australian bred colt has improved with each successive start since and has three wins and two seconds over that time. Competing in non-graded events in his last three, he has a win and two seconds to show for his efforts and get’s the acid test today in this his first graded event. Never having gone farther than seven panels to date his off the pace style suits the additional panel here but he comes back on just two week’s rest. A repeat of his last two efforts makes him a contender here and may just surprise us all.
PP 5: STREETRATS(KY) darny (16/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 72
Colt: Street Sense x Sunday Silence x Pine Bluff
This well seasoned three year old son of Street Sense is still trying to make some sense of his latest where he unexpectedley threw in a clunker in the Owner Restricted Minnesota Juvenile Turf Stakes over 8.5 furlongs. A little slow to develop, it took this colt five attempts to break his maiden. Although he has shown improvement since then, he has not run the speed figures of others he’s facing today and puts him at a competitive disadvantage. Prior to his last, he finished second in three consecutive non-graded events being beaten by two in each having run evenly throughout. He must prove to me he belongs so I’ll watch this once.
PP 6: SUPER RISK(IRE) wistful0 (10/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 3
Colt: Danehill Dancer(IRE) x Fusaichi Pegasus x Storm Cat
This son of Danehill Dancer(IRE) is ranked number 3 in the Turf Clasic Divison coming into this weekend but gets little respect in the morning line with a 10-1 on his line. All he’s done to date to vaildate his ranking is win four of eight and banked $439K for his connections. He’s come a long way since his initial race where he started on the dirt finishing 14th of 14 with a 25 speed figure. There’s hope for us all with our precocious two year olds who get off to slow starts. A winner of the Grade I High Flyer Stakes as a two year old at odds of 14-1, he did so with a stalking style as has been his preference to date. He disappointed in his next start, the GI Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf at today’s distance finishing seventh by five. In his latest, the Grade III Rantofan Handicap he faced a similar fate finishing fifth and failing to gain through the t=stretch as he had in his two year old campaign. He looks to get untracked here and regain a measure of respect from both the linemaker and the public at large. Top jockey D. Evans takes over boasting a 36% win percentage. A wake-up possibility.
PP 7: COPPOLA(KY) super29 (12/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 221
Colt: Ghostzapper x Storm Cat x Fappiano
This son of Ghostzapper makes his first career start on the turf and enters this event looking to turn his fortunes around after he finished a well beaten tenth in the Grade III Giant Slayer Classic six weeks ago. Prior to that outing, he finished second by almost three in the Grade I Eruption Handicap running a career high 93. With his only wins coming in one non-graded event, an allowance race and his maiden score, he has much to prove and he has been somewhat inconsistent though has faced some tough competition to date. My expectations are tempered for him today.
PP 8: CHILL OF A JOURNEY(IRE) calle4 (7/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 23
Colt: Dylan Thomas(IRE) x Gailieo(IRE) x Gone West
After a second place finish in his first racing foray, this son of Dylan Thomas(IRE) went on a four race win streak capped by a victory in the Grade III Apparently Juvenile Stakes where he wired the field over nine furlongs in a sharp 99. In his three year old debut three weeks ago in the GIII Frio Frio Mile, he was engaged in a heated speed duel which was his undoing as he failed to hold in deep stretched relinquishing the lead late to finish third by almost two. Blessed with an abundance of natural speed, no doubt he’ll try again to take the lead quickly once again and slow the pace down to crawl however PASS THE MIC(KY) may have something to say about that. Keep in mind his rider has yet to win in 2009 and looks to get himself going in this spot.
PP 9: GODLY QUALITY(AUS) seplatt01 (9/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 20
Colt: God’s Own x War Emblem x Gulch
This son of God’s Own is a high percentage sort who boasts seven wins in ten career starts and earnings of $330K to date. Primarily a sprinter to date, he is two for three at today’s distance (8F) having taken the King Storm Bonanza Stakes (99) and the Vanilla Dancer Bonanza Stakes (90) as a two year old in back to back races. He has competed at the graded level in the past with mixed results. He did finish third in the Grade III Dalesbark Cup at six and a half panels but finished a well beaten tenth in the Grade I Epiphany Too Handicap last Fall. He comes into this event on a high having won the Rio Bravo Kid Challenge Stakes (7F) in 1:23 flat (94) from just of the pace as the race favourite. A repeat of that effort makes him an interesting proposition today.
PP 10: COVET(ENG) rtribbett (9/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 31
Colt: Dansili(GB) x Giant’s Causeway(IRE) x Forty Niner
In seven career starts , this son of Dansili(GB) has three wins and three seconds to go with $433K in the bank for his efforts. He comes into this race off a strong win in three year old debut in the GIII Booty Call Stakes closing fast through the lane to overcome a six length deficit for the victory. In the final start of his two year old campaign, the Grade I Digging the Grave Handicap, he ran evenly throughout and though he was never far off the pace was unable to wrestle the lead away finishing a strong second. Earlier in the campaign he competed in the Grade I Nationwide Stakes and finished second once again at seven panels. He has the class and the form to be a force once again in here and the posted odds of 9-1 are almost too good to be true. A contender.
PP 11: FASTNET SAL(AUS) ausracing (18/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 47
Colt: Fastnet Rock(AUS) x Testa Rossa(AUS) x Caerleon
This lightly raced son of Fastnet Rock(AUS) had been on a roll having won three of his first four career starts but threw a shoe in his last, the GI Fainting Goat Nightmares Stakes, which took him out of it early on. Up to then he had won two stakes in The Debee’s Loop’s Challenge and The Beaten Ransom(GB) Special both at 8.5 furlongs handily. Having been rested now for six weeks since that debacle, he appears ready to do battle once again looking strong in his early morning prep’s this week here in Victoria. Needs to prove he belongs against this tough group.
PP 12: SUNSTREAM(ENG) runpastem9 (21/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 48
Colt: Echo of Light(GB) x Touch Gold x Storm Cat
Like another in here, his intial dirt experience didn’t go well and was taken to the turf immediately thereafter. Since then he has hit the board in eight consecutive races including three victories in non-stakes events. He does have graded stakes credential’s having finished third in the Grade II Manofjunk Stakes as a two year old over a yielding turf. In his latest, the 8F Prospect Learn Handicap, he ran strong through the stretch to finish a close second beaten less than two after sitting fourth at the top of the lane. A repeat of that performance makes him a serious threat here and he appears to have momentum going for him. A dangerous outsider!
PP 13: ROCK VEGAS(IRE) farm304 (7/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 17
Colt: Galileo(IRE) x Gone West x Blushing Groom(FR)
This son of Galileo(IRE) has been a prolific performer to date having won four races to date and never been worse than second in his young career. A winner of two non-graded events, The Night Grass Special and The Sir Vanilla Special Stakes, he looks to take the next step here facing graded company for the first time in search of respect within the division. In his last, The Grade III Rantofan Handicap (8.5F), he trailed by eight at the mid-point when jockey Wendorff hit the switch. We watched as he ran powerfully through the stretch to finish fast closing second beaten by one and stamping himself a serious contender here today off that effort. He may be a tad short here as he appears to appreciate more distance than afforded here and may be better suited to the classic mile and a quarter. A contender.
PP 14: CREDIT SPEND(IRE) brentuk (7/1) TURF CLASSIC RANK: 5
Colt: Rock of Gibraltar(IRE) x Sadler’s Wells x Machiavellian
This son of the Rock has the credentials to take home the laurels here in Victoria and further stamp himself a top contender for Breeders Bowl glory later this Fall. He comes into this event having won his last, the Grade I Fainting Goat Nightmares Stakes, in convincing style in 1:35:2 (100) after sitting in eleventh place on the far turn. He is on a three race win streak as he’s tacked on wins in the Minnesota Juvenile Turf Stakes and the Senior Tarzan Memorial Stakes as well. Beware of the bounce but he’s hard to overlook in any case. The one to beat!
GRADED HANDICAPS: By Hladun
1. PASS THE MIC(KY) lenny28
2. CREDIT SPEND(IRE) brentuk
3. ROCK VEGAS(IRE) farm304