Will Friday the 13th Effect the Chicago

Following Friday the 13^th comes a field of 13 racing on the 14^th in the 14^th race in New York.  Confused yet?  So am I.  So lets take a look at the field running in the G3 Chicago, a 6 furlong race for fillies and mares.

1.  Ciudadania  12-1

Ciudadania has a nice record of 7-3-2-1, all on the dirt.  Her last race was her premiere in graded races.  She ran a mile for the first time and put in a poor race, finishing well back.  She likes to run on the lead and she never made it to the front in that race.  She drops back down in distance to a level she has been performing well and looks to better her career best speed of 88 (achieved at 6f).

2.  The Ghost of Ohio  7-1

Ghost has come in the money 6 out of 10 starts.  She has appeared in three graded races, and has failed to hit the board in any of these races.  But an asterisk needs to be placed by these races…each one was at a distance of a mile or more.  She has been racing well in sprints and this time will try her luck going a shorter distance.  It will be intriguing to see how The Ghost of Ohio will perform trying out the shorter distance with graded company.

3.  The Nightmare  13-1

First we have The Ghost of Ohio and now The Nightmare…hmmm…sounds like the Friday the 13^th spooky theme continues…and this one is at 13-1.   The Nightmare is a versatile horse, performing nicely on both the dire and turf.  In 8 races, she has posted a record of 4-2-2, never missing the board.  She comes off a win in the Dear Storm Challenge in a career best speed of 93 (6.5f).  She moves up to the graded company and looks like a competent entry here.

4.  Iron Dale  11-1

In four starts, Iron Dale has posted a record of 3-0-1.  She pulled off an upset against Allowance level at 41-1, posting a speed of 96 for the 4.5f.  She followed this up with a third in her first stakes race running 6f in a speed of 87.  Her speed numbers have been good on the dirt track and she is trying her luck now at the graded level.  She has the ability to pull off an upset here.

5.  Go Cory Go  16-1

Another first time graded level entrant, Go Cory Go set a career best back in January with a speed of 90 in the Granny Rose Challenge (7.5f)  finishing second.  She followed that up with a dismal effort in the Rotten Ant Challenge posting a speed of 75 going 8.5f.  This was the longest distance she ever ran and despite that, she was never a factor in the race and I’m taking a pass on her in this race.

6.  U Think I Know   6-1

I have to admit that I don’t know.  U Think I Know has a record of 2-2-0 in seven starts on the dirt track, running in sprints.   Her best speed on the dirt is a 92 in the G2 Davola Dane South (8 f) where she finished 5^th.  In fact, she has raced three times in graded races, finishing in the middle of the field each time.  Her results on the dirt are inconsistent and she seems to struggle with the graded races.  With that said, she is one of a few horses with experience at the graded level, which could give her an edge.  So I just don’t know where to go with her.  If you aren’t sure, best to pass.  I am curious to see her on the turf.  She has two recent wins on the grass and could find her niche there.

7.  Lady of Leisure  5-1

In dirt sprints, Lady of Leisure has 4 starts and a record of 3-1-0.  She moves up to the graded level after a sparkler of a win in the Rich Bag Handicap (6f) with a career best speed of 96.  She has not finished worse than third in her career.   Her biggest obstacle in this race is the size of the field.  Most of her races have been running against very small fields.  She has something to prove in this race and I believe that she will put in a good run.

8.  Slew’s Humor  11-1

A winner of 3 of 6 sprint races and makes her debut in the graded level.  Slew’s Humor will have a tough task ahead of her as her career best speed is 85 while others have already surpassed the 90-level.  Added to that, Slew has only two stake starts that resulted in fifth place finishes.  Slew looks unlikely to make the grade against this field.

9.  Kithara  8-1

Kithara is nine for ten in hitting the board thus far in her career.  She is a scrappy little horse who can run on the lead or come from behind.  In three graded races, she has secured a second and third place finish.  She made quite a few maneuvers in her last, the Georgia Prospector, to make it from last to third in a career best speed of 90.  Don’t overlook her.

10.  Ultrasound  19-1

Ultrasound has hit the board 7 times in 9 sprint starts.  She loves to run on the lead and is capable of wiring the field.  She will need to up her career best speed of 85 to steal this race.

11.  Westmead Kris 6-1

A horse with eight starts and a record of 7-0-1 cannot be ignored.  Westmead Kris happens to have this record and is a hard hitting front runner.  She has won her only graded race (Little Momma Debutante-G3) and set a career mark of 97 in the Cryptodud Dancer Special.  She has won 4 of 5 stake starts and is a foe that will be hard to beat.

12.  Repeat Performance  9-1

Repeat Performance returns to the graded level after a successful run in non-graded races.  She has 6 graded race starts that resulted in two seconds.  She does have some work to do in this race.  She will put in a bid for the lead, and there are several runners in the field that will contend that spot.  Her top speed is an 87, and she will need to pump it up a bit to pull off the win.

13.  Inuit Legend  12-1

Inuit has been very consistent which is evidenced in her 9-4-4-0 record.  Her only race off the board was her last outing where she ran a mile and the distance was just a little too much for her.  She drops down in distance and is a first time graded level runner.  She has won 3 of 5 non-graded stakes and is another gal that wants to be on the lead.  Her speeds keep improving and she comes off a career best of 89, which may have been a little better if the race were shorter than a mile.   She is worth considering.

Westmead Kris gets my vote in this “hard to pick ‘em” race.  She has been running extremely well and looks to have a great future ahead of her.  She is ranked 13^th (here we go again with the “13” theme) in Dirt Sprints. 

The Nightmare is my upset choice who will join several horses to battle it out for the lead.  She comes off a nice win and if she can repeat that effort, she will reward investors nicely.

Intuit Legend tired out with the extra distance last time out.  The shorter distance will benefit her and she may have enough left to take the third spot.  Added to it, she does have post 13, so I have to include her to keep the theme going.