All the way at the bottom of your program

Sorry about last week.  We’ll get things straightened out before continuing!

I blew it on the Hot Trainer thing by not reading the small print – the stats are posted for a four-week period, not just the previous week… so LOCHINDORB races twice, won twice, and apparently has not been back to Track 93.  We expect to see a new name up there in a week or two.

And yes, we realize that there are REAL people who train in the SIM and live in the Czech Republic.  Hi guys!   While it may seem that the “Track 93” articles are devoted to local breds and shining a spotlight on horses who are not Eclipse winners, this is in no way a slight to the country or the racing industry in the real Czech Republic. 

I chose this track for my weekly beat because I think this particular region (see the 10 countries above) offers an interesting mix for local breds where no one sire should dominate.  I can also claim 25% Czech heritage as my maternal grandmother is the daughter of Bohemian immigrants to the US.  

So enough genetics.  What’d we miss last week? 

Kirby-associated stables won 6 of the 16 Saturday races, not bad!  The Benelux trainer known as “ce” also won two, with presumable fewer entries.  Five races had winners who cracked the century speed figure mark, the fastest being Sportek’s LUCKY’S YAHOOOO(SAF).  The KING OF KINGS colt absolutely scorched a field of open allowance turf routers, getting a 109 speed rating over 8.5 furlongs.  That’s two in a row here at CZE since turning 4yo, so I’ll bet he tries the stakes company again very soon.  Wenlock- trained THE DOMINION(GB) did what he always does, which is to close from downtown and get a big chunk of the purse.  Despite TWELVE ‘ncos’ wins in his 38 race career, this guy has never been entered in a stakes race.  I think he’d be just fine at 9 furlongs and probably win at the listed level.

OJAI DE LAGO(AUS) continued his sprinting dominance with win number 13 from 29 lifetime starts.  The Deven’s Best Challenge at 5.5 furlongs on the dirt was his FIFTH STAKES WIN IN A ROW and eighth of his career, but Kirby looks content to keep hammering away at the short fields.  Who knows how good this son of Encosta De Lago, a notorious sire of late-developers, could really be?

Would you look at this… the other stakes on the card was The Celestial Wind, won by another Kirby charge named SKY KLUB.   This 3yo turf sprinter failed in his only route try, but that was from post 14 in a Grade II where he could not get the lead.  He has since learned to rate and strike.  Might be decent at a mile this spring vs. tougher company…or maybe Kirby will keep winning against short fields J

Trainer Astin has figured out his $15,000 claim SIERRA GOLD, who has now won 4 in a row on the turf, the last two here at CZ.  Poor SHIROCCO MOLE(ENG) keeps running into this buzzsaw in Str25000 races his trainer lgbost picks out for him!  4 weeks left on the latter’s starter tag, so maybe we’ll see them both again in a few weeks.

Finally, I did a bit of a double take (or is that a spit take?) when I noticed that race 4204.9315 was won by an 11yo horse named APRIL LAMP.  This is not one of your “My name is Monte and I’m going to take a 6 year layoff and run my ultra fresh horses in your face” horses… Brasco24 (Gobidon) picked him up as an original stable horse in early ’08.  This son of Slewd (who?), a sire by the stallion Slewdledo (really?), has started at least 3 times each year, with layoffs no longer than 6 months, continuously since 2001.  He debuted in a Mc5000 at 2, scored a 62 SP in his MdSpWt win, and pulled down 14 more wins and over $200k in his 64 lifetime starts.  With a 99SP in winning for a 25000 tag, it’s clear this old dude is not feeling his age.  He’d be a sure candidate to reach 100 starts if it weren’t for the 12yo age limit in the game!

This week’s Local Bred Races

(9201)  ORBIT KHLYSTI(SWE) tries for two-in-a-row in the Local ranks but will have to catch a speedy BOASTFULLY(DEN) who has won three straight local joints, including his maiden win in a turf sprint at this track.  The other contender is an Aussie-bred CPU horse entered to fill the field.  He’s 8/5.  RELAXED KILLER(CZE) is 12-1 but has been improving on the grass and has an awesome jockey – he should get a piece.

RODOTS(4210.9301)  –  POLISH OPERA(CZE) looked awfully tough to beat on paper, but RELAXED IRISH GAL(CZE) stepped it up again to take two in a row in her home country.  Kirby finishes 1-2-4, just missing on the team trifecta.  Note to self – get some more CZE-bred fillies!!!

Races and Horses of Interest

(9304)  Looks like a nice spot for horses with their last lifetime condition before they may have to look for a lower claiming tag.  30k claimer for N4L older fillies is a bid race for rocket35, whose QUEENSLAND FORCE is finding new life as a dirt sprinter.  Ace’s ZIRAFAH is the 9/2  5^th choice in a six-horse field, but looks like a sleeper if the layoff and the 185 lb. jockey don’t scare you.  Thanks for the mount!

(9307)  Open MdSpWt has been a (relatively) tough race to win at Track 93, and we drew twelve for this 3yo race at 8.5F on the turf.  Trainer Catthief has been trying to find the right distance for his well-bred COUNSELOR, but I fear this son of Mineshaft x Sadler’s Wells x Seattle Slew may just need time to mature.  There are no obvious monsters in the group, but the race is deep, with legacy’s MAJEUR(JPN) likely to try to steal it on the front end.  I was cross entered into this race with one of my first time starters, but chose a RODOTS sprint instead.  I’ll let you know how all of them did next week J

(9312) and (9314)  Multiple Eclipse winning-Trainer Ledwith shows up with two bid allowances for older older horses (5yo and 5yo+), so we may see sledwith2 up in lights on the front page for awhile.  I don’t see an obvious “K” horse in the 12^th race, which pits a classy NEW OBJECTIVE(GB) against a more accomplished but currently off-form FU PEG HUNTER.   K’s CARPE DIEM has been racing here at CZ for the last 8 starts (3 wins, 4 seconds) but this is the first since I began writing the column.  The only horse with a shot to disrupt his dominance is Rafa’s GOLDAMAL, in a virtual rematch of their 1-2 finish in week 4183.  What are friends for, right?

Random facts and stuff you might not have noticed:

Number of Maiden Special Weight Races this week:  5

Number of Maiden Claiming Races: 1

Number of Named Bid Races: 11.  Wow, 11!  I’m not even going to look at the non-named ones, if any. 

Number of Horses Claimed last week at Track 93:  ZERO.  This place is like a safety square!

Number of Horses Expected to be Claimed This Week:   < 2

Best Bets:  Select a jockey.  J. Wilson and M. Bia have combined to win 39 races this year.  We’ve only run (18×4) 72 races, folks.  That’s a hefty 54.1% combo!  D. Samaan is right on his normal pace, with 2 wins from 18 starters (11.1%) compared to 11.0% for his career.  I’ll go on a diet, I promise!  If I could only get that coveted Kirby account…

Special Coincidences:  Race 5 has four horses, including  dolphinman’s FRIDAY ON MY MIND and kf stables’ I LOVE THE DOUGH.   Somebody up there knew it was payday today!  Time for me to cash my paycheck and buy more correction fluid for these BTB articles (I can barely read my monitor anymore, for some reason…)

And finally…. DONNYBEISBOL’s RACE OF THE WEEK!!!!

None.

No race of the week this week!  Somehow, we didn’t get a stakes race.  Perhaps Timmn broke it by defeating supertrainer Foxon two weeks back.  I’m sure when HOOCHY MAMA comes back, she’ll bring the stakes races with her. 

If you race at Track 93 and want to see your name in lights, email those comments to donnybeisbol@gmail.com or send PM to beisbol on the message board forum.  See you next week!