My Race: In A New York State Of Mind
I think it’s a fact of life: you always love the very first thing that introduces you to something you develop a passion for. You always remember very fondly the first band that made you love music, or the first comic book that helped you appreciate all graphic novels, or a TV show that introduced you to a whole new world of entertainment. For myself and the Sport of Kings, there’s always going to be a special place in my heart for the NYRA circuit, of Belmont and Saratoga and Aqueduct.
I was a high schooler on summer vacation when I first regularly watched thoroughbred racing, and it happened to be during the opening days of the 1986 Saratoga meet. All I was doing was waiting for a Mets game on SportsChannel. Instead, I heard a guy describing, at full throttle, the actions of horses running around a dirt oval. And even though the only thing I could understand was that horses were running on a dirt surface, and that a guy named Marshall Cassidy was describing what was happening in a fast-paced, just-the-facts-man style that always seemed a bit frenetic but wound up being just the way I liked my track announcers, I knew that this was something I really wanted to get to know better. There were highs and lows and surreal moments (pay me enough credits and I’ll tell you about December of 1987, Harvey Pack, and a New York-bred 87-1 winner named Askherout that could only happen to me) but up until I left New York for drier desert pastures in 1991, I was hooked on New York racing. That passion has ebbed and flowed for a number of years, but these days the only time I’ll deliberately stomach TVG is to watch each day’s racing from the NYRA circuit on my DVR, and the passion is back. I’m partial, and proud to admit it.
Knowing this about me is knowing part of the Sim player that I am. I named one of my stables “freewill” for one of the very racehorses I knew, a son of Full Extent out of a Quadrangle mare, trained by Bob Dunham and a stablemate of multiple graded winner Moment Of Hope, who raced very briefly in the maiden claimer circuit at Aqueduct and Belmont in the spring of 1987. He was owned by an acquaintance of my mother who had delivered mail to her workplace around that time and who eventually took me to the Aqueduct backstretch one April morning to meet both him and his classier barn mate. (Free Will eventually won, albeit at Monmouth, and had briefly become a show horse, if memory serves, before injuring himself and eventually being euthanized.) I’ve done my homework thanks to Google and a couple of different websites and found a number of names of serviceable horses from that era that I try to use when possible, and on occasion I’ll try to replicate their general sire lines for the modern-day Sim play. (I’ll let you know how the general lack of Storm Cats and A.P. Indys turn out in future auctions.) These are the good old days, and being here in the Sim allows me in part to recapture what I witnessed when I was young into an adult pastime.
And that’s another reason why I came up with something that the CVBear’s Hometown Turf Stakes (formerly CVBear’s Hometown Handicap), named for the former Floral Park Handicap, a Grade III sprint that was won by horses like Twist Afleet and Carson Hollow back in the recent past. The race is occasionally brought back as an overnight stakes under varying conditions, most recently last year, when talented graded winner Cocoa Beach went down to defeat at odds-on (in the Floral Park Heatherten). No matter what goes on in New York in the current climate, the CVBear’s Hometown Turf Stakes will remain a part of the Sim’s New York calendar each June. It’s become a tradition, in its own way for me, to buy the race for the Sim at large.
This weekend marks the fifth running of the Grade III, $125,000 stakes race. I moved it to the turf last year simply because there seemed to be a glut of dirt sprints for older fillies on this part of the calendar, while the grass division seemed to go more under-represented. And it paid off with a good-quality field and an exciting race. Previous winners include:
- 2006: Aim For The Moon beat millionaires Explosive Storm and Kacymygirl in a field of twelve in the first running, back in September 2007 (when the Floral Park was usually run, historically), trained by teamfoppa for Ldyssecret Stables. The final time of 1:09 1/5 earned a speed figure of 107.
- 2007: Benny Being Benny defeated Dublin Lass and Calculus Guru in a field of nine in June 2007 (where I moved the race on the schedule in keeping with my own kind of heritage), trained by ebryant for Mia and Ben’s Acres—yeah, nothing says special like Mike winning the stakes race you bought. The running time of 1:09 3/5 picked up a 102 speed figure.
- 2008: Furion Stage was victorious over False Peace and Strong Prospect in a full field of fourteen in June 2008 (the last time the race has been run on the dirt, moving to the grass due to scheduling conflicts with other dirt sprints), trained by unsunghero for Gatetowire Stables. The final time was 1:09, and the winning speed figure was 109.
- 2009: Unfabulous was the winner over Camberville and SJ’s SJ in another full field of 14 last June (the first time the race was held on grass at its new distance of six and a half furlongs), trained by fairhaven2 for THE EMPIRE – 100 GI WINS AND COUNTING. The winning time was 1:15 1/5, and it was rewarded a speed figure of 109.
This year, another solid field has been assembled for the final race on the New Yorker undercard, with some of the leading Sim names taking part.
Heaven’s Bells [Fusaichi Pegasus x Lyphard, trained by super29 for More Evil Than The Evil Empire!] is a five-time stakes winner aiming to make a splash in graded racing, but she’s got her lack of graded experience to overcome. Still, her recent form is solid, she won a stakes back in February and has picked up a check in each of the last four outings. Her speed figures are solid for this class of racing, though the numbers on the whole are down from the second half of 2009. She was fifth in the Grade III Turf Queen two back, but that was over wet grass and her last, over drier ground, seemed to be more to her liking, a second with a decent number in a Norway stakes. Expect her to lay close to the lead, as she likes it, but her fifth in the Turf Queen has been by far her best graded finish, and while she likes six and a half furlongs, she seems to appreciate just a little more distance equally as much; make of that what you will.
Reward Dance [Grand Reward x Alysheba, trained by bhm for Cmd Stables] is on her fifth trainer, but she seems to be in the prime of her career under her current connections. A $50K claim on the Fourth of July, she’s had 17(!) outings in the last eleven months, won four times including a stakes, was second in the Equinics and was second two months ago in a Grade III. Busy, busy, busy…anyway, the first four months or so of 2010 have been very good to her, culminating in some great form at the highest level. Her speed figures were at their highest with both her graded-placed races, topping out in the Grade III Girls Cup in April with a 109. But both recent starts since then have found her floundering, with lower speed figures, a listed-stakes second, and a seventh over softer ground in the Grade II Duke of Mork. She’s got speed to burn, but so do a few others in here, and she may not be the fastest of them all in this spot. Might she be close to hitting the wall in a slot like this? It’s definitely a competitive Grade III field, and she figures to battle on the front end, so her fitness needs to rebound from her disappointing run from Ork last time.
Hockey Mama [Scat Daddy-Dance For The King, by Williamstown, trained by rubiano00 for At The Wire Thoroughbreds] is low-ranked girl on this Grade III’s totem pole, but she’s already a stakes winner at 2. She’s been spotty at this level in the last eighteen months, but she’s been rounding into form through all her allowance starts, and she’s run through her conditions already, making this race a decent place for her swing at the fences. She broke her maiden in October of 2008 in her second start, a Texas stakes grass debut that portended better things, but the form just hasn’t carried on, although she’s been solid enough at allowance level. But some things do tend to stick out here: her best speed figure is just a 100, which she earned twice, and the last time she did that was in her only start at a mile. In that race she set the pace and then faded, and subsequently she finished second over wet grass last time out in another allowance sprint, with a slightly lower speed figure. So, she could bounce upwards with an improved effort here, but the quality speed figure at a mile does suggest that might be an avenue worth trying going forward from this spot. And, simply put, the speed figure it’s probably going to require to win in this spot is about 5 points higher than she’s ever earned before, so she’ll need to do her usual strong stalking job in this field, and then some, for her best foot forward here; allowance consistency alone might not be enough.
Smart Pace [Smarty Jones x Fusaichi Pegasus, trained by dcsharks for Marabou Stables] has won a pair of stakes races in her long career, scratching and clawing her way up the ladder, and she makes her graded stakes debut in her thirtieth start. She certainly seems like she’s the main source of speed in here, opening up by wide margins in lesser races against smaller fields, but looks can be deceiving, and if she does try to go all-in on the lead here, she ain’t gonna be alone. She also struggled in her last race over a wet turf course, finishing sixth, but her last prior to that was a beaut, opening up by 4 in an Indiana stakes before fading late to second, but equaling her best career speed figure in the process, a 108. Another run like that here and she could be in the thick of it late, although she’s also shown the ability to stalk the leaders and make one move late. A little more rated speed, and she should move up here.
Jobbb Pete [Point Given x Secretariat, trained by doodlesgbs] may be making her tenth(!!) start of 2010 here, but you could be forgiven for thinking she was over-raced, considering that she took almost 21 months off between November 2007 and August 2009. So, if there’s anyone qualified to take advantage of a lengthy layoff by undertaking an aggressive schedule, this one sure fits. And she’s done very nicely following the break. Before it, her only result of note was a fifth in the 2007 Grade III Broadside Stakes; after, she’s won a listed stakes, run respectably in a pair of graded races, run through her allowance conditions, and dramatically improved her speed figures. It took three races to begin to shake the rust, but currently she’s doing well indeed. A confirmed closer, she ran an even fourth last out over firm turf in a listed stakes at six furlongs, and the low speed figure of 95 can be owed to the fact that she was sixth in the Grade III Charted Well just a week before. She’s had some time to rest up for this, three weeks, and with six wins coming in the ten months since the long rest, her trainer seems to know best. There’s quite a bit of speed that could set up for a closer, and she sure does seem to be fit enough; one to watch.
Rock Cliffs [Rock Hard Ten-Eyrie, by Sky Mesa, trained by upperhand for Given Stables: Fire and Blood] also comes from a New York state of mind of sorts. But that state of mind seems to be locked in a debate: turf or dirt for this stakes winner? Her first five races were a bit unremarkable at 2: two wins, good turn of foot, but her only dirt stakes try in that period was middling. Switch to the grass for her next six races, and was there a change? Imperceptibly so, with two wins and a couple of fair stakes tries at varying distances, and some slightly improved speed figures. Back to the dirt, she finally bloomed over the next eight starts, winning a sprint stakes and two other outings, and finally breaking the 100 speed-figure mark. In her last three turf races, though, she’s won another stakes, and picked up a career-best speed figure two back, 108, in a seven and a half furlong race in Texas. She’s less like Jekyll and Hyde and more like Sybil: which personality will come through here? She’s got early speed she can use, like a couple of other contenders here, but it’s also tactical in nature, as she sat just off the lead in her grass stakes win two back. If the grass lover who won that race shows up here, she’ll be a factor. If the one who was just fair on grass a while back shows up, she might play a role, but the rest of the story remains unwritten. In her favor: she’s 2-for-2 at the distance.
A Fleet Cat [Afleet Alex-Gold Cat, by Storm Cat, trained by be1stfarms for Coldwater Farm] is the model of consistency, having won three in a row coming in, and having earned a paycheck in all but one race since July of 2007. I don’t think it can be argued that her numbers aren’t quite what they were at her peak, back in 2008. That year, she won three stakes races in nine starts, and her speed figures had peaked at 112 twice. The numbers may be lower, but she’s still putting together wins, winning six times in the last two years, and her current three-race streak (best in the field) includes a stakes win two back. She’s still capable of winning, since with seventeen career wins it’s become a familiar habit for her, and she was fifth in this race last year in a game effort (the only returnee). She’s a solid closer, with an ideal pace scenario on paper, and has six wins at this distance, and she’s streaky (including at present), so even without a career graded win, if she can remember the glory days of 2008 here, she might be on the receiving end of a very good day.
Impenetrable [Puplit x Danehill, trained by turbo1 for PEDRO’S RACING EMPIRE] is very consistent in her own right, winning ten times and hitting the board in all but two of her twenty career races. And she’s earned a paycheck in all of her starts. Yet she’s still seeking a breakthrough win. One of the two off-the-board finishes happened in her only attempt at a graded stakes last summer. She’s certainly capable enough to contend, and has the record to back it up. She’ll likely be sitting chilly behind the expected speed duel here, and her speed is tactical enough to help her made that solid move late to throw her into the breach. She’s another victim of the soft-turf syndrome a lot of these fillies have suffered through in their last race, but for this filly, it’s not so bad when you consider her career-best speed figure came on over softer ground. Too bad the Sim Accu-Weather forecast has allowed for a firm turf here. Regardless, with seven stakes wins in those twenty career outings, she knows how to win and where she needs to be to make that happen; the rise in class is her main foe.
Ventrillaquist [Red Bullet x Key To The Mint, trained by pelle] has never been beyond a mile on the turf, and yet she’s not shown the need to stretch out. She has the potential to try and go to the front end, but mostly her speed is tactical in nature, ensuring being near the fun of the front end without necessarily taking the lead early on if she isn’t feeling it. For example, she won the Viking Sprint last out on the lead, gate to wire, and yet she won a stakes at New South Wales just before Christmas from a stalking position. She’s versatile, and able, with a number of triple-digit speed figures dotting her past performances. The 107 she got for the Viking Sprint wasn’t a career high for her, but it was the best last-time-out number in the field, which is pretty good at indicating she’s in solid form for her graded debut. About maybe the only downside for her is that her races at six furlongs have been better than her races at seven (the wins notwithstanding), which hints that six and a half furlongs might be close to the edge of a quality outing for her; if she can get past that, she could be sitting pretty turning for home.
Anointed Prayer [Storm Cat x Seeking The Gold, trained by pazjazz for PazJazz Music City Stables] is regally bred, no doubt about it. She was tenth in April’s Grade III Girls Cup and fourth in February’s Equinics, but did win an allowance back in March, so her form isn’t average by any means. She earned her best speed figure in her last stakes win, back last December, a 109, so she’s capable of contending in a spot like this. Her tenth in the Girls Cup was the only time she failed to earn a paycheck in a race on the turf, which makes her one of the more consistent fillies in the field, but the lack of major success at a higher level is a hurdle to overcome. It’s tricky to pinpoint where she might fall in the overall tactics of the race, but it does seem like she’s be more content to let the others do the heavy lifting while she sits in the second flight of horses. Her speed figures are competitive, but where it might hold the difference is that her recent results have fallen a touch short, with a third last out in the Viking Sprint and her failing effort in the Girls Cup two back. If she can regain some of the form that was keeping her competitive in the winter months, she should fit more in the mix in this competitive spot.
Native Speak [Oratorio x Ack Ack, trained by elenita for Shamrock Stables] has a pedigree mixing a newer sire with an old-school back end, and it’s paid dividends for her connections. She’s a stakes winner, twice graded-placed, who was third in the Grade III Atari a month ago, where she gave way in the stretch late. She’s been comparatively lightly raced this year, with just three prior starts in 2010, so she might just be getting into gear as we approach summertime. Yet, one has to hope that’s the case, as her recent speed figures have left one wanting just a bit. She did pick up a speed figure of 107 in a restricted stakes last November, but has barely approached it since, her best result being a 103 when second in the Grade III Range Rover Handicap the day after Christmas. She prefers to come from more off the pace than others in here, which is good news for her since the tactics in this bunch point towards a speed duel early on, and she seems to have an appreciation for this six and a half furlong distance, winning twice and hitting the board in six of eight starts at the distance. But she needs to return to the form that got her a 107 to fit squarely in the middle of the result, and if she can show the class that made her a contender last out, she may not be far from breaking through.
Ornette [Oratorio x Selkirk, trained by asstchief for Tseals1 Stables] has some speed to burn here, but she’s a bit of a wildcard at the sprint distances, as her recent results have come from racing in routes at this level. This year, she’s raced four times at a mile or a mile and a sixteenth, and though she opened up early on in each of her last three starts, and done so convincingly, she usually wound up coming back to the field, finishing third and fifth in her last two starts (although she did win three starts back, earning a 114 but doing so against allowance company). She’s fast, and could very well get the lead outright early if she’s keen enough, and she’s a stakes winner at seven furlongs which should help her out, but one wonders if the race is long enough for her, considering that she’s earned speed figures of 114 and 107 at a mile, and a 107 at seven and a half furlongs, but her best speed figure at this distance—her only one, in fact—was just a 100, in another gate-to-wire win versus allowance opposition. She does show a lot of speed in her past performances, so one couldn’t discount her abilities to take them out swiftly here, and if she’s indeed a sprinter at heart, returning to the sprints off of two sub-par miles should be right up her alley, but there is a lot of speed in these races, and the field is definitely a competitive one.
This race for me is, I think I’ve said already, something very special for me, from where it is and when it is to the fact that even a small cog in the racing schedule can continue to draw some very fine horses even though it is “just” a Grade III and “just” (now) on the grass. I’m glad that even in unusual racing times like these in the Sim that it has continued to draw well.
My choices:
1. Impenetrable
2. Rock Cliffs
3. Anointed Prayer
4. A Fleet Cat
5. Heaven’s Bells
Good luck to all….and thanks.