Eleven to Barry Foster
Race: The Barry Foster – Grade I – $750,000
ID: 4344.0313
Track: Kentucky
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old and up
Distance: One mile and one eighth on the Dirt
In the capital of American horse racing, one of the major highlight stakes races this weekend will be The Barry Foster (G1). The Grade I race will be open to three-year-olds and up and will be run over the main dirt track over a distance of a mile and one eighth. The race will be the thirteenth on the card for this weekend in Kentucky. The race is in only its second year. Last year in the race’s debut season, the impressive and now-retired Daytona Beach, owned and trained by lenny271 won the inaugural running of the race. This year the race is attracting just as impressive of a field with a total of eleven horses drawing into this years’ race. There will be some isolated thunderstorms in the area of the track throughout the week, however, the track shouldn’t have a problem drying out by post time on Saturday once the storms subside. Let’s take a glance at this years’ contenders for The Barry Foster (G1).
1. Tulloch Range – (Include x Carson City x Seattle Slew) – tulloch of Tulloch Stables – S. Lynch – 5/1
This horse will need to step up his game this weekend if he’s going to finish well in The Barry Foster (G1). The five-year-old horse, who is out of the stakes winning broodmare Tulloch’s Belle, has finished off the board in his last three starts. The horse has made twenty-two starts in his career, winning six of these. His most recent start was late last month in the Cosmopolitan Handicap (G1). The colt faded badly in the stretch of this race after being near the pace for nearly the entire race. He would finish ten and a half lengths off the pace. Prior to this the horse had also finished off the board in the Sand Castle Goldolphin Mile (G2) and the DPCD VIII The Delaware Mile (G1), after he had come home with a third place finish in last years’ Breeders’ Bowl Dirt Mile (G1). His most recent win was last September during the Middle Ground Mile (G2), where he again was right up front stalking the pace, but accelerated in the stretch rather than fading. He would win by a length and three-quarters, setting a speed figure of one hundred fourteen. The horse should be forwardly placed this weekend as well, right behind a few front runners. He will likely be running at approximately the third position out of the gate.
2. Talkin’ Baseball – (Grand Slam x Clever Trick x Private Account) – esagin of Universal Racing Club Inc. – P. Jazz – 8/1
Making a comeback in his last race after finishing off the board in two consecutive races, the four-year-old colt has won a total of nine starts in his twenty-two race career. The most recent start for the chestnut colt was across the country in The Los Angels Handicap (G3) at six furlongs. He went straight to the lead in the race, but faded in the stretch to finish in third, two lengths off the pace. The colt set a speed figure of one hundred six. His most recent victory was in January during the Wicker Sofa Stakes (G3), overseas in Japan, but also at six furlongs. He took that race in wire to wire fashion. Perhaps the biggest question with the colt coming into this weekend’s race is distance. The colt has had a habit of fading late in the stretch of his races at even sprint distances. Some tend to think that the colt won’t be able to pull off a win at the distance of a mile and one eighth this weekend. However, to date, the colt’s longest distance he has ran and still won has been last years’ The Land’s End (G2) at nine furlongs. The colt will probably undoubtedly be our pacesetter out of the gate on Saturday.
3. Hecametomeinadream (JPN) – (Deep Impact x Lyphard x Secretariat) – bobcat of Bobcat Stables – D. Givins – 8/1
The five-year-old Japanese-bred horse has been on a bit of a downward spiral in his two most recent starts, the earner of over a million dollars finishing off the board in both races. The brown horse made his most recent start in The Sun’s Blocked (G3) over eight and a half furlongs in Ontario. The horse rallied late in the stretch of the race after being held back towards the end of the field. He would come up short though, finishing seventh with five lengths between himself and the winner. He also finished off the board in his prior start, the Oaktree Handicap (G2) at nine furlongs. The most recent victory for the horse came earlier this year during the nine furlong Saints Handicap (G2) in Louisiana. Again, being held back towards the rear of the field, the horse made a late run down the stretch, where he pulled off a victory of a quarter length over his nearest competition, setting an impressive speed figure of one hundred twelve. The horse will likely be pulled back at the rear of the field out of the gate again in this race, where he will likely lay in wait for the stretch where he will kick into gear.
4. Never Scrub Again – (Distorted Humor x Seattle Slew x Damascus) – steller2 of Deadinthelane Stables – S. Garber – 6/1
Trying to go for his second consecutive win this weekend, this will be the first time the four-year-old colt has started in a Grade I race this racing season. The most recent start for the chestnut colt was in the Perfectionistic Handicap (G3). The Kentucky-bred colt was held just off the pace behind a few front-runners in the race before he took control of the race late in the stretch. He would just get by his nearest foes to win the race in a photo finish by a nose at the wire. He tied a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twelve, previously scored in an allowance race, in his most recent start. The only other stakes race in which the colt has finished on the board in was last years California Derby (G1) in which he finished third. The colt should be forwardly placed in his race this weekend, likely stalking the pace off of a few front runners.
5. Alberta Samurai – (Pine Bluff x Gone West x Sadler’s Wells) – bertaal of Balata Golf Resort – B. Marston – 10/1
At eight years of age this is one of the older horses going to the gate this weekend. The brown horse has won ten of his forty-two lifetime starts, earning $321,539 in career earnings. He made his most recent start in The National Rider Club (G3) last month at nine furlongs. The horses, as usual stalked the pace from near the rear of the field at the break. However, he didn’t show his classical closing kick when the field neared the turn and the horse finished tenth, twelve and three-quarter lengths off the pace with a speed figure of ninety-eight. Prior to this start though he won, by a length and three-quarters, The Old Man of the Mountains – Series V Race 3, a nine furlong allowance race. The connections of the horse are hoping he’ll be able to rebound off of his most recent start and hit the board again. The horse will almost assuredly be near the very back of the field at the start of the race on Saturday, but if he fires he should start picking off other horses when they come into the turn. The horse has also run in in the middle of the pack before as well.
6. Getaloadoff – (Hard Spun x Distorted Humor x Ela-Mana-Mou (IRE)) – fab19 of Fabman Farms – B. Sipe – 12/1
Lightly raced with just eighteen career starts, the four-year-old colt is out of the Grade I winning broodmare Getaloadofthis. The colt has won six times in his career, all of his victories coming over the dirt. His most recent start was last month during the Perfectionistic Handicap (G3) at eight and a half furlongs. The colt broke out of the gate and was held back towards the middle of the field, but ended up fading in the stretch to finish seventh, back by fifteen and three-quarter lengths from the winner, and setting a speed figure of ninety-three. His prior start was in The Ben Ali (G3) over nine furlongs, in which the colt was held up closer to the front of the pack, and took over in the turn to win the race by a length. If everything goes well this weekend for the colt and he rebounds from his most recent start we should see him around the fourth or fifth position out of the starting gate on Saturday.
7. Silvergore – (Silver Deputy x Nureyev x Carson City) – bigarnie of Jrogue Stables – L. Goodburn – 6/1
A superstar in the field this weekend, the five-year-old horse will be making his thirtieth career start this Saturday. The brown horse has won nearly two million dollars. However, despite the horses’ fame, he didn’t have a good last start in the Sand Castle Classic (G1) a few months ago in the United Arab Emirates. The horse, breaking near the front of the back, faded early in the race and finished twelve and three-quarter lengths off the pace of the winner in eighth position. He still set a speed figure of one hundred five. The colt has made a number of starts prior to this in which he would finish on the board, but he has not won a race since late last year in the twelve furlong Smackdown 5 (G1) in New York. The horse was pressed up early to the pace in this race and got by the pacesetter at the midway point in the race to win by two and three-quarter lengths. The horse should continue to be run towards the front of the pack in this race, possibly even on the lead.
8. Gato De Lago (AUS) – (Encosta De Lago (AUS) x Storm Cat x A.P. Indy) – mattress of Donnybeisbol’s Genetic Misfit Consortium – D. Sherman – 11/1
A lightly raced horse, the four-year-old Australian-bred has made only fourteen lifetime starts The brown colt has won six of these races. The horse is out of the stakes placed broodmare Cuchi Cat, and has won two races in succession recently. His most recent start was right here in Kentucky last month during The Sheba Alley (G3) over eight and a half furlongs. Breaking towards the rear of the field in the race, the colt began to move up as the field neared the stretch. He went on to win by a quarter of a length, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred eleven. Prior to this he also won, by a length, the Bertrando Handicap (G2) at nine furlongs. These races are also the only stakes starts that the colt has made in his career. Depending upon the pace on Saturday, the colt could either be set towards the rear of the field at the break, or could be running towards the middle of the pack.
9. Oil Platform (ENG) – (Medicean (GB) x Deputy Minster x Shirley Heights (GB)) – 77 of The Big Oil Conglomerate – C. Turner – 14/1
Out of the broodmare Eight Deputy, the four-year-old English-bred colt has made twenty-seven lifetime starts, winning six of his races. His most recent start was a couple of months ago in the Oaktree Handicap (G2) at nine furlongs. The colt took right off out of the gates to the lead, but faded in the stretch and was beaten by three lengths as he crossed the wire home in third. He set a speed figure of one hundred seven. His most recent win was towards the middle of last year during The Alpha Richter Stakes, a listed stakes race over eight and a half furlongs in South Africa. The colt stayed just off the pace in this one, setting behind in second, and he took control in the late stretch, put in an impressive drive, and went on to win by three and a half lengths. The colt does tend to fade in many of his races, so if we’re going to see him get up and win this weekend, we’re probably gong to have to see him lay off the pace of a few front runners to get the job done. Undoubtedly, even if this happens, the colt will still likely be forwardly paced on Saturday, probably back no further than fourth.
10. Legendary Thief – (Cat Thief x General Meeting x Mr. Prospector) – twister of Oneworld Stables – P. Carrier – 5/1
Out of the multiple Grade I winning broodmare Meet The Legend, the six-year-old veteran has won ten races out of his forty-six lifetime career starts. Despite the horses’ number of starts, he has only accumulated a total of $865,274 in lifetime earnings. He is coming off a two and a quarter length win in his most recent race, The Billy Donald (G3) over nine furlongs. This year the race was run over a good dirt track. The horse had been placed towards the middle of the pack in the race, sprinting forward in the stretch. The horse set a speed figure of one hundred ten, one of the highest in his career. He had his most recent win last September during The Brookline Handicap (G2). He was much further off the pace during this race, and played the role of a closer, not making a move until just before the field came into the stretch. For the most part this colt is usually a deep closer, sitting towards the rear of the field until its time to strike, however, he can also run mid-pack with success.
11. Rock Hard Korn – (Rock Hard Ten x Seattle Slew x Nijinsky II) – korn of Qwikvett Stables – P. Cadigan – 6/1
Returning to graded stakes racing this weekend after putting forth two consecutive wins, the five-year-old brown horse is a top competitor, winning nine times in his thirty-four race career and winning a little over eight million in career earnings. The most recent start for the brown Kentucky-bred horse was The Extortionist Memorial, a listed stakes race over nine furlongs overseas in South Korea. After breaking out of the starting gate just off the pace of the leader, the horse went on to win impressively by two and three-quarter lengths with a speed figure of one hundred two. Prior to this the horse won The Huge Saint Memorial over nine furlongs in the United Arab Emirates. The horse made his most recent graded start earlier this year in the Sand Castle Classic (G1), but the colt was never able to come back after settling back towards the middle of the pack at the start. He would finish eleventh, fourteen and a half lengths off the pace. His most recent graded win was last December in The Japan Dirt Cup (G1) at nine furlongs where he held on to win by a length and a half. The horse can be a versatile runner, hanging back in the middle of the pack or stalking the pace behind a few front runners, though we will most likely see him at the middle of the pack this weekend.
Flrancho’s Picks
Win: Legendary Thief
Place: Hecametomeinadream (JPN)
Show: Getaloadoff