Ten Take to Turf in Irish Derby

Race: The Irish Derby – Grade I – $500,000
ID: 4358.5910
Track: Ireland
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old
Distance: One mile and one half on the Turf

This weekend we head over to Ireland, which will have a jam-packed weekend of racing, featuring many Group races on the Saturday card. The highlight race of the day, and the tenth on the card for the day, will be The Irish Derby (G1). The mile and a half turf race, offering a purse of $500,000, is sure to attract some of the top turf horses to its gates this weekend. Last year the winner of the race was the French-bred Dwight (FR), owned and trained by sdmf4. The rice will likely attract just as much talent this year. There will be some showers throughout the area for much of the week, but Saturday should be clear of rain, leaving the turf track listed as firm at post time. With a prestigious race on hand along with perfect wether conditions, this year’s Irish Derby has drawn in a total of ten horses. Let’s take a glance at the competition.

1. Seventh Sense (IRE) – (Montjeu (IRE) x Kingmambo x Nijinsky  II) – rapt of Tees Stables – Z. Kentucky – 6/1

Lightly raced with just seven lifetime starts, the three-year-old col is coming off of two consecutive Group wins. The  colt has earned $745,925 in career earnings, all of this coming over the turf. The most recent of the starts for the local Irish-bred was in the Derby de English (G1) at twelve furlongs.  The colt broke right on the lead in the race and only increased it from there, winning the race impressively by three and three-quarter lengths, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred one. Prior to this start, the colt had also won The Vase Of Chester (G3) by over four lengths in Berkshire, England. This weekend will be just the third group start for the colt in his career, and will also be his third consecutive. He has a good record so far, never loosing in his two group starts to date. The colt likes to be out on the lead and will either be right there on it or very close to it just off the pace of a front runner or two.

2. A.P. Popular –  (A.P. Indy x Galileo (IRE) x Green Dancer) – thierry of Zeco Stables Belgium – E. C. Doyle – 6/1

Winning nearly a million dollars in his career so far, the colt has just nine lifetime starts. The chestnut colt is out of the stakes placed broodmare Gay Dancer (IRE). The Kentucky-bred colt has never finished off the board in any of his nine career starts. Most recently last month the colt made a start in The Japanese Derby (G1) over a  yielding turf track. The colt was held back in seventh position at the break, but rallied later on in the race to finish second. He set a speed figure of one  hundred two during the race. His most recent win came in February over in New Zealand during the ten and a half furlong Super Hero Role Playing Stakes (G3). Again held back towards the rear of the field at the break, the colt closed in late to win by just a quarter of a length. The colt will likely play the role of a closer on Saturday, settling deep within the rear of the field. However, the colt has ran just off the pace in a few races before, so he could surprise and be up closer to the pace if necessary.

3. Night Of Demons – (Big Brown x Mr. Prospector x Nijinsky II) – pincay of Qwikvett Stables – N. Bruce – 9/1

Out of the third post this weekend, making just the second turf start of his career, the colt has had a total of thirteen career starts. All but one of the horses starts have been over the dirt, and he’s won two races over this surface. The colt’s sole turf start came in his most recent race, an allowance race over a mile last month overseas. The colt was held just off the pace, gained the lead in the final turn, but would loose it again to finish second, just a quarter length off the pace of the winner. The colt would set a speed figure of ninety-eight. The most recent victory for the colt came last year in Argentina during the mile long Trixy Delight’s Special (G3). After a hard run of luck recently with the colt finishing well off the board in several races, the connections decided it was worth it to try the colt over the turf. He should sit just off the pace of a few front runners on Saturday, likely back around the fourth place position.

4. Moskovskaya – (Dynaformer x Kingmambo x Pleasant Colony) – super10 of Simply……..SUPER! – R. Inch – 6/1

Nearing half a million in career earnings, the brown colt is lightly raced with just eight career races. He’s won half of them and brought home career earnings of $414,215. The Kentucky-bred is out of the Group I winning mare Pravda. The colts most recent start was in The Jockey Club (G1), taking place over ten and a half furlongs in Deauville, France. The colt, being held back in sixth position at the break, gradually began to pick off other horses early on in the race. He would go on to w in the race by a length, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred seven. His only other group start was also in France in The Griffen (G2), in which he finished second. The brown colt will probably be held back around the middle of the pack this weekend, likely moving up to begin challenging other horses fairly early in the race.

5. GPS To Finish Line – (Henrythenavigator x Ghostzapper x Danzig) – lgbost2yop of Lgbost Stables – P. Michael – 4/1

By hot sire Henrythenavigator and out of the broodmare Dr. Venkman, the brown colt has made fourteen lifetime starts, winning five times so far in his career. The Kentucky-bred made his most recent race in France during The Jockey Club (G1) last month. The colt was held back off the pace out of the gate at the break of the race, settling back in ninth. He would be urged forward early and sent to pick off other horses in the field almost immediately. The colt would still finish off the board though, crossing the wire in fourth position, six and a quarter lengths off the pace of the winner. He set a speed figure of one hundred one for the race. Going back to March we can find the colt’s most recent victory, which came in The Golden Rose (G2) in Victoria, Australia. Again in this race the colt was held towards the rear of the field, but urged to go forward and challenge later on in the race. He won by half a length. The colt will almost certainly function as a closer this Saturday, running towards the back of the pack at the break.

6. Gimlet Chilled (JPN) – (Tanino Gimlet (JPN) x Danzig x Creme Dela Creme) – skunkfeed2 of Skunkbarn Stables – N. Schreiber – 7/1

Making his eleventh career start this weekend, the Japanese-bred colt has only finished twice off the board in all of his career starts. So far he’s won four races in his career. The most recent start for the colt came in his homeland in The Japanese Derby (G1). The colt was held back a good bit off the pace towards the middle of the field. He was sent forward to challenge midway through the race but never could make up enough ground. He would still finish in the money with fourth, but was seven and a quarter lengths off the pace over the yielding turf course. He set a speed figure of ninety-eight. His most recent win came a few months ago in the Manatee Classic (G3) over ten furlongs in New Zealand. He ran with much the same running style, but would surge ahead in the stretch to win by two and a quarter lengths. He should be held off the pace on Saturday towards the middle of the pack at the break.

7. Hugh Hefner (GER) – (Monsun (GER) x Danehill x Buckpasser) – mickyb3 of Briant Breeding & Racing Empire – M. Russell – 24/1

Lightly raced with just seven lifetime starts, the German-bred colt has won just two races over the course of his career. This weekend, he will be making the first group stakes start of his career. Most recently the brown three-year-old made a start in a sixteen furlong allowance race in Portugal. Held back in the middle of the field at the start of the race, as the field neared the final turn the brown colt was let go and he went on to romp to an impressive eleven and a quarter length win on the rest of the field. He set a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-three for the race. The colt has seemed to excel greatly over these very long distances. The colt does have a single listed stakes start on his tab, coming this past March. He made a start in the nine furlong Theregoesmyhero Stakes, in which the colt would finish last, back off the pace by twenty-three lengths, never finding his stride at any point during the race. Hopefully with a little maturity under his belt, the connections have decided its time to try the colt in a group race. The colt is capable of running either far off the pace as a closer, or more towards the middle of the field. The pace will probably determine where he is this weekend.

8. Spur’s Dancer (IRE) – (Danehill Dancer (IRE) x Cozzene x Dynaformer) – hollandia3 of Hollandia3 Stables – G. Holland – 4/1

A late entry into the field this weekend, the dark gray Irish-bred colt is out of the Group I winning broodmare Zook Spur. The three-year-old colt has made thirteen starts, winning an impressive seven of these races. He’s a fairly consistent runner, though his past few races have been on a little bit of a roller coaster ride. His most recent start came in The Oppenheimer Reunion (G3) at eleven furlongs in Germany. The colt came from near the back of the pack when the field reached the turn and really poured on the speed when he went on to win the race impressively by three and three-quarter lengths, setting a speed figure of one hundred two. However, prior to this the colt had finished sixth in The 2000 Guineas (G1), off the pace by five and a half lengths. The colt will probably be towards the rear of the field, but he is a versatile runner and could lay off a few front runners if that favored him this weekend.

9. Shamardane (IRE) – (Shamardal x Montjeu (IRE) x Danehill) – helenus of Goldsmith Stables – A. Reed – 8/1

Another local-bred Irish colt, the three-year-old chestnut is out of the broodmare Oh Four Cup (IRE). The Irish-bred is fairly well experienced with a total of fourteen lifetime starts. He was won just over half a million in career earnings. His most recent start was in The Oppenheimer Reunion (G3), an eleven furlong race in Germany. The colt broke out of the gate on the lead in this race and led nearly the whole way until he started to fade in the final furlongs of the race. He would finish second, fading to three and three-quarter lengths behind the leader. He set a speed figure ninety-nine. Prior to this the colt won The Italian Derby (G1) by three and a quarter lengths just the month before. He should be out towards the front of the field at the break on Saturday, either right on the lead or just off the pace behind a few other runners.

10. Consumed By Chaos – (Bernardini x Storm Cat x Pleasant Colony) – mtkplaz2 of MTK and GALLOPLAZ SIM Joint Venture – D. Knopf – 9/1

Getting into the race this weekend with only two stakes points to his credit, the brown colt is out of the broodmare Peacefull Predator. The Kentucky-bred colt has made only nine career starts, of which only two have come over the turf. Out of his nine races he has won three times in his career and only finished off the board twice so far in his career. To date, the colt has been undefeated in his two turf starts, which were both at allowance level. The most recent of which came over nine furlongs in the United States. He won going wire to wire, winning by a margin of two and a half lengths, with a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-nine. The biggest question for the colt this weekend will be the jump up in class to a stakes race for the first time in his career, group race or otherwise. He should be right out on the lead or pretty close to it on Saturday.

Flrancho’s Picks

Win: GPS To Finish Line
Place: Seventh Sense (IRE)
Show: Moskovskaya