Empire Stakes Racing Meets in the Opici Special
Empire State Racing continues its competition pitting members against one another in member chosen races. This week’s contest moves to the grass in Japan. Older horses who have not won three races in the past year are traveling a mile and three sixteenths in the Opici Special. ESR member equistable chose the conditions of the race. We have a competitive field of eleven topped by several stakes winners and including two mares taking on the boys. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Apples and Aces 8/1 for ESR member kingab K Ledwith rides
Apples and Aces is a six year old son of High Chaparral out of f-grade Giant’s Causeway x Gone West mare Apple of My Eye. She has three foals to race, this is her most successful. Apples and Aces has thirty four starts with eleven wins, seven seconds and three thirds and earnings of $658,816. He has one win in the past year, the Rockland Memorial in April of 2010 at today’s distance with a 112 sp. He has competed in nothing but stakes races for the past year in the 9.5-11 furlong range.
#2 Craft Stripe 6/1 for ESR member lostorf A Hudson rides
Craft Stripe is a scratchbred seven year old by Starcraft x Mogambo xCandy Stripes. He has a 47-10-7-8 record and $350,426 in the bank. Craft Stripe has two wins in the past year, a nine furlong allowance win on yielding turf with a 104sp in April 2010 and a conditioned allowance a nine and one half furlongs in September with a 102 sp. He is also stakes placed during that period, running third in the nine and one half furlong Road Rubbing Memorial with a 106sp. He has previously won a stakes.
#3 Pleasantly Bbor 5/1 for ESR member equistable L Fenner rides
The horse this race was bid for is a six year old scratchbred son of Pleasantly Perfect x Awesome Again x Kingmambo. He has eight wins, two seconds and four thirds in thirty seven starts, earning $244,682. Pleasantly Bbor has two wins in the past year, a nine and one half furlong allowance with a 109sp in July and a nine furlong allowance in September with a 102sp. He placed in two stakes during that time, running third in the Grade Three Grand Prix stakes and third in the Street Memorial. He has two earlier stakes wins, including a Grade Three.
#4 Scranton Dude 37/1 for ESR member Daniel W Lloyd rides
Scranton Dude is a four year old son of Fairbanks out of d-grade War Chant x Geri mare Nighthawk’s War. The mare has produced four foals, all winners at the claiming level. Scranton Dude has fifteen starts with two wins six seconds and two thirds with earnings of $47,361. He has won win in the past year in his most recent start a $2,000 starter allowance at twelve furlongs in January with a 89sp. Scranton Dude has competed exclusively in claiming and starter allowances over the past year, with five sprint runs five marathons and two middle distance starts, a mile claimer in which he finished third and a ten furlong claimer where he ran a strong second.
#5 Seeking Nijinsky 7/2 for ESR member balata R Duffy rides
Seeking Nijinsky is a seven year old mare by Seeking the Gold x Nijinsky II x Key to the Mint. She has eleven wins ten seconds and seven thirds in thirty eight starts and earnings of $586,013. She has two wins in the past year in her most recent start in December she won a nine furlong dirt stakes, the Point n Roar Stakes with a 105sp and in October she won the nine and one half furlong turf Winter Storm II Stakes with a 111sp. She has competed in nothing but stakes races for the past year. This will be her first start against males.
#6 Hurricane Kara 7/2 for ESR member irisharse B Parker rides
Hurricane Kara is a six year old son of Mr. Greeley out of g-grade El Prado x Doyoun mare Kara Fitzgerald. This is the most successful of her three foals. Hurricane Kara is relatively lightly raced with a record of 20-8-3-3 and earnings of $241,704. He has two wins in the past year, taking back to back starts in October and November of 2010, first winning a seven furlong allowance with a 109sp and then taking the Pepe’s Pipes Challenge at nine furlongs with a 110sp. That was the first stakes victory of his career.
#7 Big City Cat 6/1 for ESR member trotter C Roser rides
Big City Cat is a six year old scratchbred son of Bluegrass Cat x Smart Strike x Boundary. He has four wins six seconds and one third in twenty two starts. He won one race in the past year, a nine furlong allowance with a 104sp in August of 2010. He does have three seconds during that time and has raced exclusively in allowances.
#8 Wells Ghost Ted 35/1 for ESR member mjbfarms R Scharf rides
Wells Ghost Ted is a seven year old son of Ghostly Minister out of f-grade Sadler’s Wells x Red Ransom Dr. Wallace. He has eight wins six seconds and eleven thirds in sixty five career starts with earnings of $663,662. He has won win in the past year, a $5,000 claiming race at one mile with a 91sp in September 2010. In his youth Wells Ghost Ted was a Grade One winning miler, but most of his recent starts have been at much lower levels.
#9 This Life I Live 25/1 for ESR member spinround C Szott rides
This Life I Live is a four year old son of E Dubai out of c-grade Unbridled’s Song x Pine Bluff mare Unbridled’s Spirit. She has four foals to race with two stakes placed runners and a two year old winner of 2011. This Life I Live has two wins four seconds and one third in twenty two starts. He has one win in the past year a $13,500 starter allowance at nine furlongs on the dirt with a 98sp in January. He has five starts on the grass in his career with his best finish being a second in a ten furlong allowance with a 81sp.
#10 Suzy’s Awesome 7/1 for ESR member balata G Arnold rides
Suzy’s Awesome is the second entry for balata stables and the second female. She is a five year old daughter of Awesome Again out of a-grade Danzig x Nijinsky II mare Suzyjinsky. Suzyjinsky has turned her on track success into breeding success with six foals to race, including a two year old of 2011 with two graded winners and two additional stakes winners. Suzy’s Awesome has nine wins five seconds and three thirds in twenty eight career starts. She has $722,200 in the bank. She has not one a race in the past year. During that time she has only stepped out of graded company once, in her most recent race when she tried a listed stakes on the dirt. But on the grass she has three thirds at the grade three level, one third at the grade two level, and seconds in both grade three and grade two races. Her highest sp in the past year is a 110.
#11 Speak Soft 33/1 for ESR member jetman N Tippins rides
Speak Soft is a four year old son of Big Brown x Secretariat x Northern Dancer. He has three wins two seconds and two thirds in sixteen starts with earnings of $58,811. Speak Soft is coming into form with two wins in the past three months. He won a non-winners of two lifetime allowance at one mile with a 89sp in December and most recently won a $4,000 starter allowance at nine and one half furlongs with a 102sp in January.
Good luck to all!