Jockey Guild Up In The Air In N.Y.
We know, we know…but we’ll remind you anyway because that’s the kind of stock the BTB staff is made of: the Breeders Bowl is coming up in just two weeks. Most of the Classic potential entrants have had their last licks at a prep race for the biggest day of racing in the Sim, scheduled to be run over this That is where the Grade I, $1,000,000 Jockey Guild Gold Cup comes into play. A mile-and-a-quarter classic test, it features some talented handicap horses seeking out a large purse, and it contains at least one colt with Breeders Bowl aspirations that could be influenced by a top finish. A field of thirteen will go postward in this Grade I over a fast track, and while a rabbit might be conspicuous by its absence, this Gold Cup should be particularly contentious because six of the top 40 classic division contenders are here, and dreaming of a major Grade I to add to their résumés. Here’s the field, by order of their division ranking. Kissin Cousin II [Sadler’s Wells x Gone West] is ranked 11th in the division, and though his spot in the Classic is very tenuous at best, trainer sherwood has him coming in on a high note. Earlier this summer, two starts back, he took the Grade I Movieland Shiny Cup with ease, winning with a figure of 112 and coming from off the pace only to draw off by two-and-a-half lengths. He didn’t fire as well in the subsequent CA Classic, but he’s been freshened since that effort and is spotted very well in this field. This one’s had a remarkable year: all five of his career stakes wins came this year alone. And that’s thanks to a very friendly racing schedule; this horse has raced eight times this year, and only four times last year, thus avoiding serious wear and tear to this point. Off a seven-week break, an already fresh horse had gotten even fresher. This makes him very dangerous, and so does his ability to close from the deep. Whether or not this colt is Breeders Bowl-bound, he’s had a most successful year that looks very good to continue. Unprecedented [Hansel x Nureyev] has won eight of his fifteen career starts, and like Kissin Cousin II, is a very fresh horse. In fact, he’s even fresher, a truism owed to the fact that this colt didn’t even race in 2004 and has only four starts in ’05. What he lacks in quantity starts he more than makes up for in quantity starts, with a wire job in the Grade I Bob Woodward last out, earning a 109 figure. He was a stalking third in the Grade Ethan Hollandia [Richter Scale x Robellino], for thegallery, will be at the front even if Unprecedented isn’t. The pedigree is built for speed, and his speed can carry, if he’s loose as he was in wiring the DelCap field last out. Most of his results have him going to the front, and taking as far as he can as fast as he can. And the one thing he is, is fast. His figs, too, show he can hang in the division, but he most certainly is a miler. The front-running DelCap win last out notwithstanding, he’s not terribly experienced going as long as he will be running here (one-for-two at distances beyond a mile, but no further than nine furlongs), and last time out it was his graded debut. What the field lacks here in true banner-headline superstars it more than makes up for in bedrock runners who can stay at the distance, and with him as the primary speed source, his chances rely more and more on the fractions he’ll set. You cannot ignore a horse who’s four-for-six on the year, though, and if he’s going to hold his considerable early foot in control, his chances certainly improve. Blender Bev( War General [General Meeting-Alpe Dhuez II, by War Chant] is a nicely bred three-year-old for ddahl who’s been very slow to return from the grueling Triple Crown grind. He’s the only three-year-old here, which implies a certain freshness compared to the older handicap division, but the Middle Jewel took a lot out of this two-time graded winner. He was tenth there, with no rally, and has spent a lot of the past five months getting fresh for a fall campaign. His last, his first off a three-month break, was a fair, late third over this course last month, his best result on this track (zero-for-three, with a second), and that should set him up nicely for a return to this level here. He’s a middle mover, who in ideal circumstances won’t be too far from the early pace before making his presence felt on the far turn. But distance could be a question mark, as his Middle Jewel result points out; he’s had much better success at a mile-and-a-sixteenth, where he’s three-for-four. A swift early pace might doom his middle move hopes, but if his freshness keeps him around at the eighth pole, he could be very live. Nowhere To Always [Always Far x Irish River(FR)] runs under the silks of ruby3, and this colt has been knocking heads at stakes level with moderate success in ’05, having won two stakes (including an Irish Grade II) and earning a check in all but one start. Since returning to the races at 4 after being out for all of 2003, he’s transformed himself into a speed horse, going to the front (or stalking closely) in all of his starts. The results have largely been positive, except that when going over nine furlongs, he’s zero-for-two, finishing fourth both times. There’s already going to be a swift pace set, probably courtesy of Ethan Hollandia, and rating (which was tried at 2) hasn’t worked for him at all. His figures show he can hang with the best of the division, but for this speed horse, might the classic distance of a mile-and-a-quarter be too far? His expected early pressure could set it up late for a strong stretch kick, but if he gets the lead alone, he could be quite sharp. Especially [Sadler’s Wells-Sharon La, by Torrential] is a marathon specialist for greghtbarn, and he’s two-for-three this year alone at this distance, with a win over this surface back in May’s Grade II Long Live Del/Penn. He’s a fit stalker-type, who likes to sit just off a moderate early pace before taking over late. He seems to appreciate distances longer than a mile-and-a-quarter, but has proven ability to win at this distance, also. His numbers this year have been steady and pretty sharp, though he has been slumping since his Grade II win, with a fifth being his best finish in his last four starts. And while his numbers have looked pretty impressive in the spring, they have begun to tail off noticeably in the summer and fall, where he’s failed to crack 100 since the Grade II. Distance shouldn’t be a problem, and sitting just off the leaders (no matter how swift the pace will be) seems like a good tactical idea, but his recent reversal of form from the spring is a bit disconcerting, especially (no pun intended) at a Grade I level. He’s certainly in the mix, but needs an upswing on his recent trend to help his cause. Not Bluffing [Pine Bluff x Miswaki] seems to have finally found his niche for looney1 after being graded-placed at 2. He’s won twice this year, including the Grade II Iowa Cornhusker BB Classic three back. Plus, he’s on a tear of his own, having picked up a paycheck in his last fourteen starts, dating back to last June. This six-time stakes winner also prefers to sit in full stalking mode, sitting relatively close to the front end before utilizing a kick on the turn. He was fifth last time chasing the runaway speed in the Bob Woodward, and actually led entering the stretch before being collared quickly thereafter in the Farewell To CryptoZot two back, so the middle range of the classic distances do hold some appeal. The CryptoZot did come on a sloppy track, for what it’s worth, but this colt still doesn’t seem to have reached his zenith just yet; his speed figures can compete with the best of them. The key for him might lie in this being his second race off a seven-week vacation, but he certainly hasn’t lowered his game while he’s been gone. He’s a valid threat here, though this distance hasn’t held the key for him before. Poker In The Back [Broad Brush x Ack Ack] certainly has benefited from his pedigree, in which he’s closely inbred to Ack Ack and Hoist The Flag. It’s paid off in his four-year-old campaign, particularly since rharfo1 took over the training back in June. Since the barn switch, this colt is four-for-five, including his upset win at 16-1 in the Grade II Bluegrass Cup Classic last out. His figures have taken off into the stratosphere, too: before the change, the colt had been struggling at sprint distances with figs peaking in the low 90s, but after the switch, he hasn’t failed to break 100 in each start. His style is to come from the rear, in traditional stretch-running mode—no middle move or flights from neighboring counties for this one. And as the distances get longer and longer, he just seems to get better and better. The pace shouldn’t upset him, his late speed seems reasonable, his figs prove he can hold his own on class, and added ground is expected to appeal, also. His pedigree may be very controversial to some, but his developing ability can’t be denied. Still, for all those plusses, he does take a step up in class to a Grade I, and often it’s the little intangibles like that which could make the difference. Robert The Bruce [Mt. Livermore x Roberto] hopes to honor his sire, who was pensioned this week after a long career of successful service at stud. And trainer dioscuri hopes to be honored at a Grade I level this week, as well. This horse is still lightly raced, relatively speaking, with only four starts at 3 and one start at 4, last year, and he’s exploded late in his five-year-old campaign, with a win in the Grade II Copenhagen Cup two back on the lead, and a belated fifth in the Middle Ground Mile last out. The year’s tone may have been set in May at New Mexico, where railbirds were impressed in an allowance win in which he ran a mile in 1:34, with a 113 speed figure. In fact, he’s four-for-ten this year, has earned a paycheck in his last nine starts, and should be involved with the pace, either leading or stalking early on. The bad news, though, here, is that in his only dirt try at nine furlongs or longer, he was a tired fifth, and his five dirt wins (disregarding a nine furlong maiden win on grass in 2002) all came at a mile or a mile-and-a-sixteenth. The pace might be honestly swift, and his figs might be competitive, but his ability to stay at long dirt routes is a cloud in this circumstance. A very good season, to be sure, but the going may be a bit too long right here. Obispo Town [Kingmambo x Nijinsky II] certainly has a regal pedigree, that one might expect leans heavily towards grass. But trainer socalman actually brought this four-year-old colt to life on the dirt last year, with four victories. Indeed, he’s a keen competitor on dirt dating back to his three-year-old campaign, in which he won a Japan marathon stakes and was second in Delaware’s Grade II Kelso Cup. This year, the trend has continued to rise, with three stakes wins and another graded near-miss, this time the Grade II Upstate BB Cup over this track at this distance. Prepping for this with a win in a Connecticut stakes last time, he did what he does best: closing from the Kangamangus Highway to get to the front at the wire. He’s a deep threat who’s won three of his last four, and has earned a check every time out since March’s Stamp Of Approval [Theatrical-Ack Rizzo, by With Approval] is a seven-year-old competing against a field of littler whippersnappers in this Grade I for johngcozie. This colt came into stakes company last year, at 6, and had been struggling at this higher level until just a few weeks ago. While he’s only been successful at allowance-level efforts, he has managed to hit the board in his last three stakes tries, all coming at classic distances with his stretch-running style. His figures aren’t at their peak, like they were in last year’s allowance races, but they show some signs of rounding into form once again. He is a come-from-behind horse, and not a deep, deep threat, and that should appeal to him in this bunch. Just the same, this is only his second stab at graded stakes-level competition, and the other try at this level, four back, resulted in a no-factor seventh in Dubai’s Grade Admiral Ordinary [Danzig x Vice Regal] is the elder statesman of the field, at the ripe, young age of 10. Trained by kok as he has been since August of 1999(!!), he’s the type who’d likely be calling seven-year-old Stamp Of Approval “Sonny Boy”. And back in the day, he was a noble warrior, a Grade My selections: 1. Kissin Cousin II 2. Poker In The Back 3. Not Bluffing 4. Ethan Hollandia 5. Blender Bev( Good luck, and happy racing!