New Shooters Favored In Tiara Third Leg (Written by Emmyrhys)
(Video courtesy Jdrhys and Emmyrhys)
Speed, speed and more speed. And ten, count ’em, ten new shooters.
That’s what you’ll see in the 2011 running of the one mile $300,000 Grade 1 Chestnut Stakes in New York this Saturday.
Only four fillies in the third leg of the 2011 Triple Tiara have run in either one or both of the first two legs of the Tiara.
Desk Jockey, Indy By Sea, One Iota and Lindy Hop are the only four fillies here who have run in this year’s Triple Tiara, and of those four, only Lindy Hop has run in both of the first two legs.
So it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise on Tuesday when two of the new shooters, Super Daring and Fishing Hole, were installed as the 6/1 morning line co-favorites by the New York odds makers.
Fishing Hole is not just a new shooter. When she steps onto the track in New York on Saturday, she will also have the distinction of stepping outside outside the sprint division for the first time to race in the one mile Chestnut Stakes.
The winners of the first two legs, Lana Turner and Headingforadivorce, are sitting this dance out. But they’ve both got some pretty solid stable mates here to take their places, and one of them will try to make it two out of three for their owners in the 2011 Triple Tiara.
While many thought that either Leibschaft (who comes from the same stable as Headingforadivorce) and Lindy Hop (whose stable mate is Lana Turner, the winner of the first leg) were the ones that would be the co-favorities here in New York, it was probably a bit of a surprise to a few that Lindy Hop’s other stable mate, Super Daring, was the co-favorite with Fishing Hole.
It probably wasn’t that much of a surprise to Simply……..Super! spokesman Whirlwind (JC), whose stable also owns the winner of the first leg of the Triple Tiara, Lana Turner.
“Lindy Hop loves the distance, and she’s naturally sharp, so she gets the shot here” said JC, whose connections also own the winner of the 2010 Chestnut Stakes when Artemis and Apollo won this race last year. “And we’re throwing a new filly into the mix this year with a horse Laura bred, Super Daring. She (Super Daring) has really popped her last two starts. Super Daring will ensure a realistic pace, and they will have to catch her and pass her.”
The odds makers thought so highly of Super Daring’s ability to not only set a realistic pace but to also maintain it that they made her one of the co-favorites here in the 13th Chestnut Stakes.
Right At Home Stables, who had the winner of the second leg of the Triple, Headingforadivorce, said his filly will get a breather and sit this one out. “She’s in need of a rest, and I can’t say I’m surprised after running her heart out back to back like she did.”
So Mike, the owner of Right At Home Stables, is sending out Liebschaft, who hasn’t run since she ran in the Bluegrass Derby May 7. “Liebschaft is sharp after the long rest, and I’m hoping for a good run out of her. My only worry is that running in the Derby didn’t take too much of a toll on her.”
Mike thinks that the step back in distance from the ten-furlong Bluegrass Derby to the 8-furlong Chestnut Stakes will be good for Liebschaft. “With the cut back in distance, Liebschaft should be primed for a big run here. Of course, a win here would be huge for my filly. Like I said before, it’s always nice beating those ‘super’ horses, but a top three finish wouldn’t be bad here either.”
This 2011 Chestnut Stakes is turning out to be quite a surprise all the way around. Not only do we have a co-favorite in Fishing Hole who has never run outside the sprint division, but we will also see a long shot filly, Diamond Spirit, who will race on American soil for the first time in her career this Saturday.
All in all, it’s going to be a very intriguing race when this field of 14 takes the track for the 13th running of the $300,000 Grade 1 Chestnut Stakes in New York on Saturday.
1 — DESK JOCKEY (KY) Owner: Sicko Stables
Odds: 20/1 (Street Cry (IRE) x Administrator (Medaglia D’Oro x Deputy Minister)
Desk Jockey did all of her racing exclusively in Delaware before hitting the trail to the Bluegrass Oaks. She won six of nine races in Delaware, and then she hit the big time when she won the Grade 3 Davola Dane South in Florida this past February. She was a smashing success,, winning that grade 3 event quite handily. The Street Cry filly out of the Medaglia D’Oro mare Administrator used tons of speed to win the Davola Dane South, which was pretty much her running style most of her career. She is a front-ender who’s loaded with speed in a race that’s full of speed. When she won the Davola Dane South, she popped the highest speed figure of her career (97). Desk Jockey was then shipped out to California to make a run in the Grade 1 lool Oaks. She broke alertly there but the 14 post position may have made it difficult for her to get to the front early there. Her game of catch-me-if-you-can is hard to play when she drew the 14 hole in the lool Oaks. It meant she had to get over and out-race the opposition inside her to save ground. She was only half a length out a little over two furlongs into the lool Oaks, but she was in sixth place and got caught in traffic, something she never really had to deal with before. More bad luck in the draw had her in the 12 hole in the Bluegrass Oaks, where she finished seventh. The same thing probably happened to her there. An outside post for a speed horse always makes it tough the first time past the grandstand. Desk Jockey is finally getting a break here in drawing the number one post. She can bounce out of the gates quickly and get the lead she desperately needs in this spot. There’s plenty of speed for her to run with here, and she should get a ground-saving trip without many traffic problems. And let’s not forget that she’s coming to New York fresh and well rested. It looks like Desk Jockey has finally caught the post draw break she needs, and that could make her extremely hard to catch in the Chestnut Stakes, if she this field lets her get too big a lead early.
2 — SHOTO (KY) Owner: Given Stables: Fire And Blood
Odds: 9/1 (Empire Maker x Arawaza (A.P. Indy x Deputy Minister))
The Kentucky-bred filly Shoto is another new shooter who’s peaking at the right time here. One of two entries by Given Stables, Shoto is by Empire Maker, out of Arawaza, an A.P. Indy mare. Shoto skipped the first two legs of the Tiara, but she’s been in the money in eight of her nine career starts. She started out her career relatively late, compared to a lot of these. She didn’t debut until July of last season. Her first five races were all overseas, but if you look carefully at this one’s past performance charts, you will notice one thing that you love seeing coming into a race like the Chestnut Stakes. This filly’s speed figures have continually progressed with every start. She hasn’t had one bump in the road in the speed figure department. She never ran in stakes company as a two year old, but she has had some pretty impressive finishes as a three year old. Shoto ran against very nice fields in all her stakes starts, which included the Grade 3 Silverbulletbeer (third), the Grade 2 Miss Bonnie (fourth), the Grade 2 Fantasia Handicap (second) and the Grade 2 Go For Broke Stakes (second). Her best speed figures have come in her last two starts, where she popped 100 and 103 speed marks. Shoto’s best effort came her last time out in the Go For Broke Stakes, where she lost by only 3/4 of a length to a very nice filly by the name of Celestial Peace. And Shoto’s got something else going for her. She draws the number two post, so she won’t have to worry about getting caught in traffic here, because she’s extremely quick out of the gate, and she loves to run on the front end. She’s been in front at the third call of every single one of her races except one, and that was a turf start in Taiwan as a two year old. Look for this one to break fast and get out in front early, and she might just stay right there. Watch out for Shoto. She’s an unknown new shooter who could very well be packing a loaded gun here in the Chestnut.
3 — LOVEWILLCONQUERALL (KY) Owner: CVBear’s Cave Of Averageness
Odds: 11/1 (Birdstone x Tiznow Slew (Tiznow x Forty Niner))
The Birdstone filly, Lovewillconquerall, is extremely highly regarded in this field at 11/1. She’s by grade 3 winner Tiznow Slew, a Kentucky-bred he-mare who won over $320,000 on the track. Lovewillconquerall only has three lifetime wins so far, and she’s come close in a couple of stakes events, finishing third in the 9-furlong Grade 2 Sell The Queen in New York. She’s also got a couple of fourth place finishes in two other grade 2 events at a mile. One came in the Grade 2 Mother Story Handicap in Delaware, and the other came in the Grade 3 Lady Bourbon. She comes to New York off a fifth place finish in the Grade 3 Go For Broke Stakes, where she finished behind Shoto, who was second in that race. This Birdstone filly doesn’t have the speed to run with a lot of these sprinter types here early, but she does possess a great finishing kick that should suit her well, if this race sets up as expected. If the front-end speed burners get involved in a breakneck speed duel early, Lovewillconquerall will undoubtedly be one of those who can swoop in and pick up the pieces. Watch this one carefully in the homestretch. If that expected early speed duel does take place, and if the fractions are fast, then do not discount Lovewillconquerall’s chances here in the Chestnut. She’s only got 8 starts in her career, so she’s pretty fresh, compared to a lot of these she’ll be running against, and that’s always dangerous in the third leg of the Tiara.
4 — PROFLAME LANGUAGE (AR) Owner: Cmd Stables
Odds: 11/1 (Fan The Flame x Chimera (Mr. Prospector x Wild Again))
Proflame Language has an incredible 16 races on her resume, which probably takes the cake for not only this race, but also for the boy’s big race being run later on the card. Sixteen races! Here’s a more incredible number for you though. Of those sixteen races, Proflame Language has been in the money ten of them. All that racing, and this filly has still managed 10 in-the-money finishes. Talk about getting the most for your money! Apparently, Cmd Stables is very good at doing this. He started this filly off in a stakes race, of course. And she won, throwing a 75 speed ball first time out the gates. So you knew this one was going to be special way back in February of last season. Proflame Language has run in 11 stakes events, and even with the grinding schedule she’s had, she’s done a pretty good job of holding her own. She’s the only Arkansas-bred in this field here in the Chestnut Stakes, by a sire called Fan The Flame, out of the Mr. Prospector mare Chimera, whose most special foal so far is Proflame Language. She’s got a couple stakes wins coming in here, in the Have You Seen Me Stakes in her debut and also in the 7-furlong Conga Line Special Stakes, which was the debut race of her three year old season. Like so many in here, Proflame Language is loaded with early speed, which should make things very interesting on the front end in New York Saturday. Proflame Language has only run this 8-furlong distance three times in her career, and her best effort at that distance came last time out in the Back Door Exit Dirty Filly Route in Kansas. She finished second there, but she equaled the highest speed figure of her career in that outing (96). Breaking out of the 4 hole should give her the ground-saving trip she’ll need, if she’s to have a shot here in the Chestnut.
5 — FIRST WARNING (KY) Owner: Given Stables: Fire And Blood
Odds: 12/1 (First Samurai x Warning Shot (A.P. Indy x Roberto))
First Warning is one of two entries in the Chestnut Stakes from Given Stables. Here’s another one who displayed quite a bit of early speed in most of her starts. First Warning had a couple of extremely impressive wins at a mile, including a stakes win in Maine as a two year old. After stepping up to graded stakes company and running sixth and fifth in the Grade 1 Walnut Tree and the Grade 3 Adam’s Apple, her owner dropped her back into allowance company and then shortened her distance, and she responded with three straight wins, including a win in the 7-furlong $100,000 Grade 3 Cadoka Stakes in Oregon a few starts ago. After that, First Warning fired a good race in finishing third in the 7-furlong Grade 2 Stoner Stop in eastern Kentucky, where she popped the highest speed figure of her career (102). This filly can throw some pretty nice numbers, and lately she’s displayed a propensity for coming from behind and rallying late. With that strong, late kick, she might just be ready for the step up in distance here in the Chestnut Stakes on Saturday. Watch for this one to come roaring from far back late, and if she gets a lane to run through and a decent trip, First Warning could be one to watch closely here in the Chestnut.
6 — LIEBSCHAFT (GER) Owner: Right At Home Stables
Odds: 7/1 (Monsun (GER) x Deputy Minister x Buckpasser)
Liebschaft started off her career winning two of her first three starts, and she and Lindy Hop are probably the two fillies in this field that everyone is scared of, given the fact that their owners have split the first two legs of the Triple Tiara. Liebschaft beat the winner of the first leg of the Tiara twice so far, when she finished second in the Grade 1 lool Oaks (Lana Turner was fourth there) and second in the Grade 1 California Oaks (Lana was eighth). While Lana Turner was winning the first leg of the Tiara, Liebschaft’s owner decided to try her hand against the boys, when she opted to run in the Bluegrass Derby instead of the Oaks. She ran fairly well early on, but she faded to a 17th place finish there. The scratch-bred daughter of Monsun has taken some time off since the derby, and according to her owner, she’s been training well for this third leg of the Tiara. She comes in here well rested, she’s sharp, and her owner would love nothing more than to capture two legs of the Triple Tiara, after stable mate Headingforadivorce won the Black Middle Flower Stakes in Maryland three weeks ago. Besides those two finishes in the lool Oaks and the California Oaks, Liebschaft has been running against some pretty tough competition. Her only graded stakes win so far was in the Grade 1 Movieland Starlet, where she beat a couple of these she’ll be facing in New York on Saturday. Of her ten starts, Liebschaft
has run in six grade 1 races. My husband said, “She ain’t hiding.” Liebschaft threw a monster of a race just before the Derby, in the lool Oaks when she popped a career-high 107 speed figure in finishing second to Shades of Alex by half a length. This filly has a lot more early speed than many give her credit for, and she’ll probably stay fairly close to the leaders early on and come with a big move in the stretch. Watch out for Liebschaft in this spot in New York. She’s a very dangerous filly, she’s well rested, and she would love nothing better than to snag two out of three legs of the 2011 Tiara for her owner.
7 — INDY BY SEA (IRE) Owner: Pick6king Stables
Odds: 10/1 (Sea The Stars (IRE) x Kangaroo A.P. (A.P. Indy x Fappiano))
You have to look no farther back than Indy By Sea’s dam to see where this one’s class comes from. Kangaroo A.P was a million dollar-plus earner on the track, and so far this daughter of A.P. Indy has been nothing short of brilliant in the shed, throwing two stakes winners and two graded stakes winners, and her foals’ earnings add up to over $3 million. Indy By Sea could eventually be her best of all. This daughter of Sea The Stars has been on the track 11 times in her career, winning eight times and placing twice, with only one off-the-board finish, and that came in her last outing when she finished tenth in the Bluegrass Oaks back on May 7. She sat out the second leg of the Tiara and she’s coming in here fresh after a pretty tough schedule leading up to the Bluegrass Oaks. After a couple of turf starts to lead off her career in Germany, Indy By Sea reeled off seven of eight wins, including victories in the Grade 1 Vermont Is 4 Lovers for fillies and the Grade 2 Fantasia Handicap in Arkanas, where she popped the highest speed figure of her career (103). It’s kind of hard to say what happened to Indy By Sea in the Oaks. She had a terrible time handling the traffic, but she was still only four lengths off the leaders early. Her post position probably had a lot to do with that. Breaking out of the four post in the Oaks, Indy By Sea had a lot of early speed outside her, and she got pinched early. Look for a much better effort from her here in New York Saturday, especially since most of the early speed is inside her and she can wait and see how that speed inside her is going to play. This filly has quite a bit of early speed herself, and if she can avoid the traffic jam that the 20-filly Oaks field had, you’ll probably see her lay close to the leaders early. If she can do that, she will be one to reckon with in New York Saturday.
8 — FISHING HOLE (KY) Owner: Red’s Rockin Empire
Odds: 6/1 (Pulpit x Seeking The Gold x Unbridled)
Surprise, surprise! A new shooter is one of the co-favorites here in the 13th running of the Chestnut Stakes. This scratch-bred daughter of Pulpit is at the top of her game coming into the chestnut. Like quite a few others here, she’s suddenly seen the light and thrown the best speed figures of her career in her last couple of races. One interesting fact about Fishing Hole that sticks out here is that she’s running outside the sprint division for the first time in her career. She’s ranked number four in the sprint division, and if you take a peek at her resume, you’ll see why. In 12 career starts, she’s finished in the money ten times, and Fishing Hole has over $400,000 in earnings. After breaking her maiden in Nebraska and then winning an allowance in Mexico, it’s been nothing but stakes company for this daughter of Pulpit. And it didn’t take her long to grab her first stakes win, either. In Pennsylvania last season, she snagged her first stakes win in the 6 furlong Black Well Challenge in September. She also threw a 91 speed figure in that race, an extremely impressive number for a filly that young. In all, she’s got five stakes wins, one of the graded variety. That came in her last start in Kentucky in the Grade 3 Owner’s Tree on Bluegrass Derby Day. She threw the highest speed figure of her career in that race (103), but it was the way she won that suggests this one might be primed for the Chestnut Stakes here in New York on Saturday. In that Owner’s Tree Stakes on Derby Day, Fishing Hole lay nearly dead last much of the race, until she kicked it into gear late with a monster of a stretch run to win by 3/4 of a length. She’ll go a half a furlong farther here in the Chestnut Saturday, and that indeed bodes well for her chances in this spot. She’s never run against routers before, but Fishing Hole is certainly bred to do exactly that, and her running style as well as her post position suggests that she could be one to watch in New York Saturday. With so much early speed in this race, Fishing Hole’s running style could be extremely dangerous here. Whatever the case, it’s going to be fun watching this one step outside the sprint division for the first time in her career.
9 — SUPER DARING (KY) Owner: Simply……..SUPER
Odds: 6-1 (Tiznow x Mama Forty (Forty Niner x Seattle Slew))
The stablemate of Lindy Hop is Super Daring, a new shooter like Fishing Hole who has been installed as one of the 6/1 co-favorites in the Chestnut. Super Daring comes out of one very super dam, a Forty Niner mare called Mama Forty. Super Daring is a half to million dollar earner Ravencraft Castle and half to another who is nearing the $2 million mark in earnings, the four year old Boiscool. Check out Mama Forty’s efforts in the breeding shed so far. Her foals have earned nearly $4.7 million on the track. Talk about a cash machine! Super Daring is regally bred, by Tiznow, and she’s got tons of speed. Though her connections are probably thinking she’s the rabbit for Lindy Hop, they could very well be surprised like they were in the first leg, when Lana Turner won that race for them. This filly can flat out fly. She had two Grade 3 wins as a two year old. One was in Italy, in the Grade 3 Dormello Stakes on the turf, and the other came right here in New York, where she’ll be racing Saturday, in the Grade 3 Adam’s Apple Stakes on the dirt, which means this filly is extremely versatile, too. Super Daring is peaking at the right time. In her last two starts, she threw the only triple digit speed figures (104 and 107) of her career. She just got nipped in a heartbreaker by One Iota in the Grade 2 Mellow Breeze Handicap, and she came right back in the Grade 3 Leopard Stakes to score an easy win there. She’ll love this mile distance she’ll see here in the Chestnut. Her connections shouldn’t be surprised at all if this part of their double entry wins the third leg of the Tiara.
10 — ONE IOTA (OK) Owner: Dixiedotco Racing
Odds: 9/1 (Omega Code x Tropical Spirits (Ghostzapper x Seeking The Gold))
One Iota is one of three in this field who ran in the Bluegrass Oaks but skipped the Black Middle Flower Stakes to rest up for a run here in the Chestnut Stakes. These types of fillies are always dangerous in these spots, because they come in well trained and extremely rested. Add to that the fact that this filly is no slouch on the track, and it makes One Iota doubly dangerous. This filly by Omega Code is the second of three foals by Dixiedotco’s mare Tropical Spirits, by Ghostzapper. Although Tropical Spirits earned a little over $100,000 on the track, her real value has been in the shed. Her first foal, Wall Street Ghost, is a 4 year old turf beast who’s won over $1.5 million on the track already. One Iota, who never finished out of the money in any of her starts until she ran in the Bluegrass Oaks, already has over $526,000 in earnings. Tropical Spirits’ foals are money earners, period. And that makes One Iota very dangerous here on Saturday. She won the Grade 3 Whiskey Tango Stakes back in July of last year in Kentucky, and she got her second graded stakes victory just before the Oaks, when she won the Grade 2 Mellow Breeze right here in New York. If you like the horses-for-courses angle, then circle One Iota on your progam, because in the Mellow Breeze Stakes in New York, One Iota threw the highest speed figure of her career (105). That means one thing: One Iota can run with this bunch. Throw out her Oaks race. It was probably an anomaly. This filly can run, and she’s blessed with tons of early speed, which should keep her out of any traffic jams early on. She might prefer to be a little closer to the rail at the break than this number 10 post, but that shouldn’t matter much to her in the Chestnut. Watch this one closely. Her connections are sharp.
11 — RUBYS FOR DANI (CA) Owner: Kobras Stables
Odds: 18/1 (Benchmark x Ruby Man (Danzig Connection x Rubiano))
Rubys For Dani did most of her racing west of the Mississippi River early on, and she did quite well out there, winning four of her first six starts. She had a couple of terrific stakes wins during that six-race streak at the start of her career. The first came in the 6-furlong Swampy Mill Special in New Mexico, and before she headed east of the Mississippi for the first time, she won her second stakes attempt in Idaho in the first start of her three year old season. She popped a 92 speed figure in the Fletch’s Fury (GB) Stakes, the highest speed figure of her career up to that point. Rubys For Dani would ultimately add two more stakes wins to her resume before coming here to New York. She popped the highest speed figure of her career (98) when she won the Conquering Lady Dirt Memorial in Rhode Island in gate to wire fashion two starts back. In her last start, the first time she’s run this mile distance, she won the Dangerous Reward Filly Mile in Oklahoma. Rubys For Dani has only been a mile or more twice in her career, and she’s done extremely well when stretched out, winning both times. Rubys For Dani is another here who is definitely speed-dependent, especially with all those sprint starts on her past performance charts. She’s going to add to the fun on the front end here in New York on Saturday, because this 13th running of the Chestnut Stakes is loaded with sprinter types who are full of speed.
12 — FEFIFOFUM (KY) Owner: Tees Stables
Odds: 11/1 (Awesome Again x Kingmambo x Seattle Slew)
Fefifofum started out her brief racing career in Europe on the turf, and she did quite well there. She started late in her career, making her debut in October last season in Newmarket, where she broke her maiden at first asking in a 7-furlong turf event where she threw a 76 speed figure. Two more starts in Europe on the turf would come before she was shipped out to New Zealand and back to Ireland. Both of those starts would come on the dirt, and she was extremely impressive in both. Fefifofum finished second in the 8.5-furlong Cecil Launch Special Stakes, where she popped an 89 speed figure. Then, she really opened a few eyes in her second dirt start, an allowance NW2L event in Ireland, where she stretched out to 9 furlongs and flirted with the 100 speed figure mark (97). Tees Stables then decided it was time for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Awesome Again to go home to America. Her first start stateside saw her win by open lengths in the Cupid’s Dead Dirt Filly Route Stakes, again at 9 furlongs. But Fefifofum’s real acid test would come in her last start, when she ran in the 9-furlong URC Oaks. She scored her first 100-plus speed figure and finished second there. This filly is full of run, she’s lightly raced, and she can get the distance. She would be one to keep your eye on here in New York on Saturday. That run in the URC Oaks showed she can definitely run with the best. She’s legit, and she’s coming off a strong finish in her last start. She’ll probably love this 12 post, so she can take back and watch the speed duel develop in front of her as she scoots over to the rail. Watch this one very closely on Saturday. We have a feeling she’s sitting on a big race here.
13 — LINDY HOP (KY) Owner: Simply……..SUPER!
Odds: 8/1 (Awesome Again x Dance Mania (Street Cry (IRE) x Nijinsky II))
It’s not like Lindy Hop really needs to win this third leg of the Triple Tiara, but her owners are probably thinking it would be awfully nice to see this daughter of Awesome Again get back on the winning track here on Saturday in New York. She’s done more in her career already than most fillies, with over $1.5 million dollars in earnings, 13 career starts and a Breeder’s Bowl win last November. But her connections are hungry to capture two of three legs in this 2011 Triple Tiara, especially after their plans were upset by Headingforadivorce in the second leg three weeks ago. Lindy Hop has run in 11 stakes events, including the Grade 2 Camlaw Stakes prior to her Breeder’s Bowl Juvy Filly win. She threw the highest speed figure of her career up to that point (94) in the Juvy Filly. She also won the Grade 2 Miss Bonnie in Florida, before she took on the boys in the Wooden Indian Derby Lock Prep, where she finished a decent fourth. She went back up her own gender in the first leg of the Tiara and was the victim of a lot of early bumping and jostling, and she never really got untracked in the Bluegrass Oaks. She still rebounded gamely in the stretch to finish sixth there. Last time out, in the Black Middle Flower Stakes, Lindy Hop lay back early and threw a monster of a stretch run in finishing third behind stablemate Lana Turner, who’ll be sitting out this third leg. Lindy Hop’s owners feel this mile distance in the Chestnut Stakes might be more to her liking, despite her late running style. She’s going to have to break well, and come on strong late in this field loaded with speed. But it would appear that Lindy Hop is overdue to get back in the win column in New York on Saturday.
14 — DIAMOND SPIRIT (IRE) Owner: Supertaffy Stables
Odds: 20/1 (Invincible Spirit x Hoosier Diamond (Rock Hard Ten x Mining)
Diamond Spirit is one of the two longest shots in this field at 20-1. It’s likely that she’s 20-1 because she did all of her racing overseas, and she’s really not that well known here in America. She hasn’t raced against these. Another factor playing into her 20-1 morning line is that she’s done most of her racing on the turf. In fact, all but three of her nine starts have come on the grass, where she’s done admirably, placing five times in six starts on that surface. She wasn’t throwing incredibly high speed figures there, so she was switched to the dirt by her owner, respected longtime veteran Supertaffy Stables. It was a great move by Supertaffy. Since Diamond Spirit has switched to the dirt, her speed figures have skyrocketed about 25 points. She went from a 91 speed figure in her first dirt start to a career high 100 in her only stakes attempt, a win in Turkey last time out in the 8-furlong Swift Kick Dirt Filly Route. One other important thing to take note of here is that all four of Diamond Spirit’s wins have come at the 8-furlong distance she’ll see here in the Chestnut on Saturday. That might make this one a live long shot worth taking a hard look at in this spot. The feeling is that the odds makers have spotted this one a bit high at 20-1. She’s not really a speed ball like a lot of these, so this outside 14 post shouldn’t be of much concern to her connections. She has shown the ability to stay close to the leaders early on, and that could serve her well in New York this weekend. Diamond Spirit is a good value play. And let’s not forget, these connections are super sharp when it comes to putting horses in spots where they think they can win. Watch out for Diamond Spirit on Saturday. She’ll get a lot of overseas action from those who have been paying attention to her career.