Storm Brewing In Midwest

Illinois.  The smell of the fresh air, the sight of corn growing in everyone’s back yard.  Agriculture is just one of the many things this state is known for.  One may ask, what else can Illinois be known for?  Well folks how about the fact that it is home to the Blues Brothers or even the Sears Tower.  How about the fact that it is the Prairie State or home of the windy city.  Maybe you may know some of the bands like Styx, The Plain White T’s and Skid Row, all bands who have originated in Illinois.  Today though it will be known for one thing only.  The running of the Cedora D Stakes Grade I race.

This race will be the 14^th race on the Illinois card which is filled with two other Grade I races.  This race will be for fillies and mares that are three years old or older.  It will be going A mile and three sixteenths on the firm turf for a purse of 750,000 dollars!  Though there is only six ladies running in today’s race, every single girl has a shot at taking the top spot.  Now lets meet our pretty little ladies.

Horse                           Stable                          Odds                Jockey                        

#1 K’S Infidel               kasavage stables        3/1                   R Logan

This mare out of Big Brown is coming into this race off of a 108 SP, first place performance.  Anybody looking at this pedigree of Big Brown X Mister Prospector X Deputy Minister would say that it is screaming dirt.  Kasavage thought the same thing as this girls first four races were all on the dirt.  To top it off, this horse never failed to hit the board on the dirt.  But in the 5^th race of her career the switch to turf made this girl, the girl she is today.  With an SP jump of eight points, she has not left the grass yet.  She has six wins in her last eight races (two second place finishes) and today she looks to make the jump from stakes company to graded company.  Can she do it?  We will find out.     

#2 City Tavern             gipper4 stables           9/2                   L Waymer

Lots of Irish blood fills this four year old mares veins.  With the pedigree of Duke of Marmalade X Giants Causeway X Forty Niner, this girl looked like she could run on either surface.  After running her first nine races on the turf, and switching to dirt for her tenth, it was clear where she wanted to be.  A top speed of 98 on the turf did not even come close to that 78 SP on the turf.  Looking at City Tavern’s career though one may ask is she ready?  Having run in just one graded race and no stakes races in her career would probably justify these doubters claims.  But with SP’s of 107 and 104 in her last two races and the odds maker shooting her off at 9/2, maybe she has something special up her sleeve today. 

#3 All Week Bender    peeps4 stables            3/1                   F Sinks

This mare looks to make it two in a row today after coming off a career best 114 SP in a first place finish in the Rainah Turf Mare Route listed stakes race.  Yes folks you read that SP correct.  But with a pedigree of Dynaformer X A.P. Indy X Danzig, does that surprise anyone?  Though Danzig is better known for his sprinters as I have been told by some, it comes as no surprise to me that this mare likes the turf routes.  This girl kicked off her career, like many, on the dirt.  But after two dismal races she made the switch to turf and the career took a jump.  She has three wins in her last four races (with a second place thrown in there,) and she will be looking to make it four in her last five today.  Though the jockey “sinks”, peeps4 will hope his horse will not follow and sink as well.

#4 Vengeance Of Pain  texasace00 stables     9/2                   P Munoz

28 races, 15 wins, 2,841,895 dollars earned.  There is not much this girl has not done in her racing career.  The only two things that I can see are try the dirt (which when things are working you don’t mess with) and get third.  That’s right this girl has never placed third in her life.  Generous X Sadler’s Wells X A.P. Indy is the pedigree of this girl who has done just about everything for the trainer.  Lately though her racing career can be summed up with the quote “Horse Racing is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what your gunna get.”  Because she has been all over the boards and types of racing lately.  She has gone from winning a grade I six races back to finishing 7^th in a grade II.  With a 96 SP win in an allowance race last time out, owner texasace00 hopes that it may of jump started any energy she has left.  

#5 Carry The Burden     chloedawg stables      5/1                   T Popo

Monsun X Unbridled’s Song X Danehill is the pedigree of this four year old mare who has won four races in her eighteen career races.  She has failed to hit the board just seven times though, and when you are racing in graded and stakes company day in and day out, that is very difficult to do.  Her last race, though it was a fourth place finish was a highlight day in her career.  Because in the fourth place finish, was a career best SP of 105.  Chloedawg looked at that as a sign of life in this girl and decided that today might just be the day that Carry The Burden can raise that career best SP, or even win her first graded race, let alone a grade I.

#6 Special Olympics    skipnhappy stables     5/2                   N Bonus

Special Week X Danehill X Mr. Prospector is the pedigree of this mare who has fallen off the radar recently.  After running a career best 114 SP and finishing first in a listed stakes seven races back, this girl has not broken the 110 mark since then.  Her highest SP since then (a 107) has earned hera second and third place finish, as well as a fifth.  Her last race was a faltering point for skipnhappy has she managed just a 99 SP while finishing 7^th out of 10 horses.  The talent is there for this girl to be the winner today and by looking at the odds, I am not the only one to see that either.  Owner skipnhappy hopes today is the day Special Olympics breaks out.