The Birmingham Stakes
Twelve top-notch fillies invade upstate New York this week for the Grade One Birmingham Stakes. Run at a mile and one quarter for a purse of $600,000 the race has attracted a bevy of speedy fillies. Four of the fillies are exiting the New York prep for this start, the Grade One Player’s Club National Oaks, also run at a mile and one quarter. These include favorite Vivrant Thing who was third in that race and co-second choice Hail the Thunder who won that race. Up and comer Boarder Patrol is the other co-second choice looking for her first stakes win. But any of these could take today’s race so let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Boarder Patrol 6/1 chloedawg2 stables B Horning rides
Boarder Patrol is a scratch-bred daughter of Distorted Humor x Storm Cat x Kris S. A winner of two races in twelve starts, Border Patrol has made eight starts so far this year. She won a first level allowance on January first and has run in nothing but stakes races since. Her best race was her last, a strong second in the mile and one eighth Mother Story Dirt Filly Route Stakes with a 106sp. Previously she was third in the Grade Two Ashland Stakes in April.
#2 Hennigan’s Scotch 12/1 wrecked stables R Radzinski rides
Hennigan’s Scotch is a scratch-bred daughter of Kingmambo x Secretariat x Sadler’s Wells. She has seven victories in eleven starts, including four of six 2011 races. She is a two time stakes winner, taking the mile and one quarter Devine Legacy Dirt Filly Challenge with a 95sp and the mile and three sixteenth Ideally Suited Dirt Filly Route with an 88 – both by open lengths. In her most recent start she ran a 105sp finishing second in the Grade One Players Club National Oaks, also at a mile and one quarter.
#3 Glorious Road 15/1 seekin49er stables P Nation rides
Glorious Road is a daughter of Elusive Quality out of the b-grade Johannesburg x Sadler’s Wells mare Glorious Morning. This is her first foal. Glorious Road has four wins from twelve starts. She’s run seven times in 2011, winning twice and running second on three other occasions. She became a stakes winner in March by taking the mile and three sixteenths Sister Sweet Dirt Filly Special with a 99sp. She ran second in her only start at today’s distance, the Virtuoso Dirt Route Stakes with an 89sp. She’s also been second in her two most recent races, the Ideally Suited Dirt Filly Route and an allowance race, both at a mile and three sixteenths.
#4 Land of Plenty 13/1 slewsback stables A Tilbury rides
Land of Plenty is a daughter of Einstein out of the g-grade Mineshaft x Northern Dancer mare Pass the Hat. Pass the Hat has produced one stakes winner and one stakes placed runner in addition to Land of Plenty. Land Of Plenty has won four of eight starts. All of her races came this year and she is currently riding a three race win streak. She seems to get stronger as distances get longer, her best sp is the 102 she earned last out in a mile and one quarter allowance race.
#5 Dance Craze 8/1 caliracing stables B Pitts rides
Dance Craze is a daughter of Pleasantly Perfect out of the f-grade Kingmambo x Seattle Slew mare Marquette De Mason. She has produced one stakes winner from five foals to race, a son of Dansili. Dance Craze has four wins in fourteen starts. All four of her wins have come in her eight 2011 starts. She has broken the 100sp mark twice, winning an allowance at a mile and three eighths with a 100sp and last out taking a mile and five sixteenth allowance with a 106sp. In her two stakes appearances she finished second in the mile and five sixteenth Stormy Project Dirt Filly Memorial and third in the mile and three sixteenth Virgin Bubble Dirt Filly Route.
#6 Badbadstella 8/1 singleall stables K Shelly rides
Badbadstella is a daughter of Pulpit out of the d-grade Dubawi x Seattle Slew mare Bad Stella. She is the only stakes winner from three foals to race, but the four year old model by Distorted Humor is stakes placed. Badbadstella has five wins from eleven starts, with all five wins coming in her eight 2011 runs. She’s currently on a four race win streak, taking two mile and one quarter allowances, a mile and three sixteenth allowance with a 102 sp and becoming a stakes winner in her most recent start by winning the mile and one eighth Bearly Top Dirt Filly Route with a 107sp.
#7 Mystery of Evil 10/1 thethumb07 stables P Ornstar rides
Mystery of Evil is a scratch-bred daughter of Medaglia D’oro x Danzig x Buckpasser. She has three wins in eight career starts, two of which have occurred in her seven 2011 starts. Her dirt record is a very solid 5-2-2-0. She won a mile and three sixteenth allowance with a 97sp in April and returned to finish second by ¼ length in the Grade Two Someday is a Soonday Special at a mile and one quarter. She also won the mile and three sixteenth Virgin Bubble Dirt Filly Route with a 102sp before finishing off the board in the Grade One Players Club National Oaks.
#8 Kosciuszco 7/1 giper8 stables D Brennan rides
Koscuiszco is a daughter of Deep Impact out of the f-grade Nureyev x Valid Appeal mare Mammoth Jess. This is her second stakes winner from eight foals; her first was a graded winner by War Chant. Kosciuszco has won half of her six 2011 starts and four of nine overall. She became a stakes winner in February by taking the one mile A.P. Sadler Memorial. She finished off the board twice in graded runs before taking a mile and one eighth allowance with a 103sp. Last out she finished fourth in the mile and one eighth Go For the Gold Stakes with a 104sp.
#9 Greedy Haack 11/1 mrhaack stables S Hommell rides
Greedy Haack is a scratch-bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway x Mr. Prospector x Nijinsky II. She has three wins and two placings from seven starts and is 5-2-2-0 this year. She finished second in the mile and three sixteenth Smokey’s Chant Dirt Filly Challenge and fifth in the Grade One California Derby against males in her only stakes runs. She won a mile and one quarter allowance with a 98sp and finished second in a mile and five sixteenth allowance with a 97sp in her two most recent races.
#10 Vivrant Thing 5/1 bpsisking stables C Orza rides
Vivrant Thing is a daughter of Street Sense out of the g-grade Pulpit x Storm Cat mare Sudden Moves. This is her only stakes winner from four foals. Vivrant Thing has three wins from ten starts and one in six in 2011. She’s also been second three times and third once, all in stakes races. She was beaten only ¼ lengths in the Grade One Bluegrass Oaks. She came back to run second in the Grade Three Denny Tario Oaks and third in the Grade One Players Club National Oaks at today’s distance. She has run a 103sp in each of her last three starts.
#11 Tizmajesty 9/1 icbomber10 stables S Noles rides
Tizmajesty is a daughter of Tiznow out of the g-grade Seeking the Gold x Northern Dancer mare Seeking Majesty. This is her only foal. Tizmajesty has four wins from twelve starts including three of eight 2011 starts. She became a stakes winner two races back by taking the Exile on Main St Dirt Filly Route at a mile and three sixteenths over a sloppy course with a 105sp. She returned three weeks later to finish off the board in another listed stakes.
#12 Hail the Thunder 6/1 phillipj3 stables Z Ayya rides
Hail The Thunder is a scratch-bred daughter of Thunder Gulch x Unbridled x Hail to Reason. She has three wins, three placings and one show from seven starts, all this year. Hail the Thunder was knocking on the door in graded races, finishing third in the Grade Three Miss Opelousas, and second in both the Grade Three Selena and the Grade One Sister Hen Stakes before breaking through in her last start. Going a mile and one quarter for the first time she exploded to win the Grade One Players Club National Oaks with a 108sp.
Good luck to all!