The Maudlin Cup
The Breeders Bowl Mile division will see some clarity after the Grade One Maudlin Cup in Paris. The mile race is worth $500,000 and has attracted thirteen runners. The field is highlighted by last year’s Breeders Bowl Mile winner Dooty Da Doo but with nine of the thirteen runners at 10/1 odds or lower this will be a stern test for the Breeders Bowl champion. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Argyle Star 8/1 breedsnell stables I C Posse rides
Argyle Star is a four year old son of Elusive Quality out of the g-grade Marscay x Alydar mare Alycap. A producer of only four foals in ten years, Alycap also has one stakes placed runner to her credit. Argyle Star showed flashes of brilliance from the beginning. A winner of his only two starts at two (both on dirt) he won a grade three race in only his second start on the turf at three. Ambitiously placed through the rest of the year he would not win another race, although he did finish fourth in this spot last year running a 109sp, tied for the highest he ran all year. He began 2011 in a big way, running a career best 117sp in the Grade Three Nippon Sport at one mile. After two subpar efforts he began turning things around and his last three starts have resulted in a second in the Grade One Sydney Mile, third in the seven furlong Grade One Strand Broke and fourth in the mile Grade Two Jack The Man Stakes with sps of 110, 110 and 107 respectively.
#2 Chatawe 9/1 theatrical stables J Ledwith rides
Chatawe is a four year old son of Red Dazzler out of the h-grade Awesome Again x Capote mare Awesome Again (not a typo). Chatawe is her first foal only stakes runner to date. Chatawe began his career on dirt winning four straight races and becoming stakes placed. After a nearly five month layoff during his three year old season he would return to run his last race on dirt in which he gave an uncharacteristically dreadful performance. He immediately woke up when switched to grass in his next start and began popping triple digit sps regularly. He won the Grade Two Gas Station Mile in his second start of this year, running a career best 114sp. Unfortunately he followed that up with a non-performance when he was distanced in an allowance race. Trainer Theatrical gave the colt six weeks off and he returned as strong as ever, taking a one mile allowance with a 112 sp. He’s been a little hot and cold since but perhaps signaled his readiness for today’s event with a win last time out in the Grade Two Dell Web Mile with a 112 sp.
#3 Perez Prado 5/1 iant7 stables J Ventura rides
Perez Prado is a regally bred four year old colt by Kingmambo x Sadler’s Wells x Mill Reef. It took Perez Prado a while to figure out the racing game, not breaking his maiden until June of his three year old season, but when he did he exploded. He won three straight races and has only been off the board once since. He was given a bit of time off at the end of last year and it has paid off in spades. He won a mile and one sixteenth allowance in his return by over five lengths with a 108sp. He made his stakes debut in the one mile Tiderunner Memorial where he was second with a 114. His next start saw him post an amazing performance, winning the Grade Three Intercontinental Trophy at one mile with a whopping 120sp. He ran a 116sp next out in the Grade One Champions Mile but could only manage a third place finish. He ran an uncharacteristically poor race next out but has won his last two straight, both at one mile including the Grade Three Desmond Stakes with a 113sp.
#4 Tonguska 5/1 gipper2 stables J Neihbors rides
Tonguska is a four year old son of Deep Impact out of the e-grade Mr. Prospector x Storm Cat mare Kitty Kat. Tonguska is Kitty Kat’s sixth foal but her first stakes horse. He also has a three year old half sister by Raven’s Pass who is a stakes winner. Tonguska won his first stakes in his first start as a three year old. Two races later he won his first graded stakes, the Grade Three Dracula at one mile but would go winless the rest of the year. That has not been the case this year as he has won three races from seven starts. His best performance came in April when he toolk the Grade Two Bourbon Mile with a blazing fast 118sp. His last two starts have also posted impressive numbers – he won the Aslan’s Mane Turf Memorial with a 115 and was third, beaten less than a length in the Grade Two Jack the Man Stakes with a 113.
#5 Lawheights 19/1 musse stables V McMahon rides
Lawheights is a three year old scratch-bred son of Lawman x Shirley Heights x Caro. He’s taking a big step up in this spot, his first against older runners. A consistent two year old, he was first or second in each of his four starts. He’s had less success this year, finishing off the board as often as on. He has one stakes placing, a second in the Grade Three Irish 2000 Guineas Trial with a 99sp. His last three starts have seen him exceed triple digits, including a one mile allowance with a career best 110.
#6 Gavotte 9/1 tcrowell stables M Mia rides
Gavotte is a five year old son of Grand Slam out of the c-grade Singspiel x Be My Guest mare Point Out. He is her only stakes runner from four starters. Gavotte was a bit of a late bloomer. He broke his maiden in his last start as a two year old and didn’t get his first stakes victory until he was four. He showed tremendous potential, and while he has shown some consistency (he’s run triple digit sps in his last seven starts and eighteen of his last twenty seven) he has yet to really break out in his division. He has one win this year, the This Cat Can Run Turf Route at a mile and one sixteenth and he did it with aplomb running a career best 115sp.
#7 Gone For Gimlets 18/1 skunkfeed stables B Lugosi rides
Gone For Gimlets is the second three year old in our field, a son of Tanino Gimlet based on the g-grade Gone West x Sadler’s Wells horse Kepler Reci. Gone For Gimlets won two graded stakes as a two year old in a season that saw him run a record of 7-4-1-2. He began this year with a dirt try, perhaps to see if he could compete in the Bluegrass Derby but alas it was not to be. A return to the turf saw him win the Armsmaster Eleven Special in February. He has not won since but has run very creditably in his last three starts, including two grade one placings against fellow sophomores and a solid fourth place finish against elders in the Grade Two Fried Rice Mile where he ran a career best 110sp.
#8 Adjuge 12/1 har stables B Gall rides
Adjuge is also a three year old. The son of Bernardini is out of the grade-a Sadler’s Wells x Nashua mare Puentelarra. He is the second graded winner from six foals to race. A grade one winner at two, trainer Har thought highly enough of his charge to try the Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf where Adjuge ran a solid fifth, beaten only 1 ¼ lengths. He won his first two starts of 2011, both grade twos at one mile. After an attempt at ten panels he returned to the one mile distance to win the classic French 2000 Guineas. He caught a yielding surface that was not to his taste in his next start before stepping up and taking on his elders in his last two starts. He finished sixth in the Grade One Suffix and second by only ¼ length in the Grade Two Dell Web Mile where he ran a career best 112 sp.
#9 Don’t Play Me 9/1 1stclass stables B Thedog rides
Don’t Play Me is a four year old son of Theatrical out of the f-grade Seattle Slew x Danzig mare Upper Crust. While she didn’t run to her name Upper Crust is certainly producing top tiered runners with four graded winners from five foals to race. These include the Breeders Bowl Mile winner Basketball Jones (by Smarty Jones) an earner of over $5,000,000. Obviously trainer 1stclass is hoping that Don’t Play Me can follow in big brother’s footsteps. But Don’t’ Play Me has already established himself as a stable jewel, having already won five stakes races and just under two million dollars. He finished fifth in this race last year but followed that up with his best performance to date, a win in the Grade Two De La Fore with a 120sp.
#10 The Eliminator 22/1 fairhaven3 stables C Cleland rides
The Eliminator is a three year old son of Pivotal out of the f-grade Galileo x Danzig mare Paralyzed. She has produced one stakes placed runner from three foals. The Eliminator has never been off the board on the grass, winning four races. He only made his stakes debut in his last start but it was a solid effort – he ran second in the Grade Two Hall of Fame at a mile and one eighth. His career best sp is a 107 and he will have to step it up in this spot.
#11 Navigation System 10/1 desimster stables D Coulthard rides
Navigation System is a four year old son of Henrythenavigator out of the e-grad Dynaformer x Storm Cat mare Tlaxcala. He has a graded placed three year old full brother and a young two year old half sister. A winner of last season’s classic Irish 2000 Guineas, Navigation System has had a rocky 2011. He has one win in seven starts, the Grade Three Hess Mile. He has run triple digit sps in six of those seven starts but he has not run as fast as he did as a three year old.
#12 Ricciarelli 10/1 catspaw2 stables S Graf rides
Ricciarelli is a four year old son of Pivotal out of the g-grade Montjeu x Peitre Celebre mare Montzoom. He is her only stakes performer from two foals. Ricciarelli ran well as a three year old, winning three races and placing in several graded marathons. He was given the winter off and returned at the end of January in a one mile allowance where he scored victory with a career best 113 sp. That start was intended as a stepping stone back to longer distance races – his biggest score of the season was in the mile and one quarter Grade One Prince of Whale. The question here is whether his talent truly lies at the mile distance as that first race seemed to indicate.
#13 Dooty Da Doo 6/1 astinator0 stables B Wu rides
Dooty Da Doo is a four year old son of T.M. Opera out of the g-grade Danzig x A.P. Indy mare Ziginsky. He is her only stakes performer from five foals. After only one start at two, Dooty Da Doo had a meteoric three year old season. He won the Grade One Jean Brat in July and would tally three more stakes scores for the year, topped off by a win in the Breeders’ Bowl Mile. This year he has found the competition steeper. His sole win came in the Grade Three Buddy Boy Mile, although he did tie his career best sp of 117 in that run. He has placed in two other grade one miles and has run triple digit sps in his last six starts.
Good luck to all!