Turf milers take the spotlight in Virginia this week
Virginia race fans get a look at turf milers in this week’s spotlight race, the Warm Velvet Turf Memorial. The race, for all horses three years old and older, runs over a mile of turf. We are expecting a crisp autumn day here in Virginia, and the turf will be rated as foirm for the event. The field of five runs the gamut from three to six years old, and from former claimers to graded stakes campaigners. Odds makers just through up their hands here and called this one anyone’s race, with all five runners falling between a pair of 2/1 co-favorites, and a 4/1 “longshot”. It may be a tough one to handicap, but it should make for an exciting day for Virginia race fans.
PP 1) Etonnement(KY) Sired by Zensational, Trained by deajai2. Etonnement is a three year old colt, taking his fifteenth career trip here. He has one prior stakes outing, but is still looking to add a stakes win to his resume. Over his last ten starts, he’s posted a 3-3-0-2-2 record, cracking the 100+ speed barrier four times, capped by a very nice 112.0 two starts back. His last race was an A1t in Illinois, where he lead throughout before falling to the deeper closers late in the stretch, settling for a second place finish. He started his career on dirt, but switched to turf to begin his three year old season, finishing out of the top three only twice in ten races this season. The mile range is his money race, though he has notched a win at nine furlongs this season. He generally likes to run from the head of the midpack, just off the lead. He has shown some ability to close short gaps, but tends to get in some trouble if he gets out in front early. The field composition doesn’t favor him here, with what is looking to be a very competitive bid for the early lead by the bulk of the field. He’s shown some excellent speed over his last few, but has had trouble holding on if he gets out front too early. If he lays off the early pace a bit, he could have a shot here, but if he gets involved in the early melee up front, he could find himself settling again.
PP 2) Mr. Jones(KY) Sired by Smarty Jones, Trained by sledge4. Mr. Jones is the veteran of this field, a six year old horse, making his forty first career appearance here. He takes a drop in class here, after spending the bulk of the last year and a half on the graded circuit. He has two stakes wins to his credit, including a Grade 3 victory last season. Over the course of his last ten starts, he is 2-0-2-0-1, showcasing seven 100+ speed figures, topping out at 113.2 in his graded victory last year. His last race was in the Grade 3 Oceanside, his first race back after what appears to have been a minor injury, and he placed eight in a field of twelve. He spent the bulk of his early career on the dirt, with decent though no spectacular results, and a switch to grass during his three year old season saw him reel off four straight wins, and earn his ticket into stakes company. He’s had moderate success out to ten furlongs, but the mile range has been his distance of choice, with seven wins and thirteen top three finishes in ttwenty tries agains top flight competition. He likes to sit near the head of the midpack and bide his time, and while his close has not been the most consistent, he’s been putting it up against some of the best horses in the world on the graded circuit. The drop in class definitely benefits him here, and the field sets up fairly well for him here. The only real question mark is whether he can regain his form against this young hungry field. If he runs up to his standard, he could easily walk away with this one.
PP 3) Etruscan(KY) Sired by Roman Ruler, Trained by lgbost2yoz. Etruscan is a four year old colt, taking the gate for career run number twenty seven in this race. He takes a sizable jump in class here, after spending the bulk of the season in top level claiming races. He has three prior stakes runs, all on dirt, but is still seeking that elusive first win at this level. His last ten starts have netted him a 1-1-2-1-2 record with three 100+ speeds, clocking a 103.0 two starts back. His last start was a 125K claim at seven and a half furlongs in Oklahoma, where he put together a powerful second half drive before running out of track to finish second in a packed field. He’s a surface versatile runner, showcasing wins and 100+ speeds on both surfaces. His distance of choice is the seven and a half furlong range, and he couldn’t cracked the top three in either of his two mile attempts, though both of those were on the dirt. He’s a deep closer, and his close has been very consistent, though he is not used to facing this level of competition. With no real rockets coming out of the gate here, and what looks to be a highly contested early pace, the field sets up pretty well for his running style. However he is untried at this distance on turf, facing much stronger competition than he has recently. Would be a real surprise for him to bring this one home, though it is not completely out of the question if he can ratchet his speed up a notch or two.
PP 4) Rampant Ego(PA) Sired by Fairbanks, Trained by thespa. Rampant Ego is a four year old colt, making career start twenty two in this race. He has a pair of stakes wins, both coming in his last three starts, and both being invitation only races. Overall in his last ten starts, which pretty much spanned the spectrum of class, he has put up a record of 3-3-0-0-0 with two 100+ speeds, topping out at 103.8 three starts back. His last race was an owner restricted stakes at seven furlongs in North Florida, where he took a field of eight gate to wire, holding on the win by a half length. He has a couple of token dirt starts, but has generally been a turf runner, and he has a high comfort level on the surface. While much of his success has been in sprints, he has finished out of the top three only once in the mile range, with a pair of wins. He is yet another in this field that likes to sit just off the lead at the head of the midpack, but in all but one of his last five wins he was leading the field at first call, and hasn’t shown any real kind of powerful close. He should find himself near the front early in this one, where he likes to be, but will face a very strong challenge in what appears to be only his second start against open competition this season. He suffered in his last open race, and he is going to need to find some more speed to avoid that same fate here.
PP 5) Murloc Mystery(KY) Sired by Henny Hughes, Trained by tazzzdevil. Murloc Mystery s running in his four year old campaign, making his fifteenth career start. This will be his first try against stakes competition. His last ten outing have resulted in a 1-3-2-1-1 record with three 100+ speeds, capped by a 106.4 three starts back. His last start was an open allowance on a yielding track in Puerto Rico, where he fought gamely into the stretch before running out of steam to settle for second in a short field. His career started quite well on dirt, before running into a wall at allowance level, and the switch to turf seemed to invigorate him somewhat, and he has finished outside the top three only twice in eight turf tries. The mile range has been his best, and he boasts five top three finishes in six tries on the grass. He prefers to start just off the pace, and that makes him about the closest thing this field has to a front runner. He’s shown some ability to close, as well, which indicates he may well have something left in the tank as they cross into the second half here. The big question is his speed, which has been all over the board this season, with flashes of brilliance interspersed with what can only be termed as average speeds at best. The field composition is not bad for him here, and which of his alter egos shows up to run this week will determine how much of a factor he will be in this race.