DPCD Penn Endurance: Can “The Kid” Win 11 Straight?
What’s brand new, wrapped in a grand tradition of prestigious races, worth a truckload of cash, and has a touch of perfection? If you guessed the Del-Penn Champions Day Penn Endurance Stakes, you win. The 16-furlong $2 million Penn Endurance Stakes on the turf course here in Pennsylvania this weekend is a new addition to the DCPD X Series this season, and it was created for a very special, very perfect horse in 2011. Jukebox Kid puts his unblemished ten-race record this year on the line in this marathon turf race that could extend his winning streak to 11 races and could also be worth a very cool $1.2 million for him. When Jukebox Kid’s owner, Kirby55, posted on the main board forum that the four year old son of Raven’s Pass had just won his tenth consecutive race this season and was undefeated in 2011, the sponsor of the DPCD X Series along with all the owners at Super Stables, posted a proposal that a special race should be created for Jukebox Kid this year. “This got me thinking,” said Tony (afc), “looking at Jukebox Kid’s past performances. This is what DPCD was always intended to be–a day for horses with no Breeders’ Bowl race to prove themselves worthy to be called ‘champion‘.” So Tony posted on the main board that if Jukebox Kid would run in the race, he would indeed create a 16-furlong marathon turf race for him. “I think it would be a great sporting gesture to card a 16-furlong turf grade 1 on DPCD Day to give this guy a chance to finish an undefeated season with a seismic blast,” Tony posted. “I know it’s a bit out of the box, so I figured before I do it, I’d get some opinions on the issue here. Have at it, boys and girls. Personally, I think it epitomizes the spirit of DPCD perfectly.” And people had at it. They posted…and posted…and posted. The clamor intensified, and Jukebox Kid’s owner basically said, make it and Jukebox Kid will run. But Jukebox Kid, who won five graded stakes races this season during his ten-race win streak, is going to have 14 horses gunning for him and his perfect streak of ten victories, looking to be the one who ends his streak on this very special day in Pennsylvania. Can Jukebox Kid do it? Can he go a perfect 11-0 when the sun sets on the DPCD card Saturday? He’ll have some stiff competition. There’s Can I Get Twelve, a four year old son of Dynaformer who’s got two graded wins this season. But Jukebox Kid defeated him in the Grade 1 Gold Glass in the spring. Can I Get Twelve, who is owned by Jimmy at Smokeglack Stables, is the 5/1 favorite here in the inaugural Penn Endurance Stakes, while Jukebox Kid is one of two 7/1 second choices according to the morning line guys. The other horse who is 7/1 in this race is Stone Chicken, who’ll be breaking from the outside post (15) here this weekend. The four year old son of Birdstone is an absolute beast who’s owned by Conquest Farms and ranked number one in the older males long dirt division. That’s right–the dirt division. Stone Chicken will be making his first start ever on the turf this weekend. There’s no doubt he’s got the stamina to run this 16 furlongs, and he’s got two grade 1 wins on the dirt this season. But can he beat Jukebox Kid at his own game, on the grass? That’s a big question mark here, and one that Stone Chicken would like to emphatically say ’Yes!’ to, come Saturday afternoon. Then there’s a very lightly raced horse from Jrogue Stables by the name of Tizmambo, a four year old son of Tiznow out of the Kingmambo mare Vice Mambo. Tizmambo doesn’t have a graded win yet in his 13 lifetime starts, but the 8-1 fourth choice in the Penn Endurance threw a monster 114 speed figure last time out when he finished second in the Grade 1 King Kong Vase. Remember, despite all Tizmambo’s inexperience, he was beaten only ¾ of a length on December 10 in that King Kong Vase by the fifth-ranked older male in the long turf division, a horse called Seventh Sense. Tizmambo has run this 16 furlongs once before, when he finished second to–you guessed it–Jukebox Kid. He was beaten by only ¼ of a length, in the Grade 3 Gladiator. That was one of Jukebox Kid’s closer calls in his perfect 2011 season. Tizmambo could definitely have a lot to say about the outcome of this race. There are others here in the DPCD Penn Endurance Stakes, horses with a ton of talent, horses who would love to be the asterisk on Jukebox Kid’s past performance chart–the horse who ended Jukebox Kid’s perfect season in 2011. Here’s the field for the first running of the DPCD Penn Endurance Stakes, at a distance of 16 furlongs on the turf at Pennsylvania, for three year olds and up, for a purse of $2 million. (1) I SEE RED (AUS) Owner: Tazdevil Stables (tazenshaq) Odds: 26/1 (Red Ransom x Zyalley (Flower Alley)) Career Record: 18 (4-3-1) Earnings: $107,971. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: None. The four year old son of Red Ransom hasn’t run in a graded stakes race yet, and he’s only run this 16-furlong distance once before. That came in his last start, a second place finish in the Rapid Grey Turf Stayer Stakes where he was the beaten favorite. He ran a 97 speed figure there. He came from way back to just barely get up for second in that start, and he was coming off two allowance wins at 12 and 14 furlongs before that. He’s the longest shot to end Jukebox Kid’s streak of perfection here, at 26/1. He’s only broken the triple digit speed figure barrier once in his 18 career starts, so he’ll definitely have his work cut out for him here. (2) TIZMAMBO (KY) Owner: Jrogue Stables (tbloode) Odds: 8/1 (Tiznow x Vice Mambo (Kingmambo)) Career Record: 13 (4-4-0) Earnings: $511,165. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 3 Gladiator (2nd), Grade 1 King Kong Vase (2nd). Who saw this coming? Tizmambo was lightly raced going into his last start, the Grade 1 King Kong Vase. He had never popped anything higher than a 105 speed figure in his entire career, so when he was sent off as the second longest shot in the 12-furlong King Kong Vase at 14-1, little was expected of the four year old son of Tiznow. After all, he had never won a graded stakes, and he was in with no less than eight grade-winning monsters in that 11-horse field. And when he finished second, with a very strong late rush, to miss by only ¾ of a length, a new star was born in the long turf division. He’ll have to be reckoned with here. After all, he’s one of only two horses to come within ¼ of a length of stopping Jukebox Kid’s perfect season in mid-September, when he finished second to Jukebox Kid in the Grade 3 Gladiator. Tizmambo has quite a bit of early speed, and you can probably look for him to be on or close to the lead and hopefully not setting up a speed duel on the front end–because that’s exactly what the deep-closing Jukebox Kid would love to see happen here this weekend. (3) CACIQUE HEIGHTS (ENG) Owner: Rharfo 2004 (Inzy Barns, Inc.) (madhouse10) Odds: 15/1 (Cacique (IRE) x Shirley Heights (GB) x Mr. Prospector) Career Record: 22 (5-8-6) Earnings: $269,012. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: None. The five year old scratch-bred son of Cacique would love to be the one to beat Jukebox Kid here–he and 13 others, that is. Cacique Heights has run in one graded stakes race in his career, and that came way back in the spring of 2010, when he finished third in the Grade 2 Sanka High Stakes. That was quite a bit shorter than the 16 furlongs he’ll be asked to go here Saturday in Pennsylvania. He had quite a run back then, when he ran five consecutive triple digit speed figure races. He tailed off a bit after that, but he suddenly woke up again this year. He’s only got six starts this year, four of them listed stakes events, but he’s back to popping those 100-plus speed figures, having done it four times this season. This horse has been extremely well managed by Rharfo, finishing top three an incredible 19 times in his 22 career starts. As we said, he’s yet to break into the graded winner’s circle to date, but he’s got some experience at this 16-furlong distance. He’s 15/1 in this spot, but he’s coming off a second place finish in his last start, the $125,000 Cavalcade Cup ‘11 (Restricted) Stakes at 12 furlongs. (4) SHINE ON THROUGH (AUS) Owner: Tulloch Stables (crown) Odds: 10/1 (Bel Esprit (AUS) x Surface Power (IRE) (Swain)) Career Record: 33 (9-6-2) Earnings: $3,967,845. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 1 Spring Cup (1st). If you think you can’t find a bargain in $2,000 claiming races, think again. Shine On Through was claimed by Tulloch Stables for exactly that amount way back in his third start in 2008. And, boy, what a deal this has been. Shine On Through has won nearly $4 million dollars for Tulloch Stables, who quickly saw this horse’s potential as a long distance turf specialist. It wasn’t long before Tulloch Stables had Shine On Through popping 100-plus speed figures and winning allowance races. When he opened up in graded company back in 2009, he didn’t show much promise, but Tulloch was extremely patient with this horse. And it paid off big time. When Shine On Through started running in 16-furlong graded races, he pulled off three graded stakes wins and one second place graded finish in some pretty prestigious races back at the end of 2009. Two of those wins in that hot four-race streak came in the Grade 1 $1 million Smackdown 5 Stakes and the $500,000 Grade 1 Longchamp Marathon. After that run, he wouldn’t win again until April of this year, when he scored big in the $2.5 million Spring Cup in Japan. He threw a career-high 108 speed figure in that win, one of five times he’s done that in his career. His last six starts have all been grade 1 races, including a sixth-place finish behind Jukebox Kid in the Grade 1 Gold Glass. Shine On Through is getting on in years, but he’s one of the few in here who have a ton of 16-furlong races under his belt, and this guy still might have some gas left in his tank, especially after his third place finish two starts back in the Grade 1 Longchamp Marathon. This horse loves the long distance events, and his experience makes him a very live play in this race. It’s his third start off a layoff, and those are always juicy spots that handicappers look for. (5) BALANCE ACT (KY) Owner: Tvjack Stables (tvjack) Odds: 10/1 (Giant’s Causeway (IRE) x Lava Lil (Kingmambo)) Career Record: 20 (5-4-3) Earnings: $995,081. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 1 Coffeefields Cup (2nd), Grade 1 Classic Turf Stakes (1st). Balance Act is one of four three year olds trying to end Jukebox Kid’s perfect streak. The regally bred son of Giant’s Causeway, out of Lava Lil (Kingmambo x A.P. Indy), definitely has royal blue blood running through his veins. He’s very new when it comes to this 16-furlong distance, and he’s also very new when it comes to running against older horses. He’s also relatively new to graded stakes company. But one thing he’s not new at is success in graded stakes company. Look at what he’s done in his last two starts. In his first start against older horses, he took on some monsters two starts back in the Grade 1 Classic Turf Stakes. And he beat them all. Then, in his last start in the Grade 1 Coffeefields Cup, he finished second to another field of older, graded monsters. Not bad for his first tries against this type of company. Both of those starts were at 12 furlongs, so he’s going to try to prove that this extra half mile he’s being asked to run Saturday isn’t such a big deal after all. Tvjack Stables has to be extremely impressed with what his colt has done and the potential he has, and if Balance Act can get this extra half mile here Saturday, he will definitely stamp himself as a monster to be watched closely next season. In his last four starts, he’s popped speed figures of 106, 107, 110 and 108, so this guy can really fly. He’s answered the three-year-old-running-against-older-horses question successfully, and he’s answered the graded-stakes-company question quite successfully. Now he has to answer the extra-distance question here Saturday. This is one serious colt everyone had better keep their eyes on in the future. And the future just might be now for Balance Act. (6) JUKEBOX KID (IRE) Owner: MUSTWIN Stables (mustwin) Odds: 7/1 (Raven’s Pass x Street Cry (IRE) x Dynaformer) Career Record: 27 (13-6-3) Earnings: $3,302,929. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 2 Second Henry (1st), Grade 1 Gold Glass (1st), Grade 2 Longdale Cup (1st), Grade 3 Gladiator (1st), Grade 1 Millwood Cup (1st). Wow! Here he is, Jukebox Kid, the horse everyone would love to beat and everyone would love to see win. Such mixed emotions are common when there is a horse who’s put together an unbeaten campaign in one season, or a career. Jukebox Kid is a perfect ten, as in 10-0, in 2011. And while everyone in this race would love to be the one to end his unbeaten streak, there are probably more than a few owners in this race who are secretly pulling for him to make the DPCD Penn Endurance his eleventh win in 11 starts this season. The Perfect Season. The Dream Season. It’s the kind of season that everyone would love to experience with ANY horse, whether it be on the stakes level, the allowance level, or even the claiming level. After a fairly non-descript start, where Jukebox Kid won only three of his 17 starts, he has burst onto the scene in a very big way in 2011. And why not? Not only is he undefeated in his ten starts this year, but remember, half of those were graded wins…and they were prestigious graded wins, the biggest of which was the Grade 1 Millwood, according to his owner Kirby. Kirby has done a magnificent job with this horse, and that’s not exactly the easiest thing to do when you have a high-profile horse who’s very much in the public eye. Jukebox Kid’s 2011 perfect season is not just about the horse. It’s also about the terrific training job by Kirby. The Kid has had some close calls in 2011 that nearly ended his streak, but in most of his races he’s literally demolished the competition. In his ten race streak, he won the first seven by 34 ¾ lengths. That’s an astounding average winning margin of 4.96 lengths per victory, including three graded wins. Then came the two close calls, where Jukebox Kid won both the Grade 3 Gladiator and the Grade 1 Millwood by ¼ length each. Then, when Kirby couldn’t find a 16-furlong race for Jukebox Kid, he created the 16-furlong Jukebox Kid Challenge, where he won by 4 ¾ lengths in his last start. Kirby would have loved to run this horse in the 12-furlong Breeders’ Bowl Turf, but he stated in an interview that his Raven’s Pass superstar colt needed 16 furlongs, since he loves to come from far back in his races. And, wow! Does this horse give new meaning to the term ‘deep closer’ or what? At the halfway point of his ten victories this year, Jukebox Kid has been a total of 157 ½ lengths behind the frontrunner, an average of 15.75 lengths behind the leaders at the mid-point of each race. And he’s come back to win them all! This, quite simply, has been a string of astounding performances by a truly remarkable horse. Can he do it again this weekend? Can he make it a perfect 11 for 11 in the year 2011? And, if he does win Saturday, how much ground will he spot the front-runners, before he kicks it into gear and grabs the leaders and pounds them into submission at the finish? Tune in Saturday and see. There is one sure thing about this horse and this race. All eyes will be on Pennsylvania this weekend to see if this remarkable horse and his remarkable trainer can win just one more time in 2011 to cap a perfect season. (7) A DAY IN A LIFE (KY) Owner: Right At Home Stables (blankpoin2) Odds: 16/1 (Rock Hard Ten x Seattle Slew x Northern Dancer) Career Record: 14 (3-4-1) Earnings: $328,555. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 3 The Grunt (3rd), Grade 3 The Rebel Yell (2nd). A Day In A Life had a very remarkable early season in 2011. The three year old scratch-bred son of Rock Hard Ten started his career on the turf in California, where he did fairly well, finishing first or second in three of his five starts. Then, when he turned three, his owner, Right At Home Stables, put his colt on the dirt, and he very quickly stamped himself as a contender on the Triple Crown Trail. His speed figures simply zoomed once he hit the dirt as a three year old, and before you could say boo, A Day In A Life had thrown a 106 speed figure in a second place finish in the Grade 3 Rebel Yell, his first race east of the Rockies. After that, he finished fourth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Juvenile (Derby Lock Prep), and his Triple Crown Trail was over. He came back a week after the Bluegrass Derby to win the Grade 3 Grunt handily. After a couple of graded starts where he found himself well beaten with speed figures below the 100 mark, A Day In A Life didn’t give up. He posted a couple of very respectable finishes his last two starts, where he finished fifth in the Grade 3 Northern Derby in Ontario and third in a $26,000 NW4L allowance event also in Ontario. His speed figures rose dramatically in those two races. And now he finds himself back on the grass, trying to beat Jukebox Kid and 13 others horses in what is quickly becoming the race of the year. Distance is going to be the big question for A Day In A Life. He’s never gone farther than nine furlongs on the dirt during his Triple Crown Trail, and he’s never gone farther than eight furlongs on the turf, where he ran as a two year old. Now, he’s being asked to go twice that distance, against some of the best long-distance turf specialists in the world, not to mention beating a horse who’s gone undefeated in 2011 at 16 furlongs. This is a very tall order, but not impossible for this son of Rock Hard Ten, who’s got Seattle Slew and Northern Dancer back there in his scratch-bred pedigree. This would be a very interesting twist in the story here, if A Day In A Life would have the day of his life Saturday in Pennsylvania. (8) RAGING HAACK (IRE) Owner: Shaghar Stables ’Keeping The Dream Alive’ (ragequit) Odds: 15/1 (Galileo (IRE) x Sky Haack (Sky Mesa)) Career Record: 21 (6-4-3) Earnings: $404,146. 2011 Top 3 Graded Finishes: Grade 3 Floor It Stakes (1st), Grade 1 Longchamp Marathon (2nd), Grade 2 Brake Hill Stakes (2nd). Enter a filly–finally! Raging Haack has been a very busy girl in 2011, and a successful one, too. She started racing last year in May, and it wasn’t long before she was busting out with some pretty decent speed figures. Then came 2011, and she really started impressing people. She ran 13 races this year, and in her last three starts, she finally hit the graded stakes trail. It turns out it was long overdue, because this four year old daughter of Galileo has come on strong late in the 2011 season. She popped her first triple digit speed figure in July of this year, when she finished second in a listed stakes in Arkansas. It was probably about that time her connections, Shaghar Stables, started thinking about the long graded turf events in Europe. And it’s a good thing her connections did. Two starts after that first 100 speed figure race, Raging Haack won her first listed stakes race, when she popped a 104 speed figure in the 16-furlong Gulch Busting Turf Mare Stayer in Nevada. It was off to Europe after that for Raging Haack. She threw a career-high 106 speed figure in a second place finish in the Grade 2 Brake Hill Stakes at 14 furlongs. After that, Raging Haack’s connections threw her in against the boys for the first time in the Grade 1 Longchamp Marathon, one of the more prestigious long distance European turf races, and all she did there was finish second in a race with some of the finest turf stayer boys in the world. She beat a couple of horses there she will see again this weekend in the DPCD Penn Endurance. Keep your eye on this filly. She might just have a shot in Pennsylvania this weekend. (9) MAJOR IRISH (JPN) Owner: Pirate Stables (pirate) Odds: 10/1 (Daiwa Major (JPN) x Starling Road (Kris S.)) Career Record: 17 (5-4-2) Earnings: $365,295. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 3 Royal Oak (2nd), Grade 1 Spring Cup (3rd). Major Irish has taken some major breaks in his career. He ran a few races as a two year old, and then he took ten months off from the races. After his first three races as a three year old, he took another couple of months off, and then he blossomed. He won four of six allowance events last fall and started popping triple digit speed figures. Then came his first graded stakes, the 16-furlong Grade 1 Spring Cup in April, where he faced off against quite a few of these he’ll be seeing here. He dropped in from out of the clouds, 14-plus lengths off the pace midway through that race, to finish a respectable third in a very nice field. It’s been mostly graded company ever since for the five year old son of Daiwa Major, who’s seen Jukebox Kid a couple of times this season. He ran into The Kid in the Grade 1 Gold Glass and the Grade 3 Gladiator, finishing fifth in both of those. In his last start, Major Irish finished third in the Grade 3 Royal Oak, and he also threw a 108 speed figure in that race, the highest of his career so far. This could be a very dangerous colt in this field. He’s got the same running style as Jukebox Kid, and he’s really rounding into top form here late in the season, coming off that 108 speed figure race in his last start. This horse is lightly raced, he’s full of energy, and he might be one to watch closely here in Pennsylvania this weekend. (10) BURNT LAWN (IRE) Owner: Turfking32 Stables (turfking32) Odds: 11/1 (Montjeu (IRE) x Dandy Wells (Danehill)) Career Record: 25 (9-5-3) Earnings: $2,015,200. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 1 Sword Swallower (1st), Grade 1 United Countries Handicap (2nd), Grade 1 Saint Cloud Grand Prix (3rd). Burnt Lawn is not the oldest horse in Turfking32 Stables, but he’s by far the biggest earner in the barn that has a near 20 percent strike rate for winners and a near 60 percent strike rate for in-the-money finishes. There are some extremely talented, big name horses in this barn, and Burnt Lawn is the biggest. He’s coming off a disappointing finish in the Breeders’ Bowl Turf, which means he had a pretty monster 2011 season, just to get there. He finished third in the Grade 1 Saint Cloud Grand Prix, he lost by a head bob in the Grade 1 United Countries Handicap and then he scored big in the Grade 1 Sword Swallower to punch his ticket to the Breeders’ Bowl Turf in 2011. He’s been racing since he was two years old, and by his fifth start, he had won three of five races before he faced graded stakes company for the first time. The son of Montjeu is accustomed to running in these big events. He’s been doing it–and doing it well–his entire career. In just 25 career starts, he’s accumulated a little over $2 million for his connections, and like his stable mates, he’s got a pretty incredible strike rate. In his nine starts this year, he’s popped the 100 speed figure mark six times, including a career-high 112 in his Sword Swallower win. The thing that really sticks out about Burnt Lawn is distance this weekend. Can he get 16 furlongs? He’s been two miles three times in his career. His only 16-furlong graded stakes try was the Grade 2 Longdale Cup way back in August of last year. Now, he did win a listed stakes event this year at 16 furlongs, so that’s encouraging. But make no mistake about it, this horse is one of the classiest in this field. If he can push it hard and get this 16 furlongs, he might be breaking new ground here and starting a second career as a really long turf specialist. Full of back class, Burnt Lawn is definitely one to be watched on Saturday. (11) PARALLEL LINE (KY) Owner: Super–Often Imitated, Never Duplicated! (super28) Odds: 16/1 (Henrythenavigator x Parallax (Danzig)) Career Record: 14 (4-6-1) Earnings: $512,951. 2011 Top 3 Graded Finishes: Grade 3 New Zealand Drinking Device (1st), Grade 1 Vicky Derby (2nd), Grade 3 Dutch St. Leger (2nd). Parallel Line comes to us from Super Stables, host of the DPCD Day events, and he’s one of three graded stakes winners out of the Danzig mare Parallax. He’s also one of four three year olds looking to break up Jukebox Kid’s 10-race win streak here. This is his first time running against older horses, but it’s definitely not his first time in graded stakes company. Parallel Line has had an impressive late season surge in 2011. After running in maiden special weight and allowance company most of his career, Parallel Line broke into the big three year old turf distance events in Germany, Australia and New Zealand in his last three starts. He finished second in the Grade 3 Dutch St. Leger, second in the Grade 1 Vicky Derby, and then last time out, he won the Grade 2 New Zealand Drinking Device, his first start at 16 furlongs. That was a pretty huge score there in New Zealand for the son of Henrythenavigator. It showed us a couple things about this colt. First, he showed us he could win against graded company, and he could do it going long. And he also popped the highest speed figure of his career (109) in that race. This colt who had been paying his dues in allowance company has faced off against three very nice graded fields in his last three starts and done quite well. There’s definitely no distance question with Parallel Line. He can win at this two miles he’ll be asked to run in Pennsylvania this weekend. The only question really is can he run against older horses. Given the quality of the fields he’s been facing in his three year old races, that might not be such a big deal for the colt from Super Stables. He should fit really well in this bunch. He really doesn’t show a lot of early speed out of the gate, as he prefers to lay about mid-pack before making his move. Better watch out for this guy. If he can stay close enough to the early leaders, he might just have enough gas left in the tank to deal with what will surely be a hard-charging Jukebox Kid in deep stretch. (12) THEYPULLMEBACKIN (KY) Owner: Willyam13 Stables (willzway42) Odds: 16/1 (Gone West x Perth Dilemma (Bestyoucanbe)) Career Record: 16 (5-2-3) Earnings: $113,718. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: None. This is a very nice horse from Willyam13 Stables, the connections who produced this year’s Breeders’ Bowl Classic winner. Theypullmebackin is extremely lightly raced for a four year old who started racing at two, which is fairly typical of these connections. Willyam13 picks his spots very carefully, and he’s very careful where he places his horses. And, like this one, they always come in very well rested and full of run. All of that should make up for what Theypullmebackin lacks in graded stakes experience. This is exactly the kind of horse that can jump up and surprise in this field. You don’t normally think of a Gone West progeny as one who can get 16 furlongs, but these connections seem to come up with these kind of horses in big events like this all the time–and they usually do extremely well. He’s out of a Bestyoucanbe mare named Perth Dilemma. Theypullmebackin was basically looking like a career allowance horse, really, until his last two starts. Two starts back he was thrown into what was then the longest race of his career, the 16-furlong listed Linguica and Port Wine Marathon Stakes, and, lo and behold, he won. He also pulled a career-high 103 speed figure in that race. Then last time out his connections placed him in really steep company in the Grade 1 Longchamp Marathon, where he saw quite a few horses he’ll run against this weekend. He finished sixth, there, but the way he ran was pretty sweet. He came from far back late, and he ended up passing a ton of horses and gaining some ground in Paris. If anyone is going to be keeping Jukebox Kid company at the back of the pack, it’s Theypullmebackin. He loves to start slow and come on with a strong late rush. Don’t be too surprised if you see him making his big move right along with Jukebox Kid. This horse is a true deep closer. He would probably appreciate a pretty swift early pace from the front runners this weekend, so he can have some tired horses to run at late. (13) CAN I GET TWELVE (KY) Owner: Smokeglack Stables (foals2010) Odds: 5/1 (Dynaformer x Sky Classic x Maria’s Mon) Career Record: 18 (7-3-2) Earnings: $667,116. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 2 Del Web Handicap (2nd), Grade 2 The Kergolay (1st), Grade 1 The Gold Glass (2nd), Grade 3 The Honey Do (1st). There are only two other horses in this field with more top three graded finishes as Can I Get Twelve. Those horses are Jukebox Kid and Poet Sabatina. Jimmy over at Smokeglack Stables has a monster here, just waiting for his second bite at the apple named Jukebox Kid. He raced against Jukebox Kid back in mid-June, and he finished second to the star of this race in that spot. Can I Get Twelve, who is ranked number 19 in the older males long turf division, is not much of a surprise here as your morning line favorite at 5/1. He’s had a pretty tough schedule this year, and he’s done remarkably well. He’s busted up some pretty nice speed numbers along the way. And for a four year old son of Dynaformer, he’s extremely lightly raced with only 18 career starts, 12 of which have been top three finishes. He can definitely get this 16-furlongs this weekend. Look at his past performance charts. He opened up in his debut with a 16-furlong race, and he blew the field away in that spot in mid-June last year. That’s probably about the time Jimmy started licking his chops. He knew he had a monster on his hands here from the beginning. He won his first three starts, in fact, all at long distances on the lawn, and all were open-lengths wins. This colt has had natural talent from the very beginning. He really didn’t show a whole lot in his early graded stakes races, but you could feel he was going to have a monster season in 2011. He won his first graded stakes race in the Grade 3 Honey Do in the spring of this season. He popped an off-the-charts speed figure (116) in that race, too. And he seemed to really take off after that. He had a very impressive run in the late summer in a couple of Grade 2 events, The Kergorlay and The Del Web Handicap. After that, his last two starts have come in some very big money events, the $4 million Ark de ComicDog at Longchamp and the $4.6 million Japan Classic. He finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in those two races, but look at his speed figures in those 12 furlong events (110 and 106). These connections are sharp, and Jimmy wouldn’t be putting this horse in this race if he didn’t think he could win. And the odds makers happen to agree with him here. He’s been a little spotty at this distance, perhaps, at times, but if there’s a serious contender to upset Jukebox Kid’s perfect season, it just might be Can I Get Twelve. Keep your eye on this guy. His running style is very versatile. He can run from far back, or he can show some early foot. It all depends on the field. And the most impressive thing about this horse? Wait and see what he’s going to do next year. We predict his 2012 campaign will top what he’s done in 2011. (14) POET SABATINA (IRE) Owner: Erdiya Stables (manndar) Odds: 14/1 (Peintre Celebre (IRE) x Cadillac Solitario (Storm Cat)) Career Record: 15 (6-3-3) Earnings: $2,155,197. 2011 Graded Top 3 Finishes: Grade 1 Japanese Saint Legend (2nd), Grade 2 Saint Legend (1st), Grade 3 Queen’s Flower Pot (1st), Grade 1 Japanese Derby (2nd), Grade 1 Sydney Derby (3rd), Grade 3 Queen Izzy Cap (1st). Oh, if only Poet Sabatina were an older horse. Maybe then the odds makers would take this colt seriously. At 14/1, he looks like a steal at the betting windows here this weekend, with all those graded top three finishes in 2011. He’s run in an incredible seven graded stakes races in 2011, and finished top three in all but one. He’s pulled off some pretty incredible finishes this season. He’s only recently started hitting the triple digit speed figure mark, having done that in his last three starts. Folks, this is one incredible three year old by Peintre Celebre out of the Storm Cat hemare Cadillac Solitario. And unlike most of the three year olds in this race, he’s actually won at this distance, when he scored in the 16 furlong Grade 3 Queen’s Flower Pot. He simply destroyed that field, with a 5 ¾ length score there. And then, two starts later, he comes right back and destroys another graded field when he romped to an eight-length win in the Grade 2 Saint Legend in Surrey. He popped a career high 108 speed figure in that 14-furlong event. Now, on the other side of the coin, he was beaten by 8+ lengths in his last outing, when he finished second to Lemon Drop Mini Moo in the Grade 1 Japanese Saint Legend. But he still managed a 105 speed figure in that start. Despite that last outing, this horse is really starting to come on strong. You would think with this many graded starts that this horse would be folding his tents for the season, but he’s still going strong, and now he comes in here to face older horses for the first time in his young career. Simply amazing, that’s all you can say about what this horse has accomplished this season. He’s won six of his 15 career starts, accumulated over $2.1 million in earnings for his connections, and now he’s trying to knock off the unbeaten Jukebox Kid. Watch this horse on Saturday…and next season, as well. If he can run the same type of schedule next year against older horses, with the same success, he’ll be a superstar with a capital S. (15) STONE CHICKEN (KY) Owner: Conquest Farms (peepshold) Odds: 7/1 (Birdstone x Robot Chicken (Deputy Minister)) Career Record: 19 (7-2-1) Earnings: $858,048. 2011 Top 3 Graded Finishes: Grade 1 Razorback Route (1st), Grade 2 The Baltimore Special (3rd), Grade 1 The Cayuga Lake Special (1st), Grade 3 New Orleans Stayer (2nd). Stone Chicken is a four year old chestnut son of Birdstone who will be making his first start on the turf here in Pennsylvania this weekend. That’s right. His first turf start ever will come in the first running of the DPCD Penn Endurance Stakes. That’s quite a place to make your grass debut. It might seem strange to most, but not to the odds makers. They’ve made Stone Chicken the 7/1 co-second favorite with Jukebox Kid. This horse definitely has the stamina, that much is certain. Look at his graded races up at the top of this write up for this year. Two of them were 14-furlong events, and two were 16 furlongs. And he really scored big in a couple of them. Last year, as a three year old, he was running against much older, more experienced horses and doing quite well, albeit mostly in listed stakes and allowances. That’s probably because there weren’t a whole lot of races for the long distances he liked to run as a three year old. He popped a career high 114 speed figure in a win in the listed 11-furlong Whitey’s Monkey Special Stakes in South Carolina. He’s pulled 100-plus speed figures in every start but one this year, including a couple of 108’s. One of those came in a very impressive win in the 14-furlong Grade 1 Razorback Route. His other 108 came in a second place finish in the Grade 3 New Orleans Stayer, another 14-furlong run. This guy loves these long distances. The question is whether he can duplicate these dirt performances on the grass this weekend. Well, I don’t know if this is relevant, but look at what The Bodyguard did last week in the Grade 1 Big Apple. He was a pure long distance turf specialist who had never seen the dirt in his entire career. Then The Bodyguard quite simply swept in and dusted the field in the 14-furlong Big Apple on the dirt course in New York. It can happen. And the odds makers like Stone Chicken in this spot. So, why not? This is a horse that’s full of stamina. He’s got tons of Northern Dancer in his pedigree. He could probably win on quicksand, if he were of a mind to, so watch this guy this weekend. Let’s see if Stone Chicken can do what The Bodyguard did last weekend–win first time out in a huge graded stakes on a surface he‘s never seen before.