Glenn Handicap
Six graded stakes will be run this Saturday in Florida. The highlight is the Grade One Glenn Handicap. A Grade One race for older horses, the Glenn is run at a mile and one eighth on the dirt for a purse of $500,000. A full field of fourteen has turned out for this spot and it is a competitive group. The odds range from 6/1 to 17/1, with the two longshots being lightly raced four year olds. Both are stakes winners and could easily upset their older rivals in this spot. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Bo Rail’s Magic is, remarkably, not a son of Street Sense. But this five year old Johannesburg horse certainly has some magic of his own. He’s hit the triple digit mark in sps in each of his last eleven starts, including all of his 2011 races. Remarkably he only has one victory during that stretch. He took the Grade Three It’s All Your Fault Stakes at one mile with a 114sp in November. He did hit the board in six other races last year, all at the stakes or graded level. His best run was a 116sp he earned while finishing second by ¼ length in the Grade Two Hoffa Cup.
#2 Supermajic is another gifted five year old. The son of Awesome Again has earned over $2,000,000 in his career. He beat Bo Rail’s Magic in the Grade Two Hoffa Cup at a mile and one eighth in October. Previously he had won the Grade Two Bertrando Handicap at that distance. After an unplaced run in the Breeders’ Bowl Dirt Mile he came roaring back at his best distance with a victory in the rich Grade One Japan Dirt Cup at a mile and one eighth. Last out he was fifth in the Grade Two DelPenn Christmas Classic at a mile and one quarter.
#3 Chinnok Down, a millionaire five year old son of Rock of Gibraltar was the winner of the Grade Two DelPenn Christmas Classic. Once thought best at a mile and one half by trainer liam, this colt has run his best races at a mile and one quarter with a second in a listed stakes and an allowance victory also to his credit at that distance. He was third in the Grade Two Bluegrass Cup Classic at a mile and one eighth and ran a 110sp in that spot back in October.
#4 Tower of Dread is a lightly raced four year old son of More Than Ready. He sports an 8-6-1-0 record, with five of those victories coming in the first five starts of his career. His only off the board finish came in his stakes debut where he was eighth but he roared back to the winner’s circle in his next start. He took the mile and one eighth Suicide King Too Dirt Route with a 113sp. In his first start of this year he was second in the Upper Management Dirt Route with a 110sp.
#5 Hard Bark is a four year old son of Unbridled’s Song. While this colt has proven he has some talent, he is still looking for his first stakes victory and this may be a tough spot to do it in. He made fourteen starts last year, winning five times in a maiden and four allowance races. He did run well in stakes races, especially on an off track. He was third in the Grade Three Unger Over Stakes at a mile and three sixteenths over a sloppy track and second by ½ length in the Bone Roaming Dirt Special in December, again over a sloppy track. He does not need moisture in the track to run his best race, he ran a career best sp of 115 on a fast track.
#6 Patcher is also looking for the first stakes victory of his career. The five year old son of Lawyer Ron came closest to a stakes victory as a three year old when second by one length in the Grade Three Chief Snow Handicap. Last year at age four he finished third in three stakes tries. His best run came when beaten 1 ¾ lengths in the Grade Two Lewis & Clark Stakes at a mile and one eighth with a career best 112sp. He was also third in the mile and one quarter Raider Property Dirt Challenge and the River Spay Dirt Memorial at the same distance. He did win two allowance races. In his first start of the year he was tenth in the Grade Three Willing and Able Stakes.
#7 Highest Order is a six year old son of Empire Maker who scored the biggest victory of his career in his most recent start. Highest Order ran a monster 117sp while winning the Grade Two Jamie Pasqual at a mile and one sixteenth on New Year’s Eve. It was his fourth victory on the season, he also had three allowance victories at a mile and one eighth. He’s run triple digit sps in every start since May of 2010 and has topped 110 on five occasions.
#8 Filopit is a four year old son of Big Brown. He beat his elders last year in the Grade One Goodygood Stakes at a mile and one eighth. He ran a career best 113sp in that start, his third victory in a row. He also scored in a mile and one sixteenth allowance and the Nightly Start Dirt Route at the same distance. Since his big Grade One victory he finished third in the mile and three sixteenth Ermington Pegasus Dirt Route, fourth in the mile and one eighth Grade Three Apple Pie and fifth in the one mile Bowing Under Quest Dirt Mile.
#9 Hasty Defense is a five year old who was sold at auction midway through last year. Prior to switching stables he had run one triple digit sp. Since switching he has exceed the century mark in seven of eight starts. His victories for his new connections include the mile and one sixteenth Nowhere To Always Dirt Route with a 118sp and an owner restricted stakes at amile and one eighth with a 112sp. He was also second in the Grade Two Insulin Cap and third in the Grade Two Prims Memorial.
#10 Just Vengeance, an earner of over $3,000,000 began his season last year in this spot, finishing second by ¼ length. The Grade One winner at age two and three would not win during his four year old season although he ran some heartbreaking races. He was second by a head in the Grade Two Oaktree Handicap and second by another ¼ length in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic. He hit the board in three other graded stakes races. Most recently he was second in an owner restricted stakes at a mile and one quarter.
#11 Any Given Eclipse is a six year old who won the first stakes of his career last season. In April he took the mile and one sixteenth Unamazingness Dirt Route with a 110sp. He added third place finishes in the Grade Three Cultural Centre Club and the Regal Deputy Dirt Route at the same distance. He won the mile and one eighth Velvet Blush Dirt Special in October and then finished fourth in the Hattori Hanzo Dirt Route. In his most recent start he was second in the mile and one sixteenth Seattle Delta Dirt Route with a 110sp.
#12 Golden Blaze is a six year old who won his first stakes race in his most recent start. He took the Grade Three one mile Pal’s Hope with a 115sp on New Year’s Eve, easily the best race of his career. He had previously finished second in the Taking Risks Dirt Mile in June and third in the Pondal Dirt mile in April. He has never raced further than a mile and one sixteenth and has never won a race further than one mile.
#13 Dwarf will go over the $2,000,000 mark in earnings with a good showing here. The five year old son of Dynaformer has eleven wins from twenty two starts, but only six of those runs have come on the dirt. He began his career as a two year old on the dirt, winning his debut and running third in an allowance from three starts. Switched to the grass he became a multiple Grade Two winner and Grade One placed runner. In October he moved back to the dirt and was second by a nose in the St. Niner Dirt Route at a mile and one quarter. He came back to win the Grade Two Lewis & Clark Stakes at a mile and one eighth with a 114sp and then was unplaced in the Grade One Delaware Mile. Dwarf’s best races have come between nine and ten furlongs so the distance should be no problem here.
#14 VT Rolling is a lightly raced four year old son of Tiznow. From twelve starts he has seven victories and two second place finishes. He enters this start on a three race win streak. He took a one mile allowance in October with a 110sp. He followed that up with a victory in the Grade Three Who Did It And Run, also at one mile with a 109sp. In his first start of the year he faced his elders for the first time and won the mile and one sixteenth Grade Two San Valenzuala Breeders Bol Stakes with a 110sp. He has never run farther than a mile and one sixteenth but he certainly knows how to win.
Good luck to all!