Big Name In Turf Allowance Draws Throngs Of Fans

Allowance

Firm Turf

$26,000

Three Year Old Fillies/Mares

Non-Winners of Four Lifetime

Arlington Park is home to the best horse racing Illinois has to offer, and the Arlington Million is biggest draw.  But this week it is an allowance race that is drawing thousands, as a celebrity three year old filly comes to grace the track. 

Tolleson, the Eclipse nominated daughter of Unbridled’s Song, has her calendar all planned out according to owner & trainer CV Bear; “Tolleson’s plan is a turf race to start 2012 with. Barring a big, big run, I was going to a dirt sprint race next, then the lool Oaks and then the Bluegrass Oaks. Given, a chat room regular, suggested I run my filly on the grass, and the more I thought about it the better an idea it seemed for starting the year. If she shows anything, I’m willing to try something else on the grass. Otherwise, it’s all just a training tool to get my filly Oaks ready. She is sharp, and sitting on something. I just don’t know what, or what this race will prove. But all horses do need to try all surfaces and distances, as the Sim saying goes.” 

I was lucky enough to track down sim legend Donny Beisbol who added his expertise commentary.  As a special treat, he and top trainers supertaffy, hawkz & the crazy Canadian Balata decided to handicap the race as well, so get your wallets out and be ready to drop some coin!

Gate 1: Tolleson (KY)             – owner excelsior (CV Bear)               Ridden by: D McCants            Even

Unbridled’s Song x Danzig x Seattle Slew                              6: 3-2-0                        ($697,120)

Dual-Grade 1 winner at Tolleson flashed potential early, and dominated as soon as she was stepped up in level.  In fact in four of five graded tries she finished no worse than second.  Based on the writer’s experience (he can’t get a Usong to run on dirt) the breeding suggests she could be much better on turf.  The future of the filly is on the line … turf greatness, or a trip to the Oaks. 

(DB) Tolleson is a dual G1 winner with only a flukish BB jockey’s brainfart of a ride marring her dirt record… if she is anywhere near as good on the turf, it would be quite devastating to the rest of the field. Seems to me CVBEAR has some tricks up his sleeve.

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Gate 2: Bluegrass Choice (AUS)       – owner armegedon (tazdevil)              Ridden by: P Munoz                9/2

Redoute’s Choice (Aus) x Bluegrass Cat x Miswaki                7: 3-1-1                        ($124,860)

Stakes winner on the dirt at a mile, her lone graded attempt on the dirt was actually against Tolleson in DPCD The Mother Story, and she finished 4 lengths behind.  Made her debut with a second place finish on the turf, speed figure prompted a change to dirt.  She has shown talent, and breeding also suggests could improve in her return to turf. 

(DB) “Bluegrass Choice debuted (slowly) on turf and has been more than adequate on dirt, exiting the same G2 DPCD race that Tolleson nearly vanquished… so is this another experiment? Can’t say I love the pedigree for turf but she is fast out of the gate.”

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Gate 3: Sistema (KY)                         – owner munnin240 (tees)                   Ridden by: W Cabaniss           5/2

Pulpit x Storm Cat x Danzig                                                    8: 3-1-1                        ($99,015)        

Grade 1 placed filly at a mile and a sixteenth, she is also making turf debut.  Has shown considerable early speed, but has shown a tendency to fade late.  Might be better suited to running off the pace, or maybe just craves the grass.  Not the only speed in the race, but should be battling for the lead early.  Her three wins were wire to wire.

(DB) “Sistema tries turf for the first time as well, and is already G1 placed at a route. She’ll make it tough for ROCK HARD DIAMOND who is the ‘legitimate’ turf speed in the race.”

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Gate 4: Rock Hard Diamond (KY)     – owner chloedog2 (pointblank)           Ridden by: R Logan                 5/1

Rock Hard Ten x Rahy x Mr. Prospector                                 6: 3-0-1                        ($77,780)

Winner on both surfaces at mile, blankpoints filly has show a lot of flexibility.  The other speed in the race, she wired the field last out on the turf.  Rock Hard Diamond was beaten badly in her two stakes tries, a Grade 3 on the dirt, and a restricted stakes on the turf.  Should be in a speed duel early with Sistema, and two of her three wins were wire to wire.  She was able to win one in which she was unable to gain the early lead, instead pulling away down the stretch.

(DB) “RHD has at least shown affinity for the turf, winning a similar bid-allowance wire to wire last out. The race was bid for her – I can only imagine the expression on trainer chloedawg’s face when he saw who came to the party.”

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Gate 5: Dynamical (Aus)                   – owner broohar1 (broohar)                 Ridden by: D Anderson           9/2

Duporth (Aus) x Grand Slam x Dynaformer                           6: 3-1-2                        ($52,878)

Dynamical enters the race as the most accomplished turf runner of the group having spent her entire career on the turf.  She has never run off the board and last out finished second in a listed stakes posting a lively 90 speed figure.  Has shown steady speed improvement & could factor late.  Being as she has never been off the board and current odds will be hard for betters to leave her off the exotics. 

(DB) “Which is why I am picking DYNAMICAL to win the race… she is a turfer through and through, improved every time she went to the post and will be closing like a horse who is actually trying to win this race and not necessarily achieve some other nefarious goal.”

So how will race play out?   Well that is why we brought in the experts … to help our loyal readers to decide how to bet the race.  Let’s see their picks:

Donny Beisbol:            (win) Dynamical, (place) Tolleson, (show) Bluegrass Choice

Supertaffy:                  (win) Rock Hard Diamond, (place) Dynamical, (show) Sistema

Hawkz:                         (win) Tolleson, (place) Dynamical, (show) Bluegrass Choice

Balata:                         (win) Tolleson, (place) Dynamical, (show) Rock Hard Diamond

So if we average this out …. And I study the picks made by our experts my bet will be to box:

Tolleson, Dynamical & Bluegrass Choice

Good luck to our runners, and may all five fillies come away healthy.