{"id":10364,"date":"2012-07-25T22:51:47","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T22:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=10364"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"oldbtb_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=10364","title":{"rendered":"Sighing Desert, Nightlinger 7\/1 Favs In Gr. 1 Belmont Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Belmont Park (Equinics)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grade 1<\/p>\n

Purse: $1,000,000 ($600,000 To The Winner)<\/p>\n

Distance: A mile and one-half, Or 12 Furlongs, Or About 2400 Metres<\/p>\n

Conditions: All Horses, Four Years Old And Up<\/p>\n

Surface: Fast Dirt<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This one is not for the faint of heart. <\/p>\n

When the field of 18 goes forward in the Grade 1 Belmont Park in the Equinics, it\u2019s 12 furlongs of grueling, shove-it-in-your-face dirt racing, and this bunch better bring their \u201cA\u201d game, if they\u2018re going to do well here.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one million dollars on the line here, and it\u2019s a pretty interesting bunch for this 2012\u00a0Equinics event, headed up by a couple of 7\/1 morning line favorites, Sighing Desert and Nightlinger. <\/p>\n

Here is the field for the running of the Grade 1 Belmont Park, at 12 furlongs on the dirt, for a purse of $1 million, for all horses four years old and up.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

(1) YURI TESTIKOV (KY)<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Tremguis Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds: <\/strong>20\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: HISPANO PARLANTE<\/strong><\/p>\n

4 YO Brn Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Street Cry x Testikov (Montjeu))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings: $294,236\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 16 8-5-1<\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 111\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 3 2-1-0<\/p>\n

Tremguis Stables sends out Yuri Testikov in The Belmont Park Stakes. The four year old son of Street Cry has just recently stepped up to this mile and one-half distance he\u2019ll be seeing here this weekend in the Grade 1 Belmont Park. In three of his last four starts, he\u2019s finished first twice and second once at 12 furlongs, the longest he\u2019s been run in his entire career. Last time out in the Grade 2 Crooklyn Handicap at 12 furlongs, the first graded start of his career, he came from far off the pace to finish second, just missing by \u00be of a length to Stone Chicken. That was an extremely impressive run by Yuri Testikov to come from nearly ten lengths off the pace in that race. This colt is being fine tuned for this race in the Equinics this weekend, and he should be pretty sharp in this spot. Might want to keep your eye on this guy late. He should provide a massive stretch run here.<\/p>\n

(2) PIVOT TABLE (GB)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Dundey Acres\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 18\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: MINNESOTA DOWNS<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Chestnut Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Pivotal x Gold Medal Effort (Perfect Soul))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $121,982\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 20 5-6-4 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 112\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0<\/p>\n

Dundey Acres and Minnesota Downs send in Pivot Table, who\u2019s not only never run this ten furlong distance, but he\u2019s also only been over 9 furlongs five times in his entire career, and all of those races were either 9.5 or 10 furlongs, nowhere close to the distance he\u2018ll be running here this weekend. He is very much the unknown quantity here. He threw a career high 112 speed figure, which is decent enough in this bunch, but that was an 8-furlong allowance race in Delaware in November of 2011. He likes to run mostly mile – nine furlongs races, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see what he shows us here, going a mile and one-half for the first time. A lot of times, these types will jump out and set some early fractions on the front end that a lot of these here might have trouble dealing with. Four starts back, Pivot Table went 9.5 furlongs, one of the longest trips of his career, and he led for the first three calls before being caught late. I have little doubt that he\u2019ll jump out to an early lead here. The only question is how long can he hold on, running two furlongs longer than he\u2019s ever been run in his entire career. He\u2019s either won or been in the money in 15 of his 20 lifetime starts, and he\u2019s got over $120,000 in the bank. But he\u2019s never faced quite the caliber of field he\u2019ll be facing here in the Equinics this weekend. He\u2019ll probably try to run with the front-enders here early and push the pace and make everyone else play catch-me-if-you-can in this spot. And who knows? He might just sneak up and catch a few of these by surprise.<\/p>\n

(3) SPLIT SECOND (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Gotta Catch \u2018Em All\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 12\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: BLAZING SADDLES<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Lt Grey Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Medaglia D\u2019Oro x Mr. Prospector x Buckpasser) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $128,290\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Career Record: 8 5-2-1 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 113\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0<\/p>\n

Split Second is probably the lightest raced horse in this field, coming in here with only eight career starts. He has never run the 12 furlongs he\u2019ll be asked to go this weekend, but look what he did last time out. He popped a career high 113 speed figure in winning the Grade 3 Peach State Classic down in Georgia. Now, that race was only ten furlongs, but with the scratch-breeding this one\u2019s got, there\u2019s no doubt he can get this 12-furlongs. Throw out the fact that he hasn\u2019t run 12 furlongs yet. This guy has plenty of natural talent, that\u2019s for sure. In his eight career starts, he has yet to finish out of the top three, winning five of those eight starts. He might be ready to explode here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park and pop an even bigger speed figure than he did in winning that Grade 3 Peach State Classic, the first and only graded try of his career. Look for big things to come from this guy in the future. He\u2019s won four of his last five starts coming in here, and he\u2019s quite simply one of the hottest horses in this field. Keep a very close eye on this guy. He could jump up and steal the whole deal, if he runs back to that number he ran in his only graded start last time out.<\/p>\n

(4) MERRY MEN CH (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Shagadelic Farms\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 11\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: COMEDY CENTRAL<\/strong> <\/p>\n

5YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Forestry x Not Guilty CH (Vindication)) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $220,097\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Career Record: 31 8-5-6 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 115\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 2 1-0-1<\/p>\n

Shagadelic Farms is throwing Merry Men CH into the mix here in the Equinics 12-furlong race for older dirt males. The five year old son of Forestry really had not done a whole lot in the speed figure department–until two starts back, that is. He popped a career high 115 speed figure in a 10.5-furlong listed stakes win down in Puerto Rico two starts back. That was by far his best effort ever in the speed figure department, and this guy has a lot of races under his belt. He\u2019s making career start #32 here. So, for him to come up with that kind of effort, after that many races, speaks volumes about his ability coming in here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park. He\u2019s only run this 12-furlong distance two times in his entire career and he\u2019s won one of those, so this might be one of those colts who sneaks up on this field here in the Equinics. It wouldn\u2019t be a huge surprise at all, if he were to win this whole thing. He\u2019s by Forestry, out of the Vindication mare Not Guilty CH, and that might not speak a mile and a half to you, pedigree-wise, but this guy can get the distance, as he showed in the two starts he\u2019s had at this 12 furlong distance. Might be a sleeper to keep your eye on here. If he can run back to that big speed figure he popped a couple starts back, keep your eye on this guy.<\/p>\n

(5) RET (TUR)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner: <\/strong>Phantom Pharms\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 19\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: QUEENSLAND RACECOURSE<\/strong><\/p>\n

5YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Manila x I\u2019ll Apologise (Indian Ridge IRE))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $154,486\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 30 17-5-3 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 108\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 3 3-0-0<\/p>\n

Ret, a Turkish-bred son of Manila has been twice claimed during his career, and he\u2019s got an incredible win strike rate of 17 victories in his 30 starts. And he\u2019s never been beaten at this 12 furlong distance. He\u2019s run it three times, and all three times he was a runaway winner. He doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of big speed numbers on his resume, but this horse simply knows how to win. He was most recently claimed by Phantom Pharms for $30,000 back in February. Last time out, he got one of those 12-furlong wins, and he led gate to wire in that start. He only popped a 99 speed figure, but that\u2019s okay. With the big lead he got early, he was probably pretty much geared down at the end. He might be a long shot here, but this horse knows how to get to the winner\u2019s circle. There\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s running in the biggest race of his life here this weekend, for a staggering $1 million dollar purse, but this should be one of the early pacesetters, if he runs back to his past performances. This is one of the horses some of these deep closers are hoping will push the pace early, to set up a late comeback for them. The problem with that is that this hose usually doesn\u2019t give up the lead once he\u2019s got it, and he loves to bounce out to some pretty big leads. Keep your eye on the clock and the early fractions in this race, and if this guy keeps the early fractions reasonable, he might be hard to catch.<\/p>\n

(6) MONTANA KING (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Sonofaus Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 55\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: MIDAS <\/strong><\/p>\n

6YO Lt Grey Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Awesome Again x Unbridled\u2018s Song x A.P. Indy) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $191,179\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 31 7-4-6 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 102\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 8 3-1-2 (1 Turf)<\/p>\n

Montana King is a six year old scratch-bred son of Awesome Again, and he\u2019s got a pretty regal pedigree, with Unbridled\u2019s Song and A.P. Indy back there. He\u2019s making career start #32 here, and eight of those starts have come at 12 furlongs on the dirt (one on turf), where he\u2019s got a really nice strike rate of 3-1-2. That might make a big difference in a field where a lot of these don\u2019t have a much of experience at this distance. One thing that\u2019s a big worry here for Sonofaus Stables, probably, is that Montana King has only two career starts were he\u2019s thrown triple digit speed figures. That\u2019s kind of hard to understand, given the fact that\u2019s he\u2019s got such a nice pedigree. He hasn\u2019t had a triple digit speed figure race in his last five starts, but two starts back he got the only listed stakes win of his career in a 16-furlong event in the Gingerbread Man Dirt Stayer. One nice thing to note here is the fact that one of the two times this horse popped the 100-mark in speed figures was six starts back, the last time he ran a 12-furlong dirt race. He won an allowance race in South Carolina that day pretty handily. Since then, he\u2019s generally been running much longer than the 12 furlongs he\u2019ll see this weekend, and that fact, along with the fact that he hasn\u2019t busted the triple digit speed figure mark in any of them, makes him a long shot here. He\u2019s still a really nice horse who could jump up and surprise a few of these here. Don\u2019t totally discount this horse, on the basis of a dearth of triple digit speed figures. He\u2019s got a really nice pedigree, and a lot of experience at this distance.<\/p>\n

(7) PRODIGY CHILD (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0Owner:<\/strong> Natrap Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 18\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: KENTUCKY HORSEMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Chestnut Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Ghostzapper x Distorted Humor x Unbridled\u2019s Song)<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $95,515\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 14 3-3-1 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 114\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-1-0 <\/p>\n

The Kentucky Horsemen Residency and Natrap Stables will send in Prodigy Child here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend in the Equinics. He is young, lightly raced, and he\u2019s only got one 12 furlong dirt start on his resume. That came a couple starts back in a second place finish in big money allowance event down in Georgia. The fact that it happens to coincide with the highest speed figure of his career should open a few eyes. Prodigy Child threw a 114 speed figure in that race, a career high for the lightly raced four year old, and that was in a four horse field. This colt was guns blazing that day, as he roared out to a 12 length lead midway through the race, before he got caught at the wire. That was really an eye-popping race to watch, and you can bet the others in this field are going to take note of the fact that his colt showed a ton of early speed in that race. He lost to a horse called Awe Or Nothing in that race, a horse he\u2019ll see here this weekend in the Equinics. Last time out, he jumped out to a really big lead in a 14-furlong listed stakes, the first stakes of his career, before he got caught late again. This colt has some amazing early speed, and with a couple of these long distance races under his belt, he might be peaking at the right time here. I certainly wouldn\u2019t throw him out, just because he\u2019s lightly raced, or because he has little stakes experience. A horse with this much speed is always dangerous in a race like this. Look for him to do more of the same here this weekend. He\u2019ll probably cruise out to a big early lead, causing a lot of these to chase him. He\u2019s definitely a game changer in a race like this, because you quite simply have to respect all that early speed. If someone doesn\u2019t run with this guy early, they\u2019re going to have a tough time catching him late. I would definitely include this one in the exotics on my betting ticket.<\/p>\n

(8) SIGHING DESERT (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Super Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 7\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: DEL-PENN NATIONAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Brn Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Street Cry x White Sand (Storm Cat))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $458,730\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 24 5-4-4 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 116\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 0 0-0-0<\/p>\n

Like most of the horses from Super Stables, Sighing Desert was campaigned on the Triple Crown Trail, where things didn\u2019t exactly pan out for the son of Street Cry, who is out of the Storm Cat mare White Sand. He did well enough last season, but it wasn\u2019t quite what Super Stables had in mind for a Triple Crown runner. He\u2019s one of a few in here (mostly the younger ones) who have never raced the 12 furlongs he\u2019ll see here this weekend. He\u2019s had quite a few starts (24) for a four-year old, but that\u2019s quite common to see in Super Stables, who aim for the Spring Classics with their young horses. That\u2019s what they\u2019re all about–winning the Spring Classics. So, the fact that he\u2019s got 24 starts should come as no surprise. This guy threw a career-high 116 speed figure in a 9.5 listed stakes win on the dirt five starts back, and then two races later he came back and popped a 113 in a third place finish in the Grade 3 Soupy Sails Classic. That listed stakes, by the way, the one where he popped the highest number of his career, was the last time he\u2019s won. Who knows? Maybe this colt will love this 12 furlongs, and he\u2019s certainly going to be one of the more interesting ones to watch here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park, that\u2019s for sure, as he steps up to this distance for the first time. <\/p>\n

(9) ZIYAN (AUS)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Owner:<\/strong> Oostende2 Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 17\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: Y.O.S.S. Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n

7YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Zedative (AUS) x Stormy Affair (Storm Cat))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $573,985\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 47 12-15-8 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 117\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 11 2-4-2<\/p>\n

The Aussie-bred Ziyan comes in here off a 110 speed figure bomb–and a win–last time out. He might be seven years old, and he might have 47 career starts, but this son of Zedative showed last time out he\u2019s still got what it takes, when he blew up the track with that 110 speed figure race in an allowance event in Nebraska on July 7. He won easily in that spot. He\u2019s got something else that most in this field don\u2019t have, too, and that\u2019s a lot of experience at this 12 furlong distance he\u2019ll see this weekend. He\u2019s got ten career starts over the mile and a half, and while he\u2019s only won two, he\u2019s got six other finishes where he was second or third at this distance. He might be one of the older horses in this field, but there\u2019s little doubt he\u2019s one of the most experienced, and what I really love about this horse was that last race where he popped that 110 speed figure. He should figure prominently in this race, if he can run back to that number. Look out for this guy. He might be old, but he\u2019s not quite ready to be written off yet. He can still get you the big speed numbers on the track. <\/p>\n

(10) ACTS OF VIOLENCE (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Casino Racing Syndicate\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 14\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: EMPIRE STATE RACING<\/strong><\/p>\n

6YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Smarty Jones x Armani Mania (Sadler\u2018s Wells)) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $289,835\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 47 18-4-5 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 111\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 5 4-0-1<\/p>\n

Acts Of Violence is one of the older guys in this field. He\u2019s a six year old son of Smarty Jones, out of the Sadler\u2019s Wells mare Armani Mania. He\u2019s making career start #48 here, and while he\u2019s got less than $300,000 in the bank, he could be in for a very big payday here. He\u2019s done pretty well the few times he\u2019s run 12 furlongs, winning four of his five starts at this distance. Make no mistake about it, though. While Acts Of Violence might have a lot of wear and tear on his old body, he is coming in here off a career high speed figure of 111, where he finished second in the 13-furlong Fighter Pilot Dirt Stayer Listed Stakes. He led for a lot of the way there, before fading in mid-stretch to finish second, and that bodes well for his chances here in the Grade 1 Belmont Park. Of all the horses in this field, he really should appreciate the drop in distance to 12 furlongs. If he gets on the lead, they might have trouble catching this old guy. Keep a look out for the horse from Casino Racing Syndicate early. If he does open up a big lead, he might be really hard to catch here.<\/p>\n

(11) NIGHTLINGER (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Big Cheese Racing\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong>\u00a07\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: UNIVERSAL RACING CLUB<\/strong><\/p>\n

5YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Curlin x Speightstown x Northern Dancer)<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $471,803\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 28 11-4-3<\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 117\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-0-0<\/p>\n

Nightlinger is mainly a 10-furlong specialist, and the scratch-bred son of Curlin has only run this 12 furlong distance once in his career. That was back in August of last year, when he finished fifth in the Grade 2 Crooklyn Handicap. He was gaining late there, but he really doesn\u2019t have the experience at this distance that most of these have. What Nightlinger does have are a couple of pretty impressive career high speed figures (117), although they did come quite a while back. He\u2019s got one graded win in his career, and that came quite a while back (June of 2011, in fact), and that was in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Farewell To Cryptozot Stakes in Texas, where he popped a 111 speed figure. Nightlinger has won two of his last four starts coming in here. One was a 10-furlong listed stakes win two starts back, and just before that he popped a 112 speed figure in an allowance win in Tennessee. The big question here is distance for Nightlinger. Can he get the 12 furlongs for his connections, Big Cheese Racing? If he can answer that question, he might be one to watch in this spot.<\/p>\n

(12) AWE OR NOTHING (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Washer Toss Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Odds:<\/strong> 11\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: PASTURES OF GREEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Lt Grey Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Awesome Again x Unbridled\u2019s Song x Halo)) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $237,108\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 20 8-5-2 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 115\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 6 4-1-1 <\/p>\n

Awe Or Nothing is extremely interesting in this spot, for a couple of reasons. Two starts back, he popped a career high 115 speed figure in an open allowance win in Georgia, where he\u2019s run seven of his last eight races. Here\u2019s what\u2019s really impressive about Awe Or Nothing. He\u2019s one of the few horses in here who has been consistently running the 12-furlong distance he\u2019ll see here this weekend in his last few races. In fact, he\u2019s run 12 furlongs in all of his six last starts, and he\u2019s put together quite a hot streak during that run. He\u2019s won four of them, and finished in the money the other two times. The one thing that really sticks out on Awe Or Nothing\u2019s past performance charts is the fact that this will be his first stakes race of any kind. He\u2019s been a career allowance runner, and he\u2019s been doing well there. He comes from a barn, Washer Toss Stables, that\u2019s got a seriously impressive strike rate, too. Check it out. Over 24 percent wins, and 56.7 percent in-the-money. This barn knows how to place its horses, and it places them very well. So, for Awe Or Nothing to be running in his first career stakes race here, this horse must have come super sharp in this week\u2019s training update. If I were a betting person (and I am), this is probably the horse I would be throwing the most money at when I went to the betting windows, if for no other reason than he\u2019s got the most (and best) recent experience at this distance. Never mind that this is his first graded stakes attempt. Let\u2019s disregard that. This horse has the best speed figure at this distance recently, and he comes from a barn who places his horses well. I\u2019ll take that all week long and twice on Sunday, when I\u2019m betting on a horse.<\/p>\n

(13) MAMBO HEAT (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Owner:<\/strong> Worldwide Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 9\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: TESTBARN, The Memorabilia Residency<\/strong><\/p>\n

5YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Heatseeker x Herecomesdastorm (Kingmambo))<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $1,954,619\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 34 6-11-5 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 115\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-1-0 <\/p>\n

Mambo Heat comes in here as the horse from Testbarn Residency. Angela from Worldwide Stables brings in what has to be THE backclass horse in this field. Mambo Heat is a 5 year old son of Heatseeker out of a Kingmambo mare, and he\u2019s only got one start at this 12 furlong distance. But, check out which start that was. Mambo Heat ran second in the Grade 1 New Yorker, the third leg of the Triple Crown, in 2010. He\u2019s got nearly two million in earnings and he\u2019s looking to expand on that here this weekend in the Equinics. As a two year old and early three year old, he was running in every big race on the planet, and doing well. Look at his past performances, if you don\u2019t believe me. This horse has the backclass that really sticks out in this field. And he\u2019s super consistent. He\u2019s run triple digit speed figures in each of his last 12 starts. This guy can flat out run. He doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of victories lately, but maybe he needs the 12 furlongs he\u2019ll see here this weekend to get his name back in the headlines. For a horse who did as well as he did back in the New Yorker as a three year old, you would think he would have seen a lot more of these type of events. He\u2019s got quite a few starts under his belt, but this horse is by no means finished. Watch out for his this weekend, against this field.<\/p>\n

(14) PAUNCHI SURPRISE (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Green Acres Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds: <\/strong>31\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: SALTIRE RACING<\/strong><\/p>\n

6YO Chestnut Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Seeking The Gold x Deputy Paunchi (Deputy Minister)<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $305,290\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Career Record: 22 5-7-3 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 106\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 2 1-1-0<\/p>\n

Paunchi Surprise will be representing Green Acres Stables and Saltire Racing in this year\u2019s Grade 1 Belmont Park. The six year old son of Seeking The Gold has a pretty impressive strike rate there, finishing in the top three in 15 of his 22 career starts. He started out as a turf specialist for Green Acres Stables for the most part, early in his career. But then he was sent to the dirt, where he ran some of the highest speed figures of his career. He had five triple digit speed figures in those eight starts, and the two times he was sent 12 furlongs on the dirt, he won and finished second. Outside of that stretch of dirt races, Paunchi Surprise has only busted the triple digit speed figure once in his entire career over the turf, so maybe the dirt is where this guy belongs. He\u2019s run a couple of prestigious dirt races, in particular the Grade 1 Clerk Of Scales back in 2009 as a three year old. He took what looks like a two and one-half year break from the races, before he returned to the track in May of this season. Two starts back he returned to graded company, where he was pretty well beaten on the turf in the Grade 3 Brigadier and the Grade 2 Edward\u2019s Kingdom. But now he\u2019s back on the dirt, and he might want to start popping some of those triple digit numbers again. This freshening after a long layoff might play to his favor here. He\u2019s not scared of these long distance dirt races, that\u2019s for sure, and his connections aren\u2019t either. Watch him closely here. If he can stay involved early and not lose touch with this field, he could be a big surprise here.<\/p>\n

(15) MALIBU MON (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Rharfo1 Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 8\/1 <\/p>\n

Rez: NORTHWEST RACING CIRCUIT<\/strong><\/p>\n

5YO Lt Grey Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Malibu Moon x Roberta\u2018s Diva (Maria\u2018s Mon)) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $261,391\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Career Record: 25 10-5-2 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 114\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 5 2-2-0 <\/p>\n

The last time Malibu Mon ran 12 furlongs, he just ran off and hid from that field in the Mississippi Gulch Dirt Stayer Listed Stakes in Tennessee. He opened a big lead on that field and won by 6 \u00be lengths there. That was a pretty impressive performance by Malibu Mon. In three starts since then, he was dropped in distance by his connections, and he\u2019s got a couple of in-the-money finishes to show for it. He really loves this 12 furlongs he\u2019ll see this weekend in the Equinics, and his early speed should send a message to the rest of this field. Don\u2019t let this guy get too far out in front, or he might make you pay the price. He\u2019s won 10 of his 25 starts, which is a pretty alarming strike rate for Rharfo\u2019s horse, who is a son of Malibu Mon. That sire, combined with his dam, who was by Maria\u2019s Mon, probably accounts for a lot of that early speed. Malibu Moon is probably the controlling speed in this race, and he\u2019s a colt they had all better watch out for. He\u2019s won twice the five times he\u2019s run this 12 furlongs, so he definitely knows how to get the distance.<\/p>\n

(16) MY DESTINATION (GB)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> At The Wire Thoroughbreds\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Odds:<\/strong> 15\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: EAST-WEST CONNECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Chestnut Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(New Approach x Tisvent (Tiznow)) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $172,596\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 25 11-3-0 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 114\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 1-0-0<\/p>\n

My Destination has probably one of the hottest speed figure races of all of these coming into the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend. Last time out, he popped a big old 114 in winning the 13-furlong Dirt Fighter Pilot Stayer listed stakes in New Jersey. And the race before that, he ran 12 furlongs the only time in his career, when he simply ran off and hid from an allowance field down in Florida, where he won by 6+ lengths there, popping a 104 speed figure. He was probably geared down at the end there, after jumping out to a big lead. There\u2019s no doubt this colt is blessed with a ton of early speed, and that might be a huge concern for the rest of this field, especially since My Destination is dropping a furlong in distance here. The son of New Approach is hot coming in here, having won five of his last six and popping some pretty nice speed numbers along the way. The only time he was beaten in his last six starts was when he ran well beaten in the 9-furlong Grade 3 Skipping Away, but even then you can watch that race and see he was gaining ground at the end. He might just love this 12 furlongs this weekend, and this is certainly one horse you might want to include in your exotic bets. If he runs anything close to that speed figure he ran last time out, look out, because this guy can simply run off with this race and win it gate-to-wire on the lead. East-West Connection is sending a beast in here to the Grade 1 Belmont Park, one that has to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

(17) HOT APRIL\u00a0 (KY)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Joe And His Horse Garden\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Odds:<\/strong> 27\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: CITY-RACE RHEIN-MAIN TURF CLUB<\/strong><\/p>\n

7YO Brn Horse\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(Langfuhr x Woodman x Summer Squall)<\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $139,898\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 30 4-4-5 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 107\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt: 1 0-0-1<\/p>\n

The City-Race Rhein-Main Turf Club Residency has tapped Hot April as its entry in the Grade 1 Belmont Park this weekend. The seven year old scratch-bred son of Langfuhr who has Woodman and Summer Squall back there in his scratch-bred pedigree only has one 12 furlong dirt start coming in here, and that was three starts back, when he finished third in an allowance event in Paris. He threw a career-high 107 speed figure in that race, and if you watched that race, you saw him drop in from out of the clouds, nearly 17 lengths back midway through the race to come on strongly late and grab a third place check, beaten only a little over a length. That was a pretty stunning comeback there for Hot April. He\u2019ll show you more of a European style of running, one that is usually reserved for the turf races, where he likes to come roaring late at the finish of his races. You might not hear his number called early on by the announcer, but if he runs like he did in his only 12-furlong start, he might just get up in time to pick up the pieces in this race, a race that has a ton of early speed. If Hot April can get a lot of these speedsters to burn up some fast early fractions, that would play right into his late style of running. That\u2019s what this son of Langfuhr needs–some hot early fractions to run into, and that\u2019s probably what he\u2019s going to get here. If he does, he could be a very dangerous late closer in this race this weekend. He\u2019s never been in a graded stakes in his entire career, but he\u2019s been in a couple of listed stakes. Watch the early fractions here in the Grade 1 Belmont. If they\u2019re unusually fast, a horse like Hot April could be one to watch running late. He doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of flashy speed numbers like some of these, but he does have that freight-train type late running style that could mow a few of these down in deep stretch.<\/p>\n

(18) HINTEN ZEIHT (GER)<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Owner:<\/strong> Given Stables\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Odds:<\/strong> 9\/1<\/p>\n

Rez: GRSIMSTERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

4YO Brn Colt\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Monsun x Northern Dancer x Sharpen Up) <\/p>\n

Career Earnings : $391,966\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Career Record: 16 7-5-1 <\/p>\n

Career High Speed Figure: 114\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finishes at 12 F Dirt : 3 2-1-0 <\/p>\n

Hinten Zeiht is a four year old German bred son of Monsun who started racing as a three year old. As with most Monsun progeny, this colt was started off on the turf by his connections, Given Stables. When Dan didn\u2019t really like what he was seeing in Hinten Zeiht\u2018s first two turf starts, he quickly switched his colt over to the dirt, where it became pretty apparent quickly that the dirt was his preferred surface. Within four starts of hitting the dirt, he was listed stakes placed, and he was well on his way to becoming a future dirt marathoner. He has yet to win a graded race, but then again, he\u2019s only been tried twice in graded company, and both times he finished second. He does have four listed stakes win, two of which have come in his last four starts. But those races were both ten-furlong events. Hinten Zeiht gets back up to the 12-furlong distance this weekend, a distance he hasn\u2019t seen since he finished second in the Grade 2 Herzeleid Special in Nevada back in February. This race fits for Hinten Zeiht. In his last four tries at ten furlongs he was gaining at the end, so he just might appreciate this step up in distance this weekend.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pretty Mixed Bag Here In 12 F Equinics Dirt Marathon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10364\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}