{"id":1082,"date":"2005-11-04T09:14:53","date_gmt":"2005-11-04T09:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=1082"},"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=1082","title":{"rendered":"“FRISKY” SWEET SIXTEEN SET TO FROLIC ON THE MINNESOTA DIRT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The smile was ever so slight, but there, nonetheless.\u00a0 As the smallest\u00a0glint of sunlight peeked furtively through the dreary, overcast skies — the same skies that for\u00a0the past three days had dumped over five\u00a0inches of rain on the already saturated grounds\u00a0—\u00a0track superintendent\u00a0Chuck Ganz gazed up to the heavens with an appreciative look on his face as if to say, “thank you.”\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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With the possibility of the cancellation of the Minnesota Festival looming bold, Chuck and his crew\u00a0worked nearly around the clock for the past two days in an effort\u00a0to get the surface safe and race ready, a chore that just twenty-four hours ago seemed nearly impossible.\u00a0 But now, amazingly, as we approach post-time, if more rains hold off, then trainers,\u00a0jockeys and horses, alike, will not even have to deal with\u00a0sloppy\u00a0course but a track that has been deemed to be good,<\/EM> and one,\u00a0quite frankly, that even appears to be better than its classification.\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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As a result of\u00a0horrible conditions that existed these past few days leading up to the Festival, and the ominous forecast that still faces them, a lesser group might\u00a0have been just resigned\u00a0to their fate\u00a0and raised\u00a0their\u00a0collective hands to the sky and given up.\u00a0 But not this crew, and not this residency.\u00a0 The proud people from Minnesota don’t know the word “quit.”\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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So, fasten your seat belts and get ready for a great day of racing, a day which includes the tenth race on the card, THE FRISKY FILLIES SPRINT<\/STRONG><\/EM>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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1<\/FONT><\/STRONG>– I’LL GET YOU EVEN<\/STRONG> (40\/1) – This imposing looking daughter of Boston Harbor<\/EM> started off her career with a maiden special weight win first time out and followed that effort with\u00a0a solid allowance placing, but she quickly fell from grace with a couple of dismal performances in stakes races\u00a0and has since found herself racing primarily in claiming races and starter allowances.\u00a0 However,\u00a0there is no denying her versatility, being equally adept at sprinting and routing while\u00a0handling both the dirt and turf surfaces with the same voracity.\u00a0 And her last start, which\u00a0was against\u00a0an allowance field, was her best, yet.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Heading into this race, she now changes hands for the fourth time in her last five races, now being trained by the crafty\u00a0pro quagmire<\/FONT><\/EM>, who brought us Al Prado in the Bluegrass, the same Al Prado\u00a0who will be featured in another race on today’s card.\u00a0 Quagmire<\/FONT><\/EM>‘s horses have appeared to show a new skip in their step since the arrival of new associate trainer Max<\/EM><\/FONT>,\u00a0who\u00a0had this to say about I’LL GET YOU EVEN<\/STRONG>:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“This filly has a great deal of potential, potential she has not even come close to realizing.\u00a0 We think with the proper adjustments she can become a top flight filly.\u00a0 We’ll just have to tinker around a bit to see what works best for her, but for starters, we will be adding blinkers for Saturday’s race in an effort\u00a0to keep her closer to the pace.\u00a0 Hopefully, that, combined with\u00a0her ability to stage solid late runs, will result in a key performance.”<\/FONT>\u00a0<\/DIV>
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Although we know that Max<\/EM><\/FONT> has worked some magic in the past and is capable of getting any horse to run better, against a field of this caliber, we’ll still need to take a wait-and-see approach with I’LL GET YOU EVEN<\/STRONG>.\u00a0 Jockey R Vanlandingham<\/FONT> picks up the mount.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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2<\/STRONG><\/FONT> – UNDERMINING<\/STRONG> (15\/1) – This nicely bred daughter of\u00a0Mining<\/EM> (Mining x Storm Cat x Alysheba<\/EM>) comes into the race in peak form, winning two of her last three, including a storming come-from-behind\u00a0victory in her most recent start.\u00a0 If nothing else, UNDERMINING<\/STRONG>\u00a0is the type of filly who\u00a0goes out and gives her all each and every race.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Well, you’re right, she does generally perform well,”\u00a0agreed trainer minnow<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “But of her few poor performances, two\u00a0have come on off tracks, and I have to admit that as great a job as the track super and his crew did — and it is\u00a0a wonderful feat they accomplished —<\/FONT>\u00a0I am a bit concerned about how my filly will run over this surface.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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No question that given her druthers, UNDERMINING<\/STRONG>\u00a0would prefer a fast surface.\u00a0 Add to that the fact that her previous two runs over this same Minnesota surface have been less than stellar efforts, and the cards seemed to be stacked against her.\u00a0 However,\u00a0she is a filly that is certainly improving and, as stated earlier, comes into this race in top form, posting a lifetime best 93 SP in her most recent start and may really just beginning to blossom.\u00a0 Jockey B Pickel<\/FONT> will take hold of the reins.\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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3<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – WILDEST SLEW<\/STRONG> (14\/1) – It\u00a0was not until her seventh start that\u00a0this daughter of Forest Wildcat<\/EM> out of a Seattle Slew<\/EM> mare was able to break her\u00a0maiden — preceded by two\u00a0seconds and four thirds, by the way — but when she did, she did it in style by trouncing a field in The QUEEN JASPER Handicap Stakes<\/EM>, and then following up that triumph with two additional stakes wins in her next three starts, including her first two starts as a three-year-old.\u00a0 But, alas, the road has not been as rosy for WILDEST SLEW<\/STRONG> since that time, failing to hit the board in her eight starts since.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Well, SLEW<\/STRONG> has had a slew of problems staying sound,” chuckled trainer anymore<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “But I wouldn’t count her out just yet, as she showed renewed vim and vigor in her last start.\u00a0 Now, maybe it was just the surface change, but if this gal is coming back to herself, then I would tell the others to watch out, we may just have a surprise in store for them.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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True, WILDEST SLEW<\/STRONG>‘s most recent effort could certainly be seen as a sign that she is on the improve, but the problem here, on any surface, seems to be getting her to finish up in a race.\u00a0 Over the course of her last eight starts, from the time she has turned for home\u00a0she has lost\u00a0lengths off the leader in\u00a0every race and, with the exception of one of those races, has lost positional ground, as well.\u00a0 However, if her one turf start is any indication as to a fondness for soft footing, then WILDEST SLEW<\/STRONG> just might find her first start over this wet racing strip much to her liking.\u00a0 One of Minnesota’s best, O Stinson<\/EM><\/FONT>, will try to guide this filly back in the right direction.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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4<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – INCH BAI<\/STRONG> (17\/1) – This strapping daughter of E Dubai caught the attention of many on Monday morning with her snappy move, getting\u00a0four furlongs in 47 1\/5 while doing it handily.\u00a0 Lightly raced, INCH BAI<\/STRONG> seems to be coming into the race on the improve and the track conditions could not have come up better for her.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“I have to admit, this is just what I hoped for, snickered trainer errandboy<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “My filly has raced twice over good surfaces\u00a0and has won them both.\u00a0 So, having a track that\u00a0while drying out still has enough moisture in it should work very well to our advantage.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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INCH BAI<\/STRONG> showed great promise at two, winning two of her first three starts, including a dominating victory over a good track in The<\/EM> Y. CAT Handicap Stakes<\/EM>.\u00a0 However, as good as she ended her two-year-old campaign was as rocky as she began racing at three, failing to hit the board in her first four starts.\u00a0 The good news for her connections, though, is that she has seemed to turn the corner and has shown marked improvement in her most recent outings, including a win and a fast-closing third in her last.\u00a0 Add to that the fact that her only start over this surface was a winning one, and the possibility looms that if things go just right, INCH BAI<\/STRONG> may just be the one inching by at the wire.\u00a0 Jockey D Macknamara<\/EM><\/FONT> gets the call.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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5<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – KIWANIS <\/STRONG>(33\/1) – Having only gone postward six times, it is tough to get a true handle on this lightly-raced daughter of Glitterman<\/EM>.\u00a0 The positive is that\u00a0in those six starts, KIWANIS<\/STRONG> has recorded\u00a0a couple of wins and a couple of seconds.\u00a0 However, those wins and seconds came\u00a0in her first four starts, which leaves her last\u00a0two races as off-the-board efforts.\u00a0 If there is one thing, though, that\u00a0you can tell with any\u00a0degree of certainty by looking at those six\u00a0starts, it is that KIWANIS<\/STRONG> will be storming down the center of the track\u00a0late with a powerful closing punch. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Question marks?\u00a0 I only have about a million or two,” chuckled trainer cardinal10<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “How will she race against these caliber horses?\u00a0 How will she handle the off going?”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“You know,\u00a0we really believed we had a truly special horse after her first four starts — and that might still turn out to be the case — but I am just looking for that one effort where she steps up and sets herself apart from the rest.\u00a0 It could be this Saturday, or perhaps next month or next year, but\u00a0we are going to be very patient with this little lady,\u00a0keep our expectations high and give her every chance to prove that she is every bit the horse we believe she is destined to be.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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At 33\/1, the odds on KIWANIS<\/STRONG> look to be a bit over-inflated, but as trainer cardinal10<\/EM><\/FONT> eluded to she is an unknown against this quality of horses.\u00a0 Her one win over the Minnesota track will definitely bode well in her favor, as well as her solid closing punch, which is not to be ignored.\u00a0 The bottom line is that\u00a0while a win here would\u00a0probably not shock anyone,\u00a0the reality\u00a0is that\u00a0it may take a couple of more races before this one is able to compete successfully against the best her division has to offer.\u00a0 K Ritterspauch<\/FONT><\/EM> will be given the leg up.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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6<\/STRONG><\/FONT> – O FOR AWESOME <\/STRONG>(31\/1) – If it was tough to get a true handle on KIWANIS<\/STRONG>, then what does one do with an impressive looking daughter of Forty Niner<\/EM> who has raced but one time and, while not winning, put forth quite a\u00a0snappy effort?\u00a0 Well, that is exactly the conundrum one faces while trying to analyze the chances of O FOR AWESOME<\/STRONG>.\u00a0 The only part of the equation that needs no analysis is that if that crafty trainer rharfo7<\/FONT><\/EM> is bringing this filly here, it is not solely for the purpose of making an appearance, but to win.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“While a win certainly would be nice, my filly is going to have to improve an awful lot off her one race to compete in here,” rharfo7<\/FONT><\/EM> commented.\u00a0 “But, quite frankly, based on the way she raced in that first start and, more importantly,\u00a0the way she has trained subsequently, I wouldn’t rule anything out.\u00a0 This filly has a tremendous turn of speed and tremendous potential.\u00a0 We’ll just have to wait and see.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Truth be told, off\u00a0only one start it’s tough to like this filly, but based on the way she raced, and her breeding, it’s equally as tough to throw her out.\u00a0 I think the best advice I can offer is\u00a0simply to follow rharfo7<\/EM><\/FONT>‘s advice when he says, “we’ll have to\u00a0just wait and see.” And, by the way, it might not hurt to\u00a0watch the tote board, either.\u00a0 Jockey N O’Hara<\/FONT><\/EM>\u00a0gets the assignment.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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7<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – ONE STEP AWAY\u00a0<\/STRONG>(6\/1)<\/FONT>\u00a0– This stakes-placed Johannesburg<\/EM> progeny looked to have a very bright future on the turf at the inception of her career, but once the move was made to switch her to the dirt she has seemed to really blossom.\u00a0 Much like the 1 horse, I’LL GET YOU EVEN<\/STRONG>, this filly is very versatile and very adept at racing successfully\u00a0going short or long on both turf and dirt.\u00a0\u00a0The big difference here is that ONE STEP AWAY<\/STRONG> has raced successfully on a far more consistent basis against much tougher competition.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“She’s as\u00a0honest as the day is long,” said trainer bigrick2<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “There is no\u00a0question that in all her races, with the exception of her second lifetime start where she was eased up, this filly\u00a0has gone out and given a one hundred percent\u00a0efforts.\u00a0 Although she’s not a big, imposing figure,\u00a0she’s got a huge\u00a0heart and just keeps on trying.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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A winner of already over $150,000 in her young career, there is no question that ONE STEP AWAY<\/STRONG> should be around to pick up a nice\u00a0piece of the pie, possibly even the lion’s share.\u00a0 If there is any lingering question, however, it is in her ability to handle the off going.\u00a0 At first glance, it would seem that she should be able to\u00a0fare okay being that she did hit the board in her lone off-track start.\u00a0 Upon closer examination, however, that race was\u00a0a relatively dull third place finish in a five-horse field, all while being sent off as the 4\/5 favorite.\u00a0 Jockey P\u00a0Green<\/FONT><\/EM> will be trying to prove that that race\u00a0was simply an aberration.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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8<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – JADE HOUSE <\/STRONG>(20\/1) – Some chatter in the backstretch this week about this daughter of Free House<\/EM> being some folks’ “it” horse.\u00a0 Since returning to sprints, JADE HOUSE<\/STRONG> has run two bang-up races, a fast-closing second and, more recently, an impressive late-charging win.\u00a0 Add to that a solid effort in her lone off-track start, coupled with\u00a0a pair of good works, and this filly has become some longshot dreamers<\/EM>‘ heaven.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Well, her two races since returning to sprints have been nice efforts,” modestly confirmed trainer dreamer<\/EM><\/FONT>, “and she certainly has been training well over the surface.\u00a0 But to be honest, she’s going to have to take her game to the next level if she has any expectation of competing with these.\u00a0 Now, I’m not saying that she can’t win, but, quite frankly, I would be very\u00a0happy to see her just race well and finish close up.”\u00a0<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Sometimes it’s refreshing to hear a trainer give an honest appraisal about his or her horse rather than the obligatory pie-in-the-sky “sure-we-can-win” comments, and in this case, trainer dreamer<\/EM><\/FONT>‘s expectations seem to be dead on and as honest as they come.\u00a0 Absolutely this filly can step up and run a big race a win, but the reality is such that hitting the board and grabbing a nice paycheck is much more of a likelihood.\u00a0 Jockey M Douglass<\/FONT><\/EM> grabs the mount.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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9<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – WILE E. CAPOTE <\/STRONG>(9\/2) – The second favorite in the morning line and obvious class of the race, this little lady with some rich bloodlines (Capote x Crafty Prospector x Summer Squall<\/EM>) has been keeping some pretty fancy company, facing the best her division has to offer in stakes races, including a couple of Grade I’s and a Grade II along the way.\u00a0 While winning six of ten lifetime, WILE E. CAPOTE<\/STRONG> would almost appear to be a shoe-in if not for her last start.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Truth is, her last two races were subpar efforts, considering what we had become accustomed to,” said trainer citation<\/FONT><\/EM>.\u00a0 “She came off the track blowing much harder after her last race, and that combined with the fact that she had not been finishing up in her last two, actually losing ground in the stretch in both races, forced us to have her checked out.\u00a0 When the doc\u00a0scoped her, he found she had some blood in her lungs, so come Saturday, she will be racing on Lasix for the first time.”\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Without hearing any excuses, this winner of $430,000 and five stakes races, including a Grade I, would have been a very formidable foe.\u00a0 If, indeed, the bleeding is what caused her to run below average races in her last two, then with the addition of Lasix, WILE E CAPOTE<\/STRONG> will more than likely have her way with any roadrunner<\/EM> in this field that comes after her.\u00a0 And the track shouldn’t bother her, either,\u00a0as\u00a0her only off-track effort\u00a0resulted in a win.\u00a0 At the call to the post, the best Minnesota has to offer, K Friar<\/FONT><\/EM>, will climb aboard.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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10<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – SILK PRINCESS\u00a0<\/STRONG>(14\/1) –\u00a0The most heavily campaigned filly in the field with already twenty-three starts in her young career, this daughter of Langfuhr<\/EM>\u00a0seemingly was\u00a0showing signs of wear until two starts back when she rebounded with a nice allowance win over this surface.\u00a0 Of course, all anyone wanted to talk to trainer essendon<\/EM><\/FONT> about was his filly’s grueling schedule.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Look, all I can tell you is that I probably wouldn’t have raced PRINCESS<\/STRONG> the same way if I had her from the beginning, but I only picked her up four races back.\u00a0 But I can assure you that her fitness is not in question here,”\u00a0 trainer essendon <\/EM><\/FONT>snapped sharply.\u00a0 “I guarantee you that if she wasn’t completely sound and ready to go, she\u00a0wouldn’t be racing on Saturday.\u00a0 But that is no different than the way I treat any horse\u00a0in my stable,\u00a0whether a stakes runner\u00a0or claimer.\u00a0 They all get treated the same way.\u00a0 If they are fit, they race.\u00a0 If they’re not,\u00a0they don’t.”<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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To her credit, SILK PRINCESS<\/STRONG> is a stakes winning filly, hauling off the top honors in last year’s edition of The ANT MEET Stakes,<\/EM>\u00a0and she has\u00a0also finished in the money in three other stakes, including a very commendable third place finish in\u00a0last year’s\u00a0Grade II Stoker Handicap<\/EM>.\u00a0 But all of those efforts did come as a\u00a0two-year-old, and if we are going to be objective in our observations —\u00a0without questioning\u00a0her soundness heading into Saturday’s race — the conclusion one must draw is that her long and hard campaign has\u00a0taken its toll on her.\u00a0 This\u00a0filly, although obviously talented,\u00a0probably could use a bit of freshening.\u00a0 S Wabbington<\/FONT><\/EM> does the riding.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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11<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – HOLD ON LOOSELY <\/STRONG>(11\/1) – Talk about bloodlines, this Storm Cat x Forty Niner x A.P. Indy<\/EM> progeny has only missed hitting the board twice while sprinting, and her sole off-track start might have been the best effort of her career, battling for the lead throughout only to get nailed by a nose on the wire.\u00a0 The big question mark here has to be the level of competition she has been facing heading into this race.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“I know you boys are going to look and make light of the caliber of horses that run down there in Idaho where HOLD ON LOOSELY<\/STRONG> has been racing most recently,” said trainer desperado2<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “But let me tell you something, there is some pretty nice horse flesh down there.\u00a0 I wouldn’t be taking those races too lightly if I were you.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Probably the best argument that can be made for HOLD ON LOOSELY<\/STRONG> is that if you throw out her two turf races — a surface which she obviously abhors — then you are left with an ultra-consistent filly who rarely throws a bad race.\u00a0 Add to that the gameness and voracity shown in her\u00a0aforementioned off-track start, and you have the makings of a live longshot.\u00a0 The always reliable and consistent A Beasley<\/FONT><\/EM> has the mount.\u00a0 <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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12<\/STRONG><\/FONT> – ANELAGANTLADY <\/STRONG>(18\/1) – Just as everyone wanted to talk about the grueling schedule faced by SILK PRINCESS <\/STRONG>and her soundness heading into Saturday’s race, conversely, all anyone wanted to question trainer robscoobi2<\/FONT><\/EM> about regarding\u00a0this filly was her soundness due to her lack of racing<\/EM> heading into this race.\u00a0 After all, this is only the second race being run by the daughter of Academy Award<\/EM> in nearly half a year — twenty-three weeks, to be exact — following layoffs of ten weeks and thirteen weeks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Yes, my filly has had some minor soundness problems over the last few months,” confirmed robscoobi2<\/EM><\/FONT>, “but I can assure you that she is fit as a fiddle heading into this race.\u00a0 In fact, she has been trained over the past couple of months with an eye towards this race and is primed for a top effort.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Yet another filly who possesses a stout closing punch, ANELAGANTLADY<\/STRONG> could be a stern force to deal with if she gets\u00a0her act in gear\u00a0down the stretch.\u00a0 Not typically the type of horse that I personally like to go out on a limb on considering the gaps in her racing schedule — in fact, she is the type of horse I would normally throw out — but something about this filly scares me.\u00a0 Can she jump up and win here?\u00a0 I don’t know for sure the answer to that, but one thing is for certain, and that is when robscoobi2<\/EM><\/FONT>, one of Minnesota’s most pre-eminent trainers, shows up with a horse for\u00a0the Festival, it is not just to grab a hot dog and a beer.\u00a0 Jockey D Geddes<\/FONT>, having a very solid\u00a0meet, gets the assignment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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13<\/STRONG><\/FONT> – SWEET SUMMER RAIN <\/STRONG>(8\/1) – Yet another closer in a race that does not look to have all the much early speed, this daughter of Green Applause<\/EM> enters the race of a bold closing win in her last start.\u00a0 Stakes-placed at two, SWEET SUMMER RAIN<\/STRONG> has\u00a0had an in-and-out three-year-old season but off her last effort looks to be heading into this race in top form.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“She’s kind\u00a0of an enigma,” conceded\u00a0trainer dundey5<\/FONT><\/EM>.\u00a0 “I mean, every time we think this gal is going well, she turns around and throws out a stinker.\u00a0 Then when we can’t figure out what’s wrong and just\u00a0throw her back\u00a0out there without changing up anything, she turns around and runs like a champion.\u00a0 As to which way she’ll run on Saturday, well,\u00a0I’d be a fool to guarantee anything, but off her last race and the way she has trained since, the smart money is that she will run big.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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This filly poses a\u00a0quandary\u00a0to many to many bettors for many reasons, none the least of which is that much like her trainer, they really don’t know which filly is going to show up.\u00a0 And with no prior races\u00a0over a wet surface nor over this strip to get a handle on,\u00a0the mystery only deepens.\u00a0 The other problem, though, is that compared to some of her other rivals who appear to be equally talented, her odds seem to be a bit under-inflated<\/EM> at 8\/1, and although she very well could win, there might be some others who offer better bang for your buck.\u00a0 One of Minnesota’s best, B Craver<\/EM><\/FONT>, will climb aboard for the ride.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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14<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – RAPID ROBOT(AUS)\u00a0<\/STRONG>(11\/1) –\u00a0Well, what do you know, a daughter of Flying Spur<\/EM> being offered up to us from lovetoplay<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 Will wonders never cease?\u00a0 A winner of four of sixteen lifetime and closing in on the $100,000 earning mark, RAPID ROBOT<\/STRONG> has tried her hand against some top-notch rivals, but with limited success.\u00a0 In fact, outside of a couple of third place finishes in stakes races as a two-year-old, she has found her primary success to be in allowance races — which, it should be noted, is not all that different from most of her rivals in here.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“If I’m going to be\u00a0honest, I have to admit that I’ve been quite disappointed in her most recent efforts,” said trainer lovetoplay<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “But we have given her a brief spell, and she has been training exceptionally well over this surface, so we’ll just keep our fingers and toes crossed and hope for the best come Saturday.”<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Training well over the surface should come as no surprise to anyone as this is, apparently, a track that RAPID ROBOT<\/STRONG> loves, winning two of\u00a0her three\u00a0races here.\u00a0 The big question marks here are\u00a0her current form, or lack thereof, and how she will handle the off going.\u00a0 In another not-so-shocking move from this stable, J Ritorto<\/EM><\/FONT>, who has guided this filly to both of her victories over this surface, has once again been called upon to do the riding.<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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15<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – ROCK RIVER PAINTER\u00a0<\/STRONG>(4\/1) – A maiden in\u00a0her three races at two, this daughter of Peintre Celebre<\/EM> blossomed as soon as she turned three, winning twice and finishing second three times over the course of her first five starts.\u00a0 And although she has had a couple of mis-steps along the way since then, for the most part she had just kept right on steamrolling, coming into Saturday’s race off a dynamite closing second in her last start.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“No question about it, we’re looking for a big\u00a0run from ROCKY<\/STRONG> come Saturday,” boasted trainer tenpin2<\/EM><\/FONT>.\u00a0 “She is sharp and primed, and I would be absolutely shocked if she didn’t give a solid accounting of herself in this race.<\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0This filly has got a world of talent.\u00a0 The only\u00a0thing that’s stopping her from being a great racehorse is herself.\u00a0 Once she matures a little more and fully understands what it is she is out there to do, I think she will be a top caliber graded filly.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Based on her past performances, it does appear that ROCK RIVER PAINTER<\/STRONG> does possess a great deal of talent and does have the potential to turn into a top-notch racehorse.\u00a0 As far as Saturday’s race goes, though, although she has a very real chance of garnering top honors, I am surprised that the track oddsmaker has made her the morning line favorite over\u00a0\u00a0WILE E. CAPOTE<\/STRONG>, who is certain to offer\u00a0ROCK RIVER PAINTER<\/STRONG> her most staunch competition.\u00a0Having K Bowen<\/EM><\/FONT> climb aboard for the mount only enhances her chances to defeat that rival.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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16<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – A PERFECT SUNDAY\u00a0<\/STRONG>(33\/1) –\u00a0This beautifully bred filly by Sadler’s Wells<\/EM> (Sadler’s Wells x Sunday Silence x Devil His\u00a0Due<\/EM>) has one lone start to\u00a0hang her hat on, and it was an impressive one at that, trouncing a maiden special weight field in Michigan, coming from way off the pace.\u00a0 With the anticipated improvement, this filly could be a very live longshot.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“I don’t want to get too excited just yet,” said trainer unshaded99<\/EM><\/FONT>, “but the truth is that I think my filly has a real shot in here on Saturday.\u00a0 Before her race two weeks ago if you would have asked me if I was even considering this race for her, the answer would have been\u00a0an unequivocal “no.”\u00a0 But the way she raced was so impressive and so professional, and she came off the racetrack on her toes, bucking and kicking and full of energy.\u00a0 We’ll just have to see what the future holds — and this race on Saturday is certain to\u00a0give\u00a0us a little more insight into that future — but we may have a real fine filly on\u00a0our hands here.”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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There is no way to\u00a0ignore\u00a0A PERFECT SUNDAY<\/STRONG>‘s effort in her debut, and as unshaded99<\/EM><\/FONT> said, if she comes back with the anticipated normal improvement, she could be a force to deal with here\u00a0in this race.\u00a0 I guess the bottom line is, as far as her connections are concerned, what would\u00a0make it a perfect\u00a0Saturday<\/EM> would be\u00a0watching A PERFECT SUNDAY<\/STRONG> splash home in front.\u00a0 Jockey\u00a0L Zandofsky<\/FONT><\/EM> grabs the mount.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME<\/FONT><\/STRONG> – With my sincerest apologies to the connections of WILE E. CAPOTE<\/STRONG>, because whenever I pick a horse it is the proverbial kiss of death, but with her proven class combined with\u00a0the lack of\u00a0speed in the race and her ability to stalk the pace, I think she will be\u00a0very difficult to beat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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GOOD LUCK AND A SAFE TRIP TO ALL!!!\u00a0<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/DIV><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLIES LOOKING TO SPRINT TO GLORY!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"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-1082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082","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\/356"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}