……. It’s COTC time again at GSR . COTC (cream of the crop) is an annual event that is for runners from 1st year sires only, and has 4 divisions as both fillies and colts that are separated with dirt and turf divisions for each. Keely<\/I> is the GSR member that is responsible for this great event and she does the lion’s share of the work and sponsoring of these great races, along with a little help from her friends donations at GSR. I’m going to do a preview for the colt turf division in the 2nd annual running of the Bloomsday Wish<\/U>. The colt that won last years inaugural running was from the Cindyshero stable, and named Midnight Hour(IRE)) <\/B> (Perfect Soul(IRE) \/ Boston Harbor \/ Mr. Prospector ). He is still the leading earner from Perfect Soul(IRE), though he has taken to the dirt more recently. Midnight Hour(IRE) also went on to win the Washington Apple<\/U> Division at 6.5f turf and then placed 2nd in the Cream Of The Green turf stakes final. Twenty runners are eligible for this years race, though we have one scratch as a filly was accidentally entered into the wrong division, so let’s see who made the field for this 5f turf event, and i’ll approach this from a member’s standpoint, and after the draw i’ll enter in post positions and odds.
How fitting that COTC founder Keely<\/I> would show up with the top ranked turf colt, she also comes in with the 19th ranked. The rightfully #1 ranked colt #89469 Paper Jesus <\/B>(Quinton’s Gold \/ Unbridled \/ Tokatee) comes into this race a perfect 2 for 2 on the turf. His first start was week\/race 2797.5513 where he beat a full field of 14 going 4.5f on firm turf at nearly 15\/1 . He was 6th in the early going, but only 2 lengths back, made an early move and took the lead by the 3rd call and then eased away from the field winning by a length and a quarter earning a 72 spd#. He then came back 4 weeks later in 2825.5709 this time going 6f on firm turf, and the results were quite similar, going from 5th by 3 to 1st by 1 and a quarter lengths, and earning a 73spd#. So, Paper Jesus<\/B> definitely looks good on ‘paper’, and he’s shown that sprinting is right up his alley with his mid race moves so the 5f drop in distance off his last may actually help to propel this gifted colt forward again in this run. I certainly look for him to show improvement, and once again to be quite competitive off the 6wks rest this time around. He appears to be the colt to beat and has a great shot at sweeping the division. Keeley<\/I> also brings in #19 ranked #84804 Fantastic Again<\/B> (Fantasticat \/ Red Bullet \/ Red Ransom). This colt has made 2 starts also, but both on the dirt. He failed to break a 50spd# in either of those efforts, but who knows what he may do on the turf?, not me, he may win and he may run last, but the turf blood is there so i do expect him to be better on the turf than he’s shown on dirt.
GSR member Pilotfish<\/I> brings in the 2nd rank colt, #84997 Saucer Of Milk(IRE)<\/B> (Doyen(IRE) \/ Sunday Silence \/ Alydar). This chestnut colt has made one start 2818.3301 going 5.5f on firm turf in a field of 12 runners he managed to run 2nd with a 66 spd#. He was never more than 2 lengths back and finished up a diminishing length off the winner. Many time as we all know the 2nd time out can bring about a big jump in spd#, and if that’s the case with this guy he will be quite capable of challenging for the win. The 7 weeks of rest show he’s been pointing to this after the promising start.
The 3rd ranked colt comes from member Marmac<\/I>, #118669 Immutable(NZ)<\/B> ( Starcraft(NZ) \/ Lyphard \/ Mr. Prospector). This colt has run one race 2825.7312 going 6f on the turf vs a field of 13. He too finished 2nd with a 66spd and now drops a furlong in distance for this run. Though he was 10th in the early going of his initial try, he was only 2 and a 1\/2 lengths back so the 5f could actually help his off pace style. Once again as will be the case with many of these runners the 2nd time out can be a charm, and that’s what Marmac<\/I> is counting on.
The 4th and 5th ranked runners and 8th and 13th ranked runners make up the 4 way powerhouse coupling of GSR member Blacksoxuk<\/I>. It seems he has an affinity for first time sires and this particular COTC event, and with the strength in numbers concept going he could be hard to deny. The 4th ranked colt #44285 Euro Option<\/B> (Eurosilver \/ Carson City \/ Cresta Rider) should be ranked higher most likely if you look at his turf run only. This light grey colt who’s one of only four entries with a win, made his debut in 2769.0916 going 5f on (gd) dirt where actually he didn’t perform too badly finishing 5th by 7.25 lengths with a 61 spd# on the off track. He came back off a 2 month break to try the turf in race 2824.0502 a Friday race where he went wire to wire vs 6 other runners and improved his spd# to a 69 at 5.5f on the turf. In that 5.5f turf race this guy had a 2+ length lead at the third call, so the 5f of this race may fit him quite nicely. Six weeks off for his 3rd run , an obvious threat i’d say, and also with 2yr olds you just never know from start to start. Blacksoxuk<\/I>‘s 5th ranked entry will be #60166 Royal Oratory<\/B> (Oratory \/ El Prado \/ King Of Kings) another light grey colt, but i don’t understand this guy being in the turf division as he’s ran a 69 spd# last time out at 5f on the dirt and with both his previous runs being on the dirt there’s no way to judge his turf ability. He’s got plenty of turf blood, but with a very good dirt run already in the bank i’d think he should be in the dirt division. The 8th ranked colt is #75217 Bago’s Gold(FR)<\/B> (Bago(FR) \/ Rainbow Quest \/ Seeking The Gold) and this colt has 3 tries under his belt all at 6f on the turf with a 5 point spd# jump with each run. His last effort being in 2832.1212 where he ran 3rd against a full field earning a 62 spd#. He’s shown a pressing style that may be improved with the 5f distance and if he continues to show improvement as well with experience and a nice 5 week rest, it’s not out of the question for him to jump into the picture of this unpredictable race. The 4th and final team member is 13th ranked #68406 Ocean Devil<\/B> ( Indian Ocean \/ Ifrad \/ Satan’s Gem) becomes Blacksoxuk<\/I>‘s 2nd entry with a win, and this chestnut colt did it at first asking going 6f on firm turf in 2783.5516 vs 14 others. This colt then came back with a dirt run that was a flop which accounts for his lower ranking, so if you look only at his turf try he would be ranked near the top of the division. This colt also won wire to wire for Blacksoxuk giving him a bit of a quandary with 2 front running turf winners, but that’s not too bad a problem i’m guessing, and we’ll just have to see the race unfolds.
Ozsteve<\/I> brings in the 6th ranked colt #114453 Moratorium(IRE)<\/B> ( Oratorio(IRE) \/ Red Ransom \/ Caro(IRE) ) a colt with one run in 2811.1011 vs a full field where this late runner came charging from 12th by 6 lengths at the second call to finish 3rd by 3.25 lengths going 5.5f on firm turf. Now we have a closer dropping back in distance, at first you might think this won’t fit him but that’s not necessarily true, he may even run better if he’s truly a runner that prefers to sprint, time will tell, but don’t count him out with the 2nd time run jump in performance he may be mowing them down in the stretch.
GSR member Dundey<\/I> is next with a trifecta in mind as he brings in three runners, #7 , #10, and #20 ranked (as a side note the filly was ranked 11th so all rankings after 11 move up a notch). Dundey<\/I>‘s 7th ranked colt #86267 Tide Is High<\/B> ( Quinton’s Gold \/ Dixieland Band \/ Miesque’s Son) also represents our first doubling of a sire that made the field in Quintons Gold (Carson’s City \/ Relaunch). This colt has made one run on the turf in 2811.4703 where he ran rather evenly vs a field of 11 to be 6 by 2 lengths at the halfway point and then finished 3rd by 2 lengths for a 58spd# going 5.5f on the firm turf. He certainly has the look of an ‘improver’ off that type of run and could easily jump into the 70’s spd range which is what will be needed to threaten for the win. Two months off is a question mark, but he’ll improve, just hard to predict how much. At #10 ranking Dundey<\/I> brings in #107995 Six Oh One(GB)<\/B> ( Millenary(GB) \/ Devongate \/ Signal Tap ) a chestnut colt with 2 previous runs at 6f on the turf. In his last run 2832.1116 he split a field of ten to be 5th by 6 lengths. From his running line that seems to stay rather even for 3 calls then losing a bit of ground in the stretch i’d guess that he’ll like dropping back a furlong and also that he’ll put up his best spd# to date. The 5 weeks rest is perfect for me and as we all know with these 2yr olds sometimes it’s the third try that’s a charm, sometimes it takes even more and sometimes there just isn’t any charmed number. A grandson of Rainbow Quest he may be route specialist, that’s what we keep on experimenting and sorting things out. Dundey<\/I>‘s 3rd entry with the now #19 ranking is #116145 Bigmak<\/B> (Erewhon \/ Romanov(IRE) \/ Slewacide ). Two starts under his belt, the first one can be tossed as it was a dirt flop, and second time out in 2818.1705 this colt went 5.5f on the firm turf in a field of eight beating all but one to finish 2nd with a 50 spd#. He went from one length back at the first call to 2.5 lengths back at the wire, so he’s going to need a big jump forward to get into the predicted 70’s that should be required to do well vs this large field, but you never know with these youngsters.
Next up with the #9 ranked spot we have the well respected GSR lady member, Winter<\/I> , with a duo of entries in this event that also includes the #16 ranked colt. At the 9 spot #119222 Eurostupor<\/B> (Eurosilver \/ Jade Hunter \/ Grey Dawn II ) , this becomes the 2nd sire with two runners, as Eurosilver (Unbridled’s Song \/ Nijinsky II) scores again. This light grey colt comes in off one friday run in 2824.4702 where he finished 5th by 4.25 lengths going 6f on firm turf. It might not be all that bad a run as the colt dropped back to last and made up a length on the field from the 2nd call to the wire (and i should add he was carrying the added weight of Johnno Ritorto ;=) on his back) . Second time around he may need to get it moving a bit earlier at 5f as he seemed to run like a colt wanting more ground, but stranger things have happened coming out of a ‘stupor’ , and as the distances progress so might this guy if he can qualify to move on. Winter<\/I>‘s 2nd entry who moves up a notch to 15th ranked is #118088 Perfect Situation(IRE)<\/B> (Azamour(IRE) \/ Moulin(GB) \/ Belong To Me) and he too comes into this off one race on the turf. He differs in that his turf run was at 4.5f in race 2811.2301 on firm turf. This colt went head and head on the lead for three calls before dropping back to 3rd by 1.5 lengths with a 50spd#. Once again a colt that needs to show big improvement, but not out of the realm of possibility with 2yr olds.
Hawkz<\/I> comes in with the next highest ranked colt, #120046 Snivek’s Mill(GB)<\/B> (Millenary(GB) \/ Quest For Fame(GB) \/ Proud Clarion ) , this makes Millenary the third sire with two runners, and this colt is highly inbred with Rainbow Quest filling in the sire line for both ma and pa. Week\/race 2839.6009 was the only start leading into this race where we found this colt dropping back to 13th and last in the early going and he never really got it going though he did pass 4 others to wind up 8th by 7 and 3\/4 lengths posting a 52spd# for the 5.5f race. It’s not that unusual for a late runner to not fire first time out especially if he was set to more of a work out for his initial run. He could be wanting more ground, but he may also run a much improved race this second time around. Once again if he can survive this shorter sprint and move on he could become more of a force with more ground coming in the next two legs of COTC as well.
Next in line we find GSR trainer Pazzjazz<\/I> bringing in colt #117860 Prayer And Singing(IRE)<\/B> ( Oratio(IRE) \/ Seeking The Gold \/ Caerleon ), Oratio(IRE) (Danehill \/ Vaguely Noble) becomes the 4th sire with two entries. BUT UHOH , what have we here, according to the official entry sheet this is a 2yr old chestnut FILLY<\/U> ! , and to think Keely<\/I> is studying to be a vet, someone’s going to have to show her what to look for (lol) . Well, filly or not she’s in barring a late scratch of some sort, this will keep the colts on their toes ! Hmmm , her lone run was week 2818.5404 going 5.5f on the firm turf and she ran against the boys that day as well (i’m going to refrain from any obvious sex related jokes). In that race vs a field of 8 she dropped back to last and then ran evenly finishing 8th by 6.5 lengths, A similar line to a few others we’ve seen already, and the same thoughts would apply, in that her 2nd try should be much improved and more ground may well help her cause if she can make it through this first leg, perhaps she’ll be moving to the ladies after this, i’m not sure about anything now.
A GSR favorite Rbokie<\/I> brings in the next ranked (i better check) yep it’s a colt, #114922 Thirteen Stone<\/B> ( Perfect Circle \/ Chief’s Crown \/ In Reality), the amazing thing about this sire is that out there in the real world Rbokie<\/I> and his new bride and GSR favorite Karie<\/I> actually own and manage this sire !! That makes him the obvious sentimental pick for me. As for as this guys sim experience he’s the last of our entries that has a win under the belt. His first run was a dirt try that lacked speed, but then when switched to the turf he responded in race 2825.4007 going 5.5f on yielding turf with a hard fought winning battle on the front end with a 58spd# vs 9 other runners. Now he drops back a half a furlong and takes that positive experience another step, best of luck Mr. Rbokie<\/I>, oh and Karie<\/I> too. :=)
Who is next in line, well lookie here, we finally got to my runner, he was a colt the last i looked, but i’m going to check again , #104777 Power Trippin(GB)<\/B> (Powerscourt(GB) \/ Conquistador Cielo \/ Compliance) is indeed a chestnut colt, and he was all set to run on the DIRT in Iowa this week when i happened to check the GSR message board and notice that he’d somehow made the field for this turf event . Since i hold this series in high esteem i scratched out of that dirt race and put him in with the turf wolves of this field. My guy had one turf run 2832.4715 going 5.5f on firm turf vs 9 other entries. He showed some early pressing pace sitting a close up 3rd for 3 calls then dropped back to finish 5th by 5.25 lengths earning a mere 50 spd#. Now i’m not one to usually make excuses, but my good buddy S. Upertoy<\/I> was the ‘driver’ that day, and i feel that pulling that harness cart 5 wide and carrying that extra weight may have had something to do with his lack of late energy. Well, he’s ‘sharp for this run, and he’ll be set to ‘all out’ vs the .95 last time, but i’m not sure that he’s actually recovered mentally from that first run trauma.
Now, the final GSR member with an entry (should win a prize for that) is Cvbear<\/I>, and his strapping 2yr old chestnut colt is #19720 Eye Of A Hurricane(BRZ)<\/B> (Pico Central (BRZ) \/ Master Bill \/ Caveat). This colt had one run on the dirt, and he didn’t take to it, so now we see what he’s really made of as he tries turf for the first time. He may just smoke the field with an 85spd#, and of course he may not do that as well. As is the case in these early 2yr old races, things can change in a hurry, so everybody to some degree has some hope for a big run equaling a big day !
………Here’s the post position’s ,odds and jocks , best of luck to all my friends at GSR !
1 104777 POWER TRIPPIN(GB) twister B Land 15\/1
2 19720 EYE OF A HURRICANE(BRZ) superbity L Wilson 48\/1
3 118669 IMMUTABLE(NZ) marmac Q Simien 5\/1
4 86267 TIDE IS HIGH dundy T Hinkle 17\/1
5 44285 EURO OPTION generous1 B Browner 12\/1
6 114922 THIRTEEN STONE executor P Wolff 25\/1
7 84804 FANTASTIC AGAIN kbwish N Locke 26\/1
8 120046 SNIVEK’S MILL(GB) claimjump Bo Spitulski 36\/1
9 84997 SAUCER OF MILK(IRE) pilotfish1 R Clark 6\/1
10 117860 PRAYER AND SINGING(IRE) pazracing E Mathers 8\/1
11 75217 BAGO’S GOLD(FR) carolover V Thomas 18\/1
12 114453 MORATORIUM(IRE) sksutton An Cutry 9\/1
13 89469 PAPER JESUS troy5 A Lageman 8\/1
14 119222 EUROSTUPOR stupor R Piel 14\/1
15 107995 SIX OH ONE(GB) zman2 B Clancy 38\/1
16 68406 OCEAN DEVIL punta2 Ke Anderson 63\/1
17 118088 PERFECT SITUATION(IRE) silveright K Murray 25\/1
18 60166 ROYAL ORATORY roydboy Ic Gordon 10\/1
19 116145 BIGMAK zman2 B Brock 53\/1
…… predictions are pretty useless, but if i had to bet with your money :i like the 12\/1 odds on Euro Option<\/B>, and i’d also box him with Paper Jesus<\/B> who seems a very good bet at 8\/1 as well, also throw in the box Immutable(NZ)<\/B>, and Saucer of Milk(IRE)<\/B> look strong – and the wild card is 1st time turf runner at 10\/1 Royal Oratory <\/B> whose shown talent on dirt – but then again, you know, if Pazzjazz <\/I> would send that lone Filly renegade to the lead, the boys might be happy to just sit behind her behind and enjoy the view !!! ;=)
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