{"id":2585,"date":"2006-06-01T14:05:02","date_gmt":"2006-06-01T14:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=2585"},"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=2585","title":{"rendered":"The G-2 Vermont BB Juvenile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">The breath taking view from atop the Green Mountains in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" \/><st1:State w:st=\"on\">Vermont<\/st1:State> is so utterly enchanting that one feels they are taking a look at <st1:country-region w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s version of utopia.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The entire state is postcard worthy &#8212; a panorama of beautiful, bubbling brooks, rolling emerald meadows, and quaint country roads that twist and turn around glorious Colonial-era homes.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I, for one, really feel it is an ideal place for a host of two-year old colts to see what the future holds for them.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Okay, okay, truth be told, I\u2019ve never been to Vermont, but after seeing a handful of pictures on the state\u2019s official website, you got to admit that was a dynamite description right?<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Let\u2019s take a look now, from the rail out, at fourteen horses who are all business as they try to make their own <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:State w:st=\"on\">Vermont<\/st1:State><\/st1:place> experience a winning one.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office\" \/><o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">1<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Olympic <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:City w:st=\"on\">Battle<\/st1:City><\/st1:place> (IRE)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(bluenyello)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"> <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>\u2013 <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>Azamour colt is bred up, down, and all around for turf, but thus far he has shown he\u2019s capable on the main track and trainer shows confidence by bringing him all the way across the pond for this one.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Got black type in his latest by closing from last in a small field of five as the second choice in <st1:City w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Newmarket<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> despite posting a declining speed figure.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Obviously has some talent, but with his closing style and the heavy turf pedigree, he may yet prove to be even more talented on the grass and I think it\u2019s more likely we\u2019ll see him running in the 2,000 Guineas on the first Saturday of May next year than the Bluegrass Derby.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">2<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sword Breaker<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(topicount4)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Gets favored status over a quartet of 6-1 shots off a couple of easy victories in cheap allowance races.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Seeking the Gold colt was also favored in that pair and is the first foal from a <st1:place w:st=\"on\">Danzig<\/st1:place> mare that won 3 of 13.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Respect his speed and upside, but it looks to me like top-notch trainer was just looking to pick up a couple of easy checks in Jamaica, and true, this colt did get the money, but he ships for the first time this week and is up against more speed than he has been thus far in his short career. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">3<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sandstroll<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(viperfive)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"> <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>\u2013 <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>Speedster was off the board for the first time in three starts in what was also his first stab at graded stakes foes last out in the G-3 Television Stakes.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Couldn\u2019t wrestle the lead away from the ultra-talented <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Black Jack Blues<\/B> that day and with a pretty fast colt directly to his inside again this week it\u2019s possible he may succumb to the same kind of pressure and end up with the same kind of result.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He broke his maiden in an allowance race and I think the graded stakes experience helps him quite a bit, but he still looks just a notch below some of these in here and may benefit from some longer distances down the road.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">4<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Cat Five Cyclone<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(ydracing3)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>\u2013<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>One of our 6-1 shots is 2 for 2 thus far and took a big step forward on the speed figure scale when winning the Queensland Juvenile Stakes last out.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Another who ships in from an exotic locale for this, but Mr. Greeley colt has acted like the consummate professional in both starts and has very good tactical speed that should make him a threat regardless of how the pace shapes up this week.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Think it\u2019s going to take a speed figure in the 80\u2019s to win this and, seeing as how he\u2019s one of only two horses to have already accomplished that feat, he seems like an obvious contender.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">5<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Elite Groom Ted<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(tempstable) <\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Trainer sends out another clone-bred of his former superstar <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Western Groom<\/B> and this guy has the advantage of a run over the track already when he was third in stakes company back on Bluegrass Derby day.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Still a maiden, as the stakes try marked his debut, but he yielded quite a bit of experience in that effort as the winner exited that race 3 for 3 and hasn\u2019t been seen since.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Probably wins a maiden race with ease and might have been a little green going ninth-to-third in his initial foray, but that try proves he fits here and wouldn\u2019t be shocked to see him improve enough to be competitive this week. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">6<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Legendary Pegasus<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(snappa5)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>No secret what this trainer had in mind when he bred this guy as maiden winner sports a couple Kentucky Derby winning sires in his pedigree.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Makes the cross country trip after breaking his maiden in an expensive race in <st1:State w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">California<\/st1:place><\/st1:State>, where he also topped <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Awesome Sakhiano<\/B>.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Uh\u2026 for those of you wondering, <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Awesome Sakhiano <\/B>was nominated to this race at one point this week, but it appears he didn\u2019t draw in.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sure don\u2019t like getting a jump on the article only to get blindsided like that, but I\u2019ll go ahead and leave the reference in and you can check out the stakes race in <st1:State w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Utah<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> to get a look at <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Awesome Sakhiano<\/B>.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Now getting back to our Fusaichi Pegasus colt that did draw in &#8212; the speed figure he earned in his maiden triumph wasn\u2019t eye popping, but style certainly was as he annexed the lead in the early going and then widened it at every call.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Cut out to be a star and, like <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Elite Groom Ted<\/B>, wouldn\u2019t be shocked if he improved enough to be competitive this week. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">7<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Stormy Gallop<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(devry)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Stormy Atlantic colt exits the aforementioned G-3 Television Stakes, where he closed from far back to get the show money as a 14-1 longshot.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Topped <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Sandstroll<\/B> that day, but still figure that one\u2019s better as he dueled with the winner before fading to fourth and this guy clunked up for third.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Gets another furlong to set up his rally this week, but he\u2019s a big price on the board again and have to think he gets shuffled back too far to make much of an impact.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s the first foal from a dam that won 9 of 43 and a couple hundred thousand dollars, but she was more talented on turf than dirt and perhaps this one\u2019s got turf in his future too. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">8<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Priest Of Chaos<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(greeny)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Roan colt by Monarchos has bagged two of three, but the speed figures have been stuck in neutral and won\u2019t get him anywhere near the winner\u2019s circle this week.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s another who\u2019s got a couple Kentucky Derby winning sires in his pedigree, but, unlike <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Legendary Pegasus<\/B>, it doesn\u2019t appear we\u2019ll see a step forward and it\u2019s going to take major improvement to be competitive with the likes of these this week.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Beat nothing of notice in his last race and, when you add that up with the fact that he\u2019s making his first foray into stakes waters this week, you get a legitimate longshot with little chance of hitting the board.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">9<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>American Tattoo<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(mikehusker)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>\u2013<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Son of first-year sire Eddington sports a nice name with an even better\u00a0lesson, for instance, never ever get a tattoo on foreign soil.\u00a0 Trust me on that one.\u00a0 Big, brown colt has posted some gaudy speed figures, including the field\u2019s fastest, earned last out going gate-to-wire in allowance company.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Another making his first try at stakes types, but two of the horses he topped last out exited that race to win stakes in their next, so any argument about whether he fits in here or not should fall on deaf ears.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Proved he doesn\u2019t need the lead in his maiden breaker and have to believe his tactical speed will make him super tough this week.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Looking for a knock?<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Only loss came at the hooves of <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Pied Piper<\/B>, who was then second to <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Olympic Battle<\/B> in that one\u2019s stakes victory.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s improved mightily off that effort though and looks like he\u2019s got a good shot of becoming Eddington\u2019s first stakes winner in Sim history.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">10<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Winter Is Coming<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(sunshine34)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Second in big field of sixteen to start his career, but who did he face?<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Winner of that race came back to finish fifth in allowance NW2L company and third place horse is 13-1 in an allowance race this week.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Broke his maiden last out despite showing zero improvement and his speed figures pale in comparison to most of these.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Like this one\u2019s pedigree, but think he\u2019s a notch below stakes types at this point of his career and, like many of these, may turn out to be better as a router than a sprinter.<\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">11<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Dusty Kitten<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(roberto)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Kitten\u2019s Joy colt has made his living thus far by running in all three legs of the restricted DUR Freshman Sire Series, so he\u2019s been facing pretty much the same company each time out and none of them look to be world beaters at this stage of their career.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This is a half brother to retired, $3 million earner <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Daneye<\/B> and a stakes placed three-year old, but the speed figures\u00a0wouldn&#8217;t draw the interest of a cop trying to meet a quota and, when he can\u2019t improve them running against the same bunch of tomato cans three times, how\u2019s he supposed to do it tackling tougher company and shipping half way across the world? <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>His best efforts have come on the dirt,\u00a0but\u00a0a repeat of those tries still won&#8217;t\u00a0get him within eight lengths of this week\u2019s winner.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">12<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:PlaceType w:st=\"on\">Fort<\/st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st=\"on\">Straight<\/st1:PlaceName><\/st1:place><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(ontarget)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Longest shot on the board broke his maiden in an allowance NW3L for two-year olds.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In February of all things.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>How a race like that gets carded I don\u2019t know, but I digress.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This one\u2019s by an unheralded sire (who I have since learned was winless in three starts in real life) I\u2019d never even heard of until I saw him here &#8212; you really do learn something new every day &#8212; and while you can forgive the lackluster turf effort, it\u2019s a mystery as to why he shows up here after getting stomped on in G-3 company last out.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Finished well behind a couple of these that day and wouldn\u2019t you want to regroup and try to rebuild his confidence in an easier spot rather than walking him off the plank against this kind?<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The speed figures would probably make him a longshot even in allowance races and you got to think any placing above the twelfth he posted in the G-3 last out would be a major surprise.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">13<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Cool Bluff<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(toplight)<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">&#8211;<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Nicely-bred colt stole a cheap maiden race &#8212; hmm, much like <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Sword Breaker<\/B> &#8212; to kick off his career, but that was nothing more than a paid workout as he beat only four other horses that day and the runner-up has since returned to run sixth in an even cheaper maiden race.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Strapping brown colt stepped it up nicely against stakes foes last out however, with a game second in <st1:State w:st=\"on\"><st1:place w:st=\"on\">Iowa<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> and that, along with his tactical speed, should make him a contender in here.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Siblings haven\u2019t done much at all, but it seems like the Pine Bluff x Storm Cat cross yields at least one stakes winner in the Sim each year and maybe this guy will be the one this year.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">14<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Extradition<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>(quagmire)<\/SPAN><\/B><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"> <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>\u2013 <SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0<\/SPAN>Speed figures going north since the maiden breaker, and that\u2019s a good sign, but he hasn\u2019t been well bet in any of his starts and his breeding suggests he should be better at three and four than he is now at two.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Horse he beat in his maiden breaker went on to win a stakes race last week in <st1:place w:st=\"on\"><st1:country-region w:st=\"on\">South Korea<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place>, but the horse that beat him in debut finished behind <B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\">Elite Groom Ted<\/B> in stakes company a few weeks ago.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Wide post doesn\u2019t make a difference for this deep closer, but would still have to see some improvement this week to contend and that\u2019s not a given against this field.<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Think he\u2019ll turn out to be a solid horse, but kind of feel like a fourth or a fifth is the ceiling for him this week. <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">Selections<SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">\u00a0 <\/SPAN>&#8211; <o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">Since these are two-year olds, and we now what a handful they can be, let\u2019s open the wallet a bit and come up with a winning ticket that still leaves some room for error.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"><B style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal\"><SPAN style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana\">9 with 4, 5, 13 with 4, 5, 6, 13<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/B><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Picturesque Paradise Provides View To The Future<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"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-2585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585","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\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}