{"id":2674,"date":"2006-06-23T07:39:45","date_gmt":"2006-06-23T07:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=2674"},"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=2674","title":{"rendered":"A test in the mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ITCH<\/STRONG><\/P>

Safe pitches.<\/P>

All horse players need them: entries which he or she feels can be eliminated from contention.<\/P>

There are quite a few reasons to eliminate horses. Among them, inability to get the distance, inability to compete at the class or inability to thrive under the care of a trainer who has lost 80 races in a row.<\/P>

The first reason is at play in this week’s feature at Old Waterford, the final race in the second quarter of the West Virginia Stakes Competition. It’s the $30,000 BROAD BROTHER CHALLENGE, going a mile and three-sixteenths. How many of these three-year-old colts can get the distance?<\/P>

Not all of them. Only four have average speed figures higher than 90 on Sinoboy’s entry checker. You wouldn’t think very many 3yos have much racing experience under their belt at this distance.<\/P>

Let’s start at the top:<\/P>

NIGHTHAWK QUEST<\/STRONG> qualifies at the top for 4nighthaw<\/EM>k stable with 62 stakes points. Drunken Morning Line Oddsmaker Charlie Hoops cannot make heads or tails of this race. He makes the co-favorites both 6-1, and this one 9-1, which makes him the co-seventh choice or something. Leading jockey S. Tate is in the irons for this chestnut son of Coronado’s Quest, who’s won seven races already for good career earnings of more than $200,000. He’s led a stable having a wonderful year, winning 14 races already, and a whopping six of them stakes, all at a hefty 21.5 percent strike rate. This horse strung together three wins in four races earlier this year, all on the dirt at a mile or mile and a sixteenth. He backed up a bit what stretched out to nine furlongs, which is a concern for Saturday, but we would draw a line through the last two, which include a Grade 3 whacking and a failed turf experiment. Look for Tate to have this one in close proximity to the lead early. Can he keep going in the lane?<\/P>

Second we have ROMANECTOR(IRE)<\/STRONG> for borsato66.<\/EM> This outfit also is having a very good year, winning eight races and two stakes at a clip of 18.6 percent. I don’t know how he’s done so well with the way he selects jockeys, as old Jocko Maloney is aboard this son of the Irish sire Romanov, out of the Grade G Mr. Prospector mare Woody’s Rooves. Wait a minute, though. This one is a stone-cold closer, and that’s right up old Jocko’s alley. He loves to save horse and make one run. This chestnut colt’s late-running style tends to suggest distance ability, and look at that close-up finish two back in the Grade 2 at Arkansas going nine furlongs. This one has every right to hit the board. <\/P>

All right, let’s check in at No. 3 with MATT CAM<\/STRONG> from the dukesn <\/EM>stable. Charlie makes this one a co-favorite at 6-1 despite his post, widest of all at No. 13. This horse won two stakes races on the dirt as a 2yo, but hasn’t been doing too well on the main track lately. If you just looked at his races this year, you would think he’s better on the grass. He’s raced poorly in four straight dirt races, but fared better two and three back when switched to the lawn. Regular readers of this column will know I’ve been wrong before, but this one looks to be in a tough spot, especially as the co-favorite. Whatchu thinking, Charlie?<\/P>

No. 4 qualifier is MUSICALITY<\/STRONG> for kevoman4<\/EM>. This one just jumps off the page to me as a deserving favorite because of his established form at this distance and longer. The horse is ranked No. 32 in the 3yo marathon division, and comes to this race straight off the Grade I New Yorker. He earned his way into the Triple Crown with a win and place at 11 and 12 furlongs. He’s also raced very well twice in a row at Saturday’s distance of 9.5 furlongs. Unless the failed run in the Belmont, err, New Yorker, took something serious out of him, he ought to be right there on Saturday. As far as the trainer, this guy is rock-solid in 2006 with 11 wins and two stake wins at a good 16.2 clip.<\/P>

No. 5 is DEPUTY STRIP<\/STRONG> for the glitercod3<\/EM> outfit. Draw a line through the last race because it was too short. Draw a line through the Grade 2 three back. Now, we have three races left: all at Saturday’s distance, and all good efforts. This son of Comic Strip makes sense because this appears to be his favorite distance. He won at this exact class and distance four back. The horse makes sense in this spot.<\/P>

MESMERIZE<\/STRONG> for quiggy3<\/EM> is next. With $46,000 in the bank and only two career wins, this one does not appear to have the credentials of some of his competitors, but hold on a second. Look at that race three back. This exact class and distance, and the horse runs second. That gives him a shot right there. Turns out the distance of Saturday’s race is not such a stretch for a lot of these colts. The last two races at the N2X condition were dismal, but the horse appears to be something of a specialist at 9.5 furlongs and merits consideration on that fact alone.<\/P>

Oaklawn88<\/EM> has PEACOCK WALTZ<\/STRONG> qualifying in the seventh spot. This son of Macho Uno had success on the turf in stakes as a 2yo, and has been running in dirt allowances as a 3yo. He appears to be able to get the distance, winning last out going 10 furlongs, but he has yet to establish his stakes class on the dirt. That being said, his only stakes try this year must have been a tough field, as he finished a close up fourth in the Gotti Stakes four back while earning a 100 speed fig, the only triple-digit figure showing in Sinoboy’s entry checker.<\/P>

PLUSFIVES(GB)<\/STRONG> for sixesplus<\/EM> is next. This chestnut son of the Sadler’s Wells sire Foyer brings a three-race winning streak into this spot, and lands the services of up-and-coming jockey J. Hennessey, whose services we have appreciated in the past on the rare occasion that the Irish Mangler is not aboard one of our nags. The horse has been up the track in his two career stake tries, but he’s in razor-sharp form for this and looks to fit the distance. <\/P>

The No. 9 qualifier is our first contest horse to mention, HERE’S INDY BG<\/STRONG> out of Las Vegas Bob’s bobg7<\/EM> stable. Drunken Charlier is giving this one major respect as the co-favorite. Hmmm. What is up with that? This one is having a tough year so far in stakes competition, missing the board in five straight. To make matters worse, he’s one of these ones we’re talking about who has to be questioned at the 9.5-furlong distance. After all, his highest divisional ranking by far is in the sprint ranks. With apologies to our friend Bob, this one looks like a bad favorite. Now watch him go.<\/P>

No. 10 is another contest horse, DELIGENCE <\/STRONG>out of contest leader Ts1442’s<\/EM> julie barn. This son of Posse we are well familiar with, as he has twice defeated our 3yo colt SIRI’S ROCKET. The thing is, we know our horse is a sprinter, and so is DELIGENCE. He had a failed turf experiment last out, and we have to doubt this distance experiment as well. However, it’s hard to fault Tom for running him in this spot as he’s on the verge of another West Virginia Stakes Competition championship and I’m sure he wanted at least a shot at some more points in here. This one will be winging early, but we have to doubt whether he’ll be around in the stretch. Now watch him go.<\/P>

No. 11 is QUEST FOR PHYL<\/STRONG> for pizzaman.<\/EM> This son of Rainbow Quest hit the board twice as a 2yo in turf stakes, but did not run faster than an 80 speed fig until two back. Last out, he won an owner-restricted stake going 10 furlongs, successfully stretching out from sprints. Now, we’ll see if he can do it in open stakes company.<\/P>

No. 12 is Wassie’s <\/EM>last shot of catching Tom in this stakes competition. It’s SILVER STAR G,<\/STRONG> who was distanced last out when stretching out to 12 furlongs. Whew. The eased angle may be good for a dropping claimer at Philly Park, but we’re not sure about a return to stakes action in the Sim. This horse had a hard time stretching out to 8.5 furlongs, let alone 9.5. He looks like a safe pitch, but what do we know? Now watch him go.<\/P>

Finally, we have TO CRATER EFFECT(IRE)<\/STRONG> out of the email <\/EM>barn. This filly has been in poor form against her own division and now takes on the boys.<\/P>

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!<\/STRONG> <\/P><\/FONT><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can these colts get the distance?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"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-2674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674","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\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}