{"id":44973,"date":"2018-03-30T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=44973"},"modified":"2018-03-30T08:00:58","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T12:00:58","slug":"the-blue-waters-of-florida-lead-to-the-blue-grass-of-kentucky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=44973","title":{"rendered":"The Blue Waters of Florida Lead to the Blue Grass of Kentucky"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><b>The Blue Waters of Florida Lead to the Blue Grass of Kentucky<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">by Darcy &#8220;Dingo&#8221; MacPhee<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">G\u2019day all with just 5 weeks to go until the best 3 yo\u2019s in the land meet at Churchill Downs for the \u201cRun for The Roses\u201d, there is still no idea who will make the starting field. This Saturday,14 hopefuls line up at Gulfstream Park, near Miami, in the Florida Derby, the prize to the winner being a guaranteed start in the Bluegrass Derby.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">As I was at a loose end in Vermont after the Equinics, (mainly because BTB hadn\u2019t found me a discounted flight back down under), and all their other reporters had managed a junket to Dubai to cover the Sand Castle series, my editor said I could go to Miami to cover the Florida Derby. It probably didn\u2019t hurt that they managed to combine my Miami flight with a through ticket to Australia via Cuba, Ecuador, Easter Island and Guam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">So here I am on a refurbished (meaning it has a toilet and a coke machine) vintage DC-3 on a 6-hour flight (if we get the promised tail winds) from Rutland Airport Vermont to North Perry Airport Florida. With my fellow passengers all appearing to be Cuban farm workers heading back home to Florida for the Easter break, I decided I may as well get a head start on my Florida Derby preview. I must say that sitting on a bench seat with a parachute as a seat cushion doesn\u2019t fill one with confidence, especially as I noticed that only every 2<sup>nd<\/sup> seat has a \u201ccushion\u201d. Anyways, let\u2019s have a look at the race \u2026\u2026&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">We have a full field of 14 looking to earn the pass to the Big Show, and it is interesting to note that 12 of these are Kentucky bred with <span style=\"color: #339966;\">Lethal Rose<\/span> (ENG) and <span style=\"color: #339966;\">Merek<\/span> (TUR) the only exceptions. The field includes only 3 starters who have previously won in Graded class<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Through the Woods<\/span> Gr 1. Vermont is 4 Lovers (9f)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Spectral Spook<\/span> Gr 2. Fountain of Ute (9f)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">Ghostly Exaggerate<\/span> Gr 3. The Legoland (8f)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">Of the remaining 12 starters we have 4 that are yet to have added a black type win to their resumes, although all 4 have been placed at Graded level<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; color: #339966;\">Smooth Stride<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; color: #339966;\">Knownotwhatitmeans<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; color: #339966;\">Lethal Rose<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; color: #339966;\">Merek<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;\">Only 1 of the other 7 runners has a listed stakes win and been placed at Graded level, being <span style=\"color: #339966;\">Liquid Obsession<\/span>, however, it should be noted his only listed stakes win was on the turf.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 910px;\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"white\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\" width=\"900\">\n<div id=\"rrez\">\n<table style=\"width: 839px; height: 103px;\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\" height=\"5\"><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Florida Derby &#8212; Derby Lock Prep<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\">\n<div><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Grade 1 \/ Group 1*CPU &#8211; Purse : $1,500,000<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Restricted to 3 Year Olds<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>9 Furlongs | ~1800 Meters | One Mile and and One Eighth\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Track: GOOD Dirt<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #993300;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.simulatedsports.com\/multihorse_inline.asp?raceid=1944738\">The Field:<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 709px; height: 2034px;\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">No.1<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">WESTERDINI TED<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Hijacked<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small; color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-small; color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong>Hijacked<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>G Wendorff<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>7\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\">Comes into the race as our most experienced runner with 10 starts and 3 as a 3 year old. Winning his Maiden at his 1st try 12 months ago it took him until December to get his 2nd win in a NW2L Allowance over 8.5 furlongs. His last start win in a Listed Stakes over 9.5 f followed his 4 length 5th in the Vermont is 4 Lovers over 9f. These 2 starts were a nice improvement with an SP over 100 in each.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\">I managed to track down a stable representative, who says that &#8220;Teddie&#8221; seems to thrive on a full schedule and tends to get the sulks if he is sent to the paddock, he also apologised that Hijacked couldn&#8217;t be at Gulfstream Park, but he can only drive to race meetings as every time he tries to fly some one hears his name and calls in the TSA.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.2<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong>GODBLESS THIS MESS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Plugger03<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Punter34<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>D Fendlay Jr<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a06\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">The pre-post favorite with 5 wins from his 9 starts with his only wins around 2 turns being over the minimum 8 furlongs. His 1st start this year was a fairly lack lustre 5th beaten 4 lengths in a rather average listed stakes. Possibly he was still a little flat after his last 2 yo start where he only managed a well beaten 9th in the Grade 1 Movieland Futurity. He did bounce back in his last start, off a 4 week break he managed a nice 100SP to take out his 2nd black type win in an Idaho listed stakes.In my opinion he takes after his owner and appears to be a bit of a plugger, although he is in as the favorite I am more inclined to place my hard earned elsewhere, with both distance and class appearing to be above his shown abilities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.3<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong>SMOOTH STRIDE<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Abe<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Redhill<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>E Seifert<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a012\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">Has won 3 from his 8 starts, unfortunately these have been his only 3 non-stakes starts. After winning his 1st start Maiden 12 months ago and following that up with a 2nd up MW2L Allowance 6 weeks later (both over 6f) Redhill jumped him into the Grade 2 6f High Roller&#8217;s Juvenile. Unfortunately, it seems that leap was a bridge too far and a disappointing 8th resulted. Redhill gave him a nice 9 week break, before trying him in a NW3L allowance over 8f which resulted in a nice win and a promising SP jump. Things were looking promising when Smooth Stride managed an impressive 2nd in his next start over 8.5f in the Grade 1 North Fork. This got him a start in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile and although finishing 11th he wasn&#8217;t disgraced being less than 6 lengths back. Coming back as a 3 yo in a listed stakes back in January, the Redhill camp must have been extremely disappointed when Smooth Stride finished 5th over 9.5f in the same SP as his last 2 yo run. In a leap of faith his next 3yo race was again in a Grade 1, the Vermont is 4 Lovers over 9f, and again this horse is teasing his connections dropping a 102SP to finish a solid 4th.Rather than taking the usual route of easing through the classes, Smooth Stride&#8217;s trainer Redhill has taken a more unconventional route jumping classes with mixed results, but there is no doubt that his last start has earned him a chance to run for glory, although this appears to be his last chance to gain a chance at fame in Kentucky (along with most of the field)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.4<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>TAPDATAS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Wilk<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Tees <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>D Aniel <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>10\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">Comes here as 1 of 2 horses with only 5 starts under his belt, the upside being he has won 3 of these races and hit the board in the other 2. A late 2 yo only having his 1st start in August where he lost by the smallest possible margin, before 6 weeks later making amends coming from over 11 lengths back to coast home hands and heels by nearly 3 lengths over 8.5f in a fine 80SP. Given 5 weeks off before backing up for a nice NW2L Allowance win. Trainer Tees was bringing this promising colt along gently, however, unfortunately his last 2yo start in December after an 8 week break in a NW3L allowance only resulted in a 3rd. The upside was he did slightly improve his SP. Back to a 5 week break Tess pushed the button and sent him out in a Listed stakes over 9.5f. It was smiles all round when Tapdatas breezed home hard held coming from 10 lengths back to win hard held by 2.Tees says that his late closer has earned a chance to head for the big time, however, the time limits he has self imposed by taking it slow means he must take this leap into the Grade 1 deep end. My only worry is that Tapdatas seems run best off a 5 week break, and it is 9 weeks since his last run, but if he makes the grade BEWARE, it is only 5 weeks until the Bluegrass!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: small; color: #339966;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">No.5<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">KNOWNOTWHATITMEANS<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Owner:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Asrstar<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Tenpoint<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">R Whisper<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a09\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">With his 2 wins from his 8 starts, being his Maiden and a NW2L allowance, a person may wonder what Tenpoint and his team are thinking throwing this horse into a Grade 1 Derby Prep, BUT a closer look sees quite an upside to his prospects. A strong 3rd beaten less than 2 lengths in the Grade 1 Sparkling Wine (beaten by Ion My Way the #1 Ranked 3yo Dirt Router, who went on to win the 2017 Breeders Bowl). Then a 4th in the Grade 1 Movieland Futurity, keeps him in the mix. For his 1st 3yo start for some reason Tenpoint decided to drop him back to a warm up sprint and although sent out an unbackable favorite at 1\/20, he was easily beaten into 2nd place. He was then sent to tackle the big boys again in the Vermont is 4 Lovers 9f Grade 1, finishing midfield.He will need to improve a fair amount on his 3yo form to have any chance to be competitive in this field, but a return to the form shown in the Sparkling Wine will give him some hope.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.6<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>ZAP IT OUT<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Basspatrol<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Lbailey<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>S L Ledwith<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a010\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">The other starter with only 5 lifetime starts with an all or nothing records greeting the judge from 3 of his 5 starts. Following his Maiden win last July over 6f, his trainer Lbailey followed up with an unsuccesful try at a listed stakes over 7f then an owner restricted stakes over 8.5f where although finishing 5th was less than 2 lengths from the winner in a reasonable 88SP. With only 6 weeks left in 2017 Lbailey set him for 1 last start as a 2yo in late December, sending his charge out in a NW3L allowance, and happily cheered him home to a soft win over 8f in a 95SP. Sent for nearly a 2 month break Zap It Out made his 3yo debut in a 9f Listed Stakes where he crushed the opposition (including the 2017 Grade 3 Buckeye winner) with a flying 104SPA repeat of that run will certainly see Zap It Out at the forefront of Saturday&#8217;s race, I managed to sneak a peek behind the closed doors at the Lbailey operation on the backside at Gulfstream, all the staff seemed upbeat and cheerful as though they could sense good things in the wind. I also noticed a delivery van arrive and offload 10 cases of Veuve Clicquot, so seems someone is expecting to have a party soon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.7<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>PYE PIT<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Grandalley<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Tyedye<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>J Wilson<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a016\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">The only starter in the field who is yet to have started as a 3yo, he had 6 starts as a 2yo between the start of June and going out to pasture at the end of November. Winning his Maiden and then 2 starts later his NW1x allowance, his trainer Tyedye (aka The Big Oil) sent him to play on the grass in a couple of listed stakes (the 2nd being his first time around 2 turns). Although gaining a check in both he couldn&#8217;t go better than 3rd, but I am sure this was a planned move as in late November Pye Pit snuck over the border to run in a 8.5f listed stakes in Mexico City. Taking a sit behind the leader, he made a move just after the 4 furlong mark, cruised on by on the turn and won eased down in a spectacular 101SP.There is an obvious question mark over his lack of open 3yo form, but you can be sure that Tyedye has given him plenty of private barrier trials leading up to this weekend&#8217;s race. Never under estimate the Big Oil, as many have found out to their detriment in the past. It should also be noted that he is the only gelding in the field, so he is in it for the glory not future breeding stocks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.8<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>LETHAL ROSE <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Deepesr10<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Lightng99<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>J Piotrowski<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a028\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">With only his maiden and 1 allowance NW1x win from his 9 lifetime starts, and both being over 5f or less, it is no wonder that Lethal Rose is the rank outsider of this field. To be honest the only light that is shining down his very long and dark tunnel was his first start around 2 turns in the Grade 3 Trixy Delight&#8217;s Special last August where he lead and finished runner up when run down in the straight by the divisions 7th ranked Minimal Sin (who is still yet to run as a 3yo). Unfortunately, since then his form has shown nothing to enthuse about his chances here. His only 3yo start was 7 weeks back in the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes over 8.5f where he was soundly beaten into 2nd last beaten over 10 lengths.<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span>With not even any sign of a decent Speed increase over his past 3 or 4 starts, the best we can see from Lethal Rose is to jump midfield and slowly ease back to the rear. We can only hope he doesn&#8217;t inconvenience any of the deep closers that are in this field and will be looking to get a clear run to the line.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.9<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>GHOSTLY EXAGGERATE<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Dkstables1<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Stockswami<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>N Bonus<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a08\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">Now we come to the first of our runners who has won at Graded Level, after 2 runners up efforts at his 1st 2 starts (MSW and allowance NW2L) around 1 turn, trainer, Stockswami jumped this colt to 2 turns. This resulted in back to back wins (again in a MSW and a NW2L allowance). With a nice jump from 88 to 95SP the Ghost&#8217;s final start as a 2yo was an even 5th in a Grade 3. Five weeks later Stockswami brought his pride and joy out to face a very competitive field in the Grade 3 Legoland over 8f. After sitting a few lengths off the pace in 5th to the half way mark, his hoop eased him forward to be just over 2 lengths back at the top of the lane. Easing out and under solid riding the Ghost finished strongly to win by a 1\/4 on the line . With an SP of a tad under 102 the owner Dk was seen in the streets of Louisiana partying into the wee hours. Stockswami, went on to send the Ghost to the Grade 2 Fountain of Ute over 9f, where he got a bit too far back early (8 lengths), failing to catch the 2 leaders by about 3 lengths.Ghostly Exggerate comes into this race with excellent form especially when you take into account that his Legoland win was over Through The Woods (the highest divisional ranked horse in this field at 9) who went on to win the Grade 1 Vermont is 4 Lovers. Also his 3rd in the Fountain of Ute was to Spectral Spook (the 2nd highest divisional ranked horse in this field at 15). His only downside (slight though it maybe) is a question over his ability to run out a strong 9f.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.10<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>NOPE NOT TONIGHT <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Eyeseeyou<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Sparkit<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>W Cahill<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a017\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\">After 3 ITM runs to begin his career his connections were beginning to think that his name was a jinx, when at his 4th MSW run (on a Wet track for the 1st time) he finally broke through for a deserved win, after leading in all 4 starts. For his allowance run another wet track eventuated and so did his 2nd win, again leading all the way, even though he was stretched out to 2 turns for the 1st time. Sparkit then took a chance and sent him to try his luck in the Premium class of the Grade 1 End of the Line Futurity over 8.5f, unable to get his own way in front his race was over by the home turn and he finished over 8 lengths back in 5th. His next race was the Grade 3 Cornstalk over 8f, and for the 1st time he was unable to get to the front from his 11 alley and although still a battling 2nd at the top of the straight he was already dropping back, fading down the lane finishing 6 lengths back in 6th. His next start saw him back on a wet track for a 3rd time in an 8.5f Listed Stakes and for the 3rd time he greeted the judge with a wire to wire run. His only run as a 3yo was again a listed stakes but this time over 9.5f on a dry track. After having it all his own way out front this time he lead again at the turn but this time his lane fade was no where near as pronounced, with a deep closer running over the field to win by 3\/4 of a length, Nope Not Tonight Finished 4th with the margins to 2nd and 3rd a nose and a nose.<br \/>\n<\/span>I happened to pass by the back stretch stables of Sparkit on my travels around Gulfstream Park. There was a deep bass sound of a thumping drumbeat and a chorus of chanting emanating from a shed around 1 side. The only place I have heard anything remotely similar before is in the Aussie outback when the local indigenous peoples are having corrobboree to bring the rains to a parched land after many years of drought.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.11<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>SPECTRAL SPOOK <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Algernop<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Padrebri<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>B Peeples<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a07\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\">The second of our Graded winners, Spectral Spook, is also our only multiple Graded winner, having won the Grade 3 Sam&#8217;s Town Delta Jackpot over 8.5f as a 2yo and the Grade 2 Fountain of Ute over 9f at his 2nd and last start as a 3yo. Putting up impressive triple digit SP&#8217;s in both brings him into this race with plenty of upside. However, sandwiched in between those 2 wins was a rather less than impressive 5th in the Grade 3 Legoland, but as that was over only 8f he may have an excuse his he seems a little longer and the 9f on Saturday will certainly suit him. Capable of leading if a soft lead is offered or sitting a length or 2 back won&#8217;t worry him, so he should be able to take up a prominent position even though he is drawn wide in the 11 alley.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span>The only thing that I can see that really stands against him is that he hasn&#8217;t been able to string 2 wins together since he began his racing career, having won every 2nd start. That being said as he is #15 in the Dirt Route division he is one of probably only 2 horses that may qualify without winning here (especially if he can snatch 2nd or 3rd). Then watch out as he will be on his win cycle for the Bluegrass!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.12<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>MEREK <\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Silvercals<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Silversun<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>A O&#8217;Brien<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a013\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva;\">Coming from the well known Lenny271 breeding operation, this son of the well traveled Canadian Sire Victory Gallop, was brought over to the USA, where Silvercals picked him up as an unraced 2yo before handing him over to Silversun to train. Although winning his MSW 1st time out the time was nothing to be enthused about, neither was his 2nd start with a sub 70SP 3rd in a NW1x cheap allowance. Looking for some inspiration Silversun sent him around 2 turns in a NW2L allowance and the impressive jump to an 84SP and 2nd placing, made the owner and trainer sit up and take notice. A next start win in an 8.5f NW2L Allowance and a further SP jump to 88, was all the encouragement Silversun needed to send him into Graded company over 8.5f in the Grade 3 It&#8217;s a Lot Like Christmas. Another profound jump in SP to 98 and a solid stalking 2nd place, were just the Christmas presents the Silversun operation needed. Unfortunately, the good news seems to end there with his 2 3yo starts returning a diminished 94SP and a 3rd in a listed stakes and a well beaten Grade 2 8th last start. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span>Having stretched Merek out to 9.5f then back to 9f with a SP drop as a 3yo Silversun seems to be having one last tilt before probably having to concede that his charge will probably have to remain a miler (at least for the next few months). His form certainly suggests that 9f plus is beyond his current abilities<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.13<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>THROUGH THE WOODS<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Tarton12<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Naskippy<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>L Slater<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a08\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">The third of our Graded winners Through The Woods is coming of an impressive last win in the Grade 1 Vermont is 4 Lovers over 9f setting the highest SP of any of Saturday&#8217;s runners of 106. This is on the back of his fast closing 2nd in the 8f Legoland to Ghostly Exaggerate. (another half furlong would have seen him the winner). As these have been both his only starts over 2 turns and as a 3yo, both registering impressive SP&#8217;s his upside is enormous going into Saturday&#8217;s race. The wide alley is not an issue as he is a deep closer and in both the above races he dropped back to the tail before circling the field. His 6 2yo starts included 2 Listed Stakes wins as well as a solid 3rd again closing from way back in the 7f Los Angeles Prevue Grade 3.<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span>Quiet confidence seems to exude from all of Naskippy&#8217;s team, there is no bluster and BS just everyone walking around with a spring in their step and a smile on their face, as they prepare their team for the weekend&#8217;s racing. Even the horse himself seems content as he has a sand roll then a swim before heading back to his stall for a well deserved feed. The highest divisional ranked horse in the field at #9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong>No.14<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>LIQUID OBSESSION<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Owner:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Ladofmanor<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Trainer:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Ladofmanor<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>Jockey:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: x-small;\"><strong>P Bangs<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 <strong><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span><strong>9\/1<\/strong><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"4\">Our final horse to look at is the well bred son of Awesome Again &#8211; Liquid Obsession. LadofManor has brought his pride and joy along slowly and this can be seen by his most impressive 2yo record of 6 starts 4 wins and 2 runners up. He showed an improvement with ever run in his 2 yo old season culminating with an impressive Listed Stakes win in his 2nd start around 2 turns closing from over 10 lengths back to win going away by over a length. However, this win along with 2 others were on the turf, with only his 1st 2 starts being on the dirt track. Continuing along the same line LadofManor gave his horse his initial 3yo start again on the turf in the Grade 2 Fainting Goat Nightmare Stakes over 8f, where he closed hard again for a strong 3rd in a respectable Graded debut. Next out LadofManor decided it was back to the main track in the Grade 2 Sleepy Fan over 8.5f, again he closed hard from nearly 10 back to go down by a head in a very respectable 102SP.<span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span>The trainers patience in how he brought Liquid Obsession along deserves to be rewarded with at least an ITM finish to keep his 100% record of 4 wins 4 ITM finishes from 8 starts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">With the beating of drums and the chanting that can be heard every night on the back stretch it seems that a wet track is inevitable for Saturday. Only 3 of our runners have exposed off-track form<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"># 2 Godbless This Mess<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">NW2x Allowance 8f Oct. 2017 won by 2 \u00bd lengths in 93SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"># 3 Smooth Stride\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">NW2L Allowance 6f Apl. 2017 won by 1 length in 77SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">NW3L Allowance 8f Aug 2017 won by \u00bd length in 87SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #339966;\"># 10 Nope Not Tonight<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">MSW 6.5f Jul 2017 won by 1 \u00bd lengths in 77SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">NW2L Allowance 8f Aug 2017 won by \u00bc length in 87SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Listed Stakes 8.5f Dec 2017 won by 1 \u00be lengths in 99SP<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As you can see none of the above have been defeated on an offtrack, that obviously must change for at least 2 of these runners, but will the offtrack help 1 of them to victory?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I am going out on a limb, and going to give you my tips for this important race, unfortunately Clarence is back in Oz. Rather than the &#8220;economy&#8221; ticket that my boss has given me to get back home I have a spare $200 to see if I can earn myself a first class or at least any class ticket on a real airline<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>$2 &#8211; Trifecta Multiple Banker 7,13\/1,6,7,9,11,13,14 Total Cost $120<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>$10 Win $10 Place $10 Show # 7\u00a0 &#8211; Dingo&#8217;s Longshot <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>$50 Win # 13 &#8211; Best Bet<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Good luck to all the runners!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Blue Waters of Florida Lead to the Blue Grass of Kentucky by Darcy &#8220;Dingo&#8221; MacPhee G\u2019day all with just<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24692,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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-44973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44973","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\/24692"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44973"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45012,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44973\/revisions\/45012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}