Untitled Document<\/title><meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=iso-8859-1\"><\/head><body> <\/p>\nThe Upstate BB Stakes<\/strong> has drawn a classy field of horses for the eighth edition of the New York G2. This year’s running features a unique rematch of many of the competitors in the G1 Farewell to CryptoZot Stakes four weeks ago. Considering the race comes on the heels of the G1 CA Classic, the field entered for this 10f event is unusually loaded with talent. Not only are the 64 stakes points awarded to the winner vital in earning a Breeders Bowl bid, the $250k in prize money available would sure look good on the resumes of some of these horses. There’s also a good chance that the stakes record of 2:00.4, set in 2001 by Oliver Plus Pit<\/strong>, could go down considering how fast some of these horses have been running lately. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe slim favorite at 4-1 is Gracepointe Prayer<\/strong>. There’s a lot to love about Pazfour’s<\/em> 4yo Cryptoclearance colt. He’s lightly raced with just 21 starts, he’s a fool for winning with 9 of those behind him, and in three goes at 10f he’s 2-1-0. Add in the stakes record Prayer set with a 3+ length score in the Farewell to Cryptozot last out, and this is a horse deserving some serious respect. It will take a big performance to beat him, especially considering how Prayer runs. he’s best when pressing but not setting the pace, but he can come from farther back if he has to. An excellent colt, Prayer is a fun horse to follow, and should continue his winning ways for a long time.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nIf any horse can make a serious dent in Gracepointe Prayer’s chances, it’ll be the 9-2 entrant, Laconia Light<\/strong>. While Whitehall’s<\/em> millionaire son of A.P. Indy has spent his last few starts in listed company, he’s been making the most of the breather with a pair of wins and a second on a sloppy track, all at 10f. The 5yo is darn good at just about any dirt route division distance, but he’s made 10f a particular specialty. Like Gracepointe Prayer, Laconia Light prefers to run after the pace rather than set it, but he’s also more than capable of closing from midpack if he has to. Laconia and Gracepointe Prayer last met up in the G3 Perfectionistic in May. Gracepointe earned second while Laconia was fifth, but there’s a world of difference between 8.5f and 10f. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nEndurance Key<\/strong>, Geewestink’s<\/em> 5-1 entry, has the front-running speed that often carries him clear early but isn’t always backed up by the stamina to hack 10f. That doesn’t mean the 4yo Sakhee colt is a slouch. No indeed, you have to give credit to a colt who consistently runs his heart out every start. He’s a five-time stakes winner. funny thing is, all of those stakes victories have come at 11f or longer. Remarkable, then, that the colt has still been very competitive running slightly shorter in grades. Perhaps moving back up in distance would get Endurance Key his very first graded win. Unless he gets real lucky he won’t be able to hold off Gracepointe Prayer and Laconia Light, but the Key sure likes to stick around at the wire for a piece of the purse.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nIt’s just not a big classic division race without a Super entry. San Pellegrino,<\/strong> a 4yo War Chant colt, represents the Super12<\/em> stable at 7-1. For a horse with just 4 wins, he’s sure earned a lot of cash, just short of a million bucks in 27 starts. Looking at his record, it’s not hard to see why Super values this horse as much as they do despite his poor win rate. As a juvie, he was second in the G1 Movieland Futurity. At 3, he took second at the Equinics (g1) and the G1 It’s My Birthday And I’ll Cry If I Want To. He finally notched his sole graded win in the G3 Ecliptic in May; the 112SP he earned is his highest yet. Perhaps his biggest vulnerability (aside from the lack of a winning drive) is his very mixed 10f record. He is G1-placed at 10, but he’s so inconsistent that it’s difficult to really support him. To his credit, his 4yo speeds have consistently been high, so at the least he’s good for a minor placing.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nAlso running at 7-1 odds is Otto Causes<\/strong>, wearing the Verona<\/em> silks. Causes is a 4yo son of Giant’s Causeway with a yen for the lead and the speed to take it all for himself. He’s not a one-trick pony, however, as he can also successfully sit just off the lead and set up for a furious stretch run. He’s nearly a millionaire after 7 wins including two G1s, the Glenn back in February and the KyH Derby last December. While Causes is a stakes winner at 11, he’s not typically able to maintain the lead for 10 panels at the highest levels. However, he has shown he can do it on occasion, and even when he doesn’t, a placing is still the outcome more often than not. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nExciting Moment <\/strong>nearly found his when he was second in his graded debut last time out in the Farewell to CryptoZot to Gracepointe Prayer. Targetfarm’s 8-1 entry was closing well and found himself simply outgamed that race. With that experience now in his arsenal, the 4yo Aldebaran colt could well have learned to get moving earlier and this time could turn the tables on Prayer. This is a horse on the way up to the bigtime. he may not make it happen here, but a G1 victory is not far off for this rising star.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nXanderman’s<\/em> Irish Quest<\/strong> is the old man of the field at 6 years of age. He’s 9-1 on the morning line by virtue of some very good speed figures in high-profile races, despite failing to run better than third in five grades. The son of Rainbow Quest has found a new lease on life SP-wise since he moved up to stakes in May. That third in the G1 Out Of The City showed the horse has potential, but so far he’s not quite lived up to it. It might be interesting to see what would happen if he dropped back to listeds for a couple of wins before heading back up again.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nPoint Given is represented by his 11-1 son Take Shelter. <\/strong>Trained by Timmn, the 4yo has bounced in and out of listed stakes a few times during his 19-start career, but he’s making his graded debut here. He’s also trying longer than a mile on the ain track for the first time. Both are big challenges for the colt, but the trainer must believe that a listed win at 6.5 adequately prepares Take Shelter for the storm. At a mile, the colt tends to still be closing, so perhaps a bit of extra ground will give him the room he needs to get clear in front.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nIh8u<\/em> had to be thinking real good things about his 4yo Cozzene colt Malachi Constant<\/strong> after his last race. The colt took his G1 debut in stride by placing third in the Farewell To CryptoZot. Malachi did his usual come from way back closing run, but he started moving too late to earn a higher placing. Still, he was only five lengths behind Gracepointe Prayer, and earning a new personal best 110SP had to be a confidence booster. Like Exciting Moment, Malachi Constant seems poised to win big sooner rather than later. At 15-1, he could be a very intriguing bet, particularly coupled with Exciting Moment in a longshots ticket. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nTell Me When To Go<\/strong> has to be a very frustrating horse for trainer Romeshome<\/em>. The Medaglia D’Oro colt, 18-1 on the morning line, has earned three-quarters of a million bucks and posted some high speed figures, but he’s still looking for stakes win #2 or graded win #1. He was within about three lengths of getting it done a couple times last year, but lacked the oomph to do better than place in the Princess Cup and Haskell (both G1s) . As a 4yo, he’s got a couple of allowance wins but again, at the higher levels still isn’t getting it done. Perhaps it’s time to try the colt on the grass; if nothing else, the return back to dirt might wake him up. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile named for scandal, the 28-1 Cat Thief colt Barn Thief <\/strong>hasn’t yet managed to earn headlines on his own merit. The Lenny5<\/em> trainee has tried stakes twice in 22 starts, finishing fourth and fifth. The 4yo has been sort of a jack of all trades, winning allowances on both surfaces from six to 14 furlongs. Master of none, however, might better describe Barn Thief. At least, that fit him until July when he finally scored a pair of triple-digit speed figures. It’s difficult to imagine Barn Thief finally finding his specialty in this tough field, but the trainer is a a crafty one indeed and may have three rabbits to pull out of a hat.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nTeefarms<\/em> enters the 33-1 shot Mellow Yellow T<\/strong>. The 4yo Safron Walden colt is in at 33-1, understandable given the colt’s checkered record. he is a stakes winner at 10f, but finished tenth of 12 in his only graded start (the G3 Statewide Pinhead Guild in April). While he has his moments, the colt really isn’t fast enough to successfully compete in this crowd. A try on the grass might make sense at some point for the Sadler’s Wells grandson.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe 92-1 Crypto King<\/strong> drew the rail post. Currently trained by Lanny747<\/em>, the Cryptoclearance 4yo was a smart auction buy five weeks ago. Just last week the colt ran second in a 6f allowance with a 90SP; he lead most of the way but gave way to closers at the wire. The King hasn’t routed since he was a 2yo, and even then he showed poorly. It’s hard to picture this colt making a real difference in the race, but stranger things have happened when horses debut in stakes.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe final entrant, at 99-1, is Sim Affair<\/strong>. Trained by 4luv4lifu<\/em>, the Forest Wildcat colt is the baby of the field at 3 years young. He’s responsible for two of his stables three wins, a maiden claim and a CPU*40 allowance. Both were dirt sprints. Sim Affair has dirt routed thrice, twice in claims, but finished no better than third. Against restricted company he can hold his own, but this race is far over his head. on the upside, dropping back down to a more appropriate race next time out might give him a speed boost.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile Gracepointe Prayer<\/strong> and Laconia Light<\/strong> are the clear best horses in this field, we may well see tremendous efforts from Exciting Moment<\/strong>, Otto Causes<\/strong>, Malachi Constant<\/strong>, or Endurance Key<\/strong>. One thing is certain: This will be a great race to watch. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Laconia Light, others poised to steal Prayer’s thunder <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"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-4672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4672","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\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":4672,"date":"2007-09-01T02:06:36","date_gmt":"2007-09-01T02:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=4672"},"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=4672","title":{"rendered":"Gracepointe Prayer looking for third straight win in Upstate BB"},"content":{"rendered":"