While the main attention of sim race fans will be on this weeks World Cup Races we should not forget that there are other important Graded races being run this week as well. One of these races is the Grade I Bob Woodward Memorial stakes for 3YO+. A field of 14 have entered the 9 furlong race and will be chasing top share of the $500,000 purse. It should be noted that many of the best local riders will not be at the track this week opting to race in The Word Cup races being held elsewhere in the U.S.<\/P>
Let’s take a look at today’s field:<\/P>
1)SALUTATIONS—8\/1—<\/STRONG>bookworm sends this 4 year old colt out of FUSAICHI PEGASUS with a record of 27-6-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $295,775. He is out of the mare POST SCRIPT who was 0\/30 at the track and who has 3 foals on record, all winners including 1 stakes winner. This 61st divisional ranked colt races for the independent bookworm stable that is a supporter of the Bargain Bred Racing Series. This horse was a 2 time allowance winner in his 2 year old season. While he only picked up 1 allowance win in his 3 year old campaign it should be noted that he did pick up several minor share cheques in Graded stakes races last year, especially earlier in the season. This year he has finished in the top 3 in all but one race so far and has posted 2 stakes race wins. The latest came last time out in The Cheese Icing Memorial stakes where he posted his lifetime best 109 speed rating over the 9.5 furlong race. In 3 Graded stakes starts this year he has posted 2 third place finishes. This colt is a closer who sits in mid to back of the pack early and has already show a win at today’s distance. The rider for today’s race will be Michaels (8.9%).<\/P> 2)SISSONHILL—16\/1—<\/STRONG>anzstable sends this 5 year old horse out of DANZIG with a record of 35-9-6-3 and lifetime earnings of $677,470. This 98th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Binzaman stables. This horse was unraced as a 2 year old and started his career of with back to back allowance wins. He appeared to breakdown in May of his 3 year old season but after a 2 month layoff came back to race well. He ended up with 11 to 3 finishes in 13 races and the two races he finished out of the money were the race he broke down in and a turf start. Included in those wins was his first stakes victory, an overnite route stake. He became a Graded stakes winner in his 4 year old debut by winning The Grade II Pennsylvania Power Stakes, a 10 furlong dirt race. He added another Grade II win that year in the 7.5 furlong The Fast and Furious Stakes in Louisiana where he posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating,\u00a0but for the most part was very inconsistant in his starts that year. He started off the 2007 season with a bang by winning back to back overnite stakes races but once again has been plagued by inconsistancy since. His best races come when he is running on the front end or pressing the speed but if he does not get out of the gate well it usually is a sign that he will not be running his best that day. While he has won at the 9 furlong distance before, the last time was in 2005. The rider for today’s race will be Hoskins (10.7%).<\/P> 3)GENOCIDE JUNKIES—11\/1—<\/STRONG>sdmf1 sends this 4 year old colt out of LOUIS QUATORZE with a record of 26-6-5-4 and lifetime earnings of $790,909. This 36th divisional ranked colt races for The Black Label Stables based over at Del\/Penn National. This horse broke his maiden in his 6th lifetime start when stretched to 8 furlongs for the first time in his career. He struggle early in his 3 year old season but found his stride in the summer and ended up winning back to back overnite stakes races in a 3 race win streak. He added his 3rd stakes win in his 2007 debut on an off track 10 furlong dirt overnite event, and had been insconsitent since then untl winning again 2 starts back. He won the restrictrd Del\/Penn Whitney stakes race where he posted his lifetime best 109 speed rating over the 9 furlong race. He found Grade I company in his last start a little to much to handle but hopes any experience gained in that race can be put to use in today’s race. It is expected that this colt will use a late closing tactic in his running style sitting at the back early and then saving his best run for the stretch drive. He has already shown that he can win at the 9 furlong distance. The rider for today’s race will be Dishman (14.3%).<\/P> 4)MERIDIAN COURT(IRE)—19\/1—<\/STRONG>yang sends this 3 year old colt out of STREET CRY(IRE) with a record of 17-4-4-1 and lifetime earnings of $251,020. This 55th divisional ranked colt races for the unafilliated Trooper7 stables. Had a busy 2 year old season racing 9 times and after a debut on the turf has raced on the dirt exclusively since then. He picked up 2 overnite stakes wins last year and has added one more this season. He has posted a second and a third place finish in 6 lifetime Graded stakes starts and both of those came on off track conditions. He comes into this race after posting his lifetime best 108 speed rating last time out while finishing 5th in The Duke Trick Bonanza Stakes, a 7 furlong sprint stake where he was less than a length behind the winner in his first race against older foes.\u00a0This colt seems to run best when pressing the pace and while he has won at the 8.5 furlong distance twice before he has yet to win at today’s 9 panels. His inability to carry his speed when racing in Grade I event’s will surely be a worry for his connections in today’s race. The jockey for today’s race will be Dirks (13.8%).<\/P> 5)SPECIMEN X—11\/1—<\/STRONG>peeps4 sends this 4 year old colt out of FUSAICHI PEGASUS with a record of 12-5-4-0 and lifetime earnings of $116,792. This 155th divisional ranked colt races for The Cobra Kai Racing Stables based over at the GR Simsters. This colt was\u00a0unraced as a 2 year old. He had\u00a03 second place finished in 4 races as a 3 year old with the lone out of the money finish coming in a turf\u00a0start. He started off 2007 with a bang by running of 5 straight wins including the last of that streak being an overnite stakes victory. He posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating 2 starts back while racing in the Smackdown III residency competition where he took the lead at the\u00a0top of the stretch but could not sustain his bid ending up in 4th in the 10 furlong race. He came back in a Grade I 10 furlong race last time out where he chased the speed but\u00a0again ended up fading in the stretch and settled for 5th place. This stalker should enjoy the drop back down to 9 furlongs today where he has shown previous success this year. The rider\u00a0for today’s race will be\u00a0Jamison\u00a0(9%).<\/P> 6)ACHAEMENSES(KY)—26\/1<\/STRONG>—tbgifted sends this 3 year old colt out of BIRDSTONE with a record of 16-4-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $599,500. He is out of the mare\u00a0YOUR LAUNCHES who was 4\/25 at the track and who has 5 foals on record of which 4 are winners including 1 stakes winner and 1 Graded stakes winner. This 12th divisional ranked colt races for the Tbgifted stables based over at The Great Plains Residency. This colt was winless in his 2 year old season and actually broke his maiden in an overnite 4 horse stakes race in Dubai over 8.5 furlongs on the dirt. That was the start of a 3 race overnite stakes winning streak which ended when he ran in the Grade II Risen Star on an off track. He then came on to win The Grade I Sand Castle Derby which earned him a spot in this year’s Bluegrass Derby Stakes. In that race he stormed from the back of the pack to pick up the 5th place cheque. He has not been the same horse since that race but did show signs of regaining his form last time out where he posted his lifetime best 103 speed rating in The Grade I Eddie Haskell Stakes where his mild rally fell short and he ended up in 6th place. This will be his first race against older horses on the dirt. This one is a late closer who sits at the back early in the race and he is a multiple winner at today’s 9 furlong distance. The rider for today’s race will be Painter (11.2%).<\/P> 7)IRISH QUEST—7\/1—<\/STRONG>xanderman sends this 6 year old horse out of RAINBOW QUEST with a record of 28-10-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $338,530. This 29th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Jrogue stables. This colt was unraced as a 2 year old and ran mostly on the grass in his 3,4 and 5 year old seasons. He was switched to the dirt this year and has 2 allowance wins and 2 stakes wins. In his last race he won The Grade II Upstate BB Stakes here in New York over 10 furlongs on the dirt where he posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating. This late bloomer has posted 7 straight triple digit speed ratings of late. This horse usually gets out quick when the gate opens and is on his best when pressing the early pace. He has had a tough time at the 9 furlong distance, seemingly preferring the classic 10 furlong distance but it is a question whether those results were as a result of the distance or the competition in the Grade I events. The rider for today’s race will be Gunn (10.4%).<\/P> 8)VAE VICTIS—8\/1—<\/STRONG>waremblem5 sends this 5 year old horse out of TABASCO CAT with a record of 34-8-10-5 and lifetime earnings of $699,130. This 83rd divisional ranked horse races for Winterfell Racing based over at the GR Simsters. This horse won his dirt debut MSW in his 2 year old campaign\u00a0after racing on the turf for his first 3 lifetime races. He added an allowance and 2 overnite stakes wins in his 3 year old season. He posted 3 wins and 3 seconds in 13 stakes starts as a 4 year old and while alway’s knocking at the door was winless this year until his last start. In that race he won The Brundle’s Flybaby Stakes in North Dakota where he was just\u00a05 points shy of his lifetime bestg 112 speed rating that he posted last year in The Grade III Whirlaway Cap. He will be looking to break his winless streak of 6 in Graded stakes starts so far in his career. While this horse can run on the front end, his best races are when he stalks the pace from a few lengths back and then closes the gap in the stretch drive. He is a multiple winner at today’s 9 furlong distance. The rider for today’s race will be Migliore (7.8%).<\/P> 9)TAXI DRIVER(KY)—23\/1—<\/STRONG>bigmoose2 sends this 3 year old colt out of GHOSTZAPPER with a record of 12-5-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $414,928. This 15th divisional ranked colt races for the GR Simsters division of Squirrel Stables, a fellow writer for the BTB online newspaper. After winning her first 2 lifetime starts and posting\u00a02 second place Graded stake finishes in his 2 year old career this colt was pointed to the Bluegrass Derby trail this year. He won his 3 year old debut in The Darkwing Duck Challenge stakes but then faltered in The Grade I Sand Castle Derby and finished next to last at The Bluegrass Derby. He took a 2 month layoff after that race and after a layoff return race has posted back to back wins in his last 2 starts. He posted his lifetime best 106 speed rating last time out while winning The Tadpole Nightmare Special Stakes over 9 furlongs on the dirt in Tazmania. His back to back triple digit speed ratings have prompted his connections to cross the pond and give him another shot at working his way to the top of this division. He will be making his first start against older horses in this start today. While he did run wire to wire last time out that was against a small 5 horse field and his history shows that he will probably run a stalking race today sitting with the second tier of horses over the early parts of this contest. The distance is not a problem with this colt having multiple wins at the 9 furlong mark. The rider for today’s race will be Israel (11.6%).<\/P> 10)MALACHI CONSTANT—12\/1—<\/STRONG>ih8u sends this 4 year old colt out of COZZENE with a record of 19-5-3-6 and lifetime earnings of $115,965. This 105th divisional ranked colt races for the Kaif stables based over at The Great Plains Residency. This colt was unraced as a 2 year old. He began his career on the turf where he finished in the top 3 in his first 6 lifetime races including an MSW win. He was switched to the dirt last summer and won an additional allowance race while mainly running in long dirt route races. This year he was cut back to the classic 10 furlong distance and promply went on a 3 race allowance win streak. He tried The Grade I Farewell to CryptoZot Stakes with it’s unique $7,600 purse next time out where he posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating while finishing 3rd. He ran here in New York last time out rallying to finish 4th in a Grade II race. This colt is a late closer who sits well back early in the race and it remains to be seen whether or not he will like the cut back to 9 furlongs in today’s race. He will have to start his move a little earlier if he plans on getting his picture taken in the winner’s circle at the end of the race. The rider for today’s race will be Dundey (9.5%).<\/P> 11)K’S DOLCE KONCERTO—7\/1—<\/STRONG>kuovadis sends this 6 year old horse out of A.P. INDY with a record of 35-12-8-4 and lifetime earnings of $533,345. This 88th divisional ranked horse races for The Pompeya Thoroughbred Racing Corporation managed by Ledwith and based over at the Hispano Parlante racing residency. This horse made one late start as a 2 year old and then went on a string of 6 top 2 finishes in his 3 year old season. He ended up winning 2 allowance races that year and came back to win 4 more allowance contests in his 4 year old season. He joined the ranks of stakes winner by winning back to back overnite stake routes last summer. He repeated that feat this year by winning back to back overnite stakes again but he could not complete the triple when he ended up 3rd last time out in The Grade II Insulin Cap in Illinois. While his to speed rating of 111 was posted last year he has posted back to back 107 marks in his last 2 races. This horse is best on his game when he is either on the lead or pressing the early pace and has won at the 9 furlong distance several time in his career. The rider for today’s race will be Anderson (10.9%).<\/P> 12)GLOAT OR GOAT—9\/1<\/STRONG>—estreli sends this 5 year old horse out of SKY MESA with a record of 47-13-3-6 and lifetime earnings of $363,951. This 52nd divisional ranked horse races for Flagdown Stables based in Vermont at The Patures of Green. This horse won a dirt MSW race and\u00a0a turf allowance race in his 2 year old season.\u00a0He picked up 3 more allowance wins in his 3 year old campaign. He\u00a0picked up 3 black type wins in his PP’s as a 4 year old by winning 3 overnite stakes in 8-8.5 furlong\u00a0dirt races. He has added 3 allowance and 1 overnite stakes to his record so far this year. He posted his lifetime best 109 speed rating this spring in a 8 furlong open allowance win in Kansas. This horse is usually quick out of the gate and he will find some company there today especially if #2 SISSONHILL runs a good one today. The big issue today is whether or not this 8 furlong specialist will be able to carry his speed over the extra furlong today. With others expected to join him early it may make this one’s chance at victory much more difficult today. The jockey for today’s race will be Jenkins (7.6%).<\/P> 13)EXCITING MOMENTS—8\/1—<\/STRONG>targetfarm sends this 4 year old colt out of ALDERBARAN with a record of 27-6-7-5 and lifetime earnings of $113,493. This 54th divisional ranked colt races for the Murray1 stables based over at the NWRC racing residency. This colt was unraced as a 2 year old and did not break his maiden until his 9th lifetime start. It would be 5 more starts until he won another allowance race in his 2006 season final race. He has picked up 4 more allowance wins in various dirt route distance races this year and has also picked up minor share cheques in 3 of the 4 stakes races he has run in. He will be looking for his first stakes win today in this Grade I event. He posted his lifetime best 112 speed rating 2 starts back while finishing 2nd in The Grade I Farewell to CryptoZot Stakes over 10 furlongs on the dirt. He is a midpack closer who will have some speed to run at in today’s race. While he has won once before at 9 furlongs it does appear that the 10 furlong distance is this colt’s favorite running distance. The jockey for today’s race will be Johnson (6.1%).<\/P> 14)BITING INSECTS—5\/1—<\/STRONG>mcjonny4 sends this 6 year old horse out of FUSAICHI PEGASUS with a record of 34-9-8-1 and lifetime earnings of $1,662,955. He is out of the mare I NEED DOUGH who was 0\/9 at the track and who has 3 foal on record, all winners including this horse who is a Graded winner. This 19th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Cozman19 stables. This horse picked up his MSW win in his 3rd lifetime start as a 2 year old. In 2004 as a 3 year old he won his first 4 starts including 3 overnite stakes races which prompted a run at the Bluegrass Derby trail and while he had 2 top 3 finishes in trial races he ended up not being able to carry his early speed in either the Bluegrass Derby of The Middle Flower stakes and finished well back. He showed some character when he came back to run in the 3rd leg of the triple crown, The New Yorker where he went to the front but could not hold off the winner settling for a 2nd place finish. It would be 21 months and 11 starts before his next victory. Last year he picked up 3 stakes wins including a pair of Graded stakes wins in what must be considered a comeback horse of the year performance. He has started 3 times so far in 2007 with 2 second place finishes and a win in The Grade I Oaktree Handicap in Arkansas where he posted a 111 speed rating just 4 points shy of his lifetime mark he posted in 2004. Now, can he overcome the 5 month layoff that he has endured for today’s race? It\u00a0 should be noted that he won his 2006 debut off of a 12 month layoff so that will have to be considered in this dilemna. It should also be noted that while he won a 9 furlong Grade I race this spring, prior to that he was primarily a sprint specialist last season. This closer will go off as the morning line favorite and if he runs his best race may be tough to beat but there are a lot of iffs on this one here today. The rider for today’s race will be Williams (13.5%).<\/P> It is unclear just what effects the World Cup Races have had on the quality of this field today but rest assured the New York Racing fans will be treated to a great contest here. While some may consider the favorite tough to beat there are some question marks which have had me look for more richer rewards in today’s payouts. I am going to lean on #1 SALUTATIONS to have a breakout race here today and with an honest pace to chase come on strong in the stetch to grab the victory.<\/P> GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING<\/P> THEO<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BITING INSECTS TAKES ON THE ROLL AS MORNING LINE FAVORITE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"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-4770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4770","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\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4770\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}