Untitled Document<\/title><meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=iso-8859-1\"><\/head><body><\/p>\nJust five weeks remain until what many call the biggest race of the year: the Breeders Bowl Classic. This weekend we simmers are treated to a preview of some of the likely BB starters as they run for their respective teams in the Sim World Cup Classic<\/strong>. This is a G1 event for 3 year olds and up running 10 on dirt. The Far East, New Zealand, and Australia (FENZA) team is led by the stellar Ermington Pegusus<\/strong>, who is also the narrow morning line favorite. Team North and South America (NASA) brings four top horses including Travelers winner Passing Stone<\/strong>, CA Classic winner King Of The Wind<\/strong>, and the ultra-reliable Gracepointe Prayer<\/strong>. Team Europe and Scandinavia (known hereafter as Team Europe) refused to be outdone, sending forth Bluegrass Derby winner Ataun<\/strong> and a good but inconsistent Endurance Key<\/strong>. This race may well offer racefans insight into the Breeders Bowl results, and certainly will play a role in Eclipse Award voting at the end of the year.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<center> <\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/home.myuw.net\/tlaxson\/btb\/NASA.gif\"> <\/p>\nThe strongest contingent is sent forth by Team NASA. Sure, FENZA has SuperPeg, but NASA has a quadruple-threat ready to rock and roll.<\/p>\nPazJazz<\/em> has his Gracepointe Prayer<\/strong> (pazfour<\/em> stable) in as the 4-1 second betting choice. I first noticed this 4yo Cryptoclearance colt back in May, and he’s impressed me as a horse on the cusp of stardom. You might wonder why I don’t call him a superstar yet, given he’s ranked #2 in a very difficult division, but the qualification is solely due to his not yet beating the best of his class. Namely, he has yet to beat Ermington Pegusus, but that’s entirely due to their never meeting. If Prayer wins, he’s your probable Breeders Bowl Classic favorite. Prayer’s pretty lightly raced given his accomplishments. In just 22 starts, he’s notched a G1 (the Farewell to CryptoZot), a G2 (the Abraham Lincoln) been thrice graded-placed, earned nearly a half-million bucks, and has never been worse than second at 10f. A top SP of 115 earned in the Farewell should be plenty to win this race. Prayer’s biggest challenge may be his running style. He’s a horse that loves to stalk the pace, but in a field with some serious deep closers, he may be vulnerable in deep stretch. Paz thinks his horse can handle it, noting that Prayer is “kind of unusual as a stalker with lots of closing speed.” The trainer is so confident in his horse’s chances he’s calling this a two-horse race: “I expect a big effort and feel confident that it will be between he and EP at the finish.” <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe elder statesman of Team NASA is Laconia Light<\/strong>. Running out of the whitehall<\/em> barn, the 5yo is trained by Lilbitfarm<\/em>. “LL”, as he is affectionately known around the track backside, is a son of A.P. Indy bred with the classic distances and a solid older horse in mind. That’s exactly what he’s turned into, with 15 wins from 34 starts including 4 graded wins for over $1.5million in earnings. Make no mistake, this is a horse that runs his heart out every time. Even after all this time the horse has yet to give up, pulling off feats like the 114SP he posted two back in a 10f listed race. Lilbitfarm is a bit concerned about how the race will play out, noting that LL needs some serious speed “up front to run at as it takes him a bit to get rolling.” While LL isn’t a horse that everyone knows, he may well be if he wins this one. He’s certainly good enough to make it happen. he’s currently ranked #16, so really needs the win for a shot at his first Breeders Bowl.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nHelping to drive the pace that LL needs will be his teammate King Of The Wind<\/strong>. The 5yo son of Deputy Minister might well not have earned a berth on Team NASA had he not represented the topicount4<\/em> barn in the CA Classic 5 weeks ago. On that date, KOTW shocked racegoers with a nearly four-length drubbing of Ermington Pegusus. Only Mambo Bones was anywhere near KOTW, and the three lengths separating Bones from the winner’s circle might as well have been a mile as the King set a new stakes record with a superb 114SP. That did represent an 8-point jump over his previous best, but he’s been so darn good at 10f in the last year (never worse than third in six tries since October) that you really have to feel King has a great shot here. King has a swift stalking style that will see him hang out with Gracepointe Prayer much of the race. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe final Team NASA representative is Passing Stone<\/strong>. The 3yo is 13-1 on the morning line, but that really doesn’t tell the story of this excellent Vindication colt. As a Lennbrenner<\/em> empire charge, the colt started his career in fine fashion with six straight wins. He was oh-so-close to a Bluegrass Derby win but fell short by a head for second. That started a string of four straight losses, unexpected from such a strong spring campaign. Things started looking back up in July, however, as Stone came within three lengths of winning at Smackdown. He finally put it all together again In New York last month with a 2+ length win in the Travelers. The 109SP he earned is competitive with his elders. If you want some betting value, take a hard look at this horse. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/home.myuw.net\/tlaxson\/btb\/FENZA.gif\"><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nTeam FENZA’s hopes lie with Ermington Pegusus<\/strong>. The 4yo has been nearly unstoppable in the last year, racking up six graded wins and hitting the board four more times. Pigeon3’s<\/em> star Sky Mesa colt is less than $400k away from breaking the $10million barrier. ErPeg is a deep-closer with a deadly way of destroying his foes in the stretch. The last couple races he’s started his run too late to be his most effective, losing both the Movieland Shiny Cup and CA Classic. One has to wonder if the year of SuperPeg is coming to a close, or if those two races were minor blips. This race may gave us an answer. At 5-2, ErPeg may not be worth betting on, but it would be foolhardy indeed to bet against him hitting the board at minimum. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe trainer of Endurance Key<\/strong> says his 4yo colt “is way out of his depth and merely making up the numbers,” but I think that Key just might surprise. He’s running for the Geewestink<\/em> stable at 7-1 odds. Key has an enviable 33% win rate for over $370k in earnings. He’s a multiple stakes winner, and ran second in the G3 Peach State at 10f back in June. What might help the Key is his preference for being up front. He’s got some serious speed and shouldn’t be pressed too hard for the front spot. If he makes the lead, and still has it at the top of the stretch, watch out, as Key has the class to carry it all the way. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nMaster trainer Theatrical<\/em> enters Changesnattitude<\/strong> from the paceman2<\/em> stable. The 4yo colt was claimed for $2k back in April, and has turned into a rock-solid allowance horse. This is his first try in stakes, and only fourth try at 10f after 32 lifetime starts. The Changeintheweather colt has posted his best SPs (>100) at 9f, and tends to tire when sent 10, but he’s been improving so much under Theatrical’s care a big run isn’t out of the question. Change prefers to be up front, but he’s not going to get the daylight he prefers here. How he handles the pressure will tell us a lot about the colt’s future. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe fourth FENZA rep is the New Zealand-bred Tell Me A Fable<\/strong>. The 3yo Manntari colt is the most lightly raced of this field with just eight starts behind him, and only five of those on dirt. Despite his relative inexperience, he’s been doing well for trainer Morrighan<\/em> (ravenclaw<\/em> stable). He just broke his maiden two back at 10f, and followed it up with a second by a quarter-length at 10 against his own age for a 99SP. Fable sure looks like he has a bright future ahead, but the challenge of G1 company against elders at this stage in his career will probably be too much to overcome. On the other hand, as long as he acquits himself well here he could be a great bet in his next start. At 80-1, he’s the field longshot. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/home.myuw.net\/tlaxson\/btb\/euro-scan.gif\"><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Europe\/Scandinavian team is led by a pair of 3yos. The most well-known is Ataun<\/strong>, winner of the Bluegrass Derby. The Gone West colt runs for Palmisland<\/em>, part of the Rafa<\/em> Stables group. Ataun has been winless since the Derby, but he was second in the Middle Jewel, third in the New Yorker, and second in the It’s My Birthday And I’ll Cry If I Want To. His only off the board run in the last six months happened last time out in the Travelers when he never fired and finished eighth. Truly a solid horse, but he hasn’t quite shown the improved SPs that a top 3yo would by this time of year if he wishes to remain competitive against the older crowd. He has an excellent jockey in K Proehl who should ensure that Ataun stays closer to the pace to help avoid a repeat of the lackluster Travelers run. 13-1 on the morning line <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe other 3yo representing Team Europe is Borzakovski<\/strong>. He’s 31-1, primarily due to breaking the 100SP barrier just once in his 18-start career. Fernando’s<\/em> colt, a son of The Cliff’s Edge, runs for the laxe<\/em> stable. Borzakovski had a very good juvenile campaign with three stakes wins. He started 2007 looking pretty good, running second by a nose in a G3 in March., then placing in a pair of G2 Derby preps. he’s got one G1 win, a 3+ length victory in the 11f Monster Mash, but in the three races since than May win he’s finished no better than fifth. This is the kind of horse that is too inconsistent to depend on, but throws big performances just often enough to keep you hoping for more. Too slow to win this one absent a huge improvement. <\/p>\n\u00a0 <\/p>\nChasing Dreams<\/strong> is the oldest of Team Europe’s entries at 5 years of age. The son of Deputy Minister hasn’t won in over a year, yet a handful of placings at 10-11f gives hope that the horse still has the stuff that has helped him win nearly $200k. His trainer Lissa explains his last race, a 14-length loss in a 14f stake may have been because “the trip was too far for him that day and this drop back should be more to his liking.” Indeed, he’s much better at the 10-f distance where he’s posted several 100+ SPs. Dreams is still chasing his success at the graded level. After two tries in 27 total starts, he’s yet to run better than ninth. Lissa “can\u2019t see him worrying the likes of Ermington Pegasus” but does think her horse will “will be running on at the finish.” 17-1 on the morning line. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nThe most highly-regarded European entry, based on morning line odds, is Band Seeker<\/strong>. He’s a 4yo Dixieland Band colt owned by B4rca<\/em>. before this year he had not tried stakes company, but in four stakes including one G3 he’s earned two stakes win and a third in that G3 (the Peach State Classic at 10f where he earned a high SP of 110). The colt prefers to be out front when he can, though he’s capable of placing from stalking position as well. In my opinion, Band Seeker is the horse most likely to earn points for his team. He’s got SPs on par with his overseas peers, and though he’s not wildly experienced at this level did do quite well in his only previous graded attempt. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/center> <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile Ermington Pegusus<\/strong> and the NASA crew are the clear favorites in the Classic, Team Europe’s quartet can’t be ignored. Endurance Key<\/strong> in particular has the speed and the class to sneak by the more highly-regarded horses to steal the show. Band Seeker<\/strong> is Europe’s best hope, but Ataun<\/strong> just might surprise his elders with a big run. My top three, in no particular order, are Ermington Pegusus<\/strong>, Gracepointe Prayer<\/strong>, and Passing Stone<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Team NASA brings hot horses Passing Stone, King of the Wind, and Gracepointe Prayer to dethrone SuperPeg<\/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-4793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793","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=4793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":4793,"date":"2007-09-21T23:26:46","date_gmt":"2007-09-21T23:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=4793"},"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=4793","title":{"rendered":"FENZA’s Ermington Pegusus favored in SWC Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"