The great thing about thoroughbred horseracing is the diversity of running styles in the game. While some favor the dirt others favor the turf and while some favor the quick sprints others favor going longer. In this BB undercard Grade II event we have a group of horses who favor going long—-very very long. A field of 14 are entered in The Grade II BB Undercard Marathon and they will be going 2 miles on the dirt track chasing the top share of the $500,000 purse.<\/P>
Let’s take a look at today’s field:<\/P>
1)KING OF ALL MEDIA(FL)—12\/1—<\/STRONG>moneymaker sends this 3 year old colt out of MASS MEDIA with a record of 24-8-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $848,060. He is out of the he-mare CAT’S THUNDER who was 2\/42 at the track. This 10th divisional ranked colt races out of the Fortune 500 racing residency. This colt won 3 of 9 starts last year as a 2 year old including 2 overnite stakes races. He has picked up wins in 5 more stakes this season including 2 Graded stakes events. He posted his lifetime best speed rating of 104 in The Grade I Princess Cup over 10 furlongs on the dirt earlier this year in Ontario, Canada. He has raced at the 2 mile distance in his last 2 races posting a win in The Paper Grin Special Stakes in Ohio and finishing 2nd in another overnite stakes race in Portugal last time out. He is a closer who sits at the back of the pack early and then save his best strides for the stretch drive hoping to catch the rest of the competition tiring in the latter part of the race. In his only race to date against\u00a0older colts and horses he finished well back in a Grade I event in California earlier this year.\u00a0The rider for today’s race will be Walker (13.5%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—97.<\/STRONG><\/P> 2)DRUNKEN PIRATE(KY)—10\/1—<\/STRONG>tbgifted sends this 3 year old colt out of DEHERE with a record of 13-4-2-2 and lifetime earnings of $298,325. He is out of the mare IMPULSION who was 8\/41 at the track and who has 2 foals on record of which this is the only winner to date. This 7th divisional ranked colt races for the Great Plains residency division of the Tbgifted stables. This colt ran once as a 2 year old and broke his maiden in his 2nd start this year in an overnite stakes race no less. He has picked up 3 more overnite stakes wins since then and will be looking for his 1st career Graded win today. He posted his lifetime best 104 speed rating while finishing 2nd in the 12 furlong dirt Grade I Smackdown III stakes race. He comes into this race having posted 4 consecutive triple digit speed rating but will be making his first ever start at 16 furlongs today. He did win his previous longest start of 14 furlongs 2 starts back posting a 102 speed rating and making up a whopping 151\/2 lengths in the stretch to win by over 9 lengths in that race suggesting the added ground will be much to his liking. He raced against older company for the first time last start in the World Cup where he ran 4th but really\u00a0 was never a factor in the race. The rider for today’s race will be H Harzeim (27.8%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—104.<\/STRONG><\/P> 3)PINE SPIRIT(KY)—6\/1—<\/STRONG>topicount4 sends this 3 year old colt out of ARCH with a record of 11-6-2-0 and lifetime earnings of $980,321. He is out of the he-mare WINDSEEKER AGAIN who was 7\/34 at the track. This 1st divisional ranked colt races for the GR Simsters division of the Topicount stables. This colt was winless in 2 starts as a 2 year old but won back to back races in his first 2 starts this year in the allowance ranks. After failing to win in his stakes debut next time out he tried a pair of turf races and while picking up minor share cheques in both was then switched back to the dirt. Since then this colt has been a perfect 4\/4 winning 4 straight stakes races of which the last 3 have been Grade I events. He comes into this race after posting his lifetime best 112 speed rating last time out in the World Cup 12 furlong marathon where he opened up a dominant 4 length lead at the top of the stretch and coasted home. He races best as a pace stalker sitting a few lengths back of the early speed and his last race showed he should have no problems dealing with older foes. This will be the first time he will go beyond the 12 furlong distance so it will be uncharted waters for this one in the final 1\/2 mile here today. The rider for today’s race will be Gossett(25.1%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—113.<\/STRONG><\/P> 4)INCREDIBLE IMAGE(IRE)—21\/1—<\/STRONG>cald1 sends this 5 year old horse out of EL PRADO(IRE) with a record of 40-11-7-9 and lifetime earnings of $379,541. This 95th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Lawdro racing stables. This horse was 0\/1 in his 2 year old season while debuting on the turf and had 4 allowance wins as a 3 year old, 3 on the dirt and one on the lawn. He picked up another pair of turf allowance wins last year and has posted 5 wins this year all on the dirt including his first career stakes win 2 starts back in The Fertile Fox(IRE) Bonanza stakes over 16 furlongs on the dirt in Italy where he posted his lifetime best 98 speed rating. That capped a 4 race win streak all at the 16 furlong distance as he failed to rally in his last start ending up a distanced 4th. This will be his first Graded stakes start since the Haskell in August of 2005. He loves the distance but will have to pick up his game to compete with some of those entered in this race here. The rider for today’s race will be R Harzeim (24.3%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—93.<\/STRONG><\/P> 5)OLD LIDO(CHI)—17\/1—<\/STRONG>a2912 sends this 4 year old colt out of LIDO PALACE(CHI) with a record of 18-7-5-3 and lifetime earnings of $163,073. This 41st divisional ranked colt races out of the Ohio Thoroughbred Racing residency. This colt did not race as a 2 year old and\u00a0ran mostly in the claiming ranks as a 3 year old and was infact claimed for $5,000 by his current connections in February of this year. They ran out his tag picking up 3 wins in 6 starts and then sent him out in the Grade I\u00a0World Cup Survivor 16 furlong dirt stakes last time out where he finished 2nd posting a 100 speed rating which was just 1 shy of his record set in his previous start. His current trainer has him running as a speed horse and he will be one of those expected to cut the early fractions today. This will be his 2nd start at the distance and if he learned anything from his last start could be the price horse to include in exotic wagers here today. The rider for today’s race will be Salisbury (8.7%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—100.<\/STRONG><\/P> 6)ENTER THE BEAST(GB)—26\/1—<\/STRONG>qwikvett1 sends this 6 year old horse out of DIESIS(GB) with a record of 38-9-4-6 and lifetime earnings of $632,977. He is out of the mare GROOM DIXIE who was 2\/9 at the track and who has 5 foals on record, all winners including 1 stakes winner and another Graded stakes winner. This 7th divisional ranked horse races out of the NWRC racing residency. This horse raced once as a 2 year old and raced on the turf in his first 2 starts but broke his maiden in his 6th start, that coming on the dirt track. It would be 7 months before he won again and that was when he embarked on a 4 allowance race win streak that straddled his 3 and 4 year old seasons. He picked up a pair of 16 furlong overnite stakes race victories later in his 4 year old season but was winless in 3 starts last season. He was shut down in May of 2006 and did not return to the races until February of this year. He shocked the Kentucky crowd earlier this year when he was a 15\/1 winner in The Grade I Whiskey Cup where he posted his lifetime best 103 speed rating in the 2 mile dirt race. He has been winless in 6 races since and has finished well back in his last 3 starts suggesting he will need another long shot miracle to win this race today. This midpack closer does love the distance but one may suggest that his best days are behind him now as suggested by the lofty early morning line. The rider for today’s race will be P Harzeim (28.3%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—87<\/STRONG><\/P> 7)JIBE(KY)—9\/1—<\/STRONG>farad sends this 3 year old colt out of DEHERE with a record of 16-5-3-0 and lifetime earnings of $222,895. He is out of the mare DOUBLE BLUSH who was 7\/43 at the track and who has 3 foals on record of which 2 are winners including 1 Graded stakes winner. This 20th divisional ranked colt races for the Nickesyd Racing Club based over in Ireland. This colt ran 4 races in his 2 year old season and while losing his 1st 2 starts, those being on an off track and the turf was a perfect 2\/2 on fast dirt including a restricted stakes race. He was winless in his first 8 starts this year but then went on a 3 race win streak that included the Grade III Derby De Swedish over 12 furlongs on the dirt where he posted his lifetime best 105 speed rating. He came back to win another overnite stakes race before finishing well back in the World Cup last time out. While usually running as a closer he has shown speed on occasion so that will leave the options open as the race develops for the rider today. He has\u00a0raced against older foes in his last 2 starts including a win.\u00a0This will be the first time he will be going this extended 2 mile distance in his career. The rider for today’s race will be Ball (26%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—101.<\/STRONG><\/P> 8)PHARAO’S TORNADO(IRE)—14\/1—<\/STRONG>stars1 sends this 6 year old horse out of DOYOUN(IRE) with a record of 39-12-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $649,431. This 17th divisional ranked horse races for The Royal Stables of Ostend based over at the Benelux residency. This horse was unraced as a 2 year old and started his career with 6 races on the turf of which is the surface he broke his maiden on. He switched to the dirt late in his 3 year old season and picked up an additonal allwance win on that surface that year. He picked up 5 wins in his 4 year old campaign including 3 stakes races of which one was The Grade III Victory Marathon in BC, Canada in which he posted his lifetime best 105 speed rating over the 14 furlong dirt race. He picked up 3 more stakes wins last year including The Grade I South Astralian Cup in Victoria and has a pair of overnite stakes win under his belt so far this season. He is a closer who has previously won at the distance and while he is not the most consitant runner at this stage of his career he does manage to throw the odd special race which keeps his backers poised to cash at longshot odds. The rider for today’s race will be Case (17%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—95<\/STRONG>.<\/P> 9)SINANJU—4\/1—<\/STRONG>frosty sends this 5 year old horse out of RAHY with a record of 34-9-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $1,380,522. This 4th divisional ranked horse races for The Ace Stables B based over in Ireland. This horse ran a single turf race as a 2 year old and was switched to the dirt for his 3 year old campaign. He picked up 5 wins in his 3 year old season including 2 overnite stakes races. He picked up a pair of stakes wins last year hilited by The Grade I Out of The City Handicap over 10 furlongs on the dirt in New York. He won his first 2 starts of this year including The Grade III Gallant Socks Handcap but has been winless in his last 7 starts albeit he has finished in the top 3 in many of those races. This millionaire posted his lifetime best 109 speed rating in his bid to defend his Grade I win in New York where he finished 2nd and he matched that mark last time out with another 2nd place finish in the World Cup Marathon where his rally came up short in the stretch drive. This closer has raced at today’s distance once before and it will be vital that he start his move in time in order to not come up short at the wire in this extended distance event. The rider for today’s race will be Ledwith (30.4%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—110.<\/STRONG>\u00a0<\/P> 10)BAD DECISION(IRE)—35\/1—<\/STRONG>wabred2 sends this 3 year old colt out of STREET CRY(IRE) with a record of 12-3-2-2 and lifetime earnings of $114,574. He is out of the mare LADY MINT who was 17\/53 at the track and who has 3 foals on record of which 2 are winners including 1 stakes winner. This 23rd divisional ranked colt races for the unafilliated Snappa Racing Syndicate. This colt was 0\/2 as a 2 year old and in fact did not break his maiden until his 7th lifetime start. He has picked up 2 more wins since then including a win in The Light Pan Special Stakes in Norway over 12 furlongs on the dirt against a small 4 horse field.\u00a0 He posted his lifetime best 104 speed rating in his next outing while finishing 3rd in a Grade I Smackdown III event over 12 furlongs on the dirt. He appeared to get injured in The Grade I Brussels Sprout Stakes in Upper New York in the slop but came back to win an allownace route to resolve fears of the horses soundness. This closer will sit near the back of the pack early and this will be the first race going past 13 furlongs and his first race against older horses and those concerns have been reflected in this colts early morning line. The rider for today’s race will be Hamilton (6.3%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—93.<\/STRONG><\/P> 11)CREDIT GIVEN(IRE)—6\/1—<\/STRONG>brentuk sends this 5 year old horse out of GENEROUS(IRE) with a record of 27-10-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $1,401,574. This 1st divisional ranked horse races for Oasis Racing UK based over at the Minnesota Downs residency. This horse was 0\/4 as a 2 year old but won his 3 year old debut race. He also won his 3 year old final season contest and picked up a nice 4 race win streak to conclude his 4 year old season. Included in that streak was The Grade II BB Undercard Marathon which see’s him returning here this year as defending champion of this race. He has picked up 4 more stakes wins this year including back to back Grade I win in The Grade I South Australian Cup and The Grade I Can Lightening Strike Twice Special establishing himself as the top 2 miler in the sim. He ran in the World Cup off a 2 month layoff last time out prepping himself for this race here today. He has posted his lifetime best 110 speed rating twice in his last 5 starts and will be one of the late closers in today’s race. He will be one of the top contenders if he comes into the race fit. The rider for today’s race will be Stivers (27.6%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—103.<\/STRONG><\/P> 12)TOUCH AND STOP—7\/1—<\/STRONG>dlynche sends this 6 year old horse out of TOUCH GOLD with a record of 35-9-8-5 and lifetime earnings of $535,700. This 24th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Jrogue Stables. This horse did not race as a 2 year old and had 1 win in 4 starts in his 4 year old season. He picked up 3 more allowance wins in a light 5 year old campaign and then picked up 3 overnite stakes wins last year. He has picked up another pair of overnite stakes wins this year and will be looking for his first Graded stakes win in this his 7th lifetime Graded start. He posted his lifetime best 108 speed rating in April of 2006 while winning a 12 furlongs dirt stakes in Texas and was only 2 points of that record in his last start. He has started twice in his career at the 2 mile distance and has faded in the last stretch in both of those making it a concern as to whether he can go this long. He is a speed horse who should ensure and honest pace in today’s race in any event giving hope to the many closers in the race to have a pace they can run at in the stretch drive. The rider for today’s race will be Fendlay Jr. (16.25). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—101.<\/STRONG><\/P> 13)TUNAMAN—15\/1—<\/STRONG>togasans sends this 4 year old colt out of WOODMAN with a record of 43-5-5-5 and lifetime earnings of $653,480. This 11th ranked colt races for the unafilliated togasans stables. This colt had 1 win in a very busy 11 race 2 year old campaign and then had 3 wins last year including a pair of stakes wins including The Grade I Brussels Sprouts\u00a0Stakes in New\u00a0York where he posted his lifetime best 105 speed rating over the 12 furlong dirt race. \u00a0This year his lone win came in The Grade II Long Walk Handicap over 14 furlongs on the dirt in Texas. He has races twice in his career at this distance including this race last year and has finished well back both times suggesting that this may be a bit to far for his liking. He has finished in double digits in lengths back in 7 of his last 8 starts which may have some feat that he is not exactly at the top of his game right now but he is a Graded I winner and will have to be respected once the starting gate opens today. The rider for today’s race will be Benisz (26.2%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—92.<\/STRONG><\/P> 14)SAD JAVA MAN(IRE)—10\/1—<\/STRONG>golfteam sends this 5 year old horse out of SADDLERS’ HALL(IRE) with a record of 36-10-6-5 and lifetime earnings of $333,793. This 13th divisional ranked horse races for the unafilliated Golfteam stables. The golfteam stables are this horses 3rd set of owners after picking this horse up for the $30,000 claiming price in November of last year. Up until that time he had 2 wins to his credit but since then his new conncetions have picked up 8 wins including 4 overnite stakes victories. His current trainer had entered him in a 15K claimer this past January and has to be extemely happy nobody picked him up for the tag as he has been a different horse of late. He posted his lifetime best 104 speed rating earlier this year in Ontario, Canada while winning The Let’s Find Out Stakes over 16 furlongs on the dirt. He finsihed 3rd in his Graded stakes debut last time out at the World Cup and that snapped a 6 race winning streak. This speed horse will have to contend with the outside post and there are several other speed horses inside of him which may cause this one some difficulties during the race but he has made a name for himself at the 16 furlong distance where he has become a very big money maker. The rider for today’s race will be Loesch (24.9%). PROJECTED SPEED RATING—102.<\/STRONG><\/P> Well we have the two division leaders going head to head today with #3 PINE SPIRIT(KY) AND #11 CREDIT GIVEN(IRE) and it all comes down to will the youth prevail or not. I think PINE SPIRIT will be tough to beat her off his current form but really there are 5 horses with a real shot at the win today and more if some can raise there ability to the next level today. Should be a great race to watch and remember when they hit the wire for the first time do not throw away your tickets as they will still have to go around one\u00a0 more time.<\/P> GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING<\/P> THEO<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PINE SPIRIT LOOKING FOR 5TH WIN IN A ROW AGAINST DEFENDING CHAMP CREDIT GIVEN IN 2 MILE EVENT<\/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-4971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971","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=4971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}