{"id":4981,"date":"2007-10-26T01:33:47","date_gmt":"2007-10-26T01:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=4981"},"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=4981","title":{"rendered":"BB SPRINT: They want a Piece of the Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By ITCH<\/P>

It is a sweet fact of life.<\/P>

There is such a thing as exceptional.<\/P>

Just watching the “Ruffian” movie now on ESPN, the groom says to Frank Whitely, “26,000 foals registered every year, and we get this one.”<\/P>

“A blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while,” Whitely’s character says.<\/P>

By no means is Given a blind squirrel. In fact, he’s rather like a predator with the brilliant sight of an eagle. A player runs a quiz contest on the message board, for which the answers are available to the fast-fingered and quick-witted, and Given wins easy. This is a Sim trainer who is among the best of the best. He knows how to win. And, with the amazing CASTERLY ROCK, he has captured the kind of horse of which all of us dream. Like Ruffian, Casterly Rock is a true freak.<\/P>

On this day of all days, Casterly Rock attempts to strike immortal. If he wins three straight Breeders Bowl Sprints, how can anyone argue against this great horse? It is possible. Can Casterly Rock become the GREATEST SIM HORSE OF ALL TIME in this Breeders Bowl Sprint? Can you argue against three straight Breeders Bowl wins?<\/P>

Can he do it?<\/P>

Not surpringly, not without a tremendous challenge. There is more than one Sim trainer who would love to deny Given and Casterly Rock his great day. This is Sim competition at its highest stakes. <\/P>

Can anybody take a piece of the rock?<\/P>

First, let us preview this great champion on the verge of his greatest of many great days:<\/P>

\u00a0<\/P>

Unlike Ruffian, CASTERLY ROCK <\/B>does not win them all. As a matter of fact, he’s lost four out of his last five races. Does this concern his trainer at all? Not so much. “I think the Rock can win the Breeders Bowl Sprint because he’s won the race twice already,” Given said upon arrival at the Simulated Jersey oval. “I know he brings his A game to the big days of racing.” Given knows his horse. While competitors may look at his prep race, a loss going 6.5 furlongs in a non-graded stake, as a sign of encouragement, the trainer knows that’s just what the Rock needed. “<\/FONT>By design I prepped him in an ungraded stakes at 6.5f four weeks before the BB. Looking at his career, he has dropped from 6.5f to 6f four times. In those races he is 4 (3 1 0) with an average of a 9 SF improvement. So I was pleased with how I was able to prep him.” Last year, when the BB was held in Kentucky, the Rock made it two Sprint titles in a row when he unleashed an amazing stretch run to close to win from 11th. If you look at his career past performances, that race really stands out, because he’s normally not that far back at any point. For a horse who is usually up closer to change his game on the biggest of all race days and come from the back is a testament to true quality. “I love that he is so versatile in terms of placement,” Given said. “He can be on the lead, he can be close to the lead, and if necessary, like in the BB last year, he can take way back. Nothing seems to faze this horse, and I think that’s part of being a champion. Can he continue to race at a high level in this year’s BB? I certainly hope so. I have had no indications otherwise.” In summary, it’s all systems go for a run at Simulated Glory for this fine champion.<\/P>

While Casterly Rock has earned his reputation as one of the Sim’s finest, he is not the top qualifier for this race, not by a long shot. If not for the historical story behind Casterly Rock, Dolphinman’s AB FAB <\/B>would rate headlining status. After all, he owns a massive 528 stakes points, far more than Casterly Rock’s 348. It’s hard to imagine another sprinter holding a class edge over the two-time defending champion of the BB Sprint, but according to the points, Ab Fab does. This amazing 4yo son of Awesome Again owns three Grade I victories, along with three Grade I placings. We say amazing because, believe it or not, this fine machine of a racehorse has blown a gasket no fewer than four times in his Sim career. This is a great argument for those who say not to worry when a Sim horse throws in a clunker or gets injured. It doesn’t matter that Ab Fab was 10th in the Movieland Futurity, or 18th in the Derby, or got distanced with a speed figure of seven two races after the Derby, or flopped to 14th with a speed figure of 52 three back in the Maryland Breeders Bowl, in a field he towered over. He’s come back strong from each and every one of those debacles. While the recent Maryland clunker may have been the scariest of all for dolphinman, his division-leading champ has come back strong. He was an impressive, hard-closing second last out in the Grade I Tri-City Sprint last out. It looks to set him up for a big race on the Sim’s biggest day. Ab Fab breaks down at the rail in the one post, right next to Casterly Rock in the two hole. Two great horses load side by side here Saturday, and we’ll see who’s best.<\/P>

This is, by no means, a two-horse race, however. The third-place qualifier is the 3yo KETCH, <\/B>racing for one of the nicest guys in all of the Sim, Lilbitfarm Rich. “<\/FONT>Ketch is a homebred out of my mare Ironhorse Award, who I won in one of Socalslew’s contests a few year ago,” Rich says. “He took awhile to develop, not hitting triple digits until his 12th lifetime start, but his last 5 races have been outstanding-4 wins and a 2nd by a head.” This 3yo has, who actually is a half brother to Ab Fab, has developed to the point where Rich is confident sending him out against the best older sprinters in the Sim. “I think he has a shot to win here,” he said. “The thing I love best about this horse is that he always tries hard and gives all he has. Win or lose, he will leave nothing on the track.” One concern may be the distance of the sprint. At six furlongs, it’s a little short for Ketch. He’s a deep closer at distances as far as 7.5 furlongs, and handicappers will have to wonder if he can get it revved up in time to catch the leaders cutting back like this. “The 6f concerns me a bit-not his best distance but he has won both times that he tried it. I expect for him to be in mid-pack and make a move around the eighth pole,” the trainer said. This is a now horse. He’s improving, and he catches the big shots on a day when he can fire a big shot. While the top two may have bigger reputations, that all could change just a little after noon this Saturday. “I think Ketch has arrived at the BB kind of under the radar but that’s just the way I like it,” Rich said. “Should be a very exciting race. Beating Casterly Rock and Ab Fab would be totally awesome!! Tough assignment for a 3yo with only 16 starts but you never know.”<\/P>

This year’s Sprint has attracted not only the top 3yo sprinting colt in Ketch, but also the top 3yo sprinting filly in Kaif’s TIRED WINGS<\/B>. Named for a song by The Four Horsemen, a <\/FONT>hard rock band that had brief popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, this 3yo daughter of Pollard’s Vision already caught a break this week when the track came up fast. She’s won six of her last seven, the only defeat coming when she could not handle the slop three back and finished a dismal 11th in the Grade I Exam Stakes. “Please don’t @#$%ing rain,” Kaif said upon departing for New Jersey. “If it rains I’ll be very disappointed. If the track is fast, my optimism will overflow like great taste overflowed from the former Hamm’s brewery in St. Paul! Mmm, sky blue waters.” Truth be told, we have received enough information from Kaif on this fine filly to write an entire article on her. Sifting through it all, we find some very important nuggets of information, however. Tired Wings is a perfect eight for eight when running 6.5 furlongs or shorter. “I’ve got one of the true 6f specialists that is still in their prime. There’s a huge difference between winning at 6f and 7f. Shoot, there’s a difference between 6f and 6.5f – and 6f is EXACTLY Tired Wings wheelhouse,” Kaif said. In J. Stivers, Kaif got his first choice of jockeys, and he has a plan in place. “There isn’t as much pace in the race as I originally thought. Polish Reality is gonna be out there gunning for it and I reckon they’re gonna send Sestrierre after him, leaving me in great position sitting third or fourth right behind them with probably Western Romp Ted somewhere to my outside. Stay patient around the turn, draw even at the eighth pole and draw away late is the plan. Don’t think we’re taking back or anything – if they’re going slow up front, Stivers will take her gate to wire – we’re fully planning on being very aggressive.” In conclusion, Kaif feels supremely dissed by the oddsmaker, who has rated Tired Wings only 15-1. “That’s a joke,” he said. ” I honestly think I’ve got the best chance of winning of anyone in the field. The horse I beat last time came back to run a 112 in his next start, so I’m pretty convinced her top figs are legit. She’s never lost at this distance. And, she’s only three and only has 11 starts – she still might be improving.” <\/P>

Next is the speed horse which Kaif mentioned, POLISH REALITY <\/B>for the silenced one, Stoners out of his champions4 stable. Though his message board antics have been halted long ago, Stoners remains a force in the upper echelon of Sim racing. He has a lot of top class horses, and this certainly is one of them. It was only three races ago that Polish Reality defeated none other than Casterly Rock, in the Grade I Ethereal…Unreal…Spiritual which apparently was a bought race to follow up the Sand Castle Golden Sprint. Interestingly, Polish Reality has started only twice since that April victory. He ran fine two back, when he won the Grade 3 Sin City Handicap in California. One has to wonder how he came back from that race, however. That was June 2, and he didn’t come back to the races until August 18. Maybe it was the short five-furlong distance of that race, but the Grade I Kingab Sprint was an unmitigated disaster. Polish Reality was 18th and last as the 4.8-1 second choice. So what are we to think about that race? Do we simply draw a line through it and ignore it? Or, do we take it as a sign, combined with the long layoff after the Grade 3 score, that something is wrong with this horse? If he is ready to go, this is a very classy two-time Grade I winner who is capable of beating the Rock on his best day. We’ll know as soon as the race starts on Saturday. This is a need-the-lead type of pure speed horse. If he does not break on top, he is in trouble.<\/P>

The sixth qualifier is in razor sharp form. It’s IN A SIMPLE RHYME <\/B>for the Black Label Stables, carrying the banner of DelPenn into this championship day for sdmf’s zewango4 stable. It is with this horse that the Breeders Bowl Sprint gets a little personal. Sdmf was a member of the GR Simsters back in the summer of 2005 when both In a Simple Rhyme, and his co-entry in this race, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER, were bred (within seconds of each other, as a matter of fact.) Seeking feedback from fellow residency members like Given and Lenny, he posted their lines on the GR message board. Sending the old link to the BTB, sdmf reveals his personal motivation for this race. “As you can see, Given\/Lenny were ripping on the breeds,” says sdmf. Indeed, both Lenny and Given had a bit of a laugh at sdmf’s expense, Given telling Lenny that “Hahahahaha, Lenny this is a PEFECT description of what happens when the breeding starts and lots of sicko sires are still available. It’s a rush against time hurry hurry HURRY and you end up with a 2x3x4 Mr. P.” In a Simple Rhyme is Forty Niner X Mr. Prospector X Secretariat, while Death Valley Driver is Gone West X Northern Dancer X Buckpasser. Of In a Simple Rhyme, Lenny said, “I didn’t know Forty Niner was standing in Alabama. You’ll be lucky to get three legs here.” Given merrily chimed in, ” Well, it could have been worse. He could have used Raise a Native as the DDS,” with one of those giggling avatars at the end. Well, guess what? The know-it-alls could not have been more wrong. BOTH colts made it to the Breeders Bowl, and you read it here, folks. In a Simple Rhyme has a HUGE SHOT IN THIS RACE. Look at his incredible run two back in the aforementioned Grade I Kingab going only five furlongs. This horse flew from 17th at the head of the lane to be third, beaten only 1 3\/4 lengths. Then last out, he raced right alongside Ab Fab early, then ran right by him and drew away in the lane. Both he and the No. 1-rated horse are 10-1 in here, and we have to say In a Simple Rhyme is vastly preferred. He beat Ab Fab easy last out. There is no getting by that. Why wouldn’t he beat him again? Ab Fab had no answer when In a Simple Rhyme started running. He could only watch him go by. This horse is improving, and if he takes another step forward, forget about it. Casterly Rock is going to have to run crazy fast to beat this one to the line. Most definitely, he is THE PICK. “It will be sweet justice if I can whoop up on his Rock horse,” says sdmf.<\/P>

Wow. The Black Label Stables have not one, but two fine horses in here. I’d say you are in pretty good shape sprinter-wise if you have the Nos. 6 and 7 qualifiers in the Breeders Bowl. DEATH ALLEY DRIVER<\/B>, a brown son of Gone West, appears to be the lesser half of the entry but is a fine horse in his own right. His main problem in this year’s Breeders Bowl is the short distance of the race. He is a downtown closer at 7 furlongs, let alone six. In his past performances, we can see that he is a show-type horse at this distance. His kick just comes too late to contend for the win money against class horses. Now, earlier in his career, he won going six, but that was against an allowance field over which Death Valley Driver had a big class edge. Against horses of his own class, he is going to have a hard time contending for the win, especially in a field like this loaded with closers like him. That being said, it is not an impossible dream that the Black Label Stables could win this race with In a Simple Rhyme and complete the trifecta with Death Valley Driver.<\/P>

Our eighth qualifier is another late runner, POWER IS RISING <\/B>for the affable vettori out of his austar stable. This is a 3yo colt who hit the big time with a Grade I score two back in the Prince’s Knight Stakes in Texas going seven furlongs. In this race, however, he has been dismissed at 17-1, the second-longest shot in the field. (Although 17-1 is not such a huge difference from the 10-1 assigned to Ab Fab.) Railbirds are going to be impressed if they see Power Is Rising get into contention, because he is up against several difficult challenges here. The prime difficulties are the distance of the race, and facing older horses. Power Is Rising is a deep closer going longer, so that makes him a lot like Death Valley Driver. It’s hard to envision a horse who closes at seven furlongs getting revved up in time to reach contention going only six furlongs against the best sprinters in the game. Second, Power Is Rising faces older horses for the second time here, and he didn’t do so good in his first try, which was last out when seventh. I guess there is no hiding the fact that we think this colt is in a tough spot here. But, we’ve been wrong an infinitisimal number of times before, and so what if he does not win this race? There are many bright days ahead for Power Is Rising no matter what happens in New Jersey.<\/P>

At this point, we are more than halfway through the top of the field and we have to note there is an absolute dearth of speed in this race. Most of the classy ones are one-move closers. There is only one speed horse in the top eight, that being Polish Reality, whose current form is suspect. It must be very tempting for any trainer of a horse with even tactical speed to send in here. Casterly Rock and Tired Wings are clear candidates for such a tactic. Let’s look at the bottom six here and see if we can find a legitimate front end horse at a price. <\/P>

Ninth is a candidate for a favorable front-end trip. In SMOLDERING STREET<\/B>, Magoo has a good, older horse who does have some lick out of the gate. He’s seven, and it’s hard to imagine a horse that old being capable of winning the Breeders Bowl, but why not? The horse just won a Grade I, the owner-restricted World Cup. It is worth nothing that at least one trainer in here wanted into that race, but did not get selected. Kaif said he was shocked when Tired Wings was passed over by the selection committee, so Smoldering Street caught a break when he did not have to face that fast gal in the World Cup. The second and third place runners in the World Cup are currently ranked No. 25 and 81, so I think it’s safe to say a lot of handicappers are going to be looking at that Grade I with a dose of suspicion. Also, Smoldering Street had been getting creamed in graded company every other time he tried it in his career before the World Cup. So, there are handicapping knocks on this horse as it concerns both class and his old age. That being said, there are sound arguments to make in his favor. First of all, Magoo is a shrewd trainer who seems to have the uncanny ability to move his horses up. I know there are a couple of mine he took that were made better in the barn of this young Aussie. Second, the horse has competitive speed figures. Finally, he has the aforementioned pace edge. What if Polish Reality doesn’t feel like running? Let’s let Magoo give us the straight dope here: “I will be entering world cup sprint winner smouldering street who would have to be the oldest horse in the race. he has had many starts and it has taken this long to figure him out. I have worked out he runs his best races with 4 to 5 weeks rest which is standered knowledge for most trainers but not me. I got him with my 2nd stable the 2nd week I was playing the game. It took me ages to learn how the game works in terms of resting horses and if you look at his record you may notice he has gone poor in graded races comming off just a few weeks rest. When I entered the world cup i had a suspition he might win comming off the extra rest which cvbear failed to notice when he was written off before the world cup. While he may not be the fastest in the pack he is the toughest and will hopfully be chewing on the rocks tail till he gets into the straight where he passes him and wins the race. While I do not consider the rock the only danger I do consider him the main danger, I was very disapointed he missed the world cup……………….NOT! He will need to go faster than ever before but if it comes down to a 2 horse war at the end of the race my money is on ss.”<\/P>

Tenth is ACT OF BRAVE <\/B>for the pm stable. That’s right, we said tenth. How in the heck is this horse 10th? Please allow me the luxury of having more than one pick in a race. This horse IS THE OTHER PICK. I know, I know, he’s a downtown closer. I am supposed to be looking for speed horses here. But how can you turn your head from this horse? Act of Brave is a tremendous horse to be ranked this low. He’s knocking on the door in two of his last three, both open-company Grade I’s. If THE PICK, sdmf’s In A Simple Rhyme, was impressive in that Kingab Grade One, what about Act of Brave? After all, he beat that one home. This horse unleashed a furious rally to go from 16th to second in the stretch. That’s sick. Last out, he ran a lifetime-best speed fig of 115 when second in the Grade I Scottsdale BB Stakes, flying home to be beaten only a nose for all the money from 10th. This horse has that uber-destructive stretch kick like a crazy good turf runner. So, what the heck happened in the World Cup two back? He was only sixth in that race. I guess closers don’t have to fire all the time. If you’re looking at both sides of the coin with this horse, I guess you could maybe take the position that maybe he has been rushed up to this race. That big 115 was only two weeks ago. In the 2000 Sim, that was no big deal. Horses regularly ran big speed figs on short rest. Not so much anymore. The accepted approach now is four or five weeks between races for the big horses. There’s the knock. If Act of Brave is capable of running his best here on Saturday, however, he has a major chance.<\/P>

Next is WESTERN ROMP TED <\/B>for the Tsyndicate, out of his apacolypse stable. OK, now what am I going to do? This horse just beat THE OTHER PICK. I am gonna have way too many picks in this race. Normally, it’s a knock on a 3yo facing elders, but you can’t really make that knock with Western Romp Ted. He’s raced against older horses for the last four races in a row, and with no small amount of success. One of the best things about doing these kinds of previews is to see how a trainer learns his horse. As late as June of this year, there’s no way Tsyndicate thought he was on his way to the BB Sprint with this horse. He was running him as far as 12 furlongs, and as far as a mile and a quarter in Grade I company. It was early August when Tsyndicate dropped this 3yo under a mile, and he responded big-time with a victory going 7 furlongs, with a vastly improved speed figure. Guess what? He moved up even more when shortened to the BB Sprint distance of six furlongs. This horse never has missed the board at this distance. As stated, there is not much speed in here. If he’s up to running fast again on short rest, what’s to say he doesn’t go to the front with some major sticking power? Boy, these big races are fun to break down. This is a heck of a horse and it’s fun to look at this kind.<\/P>

OK, maybe there is more speed in here than we thought. Rafa has a very, very fast horse in SESTRIERE. <\/B>It was this 3yo son of Awesome Again which In A Simple Rhyme and Act of Brave could not catch in the five furlong Grade I Kingab sprint. Here is a dangerous angle in horseracing: Speed of the Speed. What’s to say Rafa does not have just that magic here with this 3yo? If he can lead a five-furlong sprint from gate to wire, it makes sense that he may be able to wrest control of this race at the first jump. As with Western Romp Ted, Rafa thought he had a horse who would run farther than six furlongs when he first bred Sestriere. He stared him out going seven furlongs, which implies an intent to develop a route horse later. But, a good trainer lets his horse tell him what he wants. When Sestriere failed miserably in Grade 2 company when stretched out to 8.5 furlongs, the writing was on the wall and Rafa could read it. He saw his horse struggle to finish twice when running a route, and he made the right choice. He went back to sprinting, and starts at seven furlongs eventually became six, and eventually became the uber-sprint distance of five. Rafa has found the game for this one now and he’s a legitimate speed threat in this year’s Breeders Bowl Sprint.<\/P>

Two more to go now. SKANONYMOUS <\/B>qualifies 13th and is yet another tremendous horse. He has been crushing Grade 2 competition for psychloan, out of his sighclone stable. The real impressive thing about this son of Yonaguska is what he did in his last race. After cutting loose with a sweet late kick to take down two straight Grade 2 races at Saturday’s distance of six furlongs, he stretched out to a mile and did the same thing. This is a heck of a horse to win three Grade 2 races in a row. That’s a great thing right there no matter if he is the Breeders Bowl winner or not. And, he just might be. Believe it or not, the 13th qualifier IS THE FAVORITE!!! This horse is 6-1, ranked parimutually in front of Casterly Rock and Ab Fab. Let’s make some arguments in this horse’s favor. He defeated Act of Brave two back and that one is a serious horse. Three back, he beat Death Valley Driver, another horse he meets here today. So, those Grade 2 scores may very well translate nicely class-wise to this greatest of all Grade Ones. This horse has won four of five, and two of them at the exact right distance. If Casterly Rock wins his third straight Breeders Bowl, he’s going to have to earn it.<\/P>

Finally, we have WONDERBOY DJ <\/B>for wonder2. The fact that the horse who ran second in last year’s Breeders Bowl to Casterly Rock barely makes the race is a testimony to how dynamite a field this is. Being as the horse has been out of the exacta in five straight races, you might take a position that he’s slowing down at age 5. On the other hand, the speed figures are keeping right up there. He’s within a length of the money while fourth two back in the World Cup. He’s a deep closer, he’s got the class, and he’s playing his game going this distance. There is a lot to like about this horse, but he’s just been coming up a bit short lately. This would be a great day to make up the difference for trainer wonder 2.<\/P>

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!!!<\/P><\/B><\/FONT><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given’s star faces major opposition on his way to Sim history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"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-4981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4981","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\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}