{"id":5079,"date":"2007-11-08T22:01:57","date_gmt":"2007-11-08T22:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=5079"},"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=5079","title":{"rendered":"Seeking Stephen Headlines Prancing Ferry"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the second straight year, rain promises to soften up Japan<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s turf course for the eighth running of the Grade II Prancing Ferry Stakes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P>

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Ten fillies and mares, including two top twenty sprinters will compete for the $250,000 purse, going six furlongs.<\/P>

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Here is a look at the field:<\/P>

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PP 1\u00a0 <\/SPAN>MAKING ME GO(IRE) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE) x CAPOTE x FORTY NINER) bred by kaif<\/I><\/B>, trained by kaif012<\/I><\/B> (Kaif Stables, 16%) Odds: 6-1<\/P>

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She comes off an allowance win.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This is a move Kaif has tried with her many times before.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Five times already she\u2019s won a sprint allowance on the turf and followed that win with a stakes try.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her record in those five starts is a second, two thirds, and two lasts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That\u2019s not a bad record.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>However, now in her 37th<\/SUP> start she makes only her second graded try.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her first was an undistinguished race sixteen months ago.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her two starts on wet grass do not inspire confidence.<\/P>

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PP 2\u00a0 <\/SPAN>LA SANTA CRUZ <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(ALDEBARAN x MR. PROSPECTOR x DANEHILL) bred by pata<\/I><\/B>, trained by santacruz3<\/I><\/B> (Penamacor2 Stables, 11%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 9-2<\/P>

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She ran into a surprisingly tough field in her start last time in a listed stakes and finished an even seventh despite posting a triple digit figure.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>A repeat of that performance here is likely to put her in the money or better.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s run well on off tracks before, with a pair of seconds in three outings, and owns a graded win, though it came early in her three year old campaign.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She is likely to sit just behind the early runners, and if the pace breaks down she may be the one.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Alderbaran\u2019s get have done slightly better on the dirt than the turf.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This filly has a nice turf record and has never tried the dirt.<\/P>

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PP 3\u00a0 <\/SPAN>CREDIT CLOCK(KY) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(FUSAICHI PEGASUS x RED RANSOM x SADLER’S WELLS) bred and trained by brentuk1<\/I><\/B> (Oasis Racing UK<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>, 23%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 15-1<\/P>

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High percentage and crafty trainer makes what looks like a bold entry here.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The only three year old in the race makes her first sprint start since her debut.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Besides her disadvantage in maturity and sprinting experience, her speed figures lag behind many in here.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She was selected for a World Cup race for her only graded experience, and that was a debacle.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Yet, when a 23% trainer makes an entry on a Wednesday, after seeing almost the entire field, you have to be suspicious that he knows something that\u2019s not obvious in the Past Performances.<\/P>

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PP 4\u00a0 <\/SPAN>SKY BEAUTY <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(LEMON DROP KID x ALYDAR x STORM BIRD) bred and trained by sdmf <\/I><\/B>(Black Label Stables, 20%) Odds: 7-2<\/P>

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SDMF makes the entry move that catches your attention.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Stablemate Tequila Shooter was entered Sunday evening, yet Sky Beauty wasn\u2019t entered until just before the time entries closed.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>We assume this elite trainer was shopping around to find the perfect place for this filly, the 20th<\/SUP> ranked turf sprinter.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s on a streak of five straight triple digit speed figures, by far the tops in the field and why she merits her favoritism.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>What she\u2019s missing is a graded win.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s tried twice before.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>A year ago she tried the 10 furlong Flower Pot, and she ran poorly.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That, understandably, was her last route.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Three races back she tried the Grade III Scuzzy South and finished third.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s an obvious choice.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has the best figures and barn managed to enlist the 30% K Ledwith to ride.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She should be able to handle the off track with three finishes in the money in her four starts.<\/P>

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PP 5\u00a0 <\/SPAN>THE NEUTRAL ZONE <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(PINE BLUFF x MISWAKI x LINE IN THE SAND) bred and trained by indigo1<\/I><\/B> (Wenlock Stables, 26%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 5-1<\/P>

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This filly has tried a graded sprint only once before.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>A year ago she ran in the Grade III Scary Movie Special and dispatched that tough field with ease.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Since then she\u2019s consistently in the money for this incredible barn, but she hasn\u2019t repeated that performance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s the best of the deep closers in the field.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>There is a legitimate front running threat here, but rumor has it that one of the trainers has purposely entered a rabbit in order to benefit his closer.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Neutral Zone might be the one to benefit the most.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>After 35 starts, she gets her first start on an off track.<\/P>

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PP 6\u00a0 <\/SPAN>TEQUILA SHOOTER <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(ALDEBARAN x DIXIELAND BAND x UNBRIDLED) bred and trained by sdmf <\/I><\/B>(Black Label Stables, 20%) Odds: 6-1<\/P>

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Any rumor that she is just a rabbit for Sky Beauty is preposterous and anyone spreading that rumor deserves prosecution.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>After all it is this one that leads the field, by far, in lifetime earnings and earnings per start.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It\u2019s true she hasn\u2019t run a triple digit figure since February, but she\u2019s still more than competitive after 43 lifetime starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s always a factor and almost always earns a piece of the purse.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But there\u2019s no denying she\u2019s lost a bit.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She won nine of her first ten races, but none of her last seven.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She won a Grade I stakes on a \u201cgood\u201d turf early in her career, but lately she doesn\u2019t seem to like it when the grass gets soft.<\/P>

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PP 7\u00a0 <\/SPAN>SEEKING STEPHEN <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(STEPHEN GOT EVEN x SEEKING THE GOLD x STORM CAT) bred and trained by eathsong <\/I><\/B>\u00a0<\/SPAN>(The Dog Pound, 15%)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Odds: 6-1<\/P>

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In the history of the Prancing Ferry, every winner was stakes placed in her previous start, and three of the past four winners went wire to wire.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Seeking Stephen is one of only three in here that were stakes placed last time. (Sky Beauty and Crossland Drive<\/st1:address><\/st1:Street> are the other two.)\u00a0 <\/SPAN>And while there is some other early speed to pester her early, she seems to be the speed of the speed.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The rain is a Godsend.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She is been in the money in nine of her ten starts on off tracks.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Barndog did his homework in picking a jockey for this top rated filly.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>G. Arnold<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> has won this race two of the past three years.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her odds are depressed only by a late July melt down.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She\u2019s more than recovered from that race, as evidenced by her race-best 106 speed figure last time.<\/P>

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PP <\/SPAN>8\u00a0 <\/SPAN>CROSSLAND DRIVE<\/STRONG><\/SPAN><\/st1:address><\/st1:Street> <\/SPAN><\/STRONG>(SOUTHERN HALO x GONE WEST x SO BLESSED(ENG)) bred and trained by ssj4vegeta <\/I><\/B>\u00a0<\/SPAN>(Bigrick Stables, 15%) Odds: 8-1<\/P>

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She\u2019s the only one coming to this from the same Grade II class level.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Last time she was a close third in the Numbers Don\u2019t Lie Stakes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The field in that race was very comparable to today\u2019s, and it would be no surprise to see her get at least a share.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In the first race of her three year old season she won a turf sprint on a \u201cgood\u201d track.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her more recent wet track experiences have not looked as good though.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In mid August she finished behind both Sky Beauty and Tequila Shooter in the Scuzzy Stakes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Tough to make her your top pick on that basis alone.<\/P>

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PP 9\u00a0 <\/SPAN>PRABHA(AUS) <\/STRONG><\/SPAN>(TESTA ROSSA (AUS) x WARNING(GB) x MR. PROSPECTOR) bred by totheright<\/I><\/B>, trained by united<\/I><\/B> (Stretch Stables, 11%) Odds: 13-1<\/P>

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She makes her 20th<\/SUP> graded stakes start today.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>She has three wins in those 20 starts, but the last of those came over a year ago.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Wear and tear may be taking its toll.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In her last eleven races, even though she has a couple of wins, she hasn\u2019t broken a 100 speed figure and is only averaging 90.6.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her only start on a wet track came in an Equinics stakes as a three year old.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That was, of course, a much tougher field than this so her poor performance can be excused, but it\u2019s harder to forgive her last start where she was 11th<\/SUP> against a field not much better than this.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>On the bright side, veteran jockey N. Tippins won the first three Prancing Ferries.<\/P>

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PP 10\u00a0 <\/SPAN>LIKEADOELIKEADEER(AUS)<\/SPAN><\/STRONG> <\/SPAN>(RUBITON(AUS) x SAUMAREZ(GB) x BEVELED) bred by db<\/I><\/B>, trained by robin3<\/I><\/B> (Cloudkye Stables, 5%) Odds: 14-1<\/P>

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She was claimed in August for $50,000.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In her two starts since she\u2019s been out of the money in allowance races.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Earlier this year she picked up a couple seconds in listed stakes, running in times that would make her competitive here.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Her most recent race was substantially better than the one before, so barn is taking a flyer that she may be about to return to her March form.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>It may not be likely, but it\u2019s not as crazy an idea as it may appear at first glance.<\/P>

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Summary<\/B>: If Seeking Stephen<\/B> gets loose, and I think she can, the race is over.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Cash your $14.00 win ticket.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>If the early pace is too much, Sky Beauty<\/B> looks like a play, even as the chalk.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Let\u2019s say third most likely is Crossland Drive<\/B><\/st1:address><\/st1:Street>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/STRONG><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Japan Stakes Attracts 10 to the Soggy Grass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":432,"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-5079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5079","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\/432"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}