The older dirt sprint division invades Northern California this week with the running of The Grade III Pablo Cruz Handicap. A field of 14 have passed the entry box in this 7 furlong dirt sprint for all horses 4YO + and will vye for the top cut of the $150,000 purse.<\/P>
Let’s take a look at today’s field:<\/P>
1)KETCH(KY)—5\/1—<\/STRONG>bigskyfarm sends this 4 year old colt out of AWESOME AGAIN with a record of 20-9-5-1 and lifetime earnings of $731,378. He is out of the mare IRONHORSE AWARD who was 9\/38 at the track and who has 4 foals on record of which 3 are winners including this Graded stakes winner. This 4th divisional ranked colt races out of the Libitfarm stables based in Vermont at The Pastures of Green. A little home cooking brought this colt back to life last time out when he won a Grade III Vermont dirt sprint stakes and posted a bigtime lifebest 120 speed rating in the process. If he repeats that here today he will be a tough customer to beat but that will depend on wether or not the dreaded bounce factor veers its ugly head here today. He is now a 3 time Graded stake winner and should be sitting back early starting his move in the far turn and then charging hard down the stretch. Is the morining line choice and should be the one to beat here today. The rider for today’s race will be White (34.4%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—116<\/STRONG><\/P> 2)CHRONIC ADDICTION—8\/1—<\/STRONG>pjlracing sends this 5 year old horse out of GONE WEST with a record of 22-8-4-2 and lifetime earnings of $190,735. This 71st divisional ranked horse races out of Pedro’s Racing Empire based at the EAAA racing residency. Throw out the off track start and this horse has posted triple digit speed rating in 8 consecutive starts on fast tracks. He has 2 overniter stake wins under his belt and will make his Graded stakes debut today after prepping for this race in his 2008 debut 2 weeks in a NM allowance race where he won easily posting a 110 speed rating, just 4 points shy of his lifetime mark.\u00a0 He is a closer who sits midpack early and while most of his starts and wins have come at 7.5 furlongs he has shown that he can also handle the 7f distance. A well deserved chance in a Graded stake today and definitely a factor in the outcome of this race today. The rider for today’s race will be Bay (6.35).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—112<\/STRONG><\/P> 3)BLEACHER CREATURE—17\/1—<\/STRONG>twoyearold sends this 5 year old horse out of GRAND SLAM with a record of 19-5-1-3 and lifetime earnings of $113,119. He is out of the mare CATEVENALY who was 7\/36 at the track and who has 3 foals on record with this the only winner so far to date. This 141st divisional ranked horse races for the GR Simsters division of the Clemente-Migliore stables. This horse looks to have been picked up either at the auction or private sale in March of 2006 and he took to his new connections becoming a solid allowance perfomer with his best run around this time last year when he went on a 3 race winning streak. He has only competed in two stake races so far in his career, both Graded events with his best result a 3rd place finish in The Grade III Deep South Sprint in his 2007 finale. He posted his lifetime best 111 speed rating in the race prior to that one at MS in an allowance contest. This closer did not have his usual blistering late stretch move in his prep for this race but that can be on account of the 8 week layoff heading into that race and he should be sharper here today. The rider for today’s race will be Mayberry (0%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—105.<\/STRONG><\/P> 4)MAGICAL MERLIN—7\/1—<\/STRONG>lordbyron sends this 5 year old horse out of SMARTY JONES with a record of 26-10-5-1 and lifetime earnings of $899,325. He is out of the he-mare CLAIRVOYANT who was 4\/46 at the track. This 100th divisional ranked horse races for an independent stable based at the CR racers. This colt has been searching to refind his 2YO form when he was a multiple Graded winner but he just did not develop as a planned in his 3 year old season and was even switched to the turf for 10 races between 2006 and last summer. He has since returned to the dirt and seems to have found his spot in the dirt sprint division. He won a pair of overnite stakes in the latter half of the season and will return to try his luck in the Graded stake ranks today. He did not prep for this race so he comes in off a 10 week layoff and that may be a little tough for this one today but if he performs well in this race it should pave the way for a successfull campaign in 2008. He is one of many late closers in this race that should present a lot of traffic issues in what could be a wild sprint down the stretch. The rider for today’s race will be Munoz (14.8%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—105.<\/STRONG><\/P> 5)MONEYGROWSONTREES—9\/1—<\/STRONG>cheadle sends this 5 year old horse out of FORESTRY with a record of 26-8-5-3 and lifetime earnings of $883,960. He is out of the mare MISS CARBY who was 1\/19 at the track and who has 3 foals on record, all winners including this Graded stakes winner. This 41st divisional ranked horse races for the Desperado stables based at the GR Simsters. This horse’s biggest moments at the track came as a 3 year old when he won 3 Graded starts in a span of 4 races and then coming back a few starts later to win The Grade I Prince’s Knight Stakes in Texas. He has turned out to be a formidable sprinter and with the late surge in speed ratings including a 112 posted 2 starts back returns to a Graded start in his 2008 debut today. The big question today is the 11 week layoff heading into this weekends race and he has not looked sharp in past years when he has made his season debuts. Another closer who may need this race before he hits his best stride but on past performance could always find his late stage rally and be a surprise in the results today. The rider for today’s race will be McGriggs (9.1%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—102<\/STRONG>.<\/P> 6)REMEMBER MORGADIO—13\/1—<\/STRONG>zielissimo sends this 5 year old horse out of STORM CAT with a record of 32-8-9-4 and lifetime earnings of $274,138. He is out of the he-mare MORGADIO(IRE) who was 8\/33 at the track. This 277th divisional ranked horse races for the Minnesota Downs division of the Rafa stables. This horse was a Graded winner back in the spring of 2006 when he won a mexican Grade III contest. For most of his career he has been a solid money earner in allowance contests and is usually in the picture at the finish line. He has some gate speed and while he has wired field in the past can also stalk from just off the pace and hope that his proximaty to the leaders will give him an edge over some of the closers who will be much further back at the head of the stretch. If he runs that style today he could be a factor here today and his 115 speed rating posted 2 starts back show he is in the mix speed wise here today. He was not overly sharp last time out after showing some speed early and it remains to be seen if that is his bounce race and he will rebound or if his 32 starts are coming back to take their toll. The rider for today’s race will be Sturman (0%).\u00a0\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—105.<\/STRONG><\/P> 7)PEACE ALLY—10\/1—<\/STRONG>ell2020 sends this 5 year old horse out of PEACE RULES with a record of 26-7-6-1 and lifetime earnings of $383,290. This 53rd divisional ranked horse races out of the ell1919 stables based at the Great Plains Residency. This 5 time stake winner has a Graded race win in the books when he won a Grade III dirt sprint in CA this time last year. He has not been able to find the winners circle in 11 races since then usually settling for minor shares of the purses he has been running for. His problem seems to be that his rallies keep coming up short as while he starts to make a closing bid he ends up flatening out and does not carry on for the win. He will need to reverse that trend to be a win factor here today. He matched his lifetime best 109 speed rating 2 starts back and while that number has him in the mix he will probably need to set a lifetime mark to win this Grade III contest today. The rider for today’s race will be Winter (18.1%).\u00a0\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—105.<\/STRONG><\/P> 8)GHOST BLADE(ITY)—27\/1—<\/STRONG>avalanche sends this 4 year old colt out of DANZIG CONNECTION with a record of 22-4-4-4 and lifetime earnings of $174,092. He is out of the he-mare PICKLED RIDDLE who was 3\/67 at the track. This 120th divisional ranked colt races for the GR Simsters division of the Squirrel stables. This speedy colt comes into this race with an 0\/12 record in stake starts and has achieved most of his success when sprinting in conditioned allowance races. He posted a lifetime best 109 speed rating 3 starts back but has not been able to achieve triple digit speed ratings in his last 2 stats albeit one was a Grade I sprint and his last was a 10 furlong affair which may have been used as a tightener to set him up for this start today. It is pretty much assured he will be one of the early frontrunners today, and the big question is how far he will be able to go. For those that think this one can maintain his speed to the wire will surely be rewarded with some hefty prices in the mutual payouts. The rider for today’s race will be Takahashi (11.1%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—100<\/STRONG>.<\/P> 9)PEDRO MAXIMUS—9\/1—<\/STRONG>mattsbest sends this 6 year old horse out of CAPOTE with a record of 35-15-5-3 and lifetime earnings of $231,416. This 80th divisional ranked horse is the 2nd entry form Pedro’s Racing Empire based out of the EAAA racing residency. This dirt sprint allowance specialist has found some life later in his career by taking a pair of stake wins in his last 6 starts and will try to pick up his first Graded win here today. He will not have the benefit of an off track here where he has shown to have a liking for but did post his best fast track speed rating of 110 last time out in a NW2T conditioned allowance sprint in Taiwan 2 weeks ago. He is a closer who sits at the very back early and then comes charging home and must give his backers heartattacks with his last to first moves in many of his previous races. He is a stablemate of #2 CHRONIC ADDICTION and together they make a formidable entry in this race today. He has not fared well in his previous 3 Graded starts to date so he hopes he can reverse that trend with a good run here today. The rider for today’s race will be Dickerson (4.8%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—102.<\/STRONG><\/P> 10)AGREED—8\/1—<\/STRONG>sdmf5 sends this 6 year old horse out of SEEKING THE GOLD with a record of 34-12-11-4 and lifetime earnings of $1,426,533. This 294th divisional ranked horse races for the Black Label stables based over at Del\/Penn National. This veteran campaigner was a turf star for most of his career and was picked up in the massive PG selloff at the auction last summer. He has picked up a couple of restricted stake wins on the dirt for his new connections and has appeared more comfortable racing on the dirt since the ownership change. His 114 speed rating posted late last season puts him right in the thick of things here today and while I am sure this guy would like to be left alone on the front end to set up his own fractions it appears there are a few others who will probably be joining him into the fray for racing on the engine here today. He has shown an ability to handle all challenges and is probably the most dangerous of the frontrunners in this race today. The rider for today’s race will be Dodds (23.1%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—112.<\/STRONG><\/P> 11)STORM OF SUNSHINE—12\/1—<\/STRONG>mittasille sends this 5 year old horse out of STORM CAT with a record of 15-6-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $131,868. This 110th divisional ranked horse races for the Ldyssecret stables based in Vermont at The Pastures of Green. This horse did not make it to the races until last year as a 4 year old but has proven to his connections that it was worth the wait. He ran successfully for most of last season in the allowance ranks before surprising a December New York crowd by winning The Grade III JFK Street STakes as a 14\/1 longshot. He got the jump on the field that day and held off all challenges posting a lifetime best 111 speed rating. He has not been able to duplicate that race in a pair of starts since including his season debut in Vermont 4 weeks ago. He will probably have the same difficulties here today with others who would like to be at the front early but if he can do it once who is to say he cannot do it again and if he does his backers will be rewarded handsomely at the windows. The rider for today’s race will be May (14.3%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—107.<\/STRONG><\/P> 12)KING OF SEASONS(IRE)—10\/1—<\/STRONG>bluenyello sends this 4 year old colt out of KING OF KINGS(IRE) with a record of 18-5-6-1 and lifetime earnings of $193,230. He is out of the mare SEIFERT’S SEASONS who was 3\/18 at the track and who has 3 foals on record, all winners including this stakes winner. This 96th divisional ranked colt races for the Nickesyed Racing Club based over at the Ireland residency. This colt broke his string of cashing a cheque in all of his starts when he failed to fire in Vermont last time out and hopes to start another string with this Grade III contest today. He went into that contest posting back to back overnite stake wins, the first of his career and also putting up a 112 and 113 speed rating. It is sometimes a big step moving up from overnite stakes to Graded stakes and hopefully this colt used his experience from his last outing so that he can improve the result today. A big plus with this runner is his ability to both close from the back of the field and also be very capable of winning when stalking from a position closer to the front. This ability will let him see how the race develops before committing to a racing style. The rider for today’s race will be Lambert (0%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—108<\/STRONG><\/P> 13)BIG POPPA PUMP—10\/1—<\/STRONG>stonecold sends this 5 year old horse out of POINT GIVEN with a record of 28-7-7-3 and lifetime earnings of $549,300. He is out of the mare STORMY NIGHT who was 6\/33 at the track and who has 7 foals on record of which 6 are winners including 2 Graded stake winners. This 151st divisional ranked horse races for an independent and unafilliated stable. This 4 time stakes winner capture a Graded stake win when he won The Grade II Pea Shooters Handicap in SD in May of 2006. He suffered thru an 11 race winless streak thru the end of 2006 and for most of last year before finally finding the winners circle in an off track allowance dirt sprint. He was a surprise 7\/1 winner in a MA dirt sprint stakes start to debut in 2008 and with a lifetime best 114 speed rating posted in that race has been given a start in this Grade III test today. He showed speed in that wire to wire win last time out and is most effective when running a front running speed or pressing style so it should not take long into the start of this contest to see if this horse will be a factor in the results. The rider for today’s race will be Peters (12.1%).\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—107.<\/STRONG><\/P> 14)BORZAKOVSKI(KY)—15\/1—<\/STRONG>laxe sends this 4 year old colt out of THE CLIFF’S EDGE with a record of 24-5-3-2 and lifetime earnings of $628,344. He is out of the mare TRABA who was 16\/68 at the track and who has 5 foals on record, all winners including this Graded stakes winner. This 190th divisional ranked colt races for the Minnesota Downs division of the Fernando stables. While this colt has won at the sprint distances and in fact won a dirt stake sprint his claim to fame came when he won The Grade I Monster Mash Stakes over 11 furlongs on the dirt in NV last spring. He has not been able to win in 9 races since and tries at both routes, sprints and even a start on the grass has not ended his current winless drought. He did show a flash of life when he posted a 112 speed rating in his 2008 debut in an IL Grade III sprint stake but did not carry that success over to his last start in Vermont. Hopefully he can rebound with another good performance here today as this closer tries to deal with the extreme outside post position. The rider for today’s race will be Warren (0%).\u00a0\u00a0 PROJECTED SPEED RATING—107.<\/STRONG><\/P> A very competitive sprint here today, but it remains to be seen if the competition will be for first place or simply for who will finish behind #1 KETCH who looks to be very difficult to beat here today. The pace should be an good one giving him honest fractions to chase down and also some of the top contenders are coming into this race off extended layoffs. If the favorite should falter though there are many here who could provide the upset win.<\/P> GOOD LUCK AND GOOD RACING<\/P> THEO<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CAN KETCH CATCH THEM ALL IN WHAT SHOULD BE A THRILLING STRETCH DRIVE<\/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-5574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5574","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=5574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5574\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}