{"id":5840,"date":"2008-04-24T15:22:23","date_gmt":"2008-04-24T15:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=5840"},"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=5840","title":{"rendered":"ERMINGTON PEGUSUS flies to New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ITCH<\/STRONG><\/P>

Good day, race fans and what an honor it is to be here in New York to witness the comeback race of the rare ERMINGTON PEGUSUS<\/STRONG>, who will make his first start here Saturday since a disappointing fifth-place run in a failed defense of his 2007 Sand Castle Classic championship.<\/P>

It’s the Grade 2 EVISCERATOR STAKES, going a mile and an eighth on the main track. <\/P>

Country folk all over the United States and the world will understand that’s a little intimidating for a reporter to come all the way to The City from rural West Virginia. A ballplayer from the coal mines of Tennessee made the same trek almost 90 years ago, albeit slower, by train.<\/P>

Astute Boston Red Sox fans may remember the name Earl Webb. After all, ’tis the “Earl of Dublin” who will still be holding the all-time single-season record in the American League for, yes, doubles. On the day he went to New York for the first time, Big Earl would have turned around and come home, if only he could have found his way back to the bus station.<\/P>

A fast-balling terror of the semi-pro leagues down in Tennessee, Webb had come to New York to try out for the Giants. He found The City all right, but the Polo Grounds, he could not. He wandered around and cursed himself for coming in the first place. Whilst hunting for the rail station to come home, he recognized a familiar face.<\/P>

“Say fella, aren’t you Babe Ruth?” the young Webb said.<\/P>

“Yeah,” said the Babe.<\/P>

Identifying himself, Webb said he was in New York for his tryout. Could Ruth direct him to the ballpark?<\/P>

“I can do better than that, kid,” he said. “I’ll give you a ride.”<\/P>

Though he was destined to become a struggling minor-leaguer as a pitcher, Webb earned a contract that day in New York, beginning a nearly 20-year career in baseball that saw him play for several major league teams, and set that record that still stands. He made it as a lumbering outfielder whose fielding improved, but whose bat was heavy.<\/P>

Webb’s nephew, Abner, just retired as a pressman after 39 years at the Huntington Herald-Dispatch, so that’s how we know the story of the Earl of Dublin, which we happily recount on the occasion of this fine horse race.<\/P>

Before we begin, special thanks are extended to our hosts here in New York, those being Mr. Trotter and Mr. Irish. I have been here since Tuesday, handicapping the oddest races from tracks you never heard of with these two gentlemen. I think next we are going to bet on some quarter horses or something.<\/P>

All right, let’s get to the horses and see if Pigeon is going to bring his hero back to form here:<\/P>

Last year, Pigeon <\/EM>shipped to Maryland for the Grade I Special with the big horse after winning the Sand Castle by five lengths, and won it, too. Last year, when EPeg<\/STRONG> was 4, he went on an astonishing four-race winning streak in Grade I races. This year, he’s finding a place to recover instead of another race to dominate. He drops to Grade 2 company, which may indicate a little worry on the part of his trainer. It’s not exactly all systems go right now for this great horse, having finished nine lengths back of AWESOME FORCE in the Sand Castle, a race which he romped by five lengths last year. Might the supreme air of confidence around the Pigeon barn be punctured? Instead of confident grins, the help at the shedrow bears a nervous wrinkle in their brows. “He’s OK, isn’t he?” they wonder among themselves. If he is, and feels good enough to assert his superior class upon this field, he will leap-frog back into first place in the divisional rankings over the equallly great SOLAR SONG. These two wonders of horsedom are in a statistical dead heat for the lead in the Classic Division for older horses, and Solar Song is not running this week. Squirrel continues to rest her big horse after his solid second-place run in the Sand Castle. It appears quite likely that EPeg is earning some graded points in this spot, and quite likely he’s going to the top spot. This is an amazing fact, considering the broodmare of this top horse. In total, SECRET PEGASUS has dropped four horses in the Sim. In 26 lifetime starts, EPeg has won more than $10 million, for an astonishing per-race earnings of almost $400,000 every time he steps on the track. Believe it or not, the other three horses out of this mare have won an aggregate of only $30,000. Secret Pegasus herself was an awful racehorse, winning only one of 33 starts. And yet, from this family of proven losers comes the shining star that is Ermington Pegusus. It will be an honor to watch this fine horse run here Saturday.<\/P>

An honor for this reporter, that is. For the other trainers in this race, it’s something different. Maybe it says they’re not so scared of EPeg off that fifth-place finish and shipping all the way from Dubai. A Grade 2 is always bound to attract a strong field, but how many has EPeg scared off? Let’s take a look at the rest of these to see who stands to benefit if the champ is off his game.<\/P>

Grade I Sterile Mile winner WOODEN MINISTER<\/STRONG> stretches out to nine furlongs here for Pogo Racing<\/EM> after a string of races at a flat mile. The irony in the past performances for this classy son of Hennessy is that he is switching distances here out of a race called the “I Think I Found the Right Distance.” It’s hard to blame Mr. Pogs for deciding his horse was a miler after winning the Sterile Mile. However, his late, late run hasn’t always come in time at eight panels, and the decision was made to stretch him out to a mile and an eighth here. Can he make the same kind of strong late run in the longer race? And against the Sim’s elite in Ermington Pegusus? It seems a daunting challenge, but we can make two very strong arguments in Wooden Minister’s favor. First, this horse is lightly raced. He’s making only his 14th career start here. While Pigeon is trying to keep the bloom on the rose with the 5yo favorite, this 4yo very well could be just blossoming. Second, Wooden Minister appears to be sitting on a huge race. Pogs saw fit to rest this horse for three months after his sixth-place finish in the Grade I Delaware Mile. He’s brought him back carefully, getting a race under his belt in the Grade 3 Winchester before unleashing a good bit of his normal kick last out for a 113 speed figure. Unless this horse absolutely hates the distance, a supreme effort can be predicted from this son of Hennessy here on Saturday. This horse is rocking on ready to run the biggest race of his life. He’s already a Grade I winner, but to compete successfully against EPeg definitely would move this horse up in the Sim hierarchy.<\/P>

We’ve got another Silky Sullivan type in rcdlogan’<\/EM>s MON WEST<\/STRONG> out of his twister stable, one of the 21 rows in the shedrow of ONEWORLD Stables. You may say rcdlogan is a dreamer for wanting to win a Grade 2 this Saturday, but he’s not the only one. Many trainers will give horses another shot, and that’s what the barn is doing here Saturday with this 6yo. The last two times Mon West tried Grade 2 company were at this exact distance. Unfortunately, Mon West was up the track on both occasions. Those two races aside, Mon West is a very nice Sim recovery story. This horse appeared to break down at age 4 in a turf marathon, and he ran poorly for a number of races afterward. Let’s just say at that point nobody would have expected what rcdlogan witnessed in August of last year, when Mon West closed strongly to be second in the Grade I Billgulch Kentucky Challenge. This horse came back from being off the board in eight out of 10 races at one point to placing second in a Grade I. That’s a heck of a thing right there. So, Mon West may not handicap so well in this race, either, what with Ermington Pegusus loading in the gate with him and all, but a nice horse here. Hey, let’s not forget he’s still running strong speed-figure wise at age 6. He just ran a 107 last out, only three ticks off his career best. I am not sure he’s the classiest closer in this race, but it’s nice to see a horse come back and compete so successfully as this one has.<\/P>

Speaking of nice speed figures last out, peeps<\/EM> has a real nice one here in SPECIMEN X <\/STRONG>for his Cobra Kai Racing Stables. This sleek 5yo chestnut son of Fusaichi Pegasus posted a lifetime-best 112 three weeks ago this exact class and distance in the Bertrando way over in Hong Kong. So, it’s a long trip here to New York for the horse, but he looks like a tiger with his current form. That big 112 speed figure is backed up with a 111 and a 110, all in his last five races. This is a very speedy horse who can be rated, but just hasn’t had things go his way pace-wise in a lot of his big graded races. Look out if he ever gets a clear lead. It’s worth noting that the three top qualifiers here are dead-end closers, so that stands to benefit a horse like Specimen X who wants to get out there and run. Previously, Specimen X has been forced into a chasing role, and that kind of thing doesn’t leave much energy when the closers come knocking. That’s what’s happened to Specimen X in all of his Grade I and Grade 2 tries. He’s a very classy horse, plenty fast enough and capable of winning one of these big races. He just needs to have the breaks go his way pace-wise and this could very well be the day.<\/P>

The Evil Empire<\/EM> has a smoking-hot horse in the next qualifier. This is LIFEFORCE<\/STRONG> out of the very good lenny3 barn, which is winning at a professional 21.8 percent for the career. I am sure Mr. Lennbrenner sees that career mark just 2\/10 of a point below 20 percent aggregate career for all of the Evil Empire. With the impressive display of Simulated horse flesh that this conglomerate puts forward, it seems there are no problems which Lenny cannot fix. As noted in this column previously, Lenny wants to have a hand in a lot of these stakes races. The hand he’s playing with this 4yo son of North Light has gotten stronger as he’s switched the horse two dirt, albeit every indication in the bloodlines that this horse was meant for the grass. With Lyphard the DS and Roberto the DDS, it’s no wonder the Evil Empire ran this horse exclusively on the grass for the first 15 starts of his career. It’s not like he was struggling on his intended surface, either. Lifeforce had captured both a Grade I and a Grade 3 on the grass. However, his speed figures have exploded since switched to the main track. Maybe it’s simply because the horse is older now and thus more capable of posting big numbers, but the best he ever did on the turf was 104, and he’s eclipsed that three out of five times on the dirt. He’s a speedy horse who should play a prominent role in this race right from the outset.<\/P>

If your horse ran consecutive speed figures of 113, 113, 110 and 110, how many of those four races would you expect to win? If you are Pirate <\/EM>and we’re talking about your impressive 4yo Awesome Again colt ONCE AND AGAIN<\/STRONG>, the answer is only one. Despite serving as a model of consistency in the speed figure department, Once and Again has been defeated three of his last four. Not that the fact is terribly discouraging. In fact, Pirate has seen this horse blossom into the kind of rare animal capable of taking on the best the Sim has to offer. Think this horse is any good? Guess who he beat last race. None other than the favorite, Ermington Pegusus himself. After winning a non-graded stake two back for his first career stakes triumph, Once and Again was shipped from Indiana all the way to Dubai for racing’s richest race, the Grade I Sand Castle Derby. After sitting in fifth early, Once and Again passed several very good horses and took up the chase in second of Pazjazz’s GRACEPOINT PRAYER. For more than one furlong, it looked like the race was down to those two as they were the only ones visible on the race viewer. Then, bam! Here came AWESOME FORCE and SOLAR SONG flying up the rail, and immediately it was evident that Once and Again was chasing for third instead of the richest payday in all of horseracing. To his credit, Once and Again ran on with some strength to be a close-up fourth. He’s an obvious contender in this race if he can hold his form off the stress of that race and globe-hopping from one continent to the next.<\/P>

The only time in his last seven races that rvd’<\/EM>s ADHARA<\/STRONG> missed the exacta was right here in the Big Apple, two back in the Grade 3 Big A Handicap. Otherwise, this chesnut son of Aldebarran has come running every time, his late kick strong enough to at least get up for second in six of his last seven races. That comely streak is put to the test here Saturday, however, both in terms of class and distance. Adhara has built his current racing record against non-graded stakes and allowance fields, and tackles Grade 2 competition in the Viscerator. He just so happens to run into Ermington Pegusus, who looks to stake his claim as the No. 1 horse in all of the Sim here Saturday. Adhara also has built his streak, which has included a long run of pretty triple-digit speed figures, going shorter. All of his recent races were at either a flat mile or a mile and a sixteenth, and he stretches out to nine furlongs here. That should sound warning bells in the mind of any decent handicapper. It’s one thing for a horse to try one new thing in a race, and really difficult to attempt to accomplish two. Not to mention that this horse has been up the track the last three times he’s competed at nine furlongs. If Adhara runs first or second here, then rvd knows he’s got an even better horse than it appears right now. He’s gotten very, very good over the winter and we will see if a bit of a layoff before this race will help him handle the distance and class jumps. <\/P>

Barndog<\/EM> brings SHALLOW WATERS<\/STRONG> here to the Viscerator off five straight races in non-graded company going longer. In this rangy 4yo son of Daylami (who seems to get horses who can run all day like this one), we have yet another late closer in this race. It is becoming clear that the pace scenario is getting a lot more crowded at the back end of this race as opposed to the front. Of the top eight qualifiers, six are deep closer types. In other words, this is looking good so far pace-wise for Cobra Kai and the Evil Empire. Their Specimen X and Lifeforce might have the race to themselves for the early, mid- and maybe late-going. It will take a special effort by Shallow Waters to hit the board while cutting back in distance to nine furlongs here. He does show success racing at this distance, having won an allowance race last summer going nine furlongs, but Shallow Waters has been racing exclusively in longer races lately. He’s been doing quite well at it, too, having won a non-graded race in the slop going 11 furlongs two back. Like Adhara, but in reverse distance-wise, Shallow Waters is trying two new things at once in the same race. He’s jumping in class while cutting back in distance, a tough trick indeed.<\/P>

With only 10 horses in this field, it already appeared that this might not be the toughest Grade 2 field in the world, and why would it be with Ermington Pegusus in here to scare everyone off? The last two in here, TOPHATTER<\/STRONG> for olwhisper<\/EM> and OVERTHEFENCE <\/STRONG>for the White Wolf Stables<\/EM>, are both nice horses, but do not appear to be Grade 2 material at this time.<\/P>

Tophatter<\/STRONG> is, indeed, a very nice allowance horse. Olwhisper <\/EM>has this horse going good, first or second in four straight races now. But, those were in n2y restricted allowance races. The speed figures are nice, too, with consistency in the triple-figure range. Olwhisper knows what he is doing, and maybe you can take the view that the horse has earned his return to stakes company. What a spot to land in, though, skipping right over open allowance and non-graded stakes into a Grade 2 against EPeg. This horse is a stakes winner, and a pretty nice horse, just looks to be in the wrong spot here.<\/P>

Same for Overthefence, who wanders into a Grade 2 field at the ripe old age of 9. He’s got back class and is a multiple Grade 2 winner at the distance, but he recently returned from a nearly three-year layoff. Maybe this can serve as a prep race for an N1Y allowance for this old campaigner.<\/P>

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!<\/STRONG><\/P>

<\/P>

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