Race 15 on this week\u2019s As can be seen below, winning here does not automatically guarantee future greatness in the breeding shed, but previous winners have gone on to produce some handy offspring. Although a \u2018mere\u2019 Grade 3, winning this race will put one of the fillies onto an honor roll containing more than it\u2019s share of class, with two of the previous victors, Livvi\u2019s Lass<\/B> (2003) and Tired Wings<\/B> last year, including this event among the contributing runs towards their Eclipse Awards.<\/P> Let\u2019s revisit history with a quick look at the earlier winners of this event:<\/P> 2000 <\/B>(ungraded) \u2013 Torrid Block <\/B>\u2013 Retired Owner \u2013 1.10.6\u00a0 <\/SPAN>\u2013 94 \u2013 Retired winner of $219k. Dam of six foals, none of which has as yet justified the expenses involved in using an available-to-all mare<\/P> 2001<\/B> (first G3) <\/B>\u2013 Project Baby <\/B>\u2013 Fairhill \u2013 1.10.0 \u00a0<\/SPAN>\u2013 102 \u2013 Retired winner of $526k. Dam of four including Burn Project<\/B> (Burning Roma<\/I>) a still active five year old stakes winner and <\/B>stakes placed 4yo, Mountain Project<\/B> (Mr. Greeley<\/I>).<\/P> 2002 <\/B>– \u00a0<\/SPAN>Exbourne\u2019s Freedom <\/B>\u2013 Futurefarm \u2013 1.09.4 \u2013 109 \u2013 Retired winner of \u00a0<\/SPAN>$559k. Dam of five, featuring Graded placed stakeswinner 2003 \u2013<\/B> Livvi\u2019s Lass<\/B> \u2013 Phantom \u2013 1.09.6 \u00a0<\/SPAN>\u2013 108 \u2013 Retired winner of $2.6m. Eclipse Award winner. Dam of three, none of which have lived up to the promise of their four times Grade 1 winning mare, although 3yo Livvi\u2019s Reward<\/B> (Good Reward<\/I>) has won three from eight.<\/P> 2004 \u2013<\/B> Keys <\/B>\u2013 Email \u2013 1.09.6 \u2013 108 \u2013 Retired winner of $997k. Her only foal not inspirational.<\/P> 2005 \u2013 Bourbon Coffee<\/B> \u2013 Blackswan \u2013 1.09.6 \u2013 102 \u2013 Retired winner of $547k. Dam of two. First foal Pistol Creek<\/B> (Touch Gold<\/I>) a retired stakeswinner .<\/P> 2006 \u2013<\/B> 2007 \u2013<\/B> Tired Wings<\/B> \u2013 Kaif014 \u2013 1.09.2 \u2013 106 \u2013 active winner of $2m. Dual Eclipse Award winner.<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P> Historically we see that this race is a genuine test of speed. The winner will almost certainly stop the clock in under 1.10, and only once in the event\u2019s graded history has the winner not returned a triple digit speed rating. The race record stands at 1.09.2, recorded last year when Tired Wings<\/B> set the mark.<\/P> Although the Bob Barker Stakes<\/I> generally draws a smallish field, there can be no doubting the quality of previous winners, with two of the victors, Livvi\u2019s Lass<\/B> (2003) and Tired Wings<\/B> (2007), taking out this event on route to Eclispe Award greatness. This year the lineup outnumbers the most recent renewals.<\/P> Let\u2019s work through the formguide for this year\u2019s event:<\/P> From inside gate comes Wet<\/B>, an interesting filly, in that she\u2019s progressed recently from being unable to greet the judge in a maiden claim (albeit a $50k mc) to a stakes placed winner of four of her last five races. Clearly needing time to mature, she simply wasn\u2019t this good as a two year old. She started off with promise, running second at each of her first two, before rounding out 2007 with a couple of ordinary efforts. This year has been much more positive, since she her program began with that uninspiring fifth in the maiden claim. From there she\u2019s won a claim and three allowances with an ungraded stakes third sandwiched in the middle. She\u2019s going out at a handy quote this weekend, and probably deservedly so on a couple of fronts. Although she\u2019s won her last two, they were both in four horse fields, and although there are no prizes for winning margins, she\u2019s yet to prove she can run the sort of time likely to be needed in this. Wet<\/B> is a daughter of Fast Gold<\/I>, from Brass Purse<\/B> (Dixieland Band \/ Broadway Harry<\/I>), a stakes placed winner of thirteen races, exclusively raced by breeder Kaif<\/B>. There is lots of early speed in this event, so drawing the inside rail is going to prove an advantage, and connections have secured the services of one of the better jockeys. It\u2019s hard to see her holding off some of her more accomplished opponents in the run home, but she should give a good sight for a long time.<\/P> Gate 2 is the starting position for Angra Mainyu<\/B>, a former claimer who, in four runs since changing stables has proven to be a most astute purchase. Far from ordinary in her early races, not many owners would have risked her for a tag, but her original trainer was prepared to take the risk. Outerbanks<\/B> was quick to accept the offer, and has proceeded to capitalize on the error, steering the filly to three wins and a second in the ensuing events, and increasing her future stud value with a black type victory at the most recent. Very beautifully bred, she\u2019s the second offspring of Azhi Dahaki<\/B> (Danzig \/ Nijinsky<\/I>), a stakes placed mare who won four from twenty and over $120k. With the highly talented Mr. Greeley<\/I> as her sire, the decision to risk her so early becomes even more perplexing. But we\u2019re not here to discuss her previous life. The three recent wins have elevated her to a 50% win strike rate, and the black type victory underlines her credentials in lining up against this opposition. On the negative side of the ledger, her speed rating thus far are still a tad shy of the likely benchmark this weekend, and she is facing the biggest field of her career in this higher class challenge. Winning form is good form, however, and although I\u2019m reluctant to put her amongst the very top winning chances, there\u2019s no reason to suggest Angra Mainyu<\/B> can\u2019t maintain the perfect ITM record she enjoys for her current (and surely permanent) ownership.<\/P> From stall 3 jumps Fire West<\/B>, a useful filly, regularly thereabouts in sprint events. Although she\u2019s yet to register a win in a black type event, she\u2019s gone home empty handed just three times in a career of fourteen runs. Two of those races were routes, where she was clearly unsuited; losing by double figure margins, and the other was against Grade 1 company. That\u2019s looking at her career in its best light. Being more critical, she has a degree of catching up to do when compared with some of her opponents. Her best ever run was a second in an ungraded stake with just six runners. One of her wins was in a claiming race, and two others in low purse restricted allowances. Twice she\u2019s returned speed ratings in the low 90\u2019s, but as a peak in a well established career, it leaves a fair gap to improve this week if she looks to be a contender. Scratchbred, Fire West<\/B> carries the somewhat uninspiring blood of Fire Slam<\/I> and Bright Launch<\/I> in the first two lines, with Gone West<\/I> adding a touch of class in the third box. Graywolf9<\/B> has had a nice run with this filly as she\u2019s banked over $60k, but she\u2019d almost assuredly add substantially to that by dropping back a tad in class.<\/P> Silver City Gal<\/B> lines up in gate 4, as she looks for a return to the form which won her that coveted Grade one victory almost twelve months ago. Towards the end of July 2007, she had become a measuring stick for juvenile fillies, scoring four wins in a row, capped off by the G1-Horsehead Juvenile Fillies<\/I>. Since then she has failed to salute the judge. In fact, in seven subsequent runs, he hasn\u2019t managed a single podium finish. Breeder \/ trainer Squity<\/B> has expended all the options in an attempt to reverse the slump. The grass has been tried, as has a run over a route trip. Both of those experiments resulted in losses by margins exceeding fifteen lengths. In these dirt sprints however, she remains competitive, always finishing within a short distance of the winner. Bred from scratch using the blood of Silver Train \/ Carson City \/ Roberto<\/I>, Silver City Gal<\/B> has been an unending source of frustration for connections since her stunning career start. A small light at the end of the tunnel may have appeared last time out when, although conclusively beaten once again, she did for the first time since those heady days, record a speed figure exceeding her previous best. We\u2019d need to see a return to at least prize earning efforts before regarding her as a serious threat at this level, but she\u2019s been there once, so she cannot be totally dismissed.<\/P> Headlining the early market at 5\/2, and drawn in gate 5, we find Stormspector<\/B>. This versatile filly simply doesn\u2019t know how to run a bad race, having secured a spot on the podium in all seven career starts. She\u2019s run triple digit speed figures at each of her last two, making her recent race times significantly superior to all of this week\u2019s opposition. (There is only one other triple digit rating – exactly 100 – in the form book). When it comes down to class, she ticks the boxes there also, winning the G3-Delpenn Mirrors Keeneland<\/I> two starts back before running a solid third in the G1-The Cosine Cup<\/I> at her most recent run four weeks ago. Opposition trainers look to have one straw to clutch, that being the fact that she\u2019s never raced over this short journey. She likes to give a start away and over this sprint trip she\u2019ll need to settle quickly and be ready to unwind her burst a little earlier than normal. Of course, her early patience could well be to her advantage here, as there is likely to be an early charge for the lead, which could well play into the hands of the closers. Stormspector<\/B> is a scratchbred daughter of Storm Cat \/ Mr. Prospector \/ Buckpasser<\/I>. Owner \/ trainer Titleist<\/B> has had a great run thus far with this filly, and it\u2019s not likely to come to an end any day soon. She tops the betting charts for one simple reason. She\u2019s the best performed runner in the race.<\/P> Barrier 6 is the starting gate for Storm Forecast<\/B>, a more than capable dual stakeswinning filly, looking to disprove the theory that she\u2019s just that little bit shy of Graded standard. Spewu<\/B> has never been afraid of setting this girl a challenge, pitting her against Graded opposition at just her second and third career runs, following an impressive maiden win on debut. She\u2019s mixed her form at the higher level of racing, with graded events comprising half her career of ten starts to date, with a couple of sub par runs coming at this level. Outside Graded racing she boasts a record of three wins, a second and a third from five, but this event is at the higher standard, so we\u2019ll concentrate on analyzing her efforts in that bracket. Her first two graded runs produced a fourth of thirteen and a third of ten, before failing over the route trip in the G1-Frickazee Stakes<\/I>. Those runs were all from her seven start juvenile year. This year her two graded efforts were tenth in the G2-Yanta Snez<\/I> and a much better fourth in the G3-Cadoka Stakes<\/I>, both in fields of fourteen, and both over seven furlongs. The drop back to six furlongs looks to be in her favor. Storm Forecast<\/B> is a daughter of Vision and Verse<\/I> from Ginger Liabilty<\/B> (Two Punch \/ Irish Castle<\/I>), a lightly raced winner of one from seven, raced exclusively by this filly\u2019s breeder \/ trainer. I\u2019d expect her to be vying for the lead and I expect she\u2019ll give a great sight in this is a strong field as she attempts to gain more credibility as a graded performer.<\/P> Bo\u2019s bomb<\/B> alights from barrier 7 and she\u2019s looking to reignite the spark which shone so brightly in the early stages of her racing career. Early racing saw her develop solidly into a stakes winner, following her maiden and two allowance wins from her first five. After that the stakes win came at start number six. Despite always being given handy gaps in her program, a couple of ordinary performances indicated that she\u2019s had enough for a while. Allowed a couple of months off to fully recover, she\u2019s now ready to take part in this at just her third appearance in 2008. Numerically, the third of seven and fifth of thirteen on this year\u2019s scorecard may not look overly impressive, but a bit of further analysis may be worthwhile. Nine weeks off can be a lot in sim terms, but the break added five points to her previous best speed rating, and she was beaten just over two lengths in that return appearance. A further seven weeks between runs added another three points in an effort which saw her come in fifth behind Danetoyou<\/B> in the G2-Pebbles Flintstone Stakes<\/I>. Krfarms<\/B> has given her another six weeks to prepare for this, and the generous spacing of her racing this year may be about to pay dividends. Carrying impeccable blood, the scratchbred daughter of Gulch \/ Mr. Prospector \/ Storm Cat<\/I> should not be underrated. She will not be caught up in the likely early scramble for the front, and I will not be at all surprised to see Bo\u2019s Bomb<\/B> figuring predominantly in the final stages.<\/P> Rank outsider I\u2019Am Busting<\/B> will depart from barrier 8 in a most ambitious challenge at this early stage of her career. With just three runs under her belt, and her only victory a maiden claimer in the first of those three, it\u2019s not unfair to suggest that the bookmakers are being over appreciative of her real chances by offering just 58\/1. An inexpensive scratchbred daughter of Tertullian \/ Bustino \/ Al Mufti<\/I>, her breeder was prepared to risk her for a tag on debut, and Mrv<\/B> was willing to accept the offer. She won that initial outing, but has managed a fourth of six and a second of five in two allowances since. All runs have been over this surface and distance range, so it\u2019s virtually impossible to see her finding the twenty or so points she needs to add to her speed ratings this weekend. Connections were unable to secure a jockey with current form. She has run reasonable races at the lower level and will repay her costs by returning there for the time being. This week I\u2019Am Busting<\/B> will be totally outclassed<\/P> Gate 9 is the starting position for Ft. Benning<\/B>, an up and coming last start winner looking to take a significant leap here this weekend. Her three wins and three seconds from nine runs is an impressive score line, but her two most recent outings against black type opposition have resulted in the worst runs of her career. She\u2019s a stakeswinner at two, so she\u2019s proven she can handle the higher class, and her most recent run when she won clocking 1.10.2 shows that she needs only to shave a couple of lengths off her previous best to be able to register a competitive time. Is she up to Graded racing standard, especially in light of her two most recent runs at the ungraded level? Connections obviously think so, or else they wouldn\u2019t be here. Stays in Vegas, <\/B>drawn 10, has been racing in great heart and ticks almost all the boxes. Unlike some of the competition this week, she\u2019s yet to win a graded race, but following a solid grounding at the ungraded level, she came within a whisker of achieving that Graded victory last time out when just beaten by Rumbler<\/B> in the G3-Warfare Farm Stakes<\/I> in Seeking The Prince, <\/B>drawn 11, has a point to prove as she lines up once again to establish herself as a genuine black type performer. Virtually unbeatable at the allowance level, she always manages to run into something just a tad better on the day, when she steps up to the next stage. Twice placed in ungraded stakes races, the worst run of her career came when she was a soundly beaten eleventh in the G3-Cadoka Stakes<\/I>. This, unfortunately, sums up the career to date, of a filly who otherwise boasts four wins and a second from five races against that lower standard of opposition. That\u2019s looking at her racing life with the glass half empty. Those two stakes thirds, and her most recent impressive allowance win, are the positives as we sort out her chances this week. She was beaten just two lengths or so in each of those ungraded losses, while registering a 97 in her allowance victory seven weeks ago. There are not too many higher numbers on the form page for this race, and although a triple digit speed rating should be needed this week, this filly has shown that she\u2019s not too far away from it. A daughter of Seeking the Gold<\/I>, she\u2019s based on Stormy U<\/B> (Storm Cat \/ Marju<\/I>) a stakes placed winner of eight races, raced exclusively by this filly\u2019s owner \/ breeder Princessj<\/B>. Seeking the Prince <\/B>will look to settle just off the pace, saving her best for late, and while she still has questions to answer, she\u2019s capable of answering them.<\/P> Dehere That<\/B> alights from the widest gate and enters this event with a 50% win record, increasing speed numbers and established form at this level of racing. Her three year old career consists of two wins and a second from four runs, and while she\u2019s been running around in ungraded events this year, she was more than competitive at the higher level as a juvenile. Her career highlights thus far, both posted last year, are her victory in the G3-Desert Filly Juvenile<\/I> in Dubai almost twelve months ago, and her third behind Demonic Presence<\/B> in the G1-World Cup Juvenile Filly Mile<\/I> last September. After beginning this year with two ungraded wins from three runs, she failed by just a head when beaten by Northern Clipper<\/B> six weeks ago. They ran 1.10.2 that day, so she probably needs to find a couple of lengths for this, but the way her speed figures are improving indicate that she\u2019s a good chance to do that. A daughter of Dehere<\/I>, Dehere That<\/B> is the fourth and most successful offspring of the oddly named Jason and his Car<\/B> (Forty Niner \/ Storm Cat<\/I>), an \u2018open to all\u2019 mare who won once from just four runs. Capable of either leading, or seeking a spot just off the frontrunners, trainer \/ breeder Snappa6<\/B> has plenty of flexibility when issuing jockey instructions, and the filly should find herself in a prominent position throughout the race.<\/P> Summary and Selections:<\/U><\/B> <\/P> There is no such thing as a certainty in racing, and I don\u2019t like tipping favorites. There\u2019s a slight chance that she may run the first bad race of her career, and a slighter chance that the distance may be a tad too short, but when it comes down to basic numbers, she\u2019s the best horse in the race. Stormspector<\/B> to win.<\/P> Patient training in the sim is something of a rarity, and it\u2019s a joy to come across it occasionally. With plenty of space between her races, and with solid improvement each time she ventures to the track, Bo\u2019s Bomb<\/B> looks to have the most upside and is a top value across the board bet at 9\/1. Bo\u2019s Bomb<\/B> for second<\/P> Apart from the favorite, there is only one triple digit speed figure on the form page, and that comes from a filly with an almost 70% win record. If you like her, do not be swayed by the fact that I\u2019ve put her in just third tip, because she\u2019s done all that could be asked to be rated a true winning chance. Stays in Vegas<\/B> for third.<\/P> I\u2019m a little loathe to leave Dehere That<\/B> out of the selections, as she\u2019s always thereabouts and is racing consistently in black type events. Angra Mainyu<\/B> is better than her price suggests. Storm Forecast, Ft. Benning<\/B> and Seeking the Prince<\/B> all have ability, but all also have questions to answer. All three are capable of running top races without surprising. Silver City Gal<\/B> was once top class, but it\u2019s been a long dry spell. Fire West<\/B> appears to lack a little something against the better class opposition (Why do I think I\u2019ll live to regret saying that?). Wet<\/B> will be in it for a long way while I\u2019Am Busting<\/B> is flying too high too soon.<\/P> The Market<\/B>:<\/P> 5\/2 \u2013 Stormspector<\/P> 9\/2 \u2013 Stays in Vegas<\/P> 7\/1 \u2013 Storm Forecast<\/P> 8\/1 \u2013 Seeking the Prince, Dehere That<\/P> 9\/1 \u2013 Fire West, Bo\u2019s Bomb<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P> Qualification Order <\/B>– Class Rating Position:<\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Dehere That – 33<\/P> Stormspector \u2013 53<\/P> Stays in Vegas – 68 <\/P> Storm Forecast \u2013 69\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN> Stormspector Heads Betting Clearly in Wyoming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":261,"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-6056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6056","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\/261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6056\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}