Saturdays 9th annual running of the $250,000 Grade II High Roller’s Juvenile is as tough of a field as any this race has seen in recent memory.\u00a0 The largest margin of victory was back in 2002 where Gold Storm<\/FONT> <\/A>won by 2 1\/2 lengths, also in 2005 Northern Blast<\/FONT>\u00a0<\/A> came home in 1:10 3\/5 setting the record time for this race.\u00a0 This race holds a lot of history, back in 2000 Pleasant Nijinsky<\/FONT><\/A> finished a distant 9th in this race but went on to win the Travelers Stakes in his 3yo season.\u00a0 Who could forget Virtuoso<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a03rd place finisher in 2005 but went on to win the Bluegrass Derby, The New Yorker, and finish 3rd in the Travelers Stakes in his 3yo campaign.\u00a0 Who among these 14 entrants is going to write their name in the history books?\u00a0 Which among these is going to be next years possible Triple Crown hopeful?\u00a0 Before we get too far ahead of ourselves let’s take a look and see which\u00a0of these 14 2 year old’s can tackle the challenge of winning this race.<\/P> PP 1\u00a0\u00a0 BRAVE ULYSSES(KY)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>8\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/FONT>\u00a0<\/FONT>F Holmes ( 177 – 12 – 11 – 10 – 7% ) <\/FONT><\/P> Brave Ulysses<\/STRONG> going out for trainer clapton<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0<\/EM>is a nice looking chestnut colt out of Seeking the Best (IRE) x Affirmed x Halo.\u00a0 Brave Uylsses is 2 for 2 so far in his career Breaking his maiden back\u00a0on March\u00a029th\u00a0at Vermont going 5 furlongs covering the ground in\u00a0:59 1\/5 winning by 1 \/12 and posting a nice first time out Speed Figure of 71.\u00a0 Next out he\u00a0ran in the\u00a0Allowance leg of the Freshman Sire\u00a0Series\u00a0going\u00a06 furlongs this time he covered the distance in 1:11 3\/5 post an improved 78 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Brave Ulysses is in good form, he improved last time out and is taking a big step up in class for this race.\u00a0 Jockeys win % makes me nervous but if he can handle the\u00a0increase in class\u00a0he definitely has the speed and pedigree\u00a0to be in the mix at the wire.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/FONT><\/P> PP 2\u00a0\u00a0 TYCOON KING(IRE)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>13\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>V Swanson ( 58 – 7 – 4 – 10 – 12% ) <\/FONT><\/P> Tycoon King <\/STRONG>owned and trained by deputysam<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0is a brown colt out of King’s Best (IRE) x Last Tycoon (IRE) x Polish Numbers.\u00a0 He has 2 races under his belt so far.\u00a0 First time out on April 12th at North California he broke his maiden in an 26k Allowance race going wire-to-wire in 1:11 4\/5 posting a big 75 Speed Figure for his first try.\u00a0 After taking a month of his connections brought him back on May 10th to run in the Woodcutter Cap<\/FONT> <\/A>stakes race.\u00a0 In that race he broke very nicely, pressed the pace up to the top of the stretch and ran outta steam and finished 4th.\u00a0 He posted a disappointing 59 Speed Figure in that race which\u00a0I am sure his connections were not to pleased about.\u00a0 Swanson gets the mount looking to steer the ship back on course.\u00a0 In a frenzy of a race such as this one there could be an outside shot the he\u00a0will bounce back and show that speed he did in his first race.\u00a0 Too iffy for me to consider top 3.<\/P> PP 3\u00a0\u00a0 SPORTS GUY(KY)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>5\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>N Paslay ( 49 – 4 – 2 – 1 – 8% )<\/FONT><\/P> Breaking from post 3 we have Sports Guy <\/STRONG>1 of 2 entries <\/STRONG>owned by super1<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0is our 2nd choice at 5\/1.\u00a0 Sports Guy has one heck of a pedigree, hailing from Awesome Again x Capote x Fappiano he is one of\u00a03 horses who ran in the Grade 3 Television Stakes<\/FONT><\/A> last time out.\u00a0 On March 21 he broke his maiden at Ostend in a 50k Allowance race coming from 5 1\/4 back to win in a final time of :59 flat for the 5 furlongs while posting a 73 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Then on May 3rd at Kentucky in the shadow of the Bluegrass Stakes he stepped up in class and ran in the Television Stakes a 5 furlong Grade 3 race.\u00a0 In that race he broke from the gate 12th dropped back to 5 1\/2 lengths and was making a closing stride, he ended up placing 9th but only 2 3\/4 from the leader, talk about a tight finish.\u00a0 He posted 70 Speed Figure for that race dropping just a tad from his prior 73.\u00a0 Sports Guy steps up again off that effort and has the Pedigree, class and nice closing kick to catch the front runners in this race.\u00a0 Only knock I can find is I would’ve liked to seen a classier Jockey get the mount.\u00a0 Should be top 3 as long as the jockey doesn’t take have a bad trip.<\/P> PP 4\u00a0\u00a0 ALBERTA RICHES(JPN)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>10\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>M Cooper ( 355 – 61 – 61 – 55 – 17% )<\/FONT><\/P> In post 4 we see shortplay’s<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0Alberta Riches<\/STRONG>. This brown colt out of War Emblem x Pine Bluff x Believe It is going off a 10\/1.\u00a0 First time out at Finland on April 5th he went 6 furlongs in a\u00a0MSW-16k wiring the field in a time of 1:12 flat.\u00a0 He won impressively by 2 length and posted 74 Speed Figure in the process.\u00a0 His second start was the Elk Bubba memorial<\/FONT><\/A>, that race a 5.5 furlong event seen Alberta Riches break second from the gate and press the pace the whole way through coming up a head short at the wire to finish second.\u00a0 He posted a 72 Speed Figure for the race.\u00a0 What the form doesn’t show is the heart and grit to fight the whole 5.5 furlongs.\u00a0 Again we see a nice pedigree, and some nice Speed Figures. Veteran M\u00a0Cooper is aboard and should have this colt fighting for it early.\u00a0\u00a0You gotta love grit, heart and guts in a horse and this race is going to test every ounce of\u00a0his.\u00a0 At 10\/1\u00a0the odds makers show little respect.\u00a0\u00a0Has a chance to be\u00a0there at the end.<\/P> PP 5\u00a0\u00a0 RENOVATE(IRE)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>46\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>R Dixon ( 42 – 1 – 2 – 9 – 2% )<\/FONT><\/P> The number 5 Renovate <\/STRONG>owned by tigers80<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0<\/EM>is our longshot of the field at 46\/1.\u00a0 Also this is our only filly in the race and the only horse to not yet break their maiden.\u00a0 Renovate is out of Intikhab (IRE) x Atticus x Roy.\u00a0 Her first time out she ran on a off-track at 4.5 furlongs in a 26k NW1x Allowance race at British Columbia.\u00a0 She was never a factor at all in that race, breaking 8th and ending up in 10th 5 1\/4 lengths back posting a 48 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Her second start was a vast improvement from the first.\u00a0 This time she ran in a 6 furlongs in a 26k NW1x Allowance race at North California.\u00a0 In that race she broke out in 5th only a length an 3\/4 from the lead, she dropped back a little but made a bit of a closing kick to finish second.\u00a0 She posted a 71 Speed Figure which was good new for her connections and a sign of improvement, if it had been a MSW race maybe she might of won by 1 3\/4.\u00a0\u00a0Just too much downside to have a chance.\u00a0 No wins, poor jockey and a filly going against the boys this early.\u00a0<\/P> PP 6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0THE BIG PICTURE(KY)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>9\/2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>R Parrish ( 69 – 9 – 10 – 14 – 13% )<\/FONT><\/P> In the 6 hole we have our luke warm favorite The Big Picture <\/STRONG>owned and trained by dublinlad<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>. <\/EM>This colt out of Saarland x Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector has a dirt sprint rank of 51 so far this year.\u00a0He is also our\u00a0second horse who raced in the Grade 3 Television Stakes last time out. \u00a0His first time out was a owner restricted NWRC 2008 Juvenile showcase at California at 6 furlongs.\u00a0 In that race he broke out to a narrow lead and drew off on the field with every step.\u00a0 He finished the 6 furlongs in 1:11 4\/5 scoring a 77 Speed Figure for the effort.\u00a0 Next in the 5 furlong Grade 3 Television Stakes<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0from post position 13 he broke out to a narrow lead, drew off by 3\/4 of a length only to tire from the intense pressure.\u00a0 He finished a very close 4th posting a 73 Speed Figure in that race.\u00a0 Hard not to like a horse who posted a nice Speed Figure in a graded event and was also close to the finisher.\u00a0 With this his 3rd race and his connections intensely training him for this spot he might be a little more mature and have a bit more stamina.\u00a0I see many more Graded events in his future.\u00a0 Should finish\u00a0top 3\u00a0but not my win choice just too much pressure up front.<\/P> PP 7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0SCAT BRUSH(KY)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>16\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>P Campbell ( 128 – 13 – 16 – 11 – 10% )<\/FONT><\/P> The number 7 Scat Brush <\/STRONG>trained by graywolf4<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0<\/EM>is going off at 16\/1.\u00a0 He is the most experienced horse in the field with 4 races under his belt.\u00a0 His pedigree of Suave x Broad Brush x Storm Cat is quite the eye catcher.\u00a0 In his first race he ran a MSW at 5.5 furlongs at Mexico.\u00a0 That race he ran pretty green breaking 11th and only loosing a little ground passing tiring horses to finish 4th with a 55 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Next out he was shipped to California for a 5 furlong MSW event, again he broke near the back fell back about 3 lengths but had a nice closing kick to win going away by 1 length.\u00a0 He finished with a final time of :59 3\/5 posting an improved 66 Speed Figure.\u00a0 In his 3rd race his connections decide a turf try was in order, they sent him to Delaware for a 6 furlong Allowance race.\u00a0 Keeping in line with his last 2 race he broke at the back of the pack saved some ground and made a nice move to close for 2nd place 2 lengths behind the winner and posting a 61 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Last time out they brought him back to the dirt in Missouri for the 5.5 Furlong Cold Redhead Memorial<\/FONT><\/A> Stakes.\u00a0 Running in a short field of 5 he broke last once more saved ground and showed that closing kick again just falling short and finishing 2nd posting a 65 Speed Figure for his dirt return.\u00a0 So far in 4 tries his connection have placed him very well but he might not yet have the speed to runner with some in this race.\u00a0 A good looking horse that might mature later in the season and run down some of these in longer races.\u00a0 Can’t see a win in this spot unless he improves drastically.<\/P> PP 8\u00a0\u00a0 WILL CHACHIN SHINE(KY)<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>19\/1<\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>V Jef ( 377 – 93 – 69 – 52 – 25% )<\/FONT><\/P> In post position 8 we have bauhaus<\/FONT><\/A><\/EM> trained Will Chachin Shine.\u00a0 <\/STRONG>He is the son of Will He Shine x Milwaukee Brew x Seattle Slew.\u00a0 So far this colt has 3 life time starts with 2 wins and a 3rd place showing.\u00a0 His first start was a 4.5 furlong MSW dash at California.\u00a0 In that race he went off at odds of 14\/1, when they broke form the gate he stayed a bit off the pace and closed a 3 1\/2 gap to win going away by 3\/4 of a length.\u00a0 His final time was :53 1\/5 and he posted a 65 Speed Figure for the race.\u00a0 Next time out his connections kept him in California for a 5 furlong Allowance try.\u00a0 In a short field of 5 he broke last and saved a bit of ground.\u00a0 Half way through he made his move and just tucked under the wire a head in front to nab the victory.\u00a0 He scored a 67 Speed Figure and had a final time of :59 2\/5.\u00a0 Seeing him go 2 for 2 his owner pointed him towards the Woodcutter Cap<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0a 5.5 furlong stakes race.\u00a0 Another short field of 6 horses Will Chacin Shine broke 6th trying to save ground 4 1\/4 back but when it came time to kick it into high gear there was nothing there he finished 3rd 3 1\/4 behind posting another 67 Speed Figure.\u00a0 This is another off the pace type horse who may lack the speed to catch the front runners in this race.\u00a0 If he decides to improve his running style does fit this race and he could nab a piece at the end.\u00a0 The jump in class could be too much for him to handle but veteran jockey with high win % increases his chances. Too iffy for me to pick.<\/P> PP 9\u00a0\u00a0 BOAGS ST. GEORGE(JPN)<\/FONT><\/A><\/STRONG><\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>L Gagliano ( 31 – 0 – 1 – 6 – 0% )<\/FONT><\/P> In the 9 slot we have cjt2<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0<\/EM>trained Boags St. George.\u00a0<\/STRONG> A very interesting colt out of Stravinsky x Johar x Fantastic Light.\u00a0At odds of 18\/1\u00a0I think the odds maker might be underestimating this one a bit.\u00a0 He has 3 career races, his first being a turf try at 4.5 furlongs in an owner restricted MSW.\u00a0 That race was a 20 horse field where he broke 5th pressing the pace and finished 5th 1 1\/2 back posting a 52 Speed Figure.\u00a0 His owners then decided to try their luck on dirt see how he reacted and boy did he ever.\u00a0 They sent him to Dubai for a 5 furlong MSW where he jolted out to the lead and went gate-to-wire drawing away at the end to win by 2 1\/4 posting a 72 Speed Figure first dirt try.\u00a0\u00a0 After seeing the improvement on dirt his connections sent him to Newmarket for the 6.5 furlong Figaro Fighter Cap<\/FONT><\/A>.\u00a0 In that 9 horse field he wasn’t able to get the lead like in the prior race but stalked the leaders until the top of the stretch where he made his move and drew away to a 1 length victory.\u00a0 He is 2 for 2 in dirt starts, has won a stakes race and as won twice at long odds.\u00a0 He steps up in class and is at long odds again.\u00a0 The biggest downfall is the jockey.\u00a0 Jock has yet to win in 31 starts so hard to pick in a big race.\u00a0 has ability to be there and would love him if he had a jockey who won a race this year. Dark-horse pick<\/P> PP 10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0REGENT(KY)<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>12\/1<\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>A Werner ( 61 – 7 – 6 – 9 – 11% )<\/FONT><\/P> In the 10 spot alluvial<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>\u00a0<\/FONT><\/EM>sends out Regent <\/STRONG>the son of Corinthian x\u00a0\u00a0Touch Gold x Forty Niner.\u00a0 Odds-makers have him 12\/1 morning line and they might be going a lot off pedigree.\u00a0 Regent has 2 prior races the first being a MSW win at 5.5 furlongs where he broke 8th and stalked the pace until the top of the stretch where he won a hard fought 1\/4 length victory.\u00a0 He came in at 1:05 4\/5 and posted a 63 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Taking the normal route his owner sent him out in a Allowance race at 6 furlongs.\u00a0 This race saw much of the same as the first stalking the leaders all the way to the top of the stretch, he had a\u00a0ton of kick but fell just short in 3rd only 3\/4 back posting a very nice 73 Speed Figure.\u00a0 The owners elected to skip a ungraded stakes and move him right to this Grade II event, his stalking style is good to see when there will be 4-6 horse gunning for the lead.\u00a0 Pedigree suggest he should be able to handle the class, has potential but might fall short with others who have ran with better.<\/P> PP 11\u00a0\u00a0 DISREPUTE(KY)<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>10\/1<\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>L Brenner ( 303 – 45 – 37 – 50 – 15% ) <\/FONT><\/P> The number 11 Disrepute <\/STRONG>trained by pjlstables<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A> <\/EM>is the son of Dixieland Band x Fusaichi Pegasus x Housebuster.\u00a0 That is one heck of a sprint pedigree right there.\u00a0 He is going off at 10\/1 coming off 2 lifetime starts.\u00a0 His first start was a Allowance race at Michigan going 5 furlongs in a 14 horse field.\u00a0 Disrepute broke out 7th 3\/4 off the lead pressing all the way through and pulling out a tough 1\/2 length victory in a time of :59 1\/5 scoring a 72 Speed Figure.\u00a0 His owners then shipped him out to Idaho where he caught a sloppy track in his second Allowance try at 5 furlongs.\u00a0 The slop scared off a few horses and we were left with a 6 horse field.\u00a0 Disrepute\u00a0sat a length off out of the gate ran evenly most of the way and was making a drive at the end but couldn’t get there.\u00a0 He finished in 2nd place only 1\/2 length back posting another 72 Speed Figure.\u00a0 With 2 very nice starts and very nice Speed Figures his owners recognize talent but might be pushing too fast in the big class jump.\u00a0 His Speed matches well with others but handling the class is the big test.\u00a0 Can’t rule out<\/P> PP 12\u00a0\u00a0 FLOYD’S BOY(NY)<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>9\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>S Parris ( 36 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 6% ) <\/FONT><\/P> Number 12 we have Floyd’s Boy <\/STRONG>trained by itcdla<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>.\u00a0 <\/EM>The son of Maybry’s Boy x Miswaki x Tome Rolfe is 2 for 3 lifetime and has a 2nd place finish.\u00a0 He is also our 3rd horse who ran in the Grade 3 Television Stakes<\/FONT><\/A>.\u00a0 His first race was 4.5 furlong MSW try at Mississippi.\u00a0 In the field of 14 Floyd’s Boy broke in 6th position stalking a length 3\/4 off the lead mid way on the far turn jockey U Sanders gave him the nudge and Floyd’s Boy took off.\u00a0 He ended up winning by a close 1\/4 length in a final time of :53 to score a 70 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Next out he moved up to Allowance level at Arkansas going 6 furlongs.\u00a0 In a very similar trip to his first race Floyd’s Boy stalked the pace and midway around the far turn he was given a nudge and grabbed the lead top of the stretch and held of any challengers to win by 1 1\/2 lengths.\u00a0 The final time was 1:11 4\/5 and he Scored a 75 Speed Figure.\u00a0 His last race was the Grade 3 Television Stakes at 5 furlongs.\u00a0 This time Floyd’s Boy broke a little further back then the last two starts and was sitting comfortably 4 lengths off the lead.\u00a0 This time he made his move he was driving hard with tons of kick but ran out of ground.\u00a0 He finished 2nd 3\/4 lengths back posting another 75 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Floyd’s Boy looks to be sharp and in great form.\u00a0 He was able to be right there in a graded event and was able to repeat his speed while moving up in class.\u00a0 With this being a 6 furlong race I don’t see him running out of ground this time.\u00a0 Would like a jockey better then a 6% win but think the horse is good enough to overcome.\u00a0 My Win pick!<\/P> PP 13\u00a0\u00a0 FOREST BALAD(KY)<\/FONT><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>13\/1<\/FONT>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>W Robinson ( 76 – 7 – 11 – 7 – 9% )<\/FONT><\/P> Lucky number 13 is Forest Balad <\/STRONG>a son of Forest Wildcat x Moon Ballad (IRE) x Irish River (FR) and trained by stalmanu<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>.\u00a0 <\/EM>He has 3 life time starts with 1 win.\u00a0 His first race was an owner restricted Allowance race going 5 furlongs.\u00a0 18 horse had made this field and Forest Balad was able to break out in 2nd and run pretty even all the way around to finish in 2nd only 1\/4 length back while posting a 71 Speed Figure.\u00a0 In his second race his owners dropped him into the right conditions, a MSW at 5.5 furlongs where he went gate-to-wire being pressed the whole way winning in a photo finish.\u00a0 The final time was 1:05 3\/5 and he posted a 66 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Last time out they tried him in a stakes event the Elk Bubba Memorial<\/FONT><\/A> at 5.5 furlongs.\u00a0 Only 6 horse made it to the post for the race and Forest Balad was able to break out in 3rd 3\/4 back.\u00a0 He ran another even race and ended up with a 4th place finish 1 1\/2 back while scoring a 69 Speed Figure.\u00a0 Looking at the 3 races it seems he is still looking for consistency, might need couple races to hit his stride.\u00a0 The drop in Speed the last two races is a cause for concern and this might not be the right spot to get it back.\u00a0 Still this is a wide open field and he surely has a chance to get up if he can find his stride.\u00a0<\/P> PP 14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BURNIN LOVE(ENG)<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/STRONG>6\/1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/FONT>E N Tice ( 256 – 40 – 21 – 32 – 16% )<\/FONT><\/P>