This week\u2019s feature race in Virginia is the fourth annual running of the Crevis En La Burgs(IRE) Stakes. The race is open to all three year olds, and runs over eleven fourlongs of turf. Once again the weather has been beuatiful in Virginia this week, and the track will be rated as firm for this event, which carries a $50000 purse. Giving the chance for three year olds to stretch out to longer distances, many for the first time, the race often is full of surprises. This is another annual event that the favorite has never won. Last year\u2019s winner was Dynacity(KY)<\/B>, who lead the race from gate to wire to post an impressive two and a half length victory. This year\u2019s running draws a field of seven colts, the biggest field in the race\u2019s history. All are rather lightly raced, and five of the seven competitors are stretching out past classic distance for the first time. Oddsmakers are calling this one close, with five of the seven going off at 9\/2 or better odds, with a 2\/1 favorite. Longer odds of 9\/1 and 14\/1 fill out the field. Should be some fair payouts on the exotics at the betting windows this week, but it\u2019s going to be a tough call to find that right combination.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 1) Campobello(IRE)<\/B> Sired by Holy Roman Emperor, Trained by bearfan. Campobello(IRE) sees action in his ninth career start here. This will be his second career stakes start, and he is looking for his first win at this level. Overall for his first eight, he has posted a record of 1-3-1-0-1, putting up a best speed number of 90.2 in his last start. That race was an A2L at this distance, where he gave up a three length lead late to settle for second in a field of six. All eight career starts have been on turf, and he is one of the two starters in the field to have run this distance before. His sire, Holy Roman Emperor, has never produced a stakes winner in his two seasons. His better progeny have sprinters or milers, but being only in his second season as a stallion, appearances can be deceiving. He never raced after his two year old season himself, which doesn\u2019t even give that to go on here. Street Cry on the dam side has shown some potential for distance as a sire, with 32% of his stakes wins last year coming at eleven furlongs and beyond, but that potential hasn\u2019t manifested itself through his female lines. This colt is a midpack to deep closer, and his close has ben reasonably good, especially as he has begun to stretch out. He strikes best from the four to six length range at half, and in this longer race, he could find himself out quite a bit deeper than he prefers. His last was in a field of closers, and he fell to the late threat. I don\u2019t think his distance experience is going to be a big factor here, and he is going to need to find even more of a second half jump to be a serious threat late here.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 2) Obama To Get Osama(KY)<\/B> Sired by Swain(IRE), Trained by bashbush. Obama To Get Osama(KY) makes career start number six in this race. All five career starts have been at allowance level, and this will be his first try in stakes competition. He carries a 2-1-1-0-0 record out of his first five, showcasing a top speed of 96.7 two starts back at the same distance he faces here. His last try was his first try on dirt, in an elven furlong A3L, and he showed a patented dislike for the surface, finishing a distant sixth in a field of eight. He shows a high comfort level on turf, and has really kicked things up a notch as he has gotten more distance on the grass. His sire Swain was strong among his stakes runners in the Classic range last year, but didn\u2019t field a stakes runner beyond ten furlongs. Theatrical throws a lot more stamina in the mix through the dam side, with close to 30% of his stakes running progeny as a dam sire winning at eleven furlongs and beyond. This colt has been experimenting with his running style, running a stalker\u2019s pace in his earlier starts, but showing some inclination to close short distances from the midpack in his turf run at this distance. If he breaks a bit faster here, this field could prove to be a decent setup for him, giving him a piece of the early battle with plenty of jump left for the last half. His drubbing last outing came on a surface he obviously doesn\u2019t like, and I think he is an excellent bargain here at 14\/1 odds. Box him in your trifectas at the least, and if he breaks toward the front of this pack, I think he has the potential to stun this field.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 3) Big Giant Arse(KY)<\/B> Sired by Giant\u2019s Causeway(IRE), Trained by arse2007. Big Giant Arse(KY) steps to the gate for start number twelve in this race. He has one career stakes win, coming as a two year old last year and placed in a Grade 3 in his last race, at a mile. He brings a 4-4-0-1-0 record to the table from this first eleven, with a best speed figure at 96.4, coming in his last start. That race was an eight furlong Grade 3 in New Hampshire, where he closed eleven lengths in the second half, nearly seven of those down the stretch, before running out of ground, finishing second in a field of ten. Ten of eleven career runs have come on turf, and he definitely displays a higher comfort level and a strong close on the grass. He\u2019s been very strong in the nine to nine and a half furlong range, but this will be his longest start to date by a furlong and a half. Giant\u2019s Causeway has shown some distance potential among his stake\u2019s progeny last year, but his runners tend to be stronger in sprints as a rule. Sadler\u2019s Wells on the dam side though definitely adds a big dose of stamina to the mix, and it has shown the abilty to pass through his female progeny, as well. This colt is a pure closer, strolling leisurely from the gate in every one of his starts, but making up for it with explosive second halves. He has routinely shown the ability to make up double digit deficits this season, but he has found himself falling just short in many of those races. It\u2019s hard to say whether the longer race will help or hurt him in that regard. It will provide him with some extra ground to catch those leaders, but it could quite possibly also put him in the deepest hole he\u2019s ever faced at the half. Look for him to be eating up ground as they turn for home, but the distance will be a question mark.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 4) Bite The Empire(AUS)<\/B> Sired by Fomalhaut, Trained by inhalers. Bite The Empire(AUS) is a well run colt, making his field high nineteenth start in this race. He is no stranger to stakes competition, but he is still looking for that first elusive win at this level. In eight starts this season, he has a 2-1-1-2-1 record, fielding a best speed of 94.8 in a Grade 3 two starts back. His last race was a nine furlong stakes race in Texas, where he never really found his legs, finishing tenth in a field of twelve. After a mediocre debut last year on dirt, a switch to turf landed him in the top three in his next five straight, and he has never looked back. This will be his longest run by a full two furlongs. His breeding showcases some lesser knowns, and while their statistics don\u2019t leave much to go by to judge distance potential themselves, there are many strong disance influences deeper in the pedigree. Bite The Empire(AUS) himself seems stronger in the long sprint to mile range, and his longest outing at nine furlongs in his last didn\u2019t give much to recommend him stretching longer. The bulk of his experience has been has a front runner, but he has recently begun to opt for a slightly slower break where he can bide his time just off the pace. He\u2019s shown some ability to close some short distances late, but all four career victories have been wire to wire efforts, and while he has had some trouble holding on late off a fast break, in general his finishes have been much better. His last start where he stretch out to nine, a furlong beyond his previous long was worriesome at best, and the extra two furlongs here make it hard for me to recommend him, especially if he tries to break at the head of midpack as he has recently. If he does, this could be a repeat of his last.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 5) Not So Cheap(KY)<\/B> Sired by Forestry, Trained by elcheapo. Not So Cheap(KY) is the veteran of eight career starts, looking at start number nine here. This will be his first try against stakes competition. His eight career starts have seen him run to a record of 3-3-0-0-1, with his speeds capped by a 97.0 two starts back. His last race was a ten furlong A3L in New Jersey where he ran away from a field of seven down the stretch to notch an impressive four and a quarter length victory. After three fairly decent dirt starts to begin his career, the switch to turf produced three wins and a place in his subsquent five starts. This will be his longest start by a furlong, but he has really blossomed as he has begun to stretch out, and the distance doesn\u2019t look to be a problem for him. Forestry showed some distance potential among his stakes runners last year, and while generally stronger in the Classic ranges, just over 9% of them scored at elven furlongs and beyond. Pulpit shows nearly the same stats as a dam sire, with strong Classic performance, and 8% of stakes wins coming in long routes. Not So Cheap(KY) runs as a deep closer, and while his turf close has been relatively consistent, only once has he ever really found himself out too deeply at the half, even in his longer races. The time he did find himself out deep, he had trouble bringing himself all the way back, but that was in a much shorter race than he has to work with here. He seems to love the distance, and while there should be some early speed here, it won\u2019t be a blazing pace. He should definitely be one of the late threats in this one, with a decent shot of landing in the winner\u2019s circle.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 6) Big Wind Blowing(IRE)<\/B> Sired by Hurricane Run(IRE), Trained by kingfaust. Big Wind Blowing(IRE) enters his eight career start, tagged in this one as the race favorite. He has one previous stakes victory, coming in his second start this season. He boasts an impressive 5-0-0-2-0 record in his first eight starts, showcasing a field high top speed of 105.3 which came in his stakes win. His last start was a nine furlong stakes in Massachusetts, where he finished a hard closing fourth in a tight race in a field of seven. All eight career starts have been on turf, and his record speaks for itself. Distance seems to be a somewhat less impressive story, with three starts at nine furlongs being his longest to date. In two of those he finished fourth, the only blemishes on his career record, and the one he won, he took in gate to wire fashion off a relatively leisurely opening half. Hurricane Run is a newer sire, and his progeny have not seen a lot of distance so far, but coming out of the Sadler\u2019s Wells line through Montjeu, the potential should be there. Likewise, Smarty Jones is just starting to seem some distance as a dam sire, though as a sire his prgeny have had a lot of success in long routes, especially among his progeny with a turf preference. Big Wind Blowing(IRE) generally likes to run from the head of the midpack, and when he has had to close, he has usually done it well. He should find himself nearly the lead early here with that type of break, and his speed should play a big factor early if he is on or near the front. The distance is a big question though after his last two starts. I\u2019ll withhold judgement until I see how he reacts to this longer route.<\/P>
\u00a0<\/P>
PP 7) Irish Mandolin(IRE)<\/B> Sired by Night Shift, Trained by mortician. Irish Mandolin(IRE) makes didn\u2019t run as a two year old, and makes only his sixth career start here. He comes into this one off his first stakes win. He\u2019s gone 3-1-0-0-0 in his first five, psoting a best speed of 97.4 in his last start. That race was a nine and a half furlong open stakes in South Dakota, where he won a thriller in a field of six by three quarters of a length. All five starts have been in turf routes, and he has done well. His last start was his longest, and he will tack on an extra furlong and a half here. Night Shift\u2019s offspring experince 100% of their stakes success last year in the Classic distance range, with the longest wins coming at nine and a half furlongs. Affirmed gives that a boost through the dam lines, fielding just over 15% of his stakes winners last year at eleven furlongs and beyond. Irish Mandolin(IRE) is a midpack closer, and outside of a tough start in a Grade 2 event, his close has been excellent. Though he has mostly found himself in a relatively close striking distance at the half, he has also shown the potential to come back from somewhat deeper if he has the need. He should find himself sitting right about at the middle of his closing range here, and he showed some decent stamina in his nine and a half furlong outing last time. I think he can make the distance here, and he should be threatening as they drive for home.<\/P><\/BODY><\/HTML><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seven line up to challenge eleven furlong distance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":472,"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":[2,3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews","category-reviews","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6114","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\/472"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6114\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}