{"id":6224,"date":"2008-07-03T01:33:02","date_gmt":"2008-07-03T01:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=6224"},"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=6224","title":{"rendered":"BOODHA woulda like another score"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Back here in the land of hoopies and hollers comes your old West Virginia reporter for the fine occasion of the Grade 2 D-Day Distaff at Good Old Waterford.<\/P>

Track owner Tedson Arneault is giving away a quarter million and a boatload of stakes points here Saturday, so the bells had better be ringing on those slot machines. Morning Line Drunken Oddsmaker Charlie Hoop and I have been pouring over the racing records of these fillies with a fine-tooth, whiskey-fueled comb, and staying away from those damned machines.<\/P>

Lo and behold, in our consummate studies we have come up with a gem, a pick! Happy hunting, as the secret is hidden in the garbled text below ……<\/P>

Entries for one of the biggest races all year at Old Waterford were looking a little light until Tuesday afternoon, when the Legendary Stables<\/EM>, representing Ohio Thoroughbred Racing, came to town with BOODHA.<\/STRONG> This 5yo light gray daughter of Buddha exploded onto the Simulated distaff scene last out when she won the Grade I Steadhemp Handicap, defeating the No. 24-ranked Black Coal Gold and rising all the way to No. 18 in the classic distaff division herself. Prior to that gigantic, career-making score, Boodha was having real trouble carrying her speed to the wire in her graded races. She’d faded off the board in several straight, and the only time she ever managed even a show in graded company was a long time ago when she was just a 3yo, and faded to a distant third that day. Something was different in this last race, however. Instead of surrendering positions in the stretch, Boodha fought on resolutely, even after being pressed throughout by eventual fifth-place finisher St. Arch. There was a veritable Grade I cavalry charge coming at the big, gray filly last time, but she held them off. Her margin was diminishing at the wire, but she was fighting to keep it. Boodha has developed a new dimension and grown in ability in age 5, and now the Legendary Stables are going to ask her another question. Can you hold your lead at nine furlongs? It’s that extra little half furlong past the distance of her Grade I score last out, that dastardly eighth of a mile that can make such a difference. Boodha never has raced nine furlongs, and it will be interesting to see what she does. Normally, you would think a classy horse like this can take advantage of the softer pace she’s going to find while stretched out a bit. There may be no St. Arch to press her in this race, and she may, in fact, make an easy lead on Saturday. If that’s the scenario, it’s going to take a special filly to run her down.<\/P>

A lot of times when you’re previewing a stakes entrant, it can be more fun when it’s an older horse who has a long list of accomplishments.Such is the case with Binzaman<\/EM>‘s grand mare, the 6yo MASTER AND COMMAND<\/STRONG>, representing the Pastures of Green. A lovely blue blood making a cross of Northern Dancer to Mr. Prospector in the DDS slot, Master and Command is by Montjeu out of a Spinning World mare, both very strong turf influences. With that blood and considering that Binzaman hails from the Pastures of Green, it’s no wonder he was convinced he would have a turf filly. He campaigned Master and Command almost exclusively on the lawn earlier in her career, through the entirety of her 3yo season. She was a useful turf allowance filly, earning multiple placings, but never popping a 100 speed figure and never entering a stake. It wasn’t until she was a 4yo that Binzaman discovered Master and Command’s true purpose. This is a main track filly! Upon being switched to the dirt, Master and Command blossomed almost instantly into a stakes winner. She popped her triple-digit cherry first out, and won her first career stake in her very next dirt start. From there, it was up, up and away for this lovely mare, who now boasts a whopping total of 20 triple-digit speed figures in her career. She’s won eight stake races, including the Grade I Del Penn Distaff last year, which serves as the current crowning achievement of her sparkling $1.4-million plus career. There might just be another big race in the offing for this mare, though, as she’s rebounded again from a bad spat of form to card a big number last out in an allowance score. It’s no wonder Binzaman thinks it’s time to shoot for a Grade 2 here being as she ran so well last out, just like her regular self.<\/P>

Want to see a classy filly? How about SPOOKY WILDCAT<\/STRONG> for the Bulletwork Stables<\/EM>, which are under new management since spring. This 4yo brown daughter of Ghostzapper has run in graded company in no fewer than 11 of her 15 career starts. In those 11 graded starts, Spooky Wildcat has won two, been second once and third three times. So, that’s hitting the board six times of 11 in graded company. Clear proof that she belongs at the class. But does she belong at the distance? Most of Spooky Wildcat’s 11 career graded starts were at a distance of 8.5 furlongs or shorter. Only twice has Spooky Wildcat gone nine furlongs. Both times? No good. She was fifth in the Grade I Middle Flower and 14th in the Bluegrass Oaks. It might be that you can forgive this filly for those two races, both at the absolute upper echelon of the Sim. Maybe she can run successfully at this distance in a lesser-light Grade 2, as opposed to a big-time Grade I. But can she do it in her current form? The Bulletwork horses went unraced from the summer of 2007 to the spring of 2008. Some of them have responded tremendously to the extended vacations and the new operators have several significant stakes scores under their belts already. It’s an impressive string, and Spooky Wildcat no doubt is a very nice component, but she has not come back as well as they would have liked. The speed figures have returned, but not the top placings. SW has only two third-place finishes to show for her four return races. In this spot, she stretches out to a distance that very well may be a negative for her, especially considering her normal triple-digit game dropped into the 90s at both askings.<\/P>

Think PRAVDA<\/STRONG> has been running any good on dirt for the Super Stables<\/EM>? The pedigree for this 4yo earner of more than $700,000 fairly screams turf. The filly is Kingmambo X Pleasant Colony X Danzig, so both the sire and DDS bellar clearly, GREEN!!!! But, the filly was debuted on the main track, and she won. Then, she won again, and there was no looking back. This filly has been running so well on the dirt, that the Super Stables have attempted nary a single turf experiment. She’s run 21 times, and never on the lawn. With her breeding, let’s just say that’s some trick in the bag that Super still has with this one. But, that day will have to wait, as the D-Day Distaff is yet another main-track race. The filly is nicely consistent on the dirt, carding triple-digit speed figs in nine of her last 10. She won three of those races, including two Grade 3 victories, the latest of which was the interestingly named Ouchy Nips Special. Now, there may be a lesson here. Pravda held on grimly to nose out the late-charging MINNY MOUSE that day, and won the Ouchy Nips. Therein lies the rub. Since then, Pravda has lost three of four and seen her form sour. What price, those Ouchy Nips? It seems there have been some lingering effects. In summation, Pravda has a lot in common with Spooky Wildcat. The distance may be the key handicapping factor. Like SW, Pravda has not done her best racing at nine furlongs.<\/P>

ALYSKYE <\/STRONG>was motoring along pretty good for MaNature’s TB’s ‘Organic & Homegrown’<\/EM> until the stuff hit the fan last out in the Grade 3 Poor Mona Lisa. It was just three back that this 4yo brown daughter of Sky Mesa was seen charging home to win the Grade 3 Last Jump Handicap going this exact distance. She then took a bit of a step backward in the Grade 2 Mike’s Hometown Cap, then hit the brakes last out in the Mona Lisa. That race three back makes this filly eligible to succeed in this spot, but that current form is going to be hard to overlook. What went wrong in that last race? Does it indeed put Alyskye into an apparent downward form tumble, or was it an aberration? She has not run well since March and sticks right with the graded company off that disaster last out. Looking back through her lifetime past performances, however, we can see that she has rebounded from poor races in the past. Early in her 3yo season, Alyskye ran three straight clunkers before coming back to win her second career stake. Another interesting point about this filly is that, like the Super Stables entrant, she’s never raced even once on the grass, even with Sadler’s Wells as the DS. It becomes apparent that a lot of the top-level outfits in this game are loyal to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Another clunker out of this filly in this spot, however, and she may need some fixing.<\/P>

Like Boodha, STAR OF THE NORTH <\/STRONG>was entered Tuesday afternoon by the Snappa Racing Syndicate<\/EM>, representing EAAA Racing. Of the three fillies shipping here from New York out of the Grade I this regally bred daughter of A.P. Indy (ND X Seattle Slew), seems the most likely. None of the three managed to hit the board in the New York race (won by No. 9 Clout), but Star of the North was a close up fourth, beating both Spooky Wildcat and Pravda in the process. This D-Day Distaff is a lot different race than the New York race. For one, the Bumblebee was at a flat mile, and the D-Day distaff is a mile and an eighth. For two, and Snappa could not have been happy to see this, the weatherman predicts a 0 percent chance of an off track. It’s no surprise with her pedigree, but Star of the North faily glides over an off track. She’s been on off tracks in both of her last two, both of which were strong races. True, she was only fourth in New York, but she ran a good speed figure of 107, which is good but not as great as that 115 in the mud two back. Even though Star of the North would be more potent on an off track, she is a one-trick pony by no means. Star of the North can run on a fast track, too. Perhaps the best argument in this filly’s favor is she already has pocked three Grade 2 victories in her career. The distance is a question, as she’s never been this far before. The breeding says she can do anything and she gets a easy check mark for the class.<\/P>

Compared to masterminding the Scientific Revolution, winning the D-Day Distaff ought to be short work for Galileo<\/EM>. The longtime Sim veteran, whose outfit just hit the 1,000-win mark (congratulations, btw), sends out SORGATANI,<\/STRONG> a deep-closing 4yo brown daughter of Empire Maker. This filly is something of a plodder, and faces a distance challenge of a different sort than Spooky Wildcat and Pravda. While those two are trying to prove they can stretch out, Sorgatani will have to prove she can get into gear fast enough to contend for a placing at nine furlongs. She’s been coming on very late in races going a bit longer, so the jockey’s going to have some motivational work to do to get this filly going in a timely fashion. The main challenge facing Sorgatani here is the class of the race. This will be her graded stakes debut. And why not? This filly probably is in the best form of her life. That opinion might be based mostly on the 107 speed figure she earned while second last out in non-graded company, her liftime best. It was enough to convince Galileo to ship all the way here to West Virginia from Hong Kong, so we’ll see if the trip takes anything out of the filly. It would seem she will need things to fall her way to reach contention here Saturday with her late-running style. Who knows? Maybe these stretching-out types will wait on her. We’ll see.<\/P>

“I got the horse right here, her name is Paula Revere …” Yes, that’s right. Here’s the pick! Please forgive me Iant<\/EM>, but I love your filly’s chances here on the jump into Grade 2 company. FROZEN STRAW<\/STRONG> has been sizzling at this distance, winning a non-graded Vermont stake last out with a career-best 112, which gives her an advantage on this field. That made it a razor-sharp four out of the last five winning for this 4yo brown daughter of Shammardal. Ideally, this is what you want a filly to look like when she is asked to make that jump in class. She’s moving up because she’s too good for the non-graded ones. This filly handicaps very well in this spot on class, distance and speed figs, but also pace-wise, it would seem. She has that nice, closing-style, but is not a Silky Sullivan type by any means. She is able to lay within hailing distance, and then finish very strongly. She was uncharacteristically seventh in the early going last out against a pretty decent 12-horse field, and still manage to kick on for a runaway score. It’s no wonder she was running away, with that 112 and all. This filly should get a perfect trip in here and has the right to win. (Editor’s note: Since expressing my opinion on this filly, the front-running Boodha was entered. This certainly makes the job more difficult, but if Frozen Straw can beat that one, then Iant will learn even more about this very good filly.)<\/P>

(NOTE: The preview for the following filly was written before entries were drawn Wednesday. She was scratched before entries were drawn. I thought about deleting this paragraph, but why not leave it in? It’s written.<\/STRONG>) This field is chock full of the blue-est, blueblood fillies and mares you ever saw. None more so than the Goddess of Destruction herself, MIHARKULA<\/STRONG> for sdmf’s Black Label Stables<\/EM>. What will it take for this 4yo brown daughter of A.P. Indy (ND X Mr. P) (woweee….) to plunder and pillage this year’s D-Day Distaff? A rabbit to give Boodha a hard time on the front end would not hurt. Miharkula displays a definitive deep-closing style as demonstrated last out when second this distance at the non-graded level. That was a big race for Miharkula, as she had failed miserably in five previous tries in stake company. Sdmf just knew with that breeding that this filly must be of stakes quality, and he finally found where she could do it at today’s distance. The Black Label Stables liked that race so much, they’re shooting for Grade 2 without even so much as winning a non-graded race. Hey, maybe it is time for the shot because Miharkula is showing that she loves the nine furlong distance and may, in fact, be something of a specialist. She’s run her lifetime-best speed figures at 9f, including her two most recent of 104 and 107, which are darn good. Grade 2 good? Obviously, she is going to have to run faster to beat these, but the fact that the race is at her favorite distance gives her a chance to move up. She could run a good one here, but do you really want to wish good luck to the Goddess of Destruction? It would be like having breakfast with Godzilla and saying, “Good luck knocking over the town today, big guy.”<\/P>

Strike while the iron is hot, that’s what our man Desperado Rob<\/EM> is trying to do here with DERBY CAT<\/STRONG>, a roan daughter of Storm Cat. Derby Cat has run two big races in time-restricted allowance company at this distance, with rapidly ascending speed figures to 101 and then 106. Eschewing a non-graded try, Des goes for the glory here and now with this filly. It’s a great big jump in class, to be sure, and most class handicappers would eliminate her despite the fact that she aired by four lengths last out. You’d surely want a big price to play a filly taking a leap like this, but there are reasons to think she might stand a chance of at least representing herself well and beating some of this field on Saturday. First are those speed figures, which could contend for at least a minor placing. The second is her proven ability at the distance, which gives her an advantage over higher-caliber fillies class-wise. Finally, we can look back in Derby Cat’s career past performances and see that she, in fact, has been second in a Grade 2, albeit a long time ago, when she was a 2yo. Maybe she’s coming back to that class. <\/P>

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!<\/STRONG><\/P><\/FONT><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But cockamamy ex-W.Va. reporter has another pick<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"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-6224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6224","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\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6224\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}