Race: Big A Handicap<\/b> – Grade III – $125,000
ID: 3840.0415
Track: New York
Restrictions: All horses, 4 years old and up
Distance: A mile and one sixteenth on the dirt.
The big race in New York this weekend is the Big A Handicap (G3), a prestigious race over a mile and a sixteenth over the main dirt track here in central New York. The race is open to four year olds and up, so we\u2019ll be able to see some seasoned veterans of the sport take to the track in the fifteenth race of the Saturday card. Its going to be a cold one this weekend with temperatures dipping into the thirties on Saturday. There has been a small amount of snow falling upon the great state today, but this is expected to subside by the weekend leaving the track in superb condition for this weekends racing. There will be a full field of fourteen horses for this years race. Lets move on to look at the contenders for the Big A Handicap (G3).
1. Goldmined<\/b> – (Red Ransom x Silver Deputy x Alydar) – caddywampu<\/i> of Caddywampu Stables – J. Dundey – 7\/1
A late entry into the Big A Handicap field, this six year old colt out of sire legend Red Ransom is coming to the track on Saturday. His connections are hoping the chestnut colt will rebound after a puzzling tenth place finish in the horses\u2019 last race, the Orangeton Handicap (G2). In just his two starts prior the horse won by one and three-fourth lengths in the Golden Disorder Challenge, before going on to finish a respectable third in the Queen Of The Country Stakes (G3). The horse is greatly improving as a six year old after spending a lot of his earlier racing career in the higher end claiming ranks of racing. After being picked up for the price of $50,000 from a race in Indiana, the horse steadily moved up to allowance races and is now beginning to take a bite out of stakes racing.
2. Iron Bock<\/b> – (Grand Slam x Halo x Quadrangle) – ironmcc<\/i> of Iron Racing Stables – N. Lawton – 5\/1
Coming off a long layoff, this light gray colt is hoping to make a comeback this week in the Big A after an eleventh place finish in his most recent start, the world-renowned Breeders\u2019 Bowl Dirt Mile. Up until this race last October, the homebred colt was doing very will for his connections, winning the nine furlong Salted Tie (IRE) Stakes and the Soupy Sails Classic (G2) a few months prior. He\u2019s put in some bullet races in his career including setting up a one hundred seventeen speed figure in the Soupy Sails Classic (G2) in late May. He has a lot going for him if he can manage to rebound off of his Breeders\u2019 Bowl start this weekend.
3. Verlander<\/b> – (Aptitude x Rahy x Nijinsky II) – buffy8<\/i> of Winterfell Racing – P. Davis – 7\/2
Out of the dam Two On The Dice and by Aptitude, this homebred colt is a last minute entry into the Big A Handicap this weekend, entered within the last few minutes of entry acceptance time. This colt has very successful and consistent at the listed stakes level and will be moving up into graded level this weekend. He hasn\u2019t won a race since the Junior Road Cap last September. Despite not winning in a few months, the brown colt has finished in the money in all of his races since, all at stakes level. His only graded start came in the Soupy Sails Stakes (G2) where the colt finished eleventh in the race. He hasn\u2019t made a trip to graded races since, but it looks like he\u2019s more than ready for the step up this time.
4. Slippery Mann (IRE)<\/b> – (Manndar (IRE) x Nashwan x Slip Anchor (GB)) – glehman<\/i> of Goonergeez Stables – Er Anderson – 31\/1
Making it into this weekends race with just two stakes points in his record, this light gray colt with a very turf-orientated pedigree will try his luck in his graded stakes debut. The horse has no past graded record to go on, but didn\u2019t fare very well during his last race, a mile long allowance race, where he finished eleventh after setting a speed figure of ninety overseas in Italy. One might expect that perhaps this was an effort to jump the horse across the pond to the west, rather than trying to take a legitimate shot at the win in the Big A Handicap. Wether or not this is the case, don\u2019t count the horse out. Though most of his listed stakes starts haven\u2019t been anything to write home about, he did impressively win the Pond The Records Bonanza by one and three-fourth lengths as well as finishing on the board in the Equinox Memorial a short time after. Though a definite longshot, he is by no means a mediocre horse.
5. Atowncalledbedrock<\/b> – (Rock Hard Ten x Forestry x Seeking The Gold) – wfstables3<\/i> of Willyam13 Stables – T. Johnson – 16\/1
The first of two starters in the Big A Handicap for Willyam13, this colt will be trying to go the distance in a graded stakes race for the first time in two years. Lately the brown colt has been a major player in the allowance racing scene, winning two of these caliber of races recently, though finishing on the board in nearly all of them. He just recently came back to listed stakes racing, but finished eleventh in his most recent start during the West Lease Special over seven and a half furlongs. He finished twelve lengths back in the race, so there are some questions as to wether the colt simply had a bad run, or if he may not be ready to face up to graded caliber horses again. His last graded start came in 2007 during the Winchester Park Derby (G2) where the colt struck out on the pace out of the box but faltered badly down the stretch to finish tenth in the race.
6. Forest Tap<\/b> – (Tapit x Forestry x Chief\u2019s Crown) – andermanis<\/i> of Smokeglack Stables – R. Foster – 18\/1
Appearing for his graded stakes debut, this colt out of the race winning mare Queen\u2019s Forest, will give it all he\u2019s got on Saturday to try to defeat those in the race that have already been tried against graded caliber horses. Interestingly, this decision to run the light gray colt in his first graded stakes comes after the colt finished seventh in the Cleveland Moon Special. However, prior to this race, the horse put in two bullet races resulting in back to back wins in two separate allowance level races. One fact of note, both of these impressive wins came at seven furlongs or less for the colt, though the colt has one once going over ten furlongs in an earlier allowance race. We may be looking at the possibility of a bounce here in regards to the Cleveland Noon Special results coming after those two brilliant allowance races, or on the flip side, perhaps the colt just folded under the stakes pressure. To date, the colts best finish in a stakes race was a fourth place finish in the King Spring Special over seven and a half furlongs in the middle of last year. Some of these questions about the colt will be answered this weekend when he takes to the track in the Big A.
7. Dharma Initiative<\/b> – (Mineshaft x Giant\u2019s Causeway (IRE) x Blushing Groom (FR)) – willyam46<\/i> of Willyam13 Stables – N. Painter – 15\/1
Making a return to graded class stakes fields this weekend, this blue blooded brown colt out of the Giant Causeway (IRE) race winning mare Ballina (IRE), will make his first graded start since April of last year. His last graded start was met with slight disappointment. The colt rallied from near the rear of the field to finish just out of the money in sixth during the Corkscrew Stakes (G1) last year but was still a good eight lengths behind the leader in just his third graded stakes start of his career. The brown colt is accomplished at graded level, finishing second in last years The Tommy Wayne Johnson Stakes (G3). Though this has been his only graded start where he finished on the board, he may have a good chance on winning the Big A Handicap (G3) here in New York this weekend. His last two speed figures have been fairly impressive, though he finished tenth in the listed Mister J.O. Special, his final start before this weekends running in the Big A. This is the second of the two entries for Willyam13 Stables this week.
8. Gratest<\/b> – (Congrats x Gone West x Lyphard) – theatrical<\/i> of Theatrical Stables – C. Ambrose – 13\/1
One horse trying to make a comeback will be this $837,020 earner out of the multiple Grade 1 winning mare One Attack. The colt with the impressive lineage has been struggling in his races since finishing fourteenth in the Bluegrass Derby (G1) last year. The colt turned in not only an uncharacteristic finish for the race, but also an uncharacteristic speed figure of just ninety for the crown of thoroughbred racing. He was then sent to try his luck over the lawn where he had only moderate success in four turf starts after the Derby. This was in the Grade II Coalmine Mile Cup, held overseas in Victoria. The colt finished second here, but after a tenth place finish in the Kingab Mile (G1) over the turf, he was switched back to the dirt. He finished third in his most recent race, the 8th Minnesota Derby Owner Restricted, and all hopes are that he can get back to his pre-Derby form this weekend for the Big A Handicap.
9. Bob Angelic (FR)<\/b> – (Trempolino x Pulpit x Alydar) – pye<\/i> of The Big Oil Conglomerate – R. Haffner – 12\/1
Another one coming back to stakes this week, the chestnut French-bred colt is making his way here to New York from up north in Ontario. His last race was held here over nine furlongs in an allowance race. He finished fourth here while recording a speed figure of one hundred. He was recently dropped down to allowance level races late last year after finishing eleventh in the Make A Wish Foundation Restricted (G1). Now, after six starts at allowance level, his connections are ready to step the five year old French-bred horse back up into the thick of things in graded stakes competition. Lately his graded starts haven\u2019t ended well for the colt, many ending in disappointment. His last triumph in the graded circuit came two years ago when he won the Hudson Hawk Stakes (G3) by two lengths. The horse is very consistent with his running speed, but it may be interesting to see how he takes to going back to graded level races with his recent graded record. The horse is out of the stakes winning mare The Angel Of Death.
10. Giant Heights<\/b> – (Giant\u2019s Causeway (IRE) x Deputy Minister x Graustark) – stungunn<\/i> of Jrogue Stables – M. Turner – 16\/1
Making only his third graded start this weekend, this colt by perennial top sire Giant\u2019s Causeway (IRE) has found a liking for the dirt and he has been impressive over it, winning three races. He\u2019s hit a bit of a snag recently though, finishing off the board in his last four races, all of which were listed stakes races or higher. This has caused some talk on the backside as to wether or not the colt may be overmatched against stakes competition. He has made two career starts at graded level so far, one an eleventh place finish in the Mountainous Derby (G2) along with a thirteenth place finish in the It\u2019s All Your Fault Stakes (G2), he will be taking a little step down and trying a GradeIII field and we\u2019ll have to wait and see how that fares for him on Saturday.
11. Vengence<\/b> – (Vindication x Seeking The Gold x Wild Again) – bulletday9<\/i> of Gatetowire Stables – R. Bullock – 9\/1
Running some of the fastest past speed figures of the field on Saturday, this six year old son of stakes winning mare Seeking Greatness, will, like many of the horses running in this weekends race, be returning to the graded stakes field. The colt has put in a good prep in the nine furlong Dreamland Cup, winning the race by coming off the pace to surge to a two and one-fourth length victory with a speed figure of one hundred eight. Though not as fast as some of the bullet races of some of the other contenders for this Saturday\u2019s race, the key with this horse may be his consistency. He has managed to string together nine consecutive triple digit speed figures in his last races, impressively winning four of these including the Mango Godzilla Challenge by three lengths. Though his last graded start in the It\u2019s All Your Fault Stakes (G2) ended in an eighth place finish for the son of the late sire Vindication, he might just be able to pull out enough talent to head to the winners circle for the first time in a graded stakes this weekend.
12. West Welsh Drive<\/b> – (Aljabr x Dynaformer x Dixieland Band) x rd3<\/i> of Revelation Stables – C. Tool – 14\/1
This colt\u2019s speed figures have been down recently as well as on the board finishes in his races. His last three consecutive races have all been record with speed figures in the nineties with his best finish coming in a nine furlong allowance race in Ohio where the six year old horse finished fourth. He is making a return to graded stakes this week despite the downturn in his races. His lsat graded start was a good one with a third place finish in the Insulin Cap (G2). In addition to placing in this race, he put in a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twelve, though, perhaps coincidentally hasn\u2019t run the same since. His connections are hoping he\u2019ll be able to pick it up a bit in the Big A Handicap this weekend and that the horse has not started to show the wear and tear of twenty-nine lifetime starts.
13. Budzig<\/b> – (Buddha x Hawk Wing (IRE) x Danzig) – outinfront<\/i> of Out in Front Inc. – B. Child – 15\/1
Going to the post in just the fourteenth race of his career, this light gray colt out of the stakes winning dam Winzig (IRE) is also making his return to graded caliber competition here in the Big A Handicap this weekend. His last graded attempt left him seven furlongs in the dust during the Hudson Hawk Stakes (G3) last October. The colt was consequently stepped down in class to listed stakes where he put in an impressive two and a half length victory in the nine furlong Omaha Wood Bonanza. The colt may have hit another stumbling block after that though, recently finishing fifth after nearly going gate to wire in the All Under Seattle Challenge. The surface and the distance of nine and a half furlongs is one the colt is well accustomed to and proven over, winning once at nine and a half furlongs. Trainer outinfront<\/i> is hoping the colt can bounce back after this mysterious fading in the stretch of his last race and hopes to try to win his first graded stakes of his career. With any luck, the horse will be able to improve on his third place finish in the Queen Of The County Stakes (G3) and make a big run this weekend.
14. Automation<\/b> – (Kingmambo x Nijinsky II x Roberto) – simsters6<\/i> of The Evil Empire – V. Jefferson – 7\/1
This colt with the terrific turf pedigree has an unusual liking for the dirt and is a very impressive competitor at that. Though not racking up the amount of stakes points as many of the entrants of Saturday\u2019s race, this brown colt is sure to be able to hold his own in the race this weekend, the six year old finishing in the money in all of his last five races. He had a close call with a fifth place finish in the Alygroom Special over a sloppy dirt track in Connecticut, the horse obviously not taking well to the slippery surface out on the main track. He\u2019s going into this race off an an allowance level prep race over a mile which the horse easily won by two and three-fourth lengths in late December. This is the horses first return to graded stakes races since his eleventh place finish in the mile long Smackdown (G1) towards the latter part of last year. He hasn\u2019t been having much luck in graded caliber races lately, not finishing in the money in a graded stakes since he won the Gravestone Cap (G3) in 2007. Hopes are high for this race though, and the horse has been consistently putting up some good speed figures leading up to this start in the Big A Handicap (G3).
Tecora\u2019s Selections<\/b>
This was a tricky one to handicap, but I think the consistency and speed of Verlander<\/b> will come through in the race. For second I would select Iron Bock<\/b>. He\u2019s been fairly impressive lately, of course throwing out the run in the Breeders\u2019 Bowl Dirt. In the place slot, I actually like a bit of a longshot in the race. He hasn\u2019t had much luck in graded races, but Automation<\/b> has been fairly impressive and consistent in allowance and listed stakes. He has won grades in the past, and I think this might be his time to return to the board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Late Comer Verlander Goes As Favorite<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"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-7146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7146","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\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}