{"id":7267,"date":"2009-02-19T00:49:45","date_gmt":"2009-02-19T00:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=7267"},"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=7267","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco: Not So Soft?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Want to find a soft spot in the Sim?<\/P>

Come to the home of Jerry Garcia, Joe DiMaggio and Ansel Adams: San Francisco.<\/P>

Indeed, the Northern California racetrack’s reputation as remote appears to be upheld this weekend in the Grade 3 Malibu Miner Special, a nine-furlong main-track test for fillies and mares 3yo and up.<\/P>

As of Wednesday morning, Chilimac’<\/EM>s SOUTHERN HILLS <\/STRONG>was the top qualifier with only 30 stakes points. It’s a rare graded race in the Sim when nary a single entrant is ranked in the Top 100, but that’s going to be the case here in Simulated San Francisco unless some heavy head realizes the soft spot and enters late this afternoon. Just two races ago, Southern Hills was regaining her form by winning restricted allowances at the cheap track in Missouri. Chilimac has done a nice job with this 5yo daughter of Kingmambo. She’s nine for 18 lifetime and has proven potent on either the turf or the dirt. Her versatility is reflected in her breeding, with a dirt influence as the DS (Saint Ballado), and a turf influence as the DDS (Irish River). The mare has won four races on the turf and five on the dirt. Lately, she has been seen mainly on the main track. Chilimac took care of her nicely with those restricted allowances, which allowed her to recover her form. She had slipped with two poor races following her first stakes win, which she took last year August over in Dubai. Her confidence freshened from the two recent allowance scores, Southern Hills continued nicely last out with her second career stakes win. Now comes what would seem to be the toughest race of her life: her first Grade 3. But, the clever Chilimac has found about the easiest graded spot imaginable, and she is the top qualifier right now. She’s gone off form off her only other stakes victory, but it seems to me Chilimac deserves a good race here because he has managed this mare’s career so well and placed her very nicely again here.<\/P>

Like her owner, ALBERTA ROCKIES<\/STRONG> is an oldie but a goodie. (Oh boy, that ought to over nicely with my chatroom buddy Balata,<\/EM> whom we like to call “the pro” for his rare golfing abilities.) Like the pro that he is, Balata waited out his options this week with Alberta Rockies before finally electing to go in the Malibu Miner. He entered this classic 7yo daughter of Pine Bluff at 2:26 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, when it became apparent that the race wasn’t exactly loaded with heavy hitters. She’ll try to stretch out here from a flat mile to nine furlongs, which will be a very interesting experiment, to say the least. In 43 career starts in which she’s amassed $358,000 in earnings, Alberta R. never has been this far. Yes, even at the ripe old age of 7, this mare is a virgin at anything beyond a flat mile. The Sim is very distance-specific, but I am not putting anything past this mare. She is a win machine! Especially lately. Does Balata know how to win races, or what? Alberta R. has won eight of her last 10 races. Just a huge record there. She’s being asked a big question distance-wise on Saturday, but you have to like the fact that this late-running mare just loves to win. How do we know that she isn’t going to love nine furlongs? There is also the jump to Grade 3, but if the Pro says she can do it, you have to respect that.<\/P>

I’m not sure I can pick who’s going to be first to the wire in the Malibu Miner Special, but I’m pretty sure I can pick who’s going to be first to the first turn. My selection is Jrogue’s <\/EM>SKIDMORE INDY,<\/STRONG> a speedy 4yo daughter of AP Indy. Wow, check out the blue blood on this mare. She’s AP Indy X Sadler’s Wells X Kingmambo. You’d think you could get a runner with that kind of investment, and Jrogue certainly has. This mare can run! She’s been on the lead in the majority of her races, and particularly so lately. Looking for the best race of her career? Look no further than her most-recent effort, a victory in the Grade 3 Jake’s LD Challenge, going a mile over in Portugal. That was a massive race for Skidmore Indy for several reasons. First and foremost, it was her first stakes win. Pretty cool that she got her first stakes win in a Grade 3. Second, it was the first time this mare won a race without having the lead at the halfway point. Skidmore Indy was battling for the lead at the second call, and was, in fact, second by a head. She repelled her foe and went on to win. That seems to open a whole new ballgame for Skidmore Indy. Now the question will be, can she carry her speed for nine furlongs? <\/P>

Maybe this field is not so soft after all. Looking at the relative dearth of stakes points earned by the entrants, I assumed this was a bad race. Looking at these first three on Wednesday about noon, that assumption was wrong. The Jalee Stables<\/EM> have a very tough-looking mare here in WARRIOR’S RELIC<\/STRONG>. This beautiful 5yo chestnut daughter of Sadler’s Wells brings a three-race winning streak into the Malibu Miner. Especially impressive about this winning streak is that emphatic victory last out with the best speed figure of all, that 111 earned in capturing the Grade 3 Sabian Handicap. In her two previous tries at the graded level, Warrior’s Relic got her fanny tanned, finishing sixth and 10th. That ugly 10th-place finish really has been the only mistake which Jalee has made with this talented mare. The singular evidence suggests that, despite her breeding, she just is not capable of galloping that far. The good news is, she’s capable of recovering from being asked to run that far. Since those bad races, Warrior’s Relic has recovered just fine, as evidenced by her three-race win streak. She stretches out a little here, but confidence is inspired by the fact that she has raced successfully in the past at 9.5 and 10 furlongs. Lightly raced of late, Warrior’s Relic looks like a prime candidate to validate her Grade 3 score with another similar winning effort.<\/P>

It’s easy to guess from her 19-1 odds that the fifth-place qualifiier must have had some trouble in her most recent start. Indeed, Zoomr <\/EM>has decided that the next thing to do following JAZZY SEATTLE’s<\/STRONG> disastrous Grade 3 Forewarned Stakes is to shoot right back at this Grade 3 level. This 4yo brown daughter of Dixieland Band is a confirmed speed ball. Look for her to jazz it out of the gate and see if she can get clear. This sets up an interesting pace scenario in this race. We have two confirmed need-the-lead types in the top five qualifiers for this race. Sounds like an honest pace to me. A lot of times, you will see more than one speedball in a race, but not with the class (relative to the field) of these two. Jazzy Seattle’s coming out winging, and so is Skidmore Indy. Now, we see in Skidmore Indy’s win last out that she could sit a head off the leader and finish to win. However, that was at a flat mile. Skidmore Indy is a lot more likely to be fierce in needing the front while going nine furlongs. Unless something funny happens, one might expect that Jazzy Seattle’s chances are compromised by the presence of Skidmore Indy here. However, it’s hard to blame Zoomr for hanging his hat on that big race two back, when Jazzy held well and carded a robust 109 speed fig this class. Good race-bad race pattern, maybe? Another bad one, and Zoomr might have to rething his plan, but we won’t know until Saturday whether this mare is sincerely off form or not.<\/P>

Boy oh boy, there are some nicely bred mares in this race. Whatever they do on the track, these blue bloods are going to have years of perpetuity awaiting them after their racing careers are over. Nothing but big names front to bottom so far, and that certainly does not change with Deadinthelane Stables’ STENO BOOK<\/STRONG>. We have here a Storm Cat X Seattle Slew X Deputy Minister, just as strong as a main-track, classic influence as you could expect in American pedigree. There are so many good combinations out there, but there’s no denying the power behind this one’s breeding. Gladly for Lender, Steno Book has shown her good breeding in her races. Never so much so as in that huge, huge race two back in which this mare set a lifetime-top speed figure mark way up at 114. That race looms big here handicapping-wise as it came at Saturday’s exact distance of nine furlongs. A confirmed closer, Steno Book stands to benefit from the speed duel which seems likely between Skidmore Indy and Jazzy Seattle. This Storm Cat mare is in rock-solid form and catches her best distance at a mile and an eighth on Saturday. If you see any reason for Steno Book not to fire a big shot in this race, you know more than me. Should go.<\/P>

SMART RIVER<\/STRONG>, as her name might imply, loves a wet track. Marabou<\/EM> has watched this mare romp in her last two off-track races, and no fewer than five of 10 for her career. The only problem? Saturday’s track has come up fast. Subtract those five wins from her career record, and Smart River is only five for 37 lifetime, a record which hardly seems fitting for a Grade 3. So, handicapping-wise, I believe we have to classify this 6yo daughter of Smarty Jones as a wet-track specialist. Can we make a case for this mare contending at this class on a fast track. We’re getting a nice price, so let’s try. As a matter of fact, it’s easy. In addition to noting that Smart River loves the off going, let us also note that she loves Saturday’s distance, a mile and an eighth. How does three in a row at nine furlongs sound? We know how distance-specific Sim racing is, and so, when hear the following, we have to perk up and take note: “Loves the distance!” No matter the class, no matter a fast track or sloppy, we have to expect that Smart River is at her best at nine furlongs. We’ll give her a shot there on that along at a juicy 10-1.<\/P>

Like the career of Rex Grossman, Smokeglacken<\/EM> knows he needs a turnaround with Breeders Bowl champion MIESQUE’S GOLD<\/STRONG>. Like the connections of the real-life horse Singletary, Smokeglacken lived a dream on BB Day 2007, when Miesque’s Gold won by a head the Juvenile Turf Filly. She went on from there to validate herself with another Grade I win, followed by multiple Grade I placings. She was the tops in her division. Alas, the fairy tale ended early in her 3yo season, when this Grade I champion began to lose form. She’s been off for a long time now, and it speaks to the harsh reality that is Sim racing that a one-time BB champion now is eligible for a N1Y allowance and is only 4yo. This mare has just gone stone cold, and Smokeglacken searches for an answer here by switching to the main track. The poor guy, he just has to be scratching his head with this one, who has fallen so far from her glory days. <\/P>

Willyam’s<\/EM> THOTHMES,<\/STRONG> a 5yo brown daughter of Kingmambo, has four career victories. All four were at a flat mile. Only two times has this mare tried a mile and an eighth, and both times she was third in unimpressive fashion. At first glance, her form is dazzling, and I guess it really does remain so except for the distance of this race. Thothmes has a lethal late kick at a flate mile, but has been sluggish to unleash the same sort of performance with Saturday’s added furlong. I am taking a guess against her here at 11-1 and only with apologies to Willyam. He has a lot more good horses than I do, and maybe this mare can prove me wrong. She certainly has the class to do it, as her 2nd-place finish last out in a Grade 3 would indicate. Who knows? She’s very blue blood, by the aforementioned Kingmambo with Seattle Slew and Northern Dancer underneath. That kind of thoroughbred muscle can perform miracles. And, we’re not knocking this mare too awful bad. There is the handicapping angle against her because of the distance, is all.<\/P>

Topicount <\/EM>appears to have turned a tiger loose when she switched PRIVATELY OWNED<\/STRONG> to the main track. A versatile chesnut 5yo daughter of Came Home, Privately Owned did OK for herself on the lawn, hitting the board in half her starts and earning $44,000. With consistent speed figures under 100, however, it was apparent Privately Owned wasn’t going very far on the grass. Topicount switched to the main track almost by accident in May of last year. A race scheduled for the turf was moved to a sloppy main track, and the rest is history. This mare has prospered on the dirt, winning three of her last five. None of those three wins was so pretty as that smashing victory last out in the non-graded stake, in which she posted a lifetime-best speed figure of 111. Now, Topicount asks a hard question of this mare on Saturday: Can she jump in class and distance at the same time? That big score last out was at 8.5 furlongs against a notch below. Now, she’s in a Grade 3 at half a furlong more. That 111 looks sweet and does inspire confidence, but she has distance and class chores to get done Saturday.<\/P>

Seacadet <\/EM>is taking a shot at a class jump here with THE EMPIRE<\/STRONG>, a 5yo brown daughter of Empire Maker who has done most of her earning in allowance company. This is kind of a funny race because you have a lot of mares in here, like this one, who have most of their form established at a flat mile. If I were handicapping this race in real life, I might be tempted to throw all of these flat-mile mares out and see if I couldn’t hit an exacta box with mares who are proven at the distance. The thing that really knocks against this one is that she is trying the same distance switch against mares who are more qualified in terms of class to do so. This one has only 12 stakes points and qualifies far down the ladder. We have to assume that Seacadet knows he is taking a shot here, but we have to wonder if there is something we’re missing because Sea certainly knows what he is doing, as evidenced by a respectable 14.4 aggregate career win percentage. This mare certainly adds to the pace scenario and is in nice form, discounting the disappointing seventh-place finish last out on the off track. Her speed figures do compare.<\/P>

Jgaudet Stables’<\/EM> KATE’S POINT<\/STRONG> is on the clunker alert. She’s run three clunkers out of her last four, and four clunkers out of her last six. Being as she’s drawn next to last here, red alert for another clunker, I am afraid. What might convince us otherwise at a juicy 15-1? For starters, her non-clunker races are not too bad. Let’s look at that nice third-place finish two back in non-graded company going 9.5 furlongs. That was an up-close finish and a nice speed figure at 110. However, that also was a short field with only six going to post. How about this? At least she’s not a miler. If these eight-furlong types pack their bags at the head of the lane, who knows? Now, I am not suggesting to plunk down the hot dog money on this mare to win, but an imaginative handicapper playing tri’s and super’s certainly would consider her for a minor placing.<\/P>

Finally, we have CAVEDIVER,<\/STRONG> who is getting nice respect from the morning line oddsmaker at 9-1 despite qualifying last of all. What gives? Why the single digits for a horse with so few stakes points? Take a look at that race two back. That’s why. Robscoobi<\/EM> sent this 5yo brown daughter of King’s Best to post at 10-1 in a full, 14-horse field in a non-graded stake, and Cavediver responded with the biggest race of her career. She ran second with a lifetime-best speed figure of 114. I guess the house handicapper must be ignorning the most recent race, however. Cavediver got squashed in the Grade 3 Sabian Handicap, finishing no threat whatsoever to Warrior’s Relic, whom she catches again here. Normally, if I am going to take a chance on a rematch, and take the horse that was last against the horse that was first, I want more than 9-1. Maybe Cavediver can turn it around, but the price is short.<\/P>

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!!<\/STRONG><\/P>

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Malibu Miner Special easy only at first glance<\/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-7267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7267","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=7267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7267\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}