Race:<\/b> Arkansas Juvenile – Grade I – Derby Lock Prep – $1,000,000
ID:<\/b> 4281.0614
Track:<\/b> Arkansas
Restrictions:<\/b> All horses 3 years old
Distance:<\/b> A mile and one eighth on the Dirt
This week we\u2019re heading over to Arkansas for one of the premier three-year-old races in the country. The Arkansas Juvenile (G1) has the distinction as being held as a derby lock prep race, and as such will likely attract the best horses throughout the nation as they work to earn their way into American racing\u2019s center stage next month, the Bluegrass Derby (G1). The winner of this race will earn an automatic start in the Bluegrass Derby (G1) later on, while other contenders may earn valuable earnings and stakes points to help them draw into the big show for three-year-olds. Last year\u2019s winner of the Arkansas Juvenile (G1) was Distorted Storm<\/b>, owned by latinlover<\/i> of Latinlover Stables. The brown colt would go on to finish third in both the Bluegrass Derby (G1) and The New Yorker (G1) as part of the Triple Crown series. The purse for the race this weekend is an impressive one million, going to those that triumph over the mile and one eighth distance over the dirt. There will be a full field going to the gate this weekend as everyone is scrambling to get into the Derby. We have had some rain here at the track the first few days this week, however this will all dry out well in advance of the card on Saturday, giving the contenders for the Arkansas Juvenile (G1) a fast track on which to make their bid.
1. Ziggy Hearted<\/b> – (Lion Hearted x Danzig x Lycius) – unshaded99<\/i> of Dundey Acres – S. Aaron – 7\/1
Winning exactly half of his ten career starts, the chestnut Maryland-bred colt is out of the broodmare Dani Zig, who has produced a few other stakes winners, though none as accomplished as this colt. The chestnut has career earnings of $826,160 and has been running fairly impressively. His most recent start came in The Buccaneer Derby (G3), run this year over a good dirt track over eight and a half furlongs. The colt was out of the gate late in the race, trailing the majority of the field. He wasn\u2019t urged forward to challenge until the stretch when he went around a wall of horses but still only managed to just barely squeak into the money with a fifth place finish, while setting a speed figure of ninety-three. The colt\u2019s most recent win was this past January during The Dan\u2019s Payment Challenge, a listed five and a half furlong sprint over a sloppy dirt course. Because of the shorter distance, the colt was up closer to the pace, sprinting forward to win in the final furlongs by a length and a quarter with a speed figure of one hundred. Though impressive on the mud, the colt has also done well on the fast track, his best finishes in major races coming in the Dell Computer Futurity (G1) when he finished second and the Breeders\u2019 Bowl Juvenile (G1) where he finished fourth. Though a case could be made that the colt is definitely better over the sloppier surfaces, despite winning two races over a fast track. The colt will likely break towards the tail end of the field, not making any big moves until they enter into the stretch.
2. Distorted Prayer<\/b> – (Distorted Humor x Storm Cat x Gone West) – pazfive<\/i> of PazJazz Music City Stables – A. Arthur – 9\/1
Coming off of two consecutive wins recently, the three-year-old certainly brings a blue-blooded pedigree to the game this weekend. He\u2019s made only eight lifetime starts, winning three races so far in his career. The sole graded stakes start for the Kentucky-bred colt was the Moises Alou Cap (G2) over eight and a half furlongs overseas on Belgium. The colt was out of the gate late. breaking near the rear of the pack. He was held back until the later part of the race where he was sent forward flying through an opening on the rail. The brown colt would rocket past the field, winning thee race by two and a half lengths, equalling a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-nine that he first set in his prior start, an eight and a half furlong allowance race. The brown colt will usually run either far off the pace in closing position, or in the middle of the pack, however, he has also run on the pace once in his career, finishing the race with a win. Where he will be at the break will probably depend greatly on the pace on Saturday, though mid-pack or in a closing position, will probably be most likely.
3. Drago D\u2019Oro<\/b> – (Medaglia D\u2019Oro x Storm Cat x Private Account) – ariana<\/i> of Fox Force 5 Racing – C. Marts – 10\/1
Never finishing worse then second in any of her career starts, the son of top sire Medaglia D\u2019Oro could be a popular choice by some racing fans for a little longer odds. The light gray colt has only made four lifetime starts, but so far these have been nearly perfect. The Kentucky-bred colt is out of the broodmare Pawsitivlypurrfect. His most recent start, coming last month, was the first stakes race of his career. This came in The Braba Stakes, a listed stakes race over nine furlongs, in what would this year be over a sloppy dirt track. The colt broke around the middle of the pack, but quickly started picking off other horses early on in the race. He ended up blowing the field away at the wire, winning effortlessly by an impressive five lengths, while equalling a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred one, that he achieved in his prior start, a nine furlong allowance race. Depending upon the pace on Saturday, the colt who had only one start as a two-year-old, will either run as a closer at the rear of the field, or could be held slightly closer to the pace towards the center of the pack.
4. Stars Of Buda<\/b> – (Fusaichi Pegasus x Sky Mesa x Mr. Prospector) – joanneb<\/i> of Bush League Stables – S. Proudfoot – 11\/1
A late entry into the race, the brown colt with six career starts will be making his second consecutive derby lock prep race, trying once again to win a ticket to take him to the big show the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky-bred made his most recent start in the nine furlong Florida Derby (G1). The brown colt broke at the very back of the pack and was held there for the majority of the race. He was urged forward as the field came down the stretch. The colt would almost get the job done, finishing second with a speed figure of ninety-seven, just one and three-fourth lengths off the pace. His prior race resulted in a two length win for the brown colt in The Scam (G3) over nine furlongs across the country in California. He recorded his lifetime best speed figure in this start, a one hundred one. Though running a few different ways throughout his racing career, the colt most often begins his races towards the rear of the field, running as a late closer who probably won\u2019t make a move until the field enters the stretch.
5. Chicuco (AUS)<\/b> – (More Than Ready x A.P. Indy x El Gran Senor) – arameo<\/i> of Rafa Stables – A. Fairfield – 9\/1
Making a return to graded stakes races this weekend, the chestnut Australian-bred is out of the multiple stakes-producing broodmare Menorca. The chestnut colt has made eleven trips over the track so far in his career, winning three times. The most recent start for the colt came during The Braba Stakes, a listed stakes race held over nine furlongs, this time over a sloppy dirt course. The colt broke near the lead, held just off the front running pace in third position. The colt would loose ground early, but rebound in the stretch, though would still finish third, back by five and a quarter lengths, setting a speed figure of ninety-five. His most recent win came by a quarter of a length in The Mat The Bat (GB) Special, another listed stakes race over eight and a half furlongs. Between these two races, the colt did make a graded start in the Many Thanks Restricted (G1) in which he finished ninth. Though never winning a graded stakes race, the colt did finish third in the Pleasure Stakes (G3) as a two-year-old, scoring his lifetime best speed figure in this race. The colt will likely be one of the first out of the gate this weekend and will probably be back no further than third.
6. Wildcat Ant<\/b> – (Pleasant Tap x Forest Wildcat x Carson City) – ebracing2<\/i> of Ebstables Stables – F. Cherry – 13\/1
The first offspring out of the stakes winning broodmare Wildcat City II, the chestnut colt has been fairly successful, winning four races in a total of seven career starts. He\u2019s been improving as well with a recent start in The Rebel Yell (G3). This was the colt\u2019s graded stakes debut race and he took off out of the starting gate just off the pace of the front runners in third. He would gain a little bit of ground later on the race, finishing second with a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred two and finishing only a length and three-fourths off the pace of the winner. Prior to this the chestnut colt won a seven furlong allowance race by a length and a quarter. Though capable of running either on the pace or as a closer with success, the colt will most likely be placed towards the middle of the field this weekend at the start of the race.
7. Killing Game<\/b> – (Giant\u2019s Causeway (IRE) x Kingmambo x Danzig) – belsup<\/i> of Royal Belgian Kempen Farm – T. Thomas – 12\/1
One of the most inexperienced horses in the field this weekend, the Kentucky-bred son of Giant\u2019s Causeway (IRE) has only four lifetime starts. However, the brown colt has the distinction of never finishing off the board in any of his starts, and only loosing one race so far in his career. The most recent start for the colt was in The Brabawells Special, a listed eight furlong stakes race. The colt went right out to the front of the pack out of the gates and never looked back, winning the race in wire to wire style by a head with a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-nine. One trial for the colt will be the step up in class he will go into this weekend. He will be making his first start in graded stakes racing this weekend in perhaps one of the top graded races in the country this weekend. The colt should be forwardly placed on Saturday, likely in the top four horses leading the way out of the gate at the start.
8. Tokkachu<\/b> – (Toccet x Woodman x Private Account) – newastin18<\/i> of Astins Place – G. Ramsey – 10\/1
Out of the stakes placed broodmare Count Pinkie, the three-year-old brown colt will need to step things up a noch after his most recent performance. The colt, who has made a total of nine lifetime starts, made his most recent appearance in the All Saints Derby (G1), another derby lock prep race. In the eight and a half furlong race the colt broke out of the starting gate last of all in the pack. He maintained this trailing position until the field came into the stretch, though the colt still finished ten and three-fourth lengths off the pace in an unlucky thirteenth position. He went down in his speed figure, turning in a ninety-two. In his prior start the colt went to the gate in the Risen Star Stakes (G3), and though again taking off out of the gate nearly last of all, he made a big move down the stretch and won by two lengths with a one hundred five speed figure. The connections of the brown colt are hoping he\u2019ll bounce back well after his uncharacteristic All Saints Derby (G1) start. The colt will likely run as a closer again on Saturday, though he could be as far up as the middle of the pack, this style has also fit the colt.
9. Inauguration<\/b> – (Mr. Greeley x Wild Again x Bold Ruler) – worldwide<\/i> of More Evil Than The Evil Empire – A. Weldon – 7\/1
Accumulating more stakes points, with 200, than any other colt in the field this weekend, the Kentucky-bred homebred has won five races in his eleven career starts. The brown colt is nearing the half a million dollar mark in his career. He made his most recent start last month in The One Minstrel Special, a listed stakes race over a mile. In this race, the colt broke out of the gate in third position, held back a few lengths off a few pacesetters. Nearing the tail end of the race the colt started to move up, but ultimately would finish second, off the winning pace by two and a quarter lengths. He set a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-nine in this race. His most recent graded stakes start was just prior to this in the Many Thanks Restricted (G1), also at eight furlongs. The colt broke towards the back of the pack in this race and never recovered, ultimately finishing eleventh, back by over nine lengths. Not having much stakes success in this three-year-old racing season, the colt previously won the Sparkling Wine Stakes (G1) and the Pea Patch Juvenile (G3) last year as a two-year-old. The colt is a fairly versatile runner but will probably start his run somewhere towards the middle of the pack on Saturday.
10. Claire Court<\/b> – (Doneraile Court x Damascus x Transworld) – isittrue<\/i> of Flagdown Stables – V. Cabaniss – 13\/1
With just his second graded stakes start coming this weekend in the Arkansas Juvenile (G1), this runner is certainly a standout against the rest of the field. For one she will be the only filly going to the gate in the Arkansas Juvenile (G1) this weekend, looking to make a score against the boys, which she has already ran against once before in her career. She also carries the distinction of never finishing off the board in any of her seven career starts. The brown filly made her most recent start in The Land\u2019s End (G2) over nine furlongs against the boys in Eastern Kentucky. She broke out of the starting gate towards the middle of the pack on the outside. She quickly began picking off other horses in the race, and by the time the field reached the final turn the filly was in the lead. However, as the field came down the stretch the filly would give way to a late closing colt, to finish second by just a quarter of a length in her first match-up against the boys. The filly set a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred. She\u2019s made only one other stakes start, The Exbourne\u2019s Asia Special, a listed stakes race over eight and a half furlongs. Her most recent win was at allowance level. The filly will often be forwardly placed in her races, either on or just off the front-running pace, though she is versatile and has also won from a closing position at the back of the pack.
11. Sensibility<\/b> – (Street Sense x Tale Of The Cat x Sadler\u2019s Wells) – boldrule99<\/i> of Goody Stables – N. Rivers – 9\/1
Winning two times in his eight lifetime starts, the brown colt is out of the stakes-placed broodmare Terror Tale. The first offspring of the broodmare, the Kentucky-bred colt has earned a total of $105,460 in total lifetime earnings. The brown colt made his most recent start during The Buccaneer Derby (G3), held this year over a good dirt track at eight and a half furlongs. The strapping colt was out of the gate and settled behind a few front-runners, tucked back in fourth towards the outside. He would gain ground in the race, then loose a little again in the stretch, in what would eventually land him in a third place finish. The colt set a lifetime best speed figure for his most recent start, a one hundred. Prior to this, the colt also made a start in The Dubai 2000 Guineas (G3), in which he finished fourth. Though coming close, the colt has never won a stakes or graded stakes caliber race. His most recent win came as a two-year-old during a mile long allowance race, which the colt took in wire to wire fashion by two and a half lengths. The colt will likely be slightly behind the front-running pace at the break this weekend or in a mid-pack position at the break.
12. Just Vengeance<\/b> – (Jazil x A.P. Indy x Storm Cat) – jma<\/i> of Dead Meadow Farms – V. Jennings – 6\/1
Out of the stakes placed broodmare Kid Ego, the homebred colt is also nearing half a million career earnings with a total of $406,604 for nine lifetime starts. The chestnut colt has won four races in his career. all coming on the dirt. The Kentucky-bred is making his second derby lock prep race this weekend, recently making a run in the All Saints Derby (G1) at eight and a half furlongs. The colt was forwardly placed during the course of the race, breaking out of the starting gate in third place. After briefly gaining some ground towards the end of the race, the colt was shadowed over by some late closing colts, who pushed the chestnut back into fourth position at the wire. However, he did record a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred one. As a two-year-old the colt won both the North Fork Stakes (G1) and The Manor of Bashford (G3). The colt could either start towards the front of the field, possibly even on the lead, or the connections of the colt may choose to hold him back more towards a more mid-pack running position, likely depending on what the pace does this weekend.
13. TizJazz<\/b> – (Jazil x Tiznow x Unbridled\u2019s Song) – invasor<\/i> of The CVBear Not-Evil Racing Empire – X. Jones – 10\/1
Making his sixth consecutive graded stakes start this weekend, the brown colt has made eight lifetime starts. The Kentucky-bred had his most recent start in the Gary Asher Memorial Stakes (G3) over eight and a half furlongs in New York. The colt broke around a mid-pack to closing position at the start of the race, gradually working his way up towards the front. He really started moving down the stretch, but the colt only managed to cross the wire in fifth, back by six and a quarter lengths, with a lifetime best speed figure of ninety-nine. The colt has never won a graded start, though he came close with a second place finish in The Ransom (G2) as a two-year-old. The last victory the colt saw was during a mile long allowance race last year. Usually this colt will go towards the front of the pack in his races, right up to the lead and run on the pace trying to take things wire to wire, however, he has on occasion been held back far off the pace as a closer, though this hasn\u2019t been met with as good of results as the colt running towards the lead.
14. Givinsky<\/b> – (Any Given Saturday x Deputy Minster x Nijinsky II) – orrrrdago<\/i> of Erdiya Stables – P. Reich – 40\/1
Out of the superstar broodmare Minsky, the brown colt will be making his first start this weekend for his new owner of Erdiya Stables. The colt is one of the more experienced in the field with a total of fifteen lifetime starts, though only winning twice so far in his career. The Kentucky-bred colt was recently picked up by his new owner\/trainer in a $5,000 claiming race. In this start, held over six furlongs on a sloppy dirt course, the colt broke towards the back half of the field. He sprinted forwardly nicely however in the stretch, coming home to finish second with a speed figure of eighty-two. His most recent win was as a two year old during a mile long allowance race, in which he won by two and a half lengths. The brown colt has made one graded stakes start in his career to date, during the Giant Slayer Classic (G3), run over a sloppy dirt track at eight and a half furlongs. The colt would finish ninth in the race, eleven and a quarter lengths back. Though certainly in over his head with the field this weekend, the colt will probably take off out of the gates towards the rear of the field, and if he makes any challenge on the field, it won\u2019t be until the latter part of the race.
Flrancho\u2019s Picks<\/b><\/u>
Win:<\/b> Just Vengeance
Place:<\/b> Ziggy Hearted
Show:<\/b> Distorted Prayer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just Vengeance Favored at 6\/1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"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-7943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7943","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\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}