{"id":7954,"date":"2010-04-08T23:20:30","date_gmt":"2010-04-08T23:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=7954"},"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=7954","title":{"rendered":"The 5-Series Grade I"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year was the first running of the G1 The 5-Series stakes in Victoria<\/st1:place><\/st1:State>.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Two horses from last years event, Monte Youn and Sadler\u2019s Prayer, are making a repeat appearance in the 1 \u00bd mile race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The race is open to all horses, 3 and up, and will be contested on the turf track, which is flagged as being in good condition. \u00a0<\/SPAN>Most entrants have shown decent results on a wet track, with a few making their first run on the wet surface. \u00a0<\/SPAN>Monte Youn, even though he did not finish on the board last year, is established as the 7-2 favorite for this year\u2019s race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Let\u2019s see how he matches up to this year\u2019s field.<\/P>

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1.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Bostopper\u00a0 <\/SPAN>57-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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It\u2019s always hard to support a horse at 57-1 and unfortunately, Bostopper is one that is hard to support.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>His top speed is 96 and that doesn\u2019t look too competitive with the rest of the field spawning off speeds of 100 and even in the 110\u2019s.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Bostopper does show early speed, and will be on the front end early, competing with other speedsters for the lead.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Problem is he has been fizzling out and hasn\u2019t wired the field since last June.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He does get jockey B. Deary (11% win) in the mount, who rode the winning horse last year. <\/P>

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2.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Selkirk Dancer\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>21-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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I don\u2019t ever recall seeing a horse run a race with a speed of zero.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Selkirk Dancer achieved this in November, apparently pulling up early in the race and not finishing in a non-grade stake race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>One would suspect he was injured, which was not the case, as he raced the following week, finishing 2nd<\/SUP> in an allowance race (12f) with a speed of 102.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I also don\u2019t recall ever seeing a horse get a speed bump of 102 between races before either!\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He comes off a dismal effort in a 12f allowance race, finishing 10th<\/SUP> in a speed of 91.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He has been on the board once in last five and hasn\u2019t won in a year.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Just doesn\u2019t look ready to pull off the upset.\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P>

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3.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Northern Front\u00a0 <\/SPAN>9-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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Northern Front makes the long trip from Louisiana<\/st1:State> to Victoria<\/st1:State><\/st1:place> for this race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He doesn\u2019t show any prior overseas travel and I would tread cautiously with this one.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He\u2019s also adding over about a third of a mile to the longest distance he\u2019s ever run before.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This may be due to his last outing where he ran out of real estate, finishing forth in the G2 Double M Memorial, closing late and missing by 4 strides at 9f in speed of 104.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He is bred to run longer distances and maybe able to handle the distance, but the travel could have a wearing effect.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN><\/P>

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4.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Rockwells King\u00a0 <\/SPAN>6-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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Rockwells King has just recently started competing in graded racing, collecting a 2nd<\/SUP>, 3rd<\/SUP>, 4th<\/SUP> and 5th<\/SUP> (not in that order).\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He seems to be missing that 1st<\/SUP> spot.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>At the age of 5, Rockwell looks to be in the prime of his career, putting in his 2nd<\/SUP> best life speed marks of 110 in each of his last two starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Most recently, he was 2nd<\/SUP> in the Sandy Ray Handicap (G2, 12f).\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He is traveling from California<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> for the race, and that should be considered, but he does look like a contender.<\/P>

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5.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Certifiably Insane\u00a0 <\/SPAN>7-1<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>

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Career-wise, Certifiably Insane is 5-3-3 in 15 starts, which include 3 forth place finishes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>That leaves one race where he did not pick up a purse check, and that was his last race in the G2 Victoria Cup (10f).\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Certifiably likes to run near the front, and in that race, he got caught up in the middle of the field, finishing 8th<\/SUP> in a speed of 104.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Perhaps you can blame the jockey for the bad run, having Aggulotto aboard, who only has won one race in 21 starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But he gets Fagan for the ride this time, who has one win in 32 starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Maybe he didn\u2019t like the track, but he\u2019s running on the same one this time.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>These signs don\u2019t add up too favorably.<\/P>

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6.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Napp\u00a0 <\/SPAN>11-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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Here\u2019s a horse to watch.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Napp has won 13 of 29 starts and has been on the board 22 times.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In 2009, he cashed in 8 consecutive purse checks before going south in the fall with 2 poor efforts in graded racing.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The 2010 season saw him start off in allowance racing, and not faring too impressively.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>His first start was a third at 12 with a speed of 94.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Then he ran 4th<\/SUP> at 11f with a terrifying speed of 86.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>However, his last start showed a turnaround with a win at 12f and much improved speed of 107.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He does ship from Florida<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> for this event, but he does love this track.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In 2008 he ran in four consecutive allowance races, with two wins, a place and a show.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Jockey Dowell (17% win) is aboard and there could be some very good value in playing this one.<\/P>

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7.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Naked Boot\u00a0 <\/SPAN>9-2<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>

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Although Naked Boot has not won a race in nearly a year, he has been hot.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In his last 8 starts, he is 0-5-1 with 2 forth place finishes.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He keeps knocking at the door, as the five place finishes indicate, but just can\u2019t find a way to get in.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He has average a speed of just under 110 in his last four appearances with a second place finish in the Jumpin\u2019 Java Stakes (12f, non-graded) in a speed of 112 over this track last time out.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Naked Boot likes to run just off the pace and has been able to get the lead at the 3rd<\/SUP> call, only to relinquish it late in the race.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Can only hope that he finds a way to hang on to the lead in this trip.<\/P>

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8.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Monte Youn\u00a0 <\/SPAN>7-2<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>

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Monte Youn is the only entrant in this field who ran in this race last year.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Monte has tons of early speed and set the fractions in the race last year, only to be rundown in the last quarter to finish 4th<\/SUP> by 9 long lengths, but a decent speed of 107.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Since this race, he has a record of 3-2-2, primarily in graded races.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Since the end of 2008, he has not recorded a speed below 107.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>A very classy horse who has won over this track in the past.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Hard to ignore.<\/P>

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9.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sadler\u2019s Prayer\u00a0 <\/SPAN>6-1<\/SPAN><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>

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Sadler\u2019s Prayer ran in this race last year and was second early on, behind Monte Youn, and faded off to 6th<\/SUP> by the end of the race with a speed of 102.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>He has tried this track 5 times so far, with a record of 0-2-1.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sadler has averaged a speed of 106 over his last four starts, but was only able to hit the board once for his efforts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Sadler will be pressing the issue for the lead and his best chance will probably to lay back a little ways and safe something for the end.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>His speed numbers are good, but his performance shows him losing ground at the end.<\/P>

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10.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The Reef Returns\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>8-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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This is one hard horse to predict.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In 14 career grass starts, he has a record of 5-3-0.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>The record is reflective of his performance.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>When he has his game on, he is dangerous.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>But if you drill into his races a little deeper, one can see that he does not fare well in fields of 10 or more.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>On the grass, he has been on the board once in six starts with the larger fields.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Jockey Evans (24% win) is taking the mount, and The Beef Returns has had only one race with a speed below 100 in his last eight starts.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Horse can do well with jockey, but the field size is working against him.<\/P>

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11.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>I am Mister Ed\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>7-1<\/SPAN><\/P>

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I am Mister Ed has put in some good races as shown in his last race, the G2 Victoria Cup (10f).\u00a0 <\/SPAN>In this race, he was a dozen lengths back at the half and he came thundering home and just narrowly missed by \u00bc length in a tight photo and being judged to finish third and a speed of 113 (career best).\u00a0 <\/SPAN>This was much improved from his 5th<\/SUP> place finish in the Jumpin\u2019 Java stakes (12f) over the same track in a speed of 107.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Jockey Snappa (6% win) handled I am Mister Ed in the Victoria Cup and gets the call again.\u00a0 <\/SPAN>Although he doesn\u2019t win much, he seemed to click with the horse in the last race and there just might be something there.<\/P>

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Yoss Picks:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>8-7-11-9<\/P>

Trackman Picks:\u00a0 <\/SPAN>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>8-7-4-9<\/P>

My Picks:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/SPAN>8-11-6-7<\/P>

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Two Return for Second Try in 5-Series<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":363,"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-7954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954","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\/363"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}