{"id":8069,"date":"2010-05-20T22:56:37","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T22:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=8069"},"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=8069","title":{"rendered":"Free money at the Irish 2000 Guineas!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

By ITCH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to the Emerald Isle for a spectacular card of high-class turf racing.<\/p>\n

There are no fewer than seven stakes races on the Ireland card this Saturday, including three Grade I races, capped by the $500,000 Irish 2000 Guineas<\/strong><\/em>. We’ve got a full field of three-year-olds hoping to capture this important Sim prize.<\/p>\n

A theme here might be “all my chatroom buddies,” because not only is the leading qualifier trained by our good friend Balata (aka “The Pro”) but we also have Donny Beisbol, Alishan, Lebowski Ed, Galileo and Mtk Mark in this race. Adding to the chat room influence are Desperado and Tsunami, who capably handled questions I had concerning the 2000 Guineas series.<\/p>\n

Maybe along with the new viewer we can get a new morning line oddsmaker for the Sim. Something’s wrong when Balata’s<\/em> BLACK GOLDNINER<\/strong> is 10-1 as the reigning Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf winner. Qualifying on top with a massive stakes point total of 193, Balata’s champ has more stakes points than the next three horses combined. His earnings per race of $80,000 dwarf this field. According to the insane morning line, there are five horses in this race better than Black Goldniner. Don’t buy it, folks. This is the best horse in this race by head and shoulders. He should not have been 20-1 on Breeders Bowl day, either. Black Goldniner is out of Balata’s Grade A, Grade I-winning Forty Niner mare ALBERTA GOLD, and is by far the best of the three this Grade A mare has produced so far. The 4yo by Awesome Again, ALBERTA AWESOME, is really starting to bloom but has earned only $50,000 so far, making Black Goldniner the prize at $806,000 in career earnings. Despite his lofty status as the Breeders Bowl Juvenile turf winner, his trainer was not exactly brimming with confidence earlier this week. “I don’t think he will win off recent form,” Balata admitted, “but he’s certainly capable.” With a nice spate of rest recently and only two races in 2010 so far, it looked for all the world like Balata was pointing to this race, but that is not the case, according to the trainer. The Pro says he points to no races, and actually is looking to come off the regular racing at a mile for his BB champion. “I actually want to stretch him out very soon but this is a good race so he’ll run here this week,” Balata said. “I think he has a chance if I can keep him a bit closer to the pace.” In his Breeders Bowl triumph, Black Goldniner took back amid the second flight, then began distancing himself from that group near the midway point. As they headed for home, Black Goldniner was the clear threat to the top three and kept on coming for a clear win, establishing himself as a champion. Good luck in this race to “The Pro,” which is our chatroom nickname for Balata in recognition of his mighty golfing skills. <\/p>\n

Alishan<\/em> will carry the Comedy Central banner into this prestigious Grade I with STREETS OF COLAC<\/strong>, a speedy front-running son of Street Hero (Street Cry). Streets of Colac is legitimate graded-stake speed, but has had a hard time pressing his advantage all the way to the wire. The speedy colt just never can seem to make it all the way to the end, and has been passed by at least one horse in each of his last nine races. You have to go all the way back to August of his 2yo season before you find a win, and that at the entry-level allowance condition. Since then, Alishan has eschewed the conditioned allowance level in favor of graded racing, and why not? Streets of Colac has proven he can earn and finish very close to the top prize in Grade I competition. This colt is an effective pacesetter at anywhere from a mile to a mile and a quarter. He was in great shape last time, ahead by more than two lengths at the head of the stretch, but faded again to be fifth. At the very least, Streets of Colac guarantees an honest pace. The morning line makes him the favorite at 5-1, but that’s a bad, bad number. “I’ve never won graded before and he’s the favorite. I have big hopes. I pushed him pretty hard early on but now he’s had almost two months off so I’m hoping for a big run on a trained-for sharp,” Alishan said when spotted in the chatroom shortly before this article was to be posted. “If mine can get out to a comfortable lead unchallenged then he will be hard to run down. His run in the Equinics was pretty good.” The only problem is, Manni has a colt in here that’s going to make it awfully hard for Streets of Colac to get an easy lead.<\/p>\n

A recurring Sim theme is revisited with ABCDE Stables<\/em>‘ SEATTLE CHANNEL<\/strong>. That is, horses who are big successes as 2yos have a hard time holding that form as 3yos. As a 2yo, this terrific brown son of English Channel won a Grade 3, and hit the board in a Grade I and Grade 2, moving him far up the divisional rankings. However, after winning four races as a juvenile, Seattle Channel has won only one race as a 3yo, and shows a current losing streak of five races. He’ll try his luck again here in the Irish 2000 Guineas after having disappointed in fifth place last out in the German 2000 Guineas, which attracted a short field of only eight despite its Grade 2 status. The only real good race lately for this colt was two back, when he was second in a Grade 3 this distance on a good track. With 17 starts under his belt, Seattle Channel might be starting to show signs of wearing out through a long, hard campaign that shows no rest back to the beginning of his career. At 7-1, he’s another one who is seriously underlayed.<\/p>\n

Being friends with Donny B<\/em> is more fun than you can SHAKEASTICKAT<\/strong>. As a father of a newborn, moderator of the message board and head speech writer for Barack Obama, it’s hard to imagine how Dah-Knee has time to train his fleet of thoroughbreds, but he gets it done. Masterminding his Genetic Misfit Consortium in his Chicago headquarters just down the street from Wrigley Field, Donny has cut back recently on his operation, but has moved way up in terms of win percentage. The aggregate strike rate is at 17.2 percent and rising, and it’s no wonder with fine horses like Shakeastickat. This chestnut son of Shakespeare brings a two-race winning streak into the Irish Guineas, going back-to-back in non-graded stakes company and a Grade 3 last out. That was a powerful performance in the Grade 3 Craven Stakes, as Shakeasticat powered home to win by 2 1\/2 lengths and scored his first triple-digit speed figure. This colt is all class and consistency, having hit the board in three of his four graded races. He’s already banked more than a quarter million after only seven career races and looks like the Real McCoy.<\/p>\n

DERHAMM<\/strong> could not keep up with Blackgoldniner or DUSSELDORF when third two back in the Irish 2000 Guineas Trial, but since then wheeled back on Kentucky Derby Day to take a Grade 3 going nine furlongs in impressive fashion. As such, he enters the real Irish Guineas on a definite upswing. First off, you have to really respect the connections on this chestnut son of Street Sense. If anybody knows how to train graded winners in the Sim, it’s Rafa.<\/em> He just has a knack for getting horses to improve at the right time and it appears Derhamm is sitting on a big race here in the Irish Guineas. If he improves again, Derhamm could have a lot to say about the outcome. It will be interesting to see how hard this colt kicks for home with the cutback in distance from nine furlongs to eight. His last two races at a flat mile were not all that great, but those took place while Rafa was getting him ready for today. Look for a top effort.<\/p>\n

One might guess in a Grade I race at a flat mile that you’re going to have plenty of speed in the race. That appears to be the case here. Like the aforementioned Streets of Colac, Manni’s<\/em> MEDICEAMBO<\/strong> is very, very fast out of the gate and can be expected to duel with that one early. These two colts are both confirmed, need-the-lead speedball types, creating a real possiblity that they will battle each other into submission. This son of Medicean is so fast that he once led a mile race by 9 1\/2 lengths. He comes barreling out of the gate like a quarter horse and then tries to hold on, as he has done in five of his seven career lifetime starts. He almost turned the trick last out in a Grade 3, in which he was beaten only a quarter of a length for all the money. He also earned a very big 105 speed figure in that race which matches up very prominently in this field. He’s so fast that he may beat all the other speed horses out of the gate and become the “speed of the speed.” It’s nice to see Manni is keeping up with one of the largest operations in all of Simdom. The game’s early poster boy for massive multi-stabling, Manni continues to operate 154 barns in the Sim. <\/p>\n

Looks like there was no shortage of proper prep races for the Irish 2000 Guineas. We’re seeing horses from at least three different Grade 3’s at the exact distance of a mile on the turf. Astinator Adrian<\/em> is another trainer who brings a colt in off a perfect prep race DOOTY DA DOO.<\/strong> This brown son of T.M. Opera O has hit the board in all six of his starts so far, winning two with a fine record of five-for-six in the exacta. We know right away from his career racing record that this is a consistent horse who has the will to win. We also know that he is trained by a very sharp Simster indeed in The Astinator, whose 40-barn outfit continues to romp merrily along at a whopping 25.3 percent win rate. These 40 barns have to be a proud outfit indeed for EAAA Racing. In Adrian, EAAA Racing boasts one of the finest operations in all of Sim land. Dooty Da Doo really responded for Adrian last out in his graded stakes debut, closing strongly in the lane to be second while earning a robust 105 speed figure. He beat Manni’s speedy colt, Mediceambo in that race. With only six starts under his belt, and considering his connections, it would be no surprise to see this colt make another improvement here in the Irish Guineas on Saturday.<\/p>\n

SANDOR<\/strong> was a rocking-and-a-rolling for Galileo<\/em> until a train wreck in the biggest of the 2000 Guineas races, held at Newmarket on Kentucky Derby Day. Sandor, a 3yo brown son of Irish sire New Approach, a son of Galileo (hey, notice the connection there), was a perfect four-for-four when he went into the starting gate at the 2000 Guineas. He was undefeated, having ascended through two allowance conditions and a non-graded stake, all with ascending speed figures. You never saw a horse looking better. Galileo must have been brimming with confidence on May 1. He also might not have believed his eyes when he saw this prize colt back up, then back up some more in the 2000 Guineas. After reeling off four wins like the best horse in the world, Sandor ran not a step in his biggest career race. He finished ninth, beaten more than 20 lengths in his Grade I debut. Clearly, Galileo believes it was but a speed bump on this colt’s road to success. He ignores the poor finish and runs right back in another Grade I. He still believes in this colt, and why not? He did have six weeks off before the 2000 Guineas, and maybe he was not himself that day. He comes back on three weeks rest and is a real X factor in this race. If he reverts to his former self, he figures. If he runs like he did last time, Galileo is really going to be scratching his head and wondering what went wrong.<\/p>\n

Maybe the third time will be the charm for NAVIGATION SYSTEM,<\/strong> a son of Henrythenavigator, who steps up to the plate in the Irish Guineas with an 0-2 count against him. It’s not hard to understand why Mtk and his Shamrock Stables<\/em> decided that this colt was graded stakes material. He aired by five-plus lengths in his maiden-breaker at this distance on the turf, then followed that up with an impressive score in his non-graded stakes debut when he was eligible for an entry-level allowance race. Unfortunately, the Shamrock Stables did not see their luck hold when they advanced to graded stakes, as he has been beaten soundly in his last two, both at this level. Navigation System did not run a bad race at all when fifth at his graded stakes debut this distance, but got his butt kicked when stretching out to a mile and a quarter last out in the Japanese 2000 Guineas at 10 furlongs. This talented colt finds himself in need of a form turnaround in this prestigious race. With only five starts under his belt, it’s hard to know what the future holds for this talented colt. Even if he runs another bad one, it’s not beyond the imagination that he has Grade I success waiting on him. Whether that success it waiting on him Saturday remains to be seen. If not today, maybe tomorrow.<\/p>\n

I’m not sure if Graywolf<\/em> would pick his Czechoslavakian-bred RELAXING WOLF<\/strong> if he were down to his last pick in the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, but if he did, he might have a nice enough price to earn him a title. There are a lot of good handicappers in the United States, but not many better than Shiloh Merwitz, aka Mr. Graywolf and one of my oldest friends in the Sim. ( I am sorry to call you old, Shiloh, but you and I both have been around a long time. ) It’s interesting that Graywolf is such a prominent handicapper on a national level, but travels a very non-beaten path when it comes to his Sim game play. Many of his real-life handicapping opinions surely must be based on the tried-and-true, but Graywolf likes to experiment when it comes to his Sim horses. He’s not afraid to try an unconventional breeding, and not afraid to try an unconventional approach with his horses. At first glance, this colt appears overmatched in this spot with inferior speed figures. However, you have to respect the spotting because Graywolf knows a ton about where a horse can win. He’s a longshot with a caveat.<\/p>\n

NOIR’S WORLD<\/strong> has been competing successfully at the entry-level allowance condition with ascending speed figures, which has inspired Nickesyd<\/em> to take the plunge in the deep end, all the way up to Grade I in the Irish 2000 Guineas. By Manduro, the brown colt does impress with his racing record. He’s been in the lead at the head of the lane in each of his past four races. There are a lot of ones and twos in those past performances and that’s much to this colt’s credit. He’s cutting back from nine furlongs to a flat mile here, so in addition to the massive class jump, this colt is going to have to be making a pace adjustment, as well. He’s been racing on or near the lead at nine furlongs, and now cuts back to a mile. Does he still press the pace at a shorter distance? Or, does he take back and try to close? We can’t be sure that this horse is capable of making a big late kick and passing horses in the lane. But, he’ll have to pass some to hit the board because he’s not making the lead with some of the established speedballs in here. Nickesyd obviously likes this colt, and who would not, but this looks like an awfully challenging spot indeed. This writer is going to go out on a limb and guess there are better days ahead for this colt.<\/p>\n

RECORD DISTORTION<\/strong> really started running in his last two races when Billy2shoe<\/em> switched him to the turf. A brown son of Pulpit, there are a lot of things to like about this colt. First of all, he’s very consistent. He’s on the board in all nine of his races so far. He’s versatile, establishing that racing record while racing on the turf and dirt. With Pulpit as the sire and Distorted Humor as the dam sire, it’s no wonder Billy2shoe thought he had a dirt horse in Record Distortion, racing him exclusively on the main track for seven races in a row to begin his career. Billy2shoe did not switch surfaces until Record Distortion lost three races in a row at the entry-level allowance condition. For his fourth allowance try, Billy2shoe switched to turf and away this colt went, winning by two lengths. He followed that up with another score last out at the N2X level, ascending to a triple-digit speed figure for the first time. That 103 is apparently inspring a lot of confidence because it’s all the way up to Grade I for this consistent colt. His streak of in-the-money finishes obviously is in serious jeopardy here in the 2000 Guineas on the massive jump in class. If he’s a perfect 10-for-10 after Saturday, we have a horse here.<\/p>\n

More from the chat room: Whilst interviewing Balata for this race, the very nice Lebowski Ed<\/em>, operator of Seamhead Stables,<\/em> was in attendance. Minutes later, we had two interview subjects instead of just one.\u00a0Ed took a look at the race and decided to take the plunge with BUTCH CASSIDY<\/strong>. This brown son of the Cox’s Ridge sire Sundance Ridge would be a thorough shock to the Simulated thoroughbred horseracing world if he won on Saturday, but even if he runs last, he’ll still be well on his way to at least one mark of distinction. “He is the best damn horse to come out of Massachusetts,” proclaimed his enthusiastic trainer. It’s crazy to think that a colt can jump all the way to a Grade I from a local-bred allowance, but Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid did manage to pull off some outlandish heists. However, even robbing the same train twice may not have been as daring a deed as the gigantic class jump this colt will attempt on Saturday. Seamhead knows what he’s up against. “I don’t think he will have the class, but he loves a mile,” he said. “When I saw the speeds, I figured he was worthy of a shot.”<\/p>\n

Finally, we have CRAB SHACK<\/strong>, who qualifies last of 14 with seven stakes points for Sterlingra<\/em>. This chestnut son of High Chapparal had some decent finishes in non-graded turf races, winning one and hitting the board in another. Also, his win and show effort both were at 7.5 furlongs, quite close to Saturday’s distance of a mile. So, he may be racing at a distance he likes here Saturday, and at least he’s proven himself in non-graded stakes company, which is more than some of his ambitously-placed opponents can say. However, this horse carries serious questions in terms of recent form and class. He lost three out of four non-graded turf stakes and now he’s taking on the Breeders Bowl champion. Tall task. Also, he’s coming in here off a badly-failed experiment on the main track, in which he was last of five in a non-graded stake. There are things to like about this colt, but he hasn’t won a race since November of last year and the Grade I 2000 Guineas hardly seems a likely spot to reverse that trend.<\/p>\n

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bet The Pro: BLACK GOLDNINER at 10-1<\/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-8069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8069","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=8069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}