The focus shifts to speed in sunny Virginia this week, as we highlight the card with the Tuff Gong(IRE) Memorial. Open to all horses three years and older, a field of twelve will sprint over six and a half furlongs of firm turf. A purse of $55000 awaits at the wire split between those who put their best foot forward to lay claim to a paycheck. The oddsmakers have pretty much divided this field down the middle into haves and have nots. The favorite is going off at a relatively long 7\/2, with a 32\/1 longshot at the other end of the spectrum. The field is quite diverse, ranging in age from three to seven, with lightly raced up and comers, as well as grizzled stakes veterans. Should be another interesting race for Virginia race fans.<\/P>
PP 1) Proper Parade<\/B> Sired by Newsrag, Trained by twinhollow. Proper Parade shortens things up a bit here in his sixth consecutive stakes start. This will be his thirty third career run. He has 2-1-3-0-2 record in his last ten starts, cracking to 100 mark four times. He has been running well lately, collecting a check in his last seven starts, six of those at stakes level. He comes off a third place finish in a Massachusset stakes run at seven furlongs on turf his last out, that found him fading in the second half. He hasn\u2019t been back on dirt since his switch to turf a year ago, and he has shown that he definitely prefers the grass, firing off eight 100+ speeds in fourteen turf starts. His best runs seem to be at a slightly longer distance, but this is only his second try at this distance on turf, and he seemed to prefer the shorter distance on dirt. He\u2019s a wire to wire type runner, and his style is to build up as much of a cushion as he can, and then hold on for dear life. The softer surface doesn\u2019t give as much purchase to open up that big lead, and he has some other early speed to contend with here. Look for him to have at least a piece of the early lead, but it is going to be tough to hold on to it down the stretch in this one.<\/P>
PP 2) Pratfall<\/B> Sired by Comic Strip, Trained by afur67. Pratfall gets the oddsmakers\u2019 nod in this one, perhaps due to his four stakes victories in his last ten starts, all in the six to six and a half furlong range. Overall he has gone 4-2-1-3-0 in that stretch breaking the 100 mark five times. He makes his twenty ninth appearance here, and still seems to be going strong. He comes off a stakes win in South Carolina at this distance in his last start, ekeing out a thriller at the wire. He hasn\u2019t raced on dirt since his second career race, and the twenty plus point jump in speed upon switching to turf was enough to convince everyone that was right where he belongs. Twenty of his career starts have come in the six to six and a half furlong range, and he has won nearly half of them, finishing in the top three twelve times. He runs from just off the pace, and looks to have a tendency to make his break a bit too early. He\u2019ll have a hot early pace to deal with here, and his jockey will have to straddle a fine line between not letting him tire and still keeping him within striking distance.<\/P>
PP 3) Grand Grace<\/B> Sired by Red Ransom, Trained by dade. Grand Grace makes his thirtieth career start here, and makes his third consecutive stakes run after spending a long sojourn at allowance level. In his last ten starts, he has run to a 3-1-0-1-1 record, with two 100+ efforts. He comes off a last place finish at seven furlongs on an off track in Kansas in his last start in one of his worst starts of the season. That race was really not indicative of his capabilities, with the off track really hurting his performance. He has only run once on dirt, and while his speed was decent, the faster surface meant he had faster speeds to overcome, and he is more than at home on the grass. The majority of his success has come in the six to seven furlong range, and is safe as long as he stay in sprints. He\u2019s a midpack closer, and has shown flashes of a very good close, though he has not been consistent. He\u2019s had trouble making that kick at this level of competition, though his speeds are a good fit in this field. If he is closing just past the half, he could have a shot here, but holding his ground won\u2019t get him a check here.<\/P>
PP 4) Izaaq Hollandia(IRE)<\/B> Sired by Noverre(IRE), Trained by rosemont. Izaaq Hollandia(IRE) is a three year old colt, making his seventeenth career start here. He is no stranger to stakes competition, and this is his third straight run against the older horses. He is 4-1-3-1-1 in his last ten starts, with one 100+ speed. He comes off his second career stakes victory in a six furlong effort in Upper New York in his last start. He has run well on both surfaces, but his performance has definitely been better on the grass with a big bulk of his success there. His turf record is better in this distance range, but his best speeds on both turf and dirt have come in a slightly longer race. He is a leader\/stalker type runner, and has had very good success hanging on to a piece of the lead throughout the race. He\u2019s not one to rely on a big cushion to hold on to a lead, but rather his determination and stamina. If he gets a good jump from the gate here, he and his young legs could be very dangerous.<\/P>
PP 5) Hickory Bug <\/B>Sired by Northern Taste, Trained by matts2912. Hickory Bug makes his forty third career start, and fourth consecutive run back in the stakes ranks. He has spent the season in a mixture of claim, starter, allowance and stakes races, compiling a record of 1-1-0-2-1 in his last ten, with a best speed of 97. He comes off an eleventh place trouncing in a Mississippi stakes at seven and a half furlongs in his last race. He had a long layoff between October of 2003, and July of 2004, and his speeds never seemed to bounce back. 2003 was his banner season, and he posted 100+ speeds at every distance between seven and ten furlongs. He seems more comfortable at classic distance, at least earlier in his career, but the sprint may suit him in his older years. Surface his not a question though, with his best performances by far coming on the grass surface. He runs from just off the pace, but hasn\u2019t shown much inclination to turn it up in the second half recently, mostly losing to much ground at the gate to be effect. To be a factor here, he will need to survive the early pace, and that will mean a serious return to form.<\/P>
PP 6) Robot Pimples(GB)<\/B> Sired by Ra Nova(GB), Trained by landen2. Robot Pimples(GB) is a seven year old horse, making only his eleventh career run here. He makes his third stakes start here, after a short sojourn at allowance level. In his ten starts, he has gone 2-0-2-0-1 with one 100+ run. He comes off a third place finish in an A3L last out at seven and a half furlongs in New Hampshire. His speed has shown a defnite improvement since switching to turf in his fifth start. This will be the first time he has run under seven furlongs, and it may help him, considering his speeds decreased measureably at classic distances. He is still trying to settle into a running style, and his best efforts so far have come from just off the pace. He has shown some capability to close from deep, but a slow start tends to leave him too far out to be effective. About the only thing he hasn\u2019t tried is a midpack close. This may be what he needs to excel, and he is definitely going to need some help to survive in this field.<\/P>
PP 7) Food of The Gods<\/B> Sired by Northjet(IRE), Trained by landen1. Food Of The Gods is a second landen stable entry here, also a seven year old horse. He has a bit more experience with thirty one starts under his belt. Picked up in a low level claim race, he has gone 2-1-0-1-1 in nine starts under his new trainer, mostly in the allowance and starter ranks. He finished seventh in his first stake start last trip out in a seven furlong effort in Massachusetts. His new trainer showed him some faith, and he responded with some of his career best speeds, though not really up to par with the competition here. Turf is his surface of choice, running only once on dirt, and not appearing to like it at all. While half of his career victories have come in the eight furlong range, his speeds and overall performance have been better in a shorter race. He is all about speed, and likes to build up a cushion allowing him to cruise in the second half. His victories have been wire to wire, and he needs that ealry lead to be effective. The break here will tel the story, and if he doesn\u2019t get out front, there is too much speed here for him to be a factor.<\/P>
PP 8) Barb\u2019s Betty Anne<\/B> Sired by Gulf Storm, Trained by radarmansn. Barb\u2019s Betty Anne comes into this one ranked the number twelve three year old turf sprinter, with eight wins in twenty three career starts. Over his last ten starts, he has run to a 2-0-3-0-1 record, and still seeks his first 100+ speed. He has just started racing against the older competition in his last three starts, and he has not faired well. He comes off a last place finish in a Connecticut stakes at seven furlongs in his last start. He has never raced on dirt, and excelled on turf, especially in his freshman season last year. This is his distance of choice, with nearly three quarters of his starts in this distance range, and most of his best performances. He is a deep closer, and has shown flashes of brilliance, though he has not been consistent. He has failed to fire when he gets out longer. He\u2019ll have some rabbits in front of him and this one, and if he doesn\u2019t find himself too far out at the half he could collect a check here.<\/P>
PP 9) Valamar<\/B> Sired by Gold Legend, Trained by jbfarms. Valamar is another three year old colt, making his fifteenth run here. He has four stakes win to his credit, two of them at graded level. In his last ten, he has galloped to a 3-0-2-0-1 record with two 100+ runs. He comes off a stakes victory at seven furlongs in Connecticut in his last start, his first race against older competition. Though he has only made one run on dirt, he has shown some surface versatility, but his choice has been turf. He has shown talent out to nine furlongs, and seems to prefer the seven to eight furlong range. He is a midpack to deep closer, and with a couple of exceptions, he has been consistent in his close. This is the first time he drops back below seven furlongs since his debut last year, and it will be interesting to see how he reacts. He has shown the speed to compete in this field, and with the hot early pace, it should play well to his close. If he runs as he is capable of, he has the potential to be a factor here.<\/P>
PP 10) Weed Rat(IRE)<\/B> Sired by Noverre(IRE), Trained by nancy. Weed Rat(IRE) is an up and coming three year old colt, making his tenth career start here. This will be his second stakes start, and his first of this season. In his first nine starts, he is 4-1-0-0-1, with one 100+ speed. He is seeking his first stakes victory. He comes in off a fifth place finish in an open allowance at eight furlongs on an off track in Minnesota in his last start. He shows a marked turf preferance, with his dirt performance being lackluster, at best. His career best run came at this distance, and this will only be the secod time he has tried it. He is a midpack closer, and seems to prefer the shorter distances. While his close has been off in his longer starts, at seven furlongs or less it has been quite consistent. Dropping back to this distance he has the potential to be a surprise threat here, and may be worth at least a show bet at his long 20\/1 odds.<\/P>
PP 11) Demolition Man(GB)<\/B> Sired by Beat Hollow(GB), Trained by hornfrog3. Demolition Man(GB) makes his fourteenth stakes start, in this his thirty seventh career start. He has two stakes victories on his resume, both coming this season. Over his last ten starts, he boasts a record of 2-1-0-1-1 with four 100+ runs. He comes off a fifth place finish in a seven furlong stakes in Connecticut in his last run. After making his debut run on dirt, he made the switch in his second start to the grass, and never looked back. The turf has been quite good to him over the course of his career. His bread and butter distance is in the six to seven furlong range, and this distance is right up his alley. He is a midpack to deep closer, and his close has been quite consistent. He has had trouble coming all the way back in the second half, but for the most part, has been in the mix, with even his losing efforts being close in, relatively speaking. He could be a factor here if he can keep good striking distance against the early pace in this one.<\/P>
PP 12) Offstage(GB) <\/B>Sired by Diesis(GB), Trained by clmstable. Offstage(GB) is another sophomore making his thirteenth career start here. This is his tenth straight stakes run, and he has three stakes wins under his belt already. In his twelve career outings, he has put together a mark of 5-2-1-1-1, with three 100+ speed outings. He comes off a disappointing thirteenth finish in a Grade II nine furlong run in Maryland in his last effort, and drops back in class here. He has never been off the grass, and the way he has been running, there has really been no reason to move him. He has a distance pedigree, but thus far he has been at his best in the six to seven furlong range. He\u2019s a midpack closer, and has been fairly consistent in sprints, faltering when he has been stretched out. With the exception of his last outing, he is about the hottest horse here, and he should definitely be a dangerous horse in the second half of this one.<\/P><\/BODY><\/HTML><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Speed will be the order of the day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":472,"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":[2,3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews","category-reviews","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809","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\/472"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}