Like most of the Breeder Bowl races on Saturday, the Sprint (Grade I) is a wide-open betting affair. The odds range from 6\/1 to 25\/1, with 12 of the 14 starters ranging between 6\/1 and 12\/1. The weatherman promises a fast track under clear skies for this championship tussle at 6 furlongs on the dirt for all horses, 3 years old and up. 13 boys and one lone girl will go for the lion\u2019s share of the $2,000,000 purse and a big leg up on the title as 2010\u2019s fastest sprinter. The horses by post position:<\/p>\n
PP 1 \u2013 REBEL RING(KY) \u2013 (Storm Cat x Gone West x Seattle Slew) \u2013 The 8th ranked older dirt sprinter, this guy is bred for all speed, and speed is what you get. In 7 races this year, this ceclaim20 star has hit triple figures 6 times. And the one time he didn\u2019t, he won anyways. He\u2019s classy, hitting a close 2nd in 2 Grade I races, in the last 3 months. And he\u2019s consistent too: In 28 lifetime starts, he has 22 finishes in the money. If he can get a legit pace up front, and if he can run back to his 2nd and 3rd race back, this midpack stalker can run them down on his best day. That\u2019s a fairly wide \u201cif\u201d, but this one genuinely needs to be played in exotics, and will threaten even on top.<\/p>\n
PP 2 \u2013 GOLDEN SILK(KY) \u2013 (A.P. Indy x Storm Cat x Seeking the Gold) This 4 year old from the muninn240 barn, brings in some gaudy numbers, like over $1.6 Million in lifetimes earnings, and the #3 dirt sprint ranking among older horses. That said, he hasn\u2019t been blinding anyone with his speed figures of late, and his last 2 Grade I races have been less than stellar. Ok, they\u2019ve been bad. He\u2019s finished both of those with 11th place finishes. Those were a furlong longer though, so it remains to be seen if it\u2019s about soft form, or the distance not being right. Because he also had a great Grade I win a couple of races before that, at the BB distance of 6f. We just haven\u2019t seen much from him at this level since then. If he can run back to his earlier speeds, he can stalk or wire this field. Without seeing him handle 6f now though, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d be able to trust it just yet.<\/p>\n
PP 3 \u2013 PINCHINGDALE(FL) \u2013 (Graeme Hall x Blushing Groom(FR)) x Diamond Prospect) \u2013 The longest shot in the race, this modestly bred is the top ranked sprinter in his age group, and may be rounding into the best shape of his life, although he\u2019s stepping way up in class for this race. This bluefox charge had three consecutive rises in speed figs, culminating in his career high last time out, albeit in a listed stakes race. He does have a win in a Grade I and a 2nd in a Grade II under his belt, but both were against 3 year olds only. Lot of question marks, but the potential to be a huge price. Will be flying at the end.<\/p>\n
PP 4- MISS UNIVERSO(KY) \u2013 (Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector x Nijinsky II) \u2013 The only filly in the race, this royally bred venezolano trainee is coming off of a nail-biting 2nd place finish (just a \u00bc length back) in a Grade I race against the boys. Normally I wouldn\u2019t give a mortal 4 year old filly much of a shot in a race of this caliber, but that last race, plus her brilliant job two races before that in a Grade I against the girls, AND her amazing consistency (8 wins and 11 ITM from 11 starts) gives me the look of an overlay at 10\/1 odds. This girl might represent a whole lot of value, based on form, speed, and style. <\/p>\n
PP 5 \u2013 A PERFECT YEAR(KY) \u2013 (Pleasantly Perfect x Forty Niner x Summer Squall) \u2013 This brightvalr 4 year old colt\u2019s chances depend on which horse shows up. The one who finished a close 3rd (less than a length from the winner) in the Grade I \u201cThe Old Name\u201d two races back, or the horse who bounced to a 3rd in a listed stakes with a drop in speed figs from 109 to 98, last time out. Does his best racing up or near the front, this colt definitely has a shot on his best day, but is a tad too inconsistent for me to back. May well have an influence on the pace however.<\/p>\n
PP 6 \u2013 FIGHTER JET(KY) \u2013 (Dehere x Forty Niner x Saratoga Six) \u2013 Until his last race, this 4 year old colt from the wistful barn made a living beating up (for the most part) unlisted stakes competition. Last time out, he moved all the way up the food chain to a Grade I, where he blithely won (although by just a head). He\u2019s a stalker\/closer in a race that, for a championship sprint, doesn\u2019t have as much early speed as you\u2019d think, so his chances might be a bit stretched.<\/p>\n
PP 7 \u2013 BODDINGTON(KY) \u2013 (Ghostzapper x Dayjur x El Prado(IRE)) \u2013 This millionaire from the rapier stable has some gaudy numbers too, including a number 2 sprint ranking among older horses. But either because of the distance, or current form, he\u2019s been vulnerable at the BB distance of 6 furlongs. Last time out, in the Grade I \u201cThe Old Name\u201d, he flattened out to a dead last finish and a 91 speed figure. He may need the extra furlong to finish strongly, unless there\u2019s a quicker pace up front than he\u2019s used to. At 8\/1, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d play him to win, but he does have the talent to change the outcome.<\/p>\n
PP 8 \u2013 MASTER FULL(KY) \u2013 (Forest Wildcat x Broad Brush x Alydar) \u2013 Themaster brings this 4 year old, also at 8\/1, in off of a wild finish in the afore-mentioned Grade I \u201cThe Old Name\u201d, where he held off the filly in this race, Miss Universo by a quarter length. The form is good, the style is good, and, as long as there is any sort of pace at all, this guy has a very legitimate shot at taking this race. A nice shot and nice value at 8\/1. Definitely a top three pick.<\/p>\n
PP 9 – RAINS OF CASTAMERE(KY) \u2013 (Giant\u2019s Causeway(IRE) x Danzig x Seattle Slew) \u2013 Yet another closer, this royally bred 4 year old from the given stable might like the added distance of 7+ furlongs rather than the 6 of this one. He\u2019s shown a propensity to eat up and spit out lengths-back on the stretch, and he has also shown the ability to put up speed figs on his best day that will compete with the best here. The problem is, unless there\u2019s a suicide pace up front, I\u2019m not sure this guy will be able to get his motor revved up in time to run down the stalkers. His last couple of outings against this kind of competition have been less than encouraging. Still a nice play for the back end of exotics.<\/p>\n
PP 10 – FERNANDO HERO(KY) \u2013 (Dehere x Seeking the Gold x Danehill) \u2013 Trainer fernando brings in one of the few legit early speed threats with this 5 year old. If you throw out his last in the Grade I \u201cThe Foregone\u201d for being 7 furlongs (his last try before that race at 7 also ended with his collapse in the stretch), then this horse has shown he has the ability to wire a Graded field on his best day. Especially in a field that is mostly stalkers and closers. If he wins, he does it from gate to wire.<\/p>\n
PP 11 – CRANKY SQUIRREL(KY) \u2013 (Maria\u2019s Mon x A.P. Indy x Mr. Prospector) \u2013 This horse gets my vote as best name in the field, but trainer isitingood\u2019s millionaire isn\u2019t just another pretty name. He\u2019s the number one ranked older sprinter in the game today. He\u2019s also consistent in his triple digit speed figs, to say the least, as he is going for an astounding 25 straight races of 100 or better. That said, he\u2019s also varied quite a bit between 100 and 117. I like this guy to get a piece of the pie, but how much of it depends on who shows up on race day. After a picture-perfect run in \u201cThe Foregone\u201d (Grade I), he stumbled a bit, at least by his gargantuan standards, in the listed stakes race his last time out, to finish 2nd, dropping from a 114 to a 108 speed fig. Nothing to hang your head about, but considering the class drop, it might be marginally worrisome. Still, a co-fave on the morning line that has to generate real interest.<\/p>\n
PP 12 – COLOR AND LIGHT(KY) \u2013 (Awesome Again x Seattle Slew x Raise A Native) \u2013 One of the few here that might go out with Fernando Hero early is this mavrkstbl4 4 year old. The danger here is he might be a kamikaze rabbit. He\u2019s shown some flashes of world class abilities, like a very respectable finish 6 races back in a Grade II, but since then he\u2019s been in considerably worse class company (except for one Grade I where he was left in the dust of a 13th place finish), and he hasn\u2019t been blowing anyone out there either, even in ungraded company. Always a possibility, but may be over his head in this one. <\/p>\n
PP 13 – STAIRWAYTOPARADISE(KY) \u2013 (Pine Bluff x Dynaformer x Tom Rolfe) \u2013 The oldest horse in the field at 6 years old, this winner of over $1.8 million is another one of the few possible early speed horses here, and another one that will have his work cut out for him. He\u2019s in a tough post for early speed, he\u2019s faded badly his last three Grade I sprints (all at 6 furlongs), and he\u2019s at an age and race number that sometimes signals the beginning of the end at this level of competition. Is he on the downside of father time? Or just getting ready to turn the corner on a new form cycle? Tough to say.<\/p>\n
PP 14 – CREEPY CAT(KY) \u2013 (Storm Cat x Pleasantly Perfect x A.P. Indy) \u2013 The versatile style will help here, as he\u2019s won races on the lead, as well as from midpack. Recent form is inconsistently consistent. His speeds are moderately constant, with three races in his last four, 108, and the fourth was a 106. However, the results of those four races have ranged from 1st to 6th. With this company, this landlubber trainee will have to up the speed a tick, something he has done, but not recently. Otherwise, he\u2019ll be an also-ran.<\/p>\n
Picks \u2013 <\/p>\n
1st \u2013 Miss Universo \u2013 The lady upsets the big boys. This time she gets revenge on Master Full \u2013 Just barely<\/p>\n
2nd \u2013 Master Full \u2013 Fights in the stretch, loses\u2026 may be the closest of the races of the day.<\/p>\n
3rd \u2013 Cranky Squirrel \u2013 Flying down deep stretch as well, just short of the photo.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lots of questions as a girl tries to beat the boys<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":392,"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-8622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8622","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\/392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}