Welcome to France. It\u2019s the home of the Tour De France, Roland Garros and most importantly the Arc De Triomphe. This Saturday it may not be the biggest sporting event in France but it\u2019s the next big thing, with the Triple header of graded stakes in Paris. The highlight of the day is the Grade I The Good Day run on the luscious turf course over 10.5 Furlongs. This race is open to the older horses and is certain to entertain the audience with the clash of the older warriors in the turf classic ranks.2011 marks the third running of The Good Day and it is obvious that to win this Grade I you have to be quite talented with Puppet Regime posting a 115SF to win in 2009 while last year\u2019s winner Fallout Shelter posted a 112SF. There is $500,000 up for grabs here so the racing should be close and exciting.<\/p>\n
1. Portman\u2019s Perfect (6\/1)<\/b>:Portman\u2019s Perfect is a model of consistency with five consecutive graded placing\u2019s before his last start 4th. By Pleasantly Perfect this 6yo was one of the top runners on turf back as a 3yo where he collected the prestigious Derby De English and Coxless Stakes amongst his four Grade I victories. This veteran has amassed an attractive $7,000,000 for his connections, as a result of his consistent stability in the top Grade all the way to his 5yo season. He finished last year off with three consecutive Grade I placing\u2019s before a short let up. His return hasn\u2019t been as encouraging as past seasons, although he did come 2nd in the Grade II Victoria Cup, but in his last start effort he was beaten 10 \u00bd lengths. At his best, he is the best horse in the race, but three years at the top has had an effect on him and he may be on the way down. Place chance but keep safe.<\/p>\n
2. Heyaeb (17\/1)<\/b>:This well bred son of Street Cry makes his stakes debut, however it comes in a Grade I. Heyaeb is lightly raced for a 5yo with 22 starts, but bide his time in Allowance racing where he has matured into a classy animal. This horse had to wait until his 19th start to finally get that elusive Allowance win but after a minor hiccup he continued his renaissance by winning his last two starts. Both wins were by over 2 lengths and his last win came with a career high 111 speed figure. He likes to sit just off the pace, so he will be hoping for some speed and then if he can peel off their backs and keep his momentum going off the corner, but it will all be decided depending if he can cope with the step up in class. Going on his last start, he has talent but it\u2019s a tough ask to go from an Allowance to a Grade I. Rough hope.<\/p>\n
3. Glaring Omission (9\/1)<\/b>:This son of Bernardini must be respected, being ranked in the top 100 of the almighty Turf Classic division. Glaring Omission is returning from the big dance of Meydan and the Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic. Thrown amongst the sharks, he struggled to compete finishing in 12th place. Previous to that though, he had been ultra-impressive with three straight graded victories including a Grade I over 12 furlongs. My problem with this horse is he has bombed out in his last two starts and I think he needs at least 11 furlongs. He should stalk the leader and run to the front but I\u2019m not sure if he can hold on in the last half furlong. His recent run of outs has me against him but don\u2019t discount him.<\/p>\n
4. Wolfram And Hart (8\/1)<\/b>:The late acceptor in the Grade I The Good Day in Paris is Wolfram And Hart by Empire Maker with C Cleland aboard. At 8\/1, I think this 5yo who is basically one of the youngsters of the field, is unders on the tote. His speed figures are a bit lower than his competitors but they have begun to pick up in his recent starts however this is his first taste of Grade I racing since his 3yo days. This year he has had two starts at Grade II level, and he has performed very well finishing second in both races. Over 11 and 12 furlongs respectively, Wolfram has been running on late from as far back as 10 lengths off the lead. A lot of his best racing has been done at over 12 furlongs, and on his recent performances where he has hit the line strongly, I don\u2019t think 10.5 furlongs is what he is looking for. He will be doing his best work when they hit the line but I think it will be too late.<\/p>\n
5. I Am Mister Ed (7\/1)<\/b>:Trained by papracing this 5yo horse by Theatrical comes into The Good Day with good form. 5 starts back he won a Grade II over the trip with a 111 speed figure. The step up to Grade I racing seemed too much for him where he didn\u2019t perform very well. Back down in class he hasn\u2019t run badly but has been unable to capture first place. He steps back up to Grade I racing, but the quality of this field isn\u2019t really that of a classic Grade I turf route. Saying that he gets his chance to bounce back into the winners circle in this race but his recent minor slump has me a bit worried. He gets his chance here today but I wouldn\u2019t have my money on him.<\/p>\n
6. Mount Samson (9\/2)<\/b>:The champ is here. Depth wise, this field is weak for a Grade I but the reason is quite obvious. The #1 racehorse in the Turf Classic division is here. Mount Samson is a 5yo son of Danehill Dancer who has recently surpassed the $3 Million mark in earnings. His talent is superior to this field with his career best performance back in July, a Grade I victory over 9 furlongs with an impressive 117 speed figure. That was the end of a three race winning streak in graded stakes but his form continued with a G1 second at a mile. Unfortunately he bombed out in the Breeders Cup Mile but trainer bjbandit toyed with the idea of extending him to 10 furlongs and oh boy what a great decision it was. He captured the Grade I King Kong Cup defeating two of his competitors in this field with a huge 115 speed figure. Not even the pouring rain of South Africa could stop him where he once again crushed a Grade I field in the Mr. Met Cap on a yielding track. The only worrying sign is he was disappointing last start in a Grade II where he finished 5th and was beaten by Portman\u2019s Perfect. Other than that he is the class runner, and I can\u2019t see anything beating him. Empty the wallet and put it on Mount Samson to win.<\/p>\n
7. Light Tripper (5\/1)<\/b>:Light Tripper is a 6yo blueblood by Sadler\u2019s Wells and is lining up for his 38th start here in Paris. His trainer Given returns to Paris after a failed attempt at glory here last start in the Grade II Hardcourt while he also gets his chance for revenge on Mount Samson after being beaten soundly in the G1 King Kong Cup in December. Light Tripper had a glorious in the middle of 2010 with four straight graded victories including the Grade I Judgemont International. His previous victory he posted a 115 speed figure which exemplifies his prominence in the field, but his recent performances counter act his dominance through mid-2010. His 8th and 6th in graded company were split in between with an easy Allowance victory off a 2 month break. There\u2019s been a significant decrease in his speed figures but his trainer has spotted a relatively weak G1 field excluding the favourite and on past performance you can never rule out his runners in a Grade I. On form I don\u2019t want him, but on ability I have him right up there in contention. <\/p>\n
8. Try And Justify (5\/1)<\/b>:Try And Justify will be trying to make his way back into the winners circle and justify his place in the top 20 turf classic runners. Ranked 18th he is just below the elite and this victory would put him a step ahead in the road to races like the Coxless Stakes or even the Breeders Cup. I think this lightly raced 6yo by Medicean is a class act, with earnings just shy of $3 Million. Late in the 2010 season, he pulled off two massive victories in the Grade I Fall Trent Show and The Osmonds Memorial. These two victories exemplify the talent of this horse, but his last three starts have been disappointing for his standards. I have a feeling as he has matured he wants a bit of extra ground, and the half furlong extra of this race may help him return to form and with the lack of depth for a Grade I field he could easily finish in the top three. My second pick and could easily overthrow the favourite. <\/p>\n
9. Waki\u2019s A.P. (8\/1)<\/b>:Waki\u2019s A.P. is trained by the trotter racing conglomerate and is by (you guessed it) A.P. Indy. Wait! 11th in an Allowance last start and in a Grade I, are you kidding me? No its not tsunami trying to rack up bp\u2019s and neither is it what it looks like. This horse is of graded quality and deserves his place in this Grade I field considering the weak field attracted. Waki\u2019s A.P. has been really consistent in graded stakes with five graded placings in his last eight starts. He loves to get back in his races, particularly in last spot seeing the whole field, so expect a strong finish and trot will be hoping that the leaders don\u2019t get too far in front. Bit of a risk considering his last start, so I can\u2019t pick him.<\/p>\n
10. In Every Shadow (6\/1)<\/b>:Lining up for his 36th start is a 5yo son of Purim, jumping up from a Grade III last time out. This boy is a model of consistency at the top grade, and long jeopardy as he won a G1 back in 2009 and is still lining up against the top dog\u2019s. A drop in class has rejuvenated In Every Shadow, where he demolished an Allowance and ungraded stakes in consecutive races. His last effort in the G3 Awa Poonie Gold Cup was really good as he was finishing off the race like a steam train but couldn\u2019t get the leader. The extra half furlong will help his cause, but he is screaming out for 12 furlongs. His last race over that distance was back in 2009 and the way he is finishing off over 10 furlongs he would appreciate the 12 furlongs, considering he is a Grade I winner and placegetter over the trip. But at 10.5f he is still a decent chance but I would rather others in the field.<\/p>\n
Summary<\/p>\n
The Good Day looks to be a cracking race, and as mentioned it is not a classic Grade I field, but it has attracted the top dog Mount Samson. In addition the battle between the proven but out of form and the boys stepping up in class is sure to ignite the crowd in Paris. I\u2019m going to have to pick the champ Mount Samson as well as proven warriors of Grade I racing despite their recent performances.<\/p>\n
Heres my not-so expert tips for the race:
1. Mount Samson
2. Try And Justify
3. Light Tripper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Champ vs Warriors vs Underdogs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"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-9112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9112","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\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9112\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}