The ladies take the track for the first half of this week’s doubleheader, a dash for cash in the Ross Point Turf Mare Challenge.\u00a0\u00a0The race is for fillies and mares, three years and older, over five and a half furlongs of turf.\u00a0\u00a0Weather experts says we will stay dry for at least the length of the race card, and the turf is rated as firm for the event.\u00a0\u00a0The race drew three fillies from outside the area, with the fourth spot being filled by the Virginia horse pool.\u00a0\u00a0Oddsmakers have chosen and overwhelming favorite at 1\/5 pretty much calling the rest also rans at odds between 4\/1 and 6\/1 on the morning line.<\/p>\n
PP 1) Stillout(VEN)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Event Of The Year, Trained by lookout.\u00a0\u00a0Stillout is the baby of the field, a three year old filly, running in her eleventh career start.\u00a0\u00a0This is her third try in stakes company and she’s still looking for her first win, having had to settle for second in both of her first two, by less than half a length total.\u00a0\u00a0In her first ten starts, she boasts a record of 5-2-1-0-0 with a top speed figure of 96.6 earned last time out.\u00a0\u00a0That run was a six furlong stakes in Kansas, where she was pressing hard before running out of ground, settling for second, a quarter length out.\u00a0\u00a0After a somewhat lackluster debut on dirt, she switched to the grass, and has never looked back, finishing out of the top three only once in her next nine.\u00a0\u00a0She looked to be slightly injured in that start, but her trainer is remaining mum on that score.\u00a0\u00a0This will be her shortest start to date, but she has performed quite well in the six furlong range, with four wins and two places in seven tries.\u00a0\u00a0She likes to start just off the pace, and the field sets up well for her running style here.\u00a0\u00a0Her average speeds aren’t the strongest in this field, but that could be deceiving, as she has steadily been improving all season.\u00a0\u00a0If the early speed battle takes its toll here, she coud be poised to surprise late.<\/p>\n
PP 2) Jolly Green Gold(KY)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Bernardini, Trained by iant4.\u00a0\u00a0Jolly Green Gold is a four year old filly, who in her twenty fourth career start here is the oddsmakers’ choice to make her way into the winner’s circle.\u00a0\u00a0This will be only her second try in stakes company and she is hopoing to notch her first stakes win here.\u00a0\u00a0In her last ten starts, she has a 3-1-1-3-0 record, showcasing a best speed of 104.4 in her last start. The race was a six and a half furlong open allowance right here in Virginia, where she gave up a big cushion down the stretch, finishing second by just shy of a length.\u00a0\u00a0She gave dirt her best shot in her first three starts, but with a switch to turf in her fourth she showed a strong affinity for the grass.\u00a0\u00a0She has stretched out as far as nine furlongs, but the shorter sprint has been her strong suit, with six wins and eleven top three finishes in fifteen tries.\u00a0\u00a0She’s a speedball that prefers the view from the front of the pack, relying on a big cushion to hold her down the stretch.\u00a0\u00a0She faces a possible early challenge from a real wildcard to the outside, who, if she takes to the turf, could force a blazing early pace.\u00a0\u00a0If she can shake off the early challenge, she could walk away with this one with the speed that she has been showing.\u00a0\u00a0But she is pressed too hard, too early she could be vunerable to the closers.<\/p>\n
PP 3) Convex Wave(CA)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Surf Cat, Trained by lglong2oyz.\u00a0\u00a0Convex Wave Is a well run four year old filly, taking her twenty ninth trip in this race.\u00a0\u00a0This will be her first try in stakes, after spending most of the last two seasons in the claiming and starter ranks.\u00a0\u00a0She’s done well there, piling up a 3-4-2-0-0 record, with a top speed of 98.9 earned earlier this season.\u00a0\u00a0Her last start was an A1x here in Virginia where she ran a near perfect race in a short field, winning by a solid two and a half lengths.\u00a0\u00a0All but three career starts have been on turf, and she shows a marked preference for the surface.\u00a0\u00a0She likes to run from the back half of the pack, and her close has been quite consistent, though she has not faced this level of competition.\u00a0\u00a0She has shown some good speed numbers, but has been somewhat inconsistent, especially recently.\u00a0\u00a0With the short race and some excellent early speed here, it’s going to be hard to close enough down the stretch to bring this one home.<\/p>\n
PP 4) Mugglesworth(CA)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Sea Of Secrets, Trained by Virginia Horse Pool.\u00a0\u00a0Mugglesworth is a seven year old mare, coming off a long rest to make her sixtieth career start here.\u00a0\u00a0This will be her first stakes start since early in her two year season, and she’s looking for her first stakes win.\u00a0\u00a0She is 1-0-0-2-1 in her last ten, with a top speed of 91.1 four starts back.\u00a0\u00a0Her last run was a mid level claim back in May, where she just seemed to fall apart down the stretch, giving up a big lead in the second half to finish sixth, eight and a half lengths out.\u00a0\u00a0She’s never run on the turf, making her a real wild card here.\u00a0\u00a0She’s a front runner, but she has been had trouble holding a lead recently.\u00a0\u00a0She showed some excellents speeds earlier in her career, but seems to have lost a step and then some over the past couple seasons.\u00a0\u00a0In a real way she’s a key factor here.\u00a0\u00a0If she takes to the turf and presses the pace hard early, she could open the door to the closers late.<\/p>\n
The second half of this week’s double header showcases three year old colts, in the Abe Hollandia Turf Mile.\u00a0\u00a0As you might have guessed from the name, this race for three year old colts runs over a mile of turf.\u00a0\u00a0The race draws a well matched field of six colts, ranging in odds from 2\/1 to 7\/1, with no lack of stakes experience in the group.\u00a0\u00a0Could make for quite an exciting race for our Virginia race fans.<\/p>\n
PP 1) Cry For Gold(KY)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Medaglia D’oro, Trained by liddles21.\u00a0\u00a0Cry For Gold takes the gate for his fifteenth career start here.\u00a0\u00a0He’s no stranger to stakes competition, with half his starts coming in stakes competition and two wins to show for it.\u00a0\u00a0In his last ten starts he has gone 4-1-0-1-0 with a top speed figure of 101.3 earned earlier this season.\u00a0\u00a0His last run was a nine furlong A1t on dirt, where he trailed a short field home by fourteen legnths. \u00a0\u00a0He has shown a certain amount of surface versatility, but the turf has been the real money maker for him.\u00a0\u00a0All but two of his starts have been routes, and in general he seems to prefer about a furlong more than he has here.\u00a0\u00a0He’s a deep closer, but his close has ranged from good to nonexistent, with not much consistency.\u00a0\u00a0His best recent runs have come with a slow early pace in a field of closers.\u00a0\u00a0The pace in this field is well distributed, and his close has not been consistent enough for me to put money on him here.<\/p>\n
PP 2) Graxis(IRE)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Galileo(IRE), Trained by piccolo87.\u00a0\u00a0Graxis will make his tenth career start here.\u00a0\u00a0He’s run three times against stakes competition, but is still looking for that elusive first win at this level.\u00a0\u00a0He’s 4-0-3-2-0 in his first nine, with a top speed of 100.4 three starts back.\u00a0\u00a0His last start was an eight and a half furlong A4x on dirt, where he never seemed to find his legs, finsihing fourth by eight and a half lengths.\u00a0\u00a0He returns to the turf here, after a couple dirt starts, perhaps in an attempt to shake him up.\u00a0\u00a0The mile has been his race, and he has a high comfort level here.\u00a0\u00a0He’s a deep closer, and he started this season on fire closing from any position in the field.\u00a0\u00a0Over his past few though, with one exception, while still consistent his close just hasn’t been able to get him home, whether he was six or twelve legths out at the half.\u00a0\u00a0A return to his preferred surface and distance benefits him here, but he’s going to need a serious return to his from of earlier this season to be a real threat here.<\/p>\n
PP 3) Tapit Gold(KY)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Tapit, Trained by abe.\u00a0\u00a0Tapit Gold faces start number ten here.\u00a0\u00a0He made his first stakes start last time out.\u00a0\u00a0His first nine have netted him a 2-1-0-0-1 record with a top speed figure of 107.0 coming two starts back.\u00a0\u00a0His last race was a ten furlong stakes in Minnesota, where he nabbed second in a short field, three and a half lengths out.\u00a0\u00a0After spending his early career on dirt, where is somewhat averages performances eevntually landing him in a claim, a switch to turf under his new trainer seemed to cause him to blossom.\u00a0\u00a0Another factor that may have contributed to his increased performance was a boost in distance, showing good form from a mile to a mile and a quarter.\u00a0\u00a0He likes to close from mid pack, and in his first two turf starts that close was stellar, stumbling only in his last with increased distance and a slower early pace.\u00a0\u00a0The field should set up much better for him here, and the drop in distance may help as well.\u00a0\u00a0Could be threatening late.<\/p>\n
PP 4) Lucky’s Pivot Foot(GB)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Pivotal(GB), Trained by mrlucky229.\u00a0\u00a0Lucky’s Pivot Foot races for the twelvth time in this race.\u00a0\u00a0This will be his first try at stakes level.\u00a0\u00a0He brings a record of 3-4-1-2-0 to the table from his first eleven, with a top speed of 109.8 two starts back.\u00a0\u00a0His last run was an A4L at eight and a half furlongs, where she gave up a big lead down the stretch to settle for second by three lengths.\u00a0\u00a0Outside from a couple of test tries on dirt, he’s been a pure turfer.\u00a0\u00a0He’s a very fast starter and generally relies on a big cushion to protect him down the stretch.\u00a0\u00a0This has worked fairly well for him.\u00a0\u00a0He shouldn’t have a problem breaking out early in this field without much challenge to his early break.\u00a0\u00a0His back to back 100+ speeds are some of the best in the field, and if he builds enough of a cushion and duplicates these speeds, he could be hard to catch here.<\/p>\n
PP 5) Closing Clash(GB)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Medicean(GB), Trained by risktaker.\u00a0\u00a0Closing Clash is a veteran of eighteen previous career start.\u00a0\u00a0He earns his first try against stakes competition here.\u00a0\u00a0He posted a record of 3-3-2-1-0, capping his speeds with a 101.8 two starts back.\u00a0\u00a0His last run was an A4y at this distance on an off track in Pennsylvania, where he put forth a decent effort, but only managed sixth place, six and a quarter out.\u00a0\u00a0After spending a good portion of his career on dirt, he switched to turf early this year, and it paid immediate dividends in both speed and earnings.\u00a0\u00a0This distance appears to be near the top side of his range, but he has a win and two places in four starts at this distance range.\u00a0\u00a0He likes to bide his time in the mid pack, and has shown a good second half push.\u00a0\u00a0His speeds are in the top half of this group, but the real speed in the field is sharing the same running style.\u00a0\u00a0He’s going to need the race of his career to bring this one home, but he should be right there in the mix.<\/p>\n
PP 6) Giant Ghost(KY)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sired by Ghostzapper, Trained by ninerdust.\u00a0\u00a0Giant Ghost makes start number sixteen in this race.\u00a0\u00a0He’s certainly no stranger to stakes company, with over half of his starts in stakes up to grade one, and he has a pair of grade three wins under his belt.\u00a0\u00a0In his last ten he has gone 4-1-1-1-2, with a best speed figure of 104.7 two starts back.\u00a0\u00a0His last start was a nine furlong stakes in Eastern Kentucky where he settled for a fairly long out fifth, never seeming to find his stride.\u00a0\u00a0After beginning his career on dirt, he switched to turf and won four of his next five starts.\u00a0\u00a0He’s specialized in the eight to nine furlong range and is quite comfortable at this distance.\u00a0\u00a0He is another mid pack breaker in this pack but can chaleenge the lead early if he needs to do so.\u00a0\u00a0He’s been consistently running high 90s, but I think his odds here are based more here on his graded wins than on blazing speed.\u00a0\u00a0His experience will hold him in good stead here, but I think he will need to step up his speed, which he has shown he is capable of, to land in the winner’s circle here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Older fillies and three year old colts shine in a pair of stakes races<\/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-9532","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\/9532","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=9532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9532\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}