{"id":9549,"date":"2011-09-01T18:03:20","date_gmt":"2011-09-01T18:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=9549"},"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=9549","title":{"rendered":"Dude, you\u2019re getting a Grade 1 winner."},"content":{"rendered":"

The particulars for this Grade 1 futurity are that 10 promising 2 year old colts have been entered, travelling the always difficult 7 furlongs on the dirt, for a purse of $250,000.\u00a0<\/span>But make no mistake; this is all about getting those Grade 1 credentials, and the associated Points Power that can give your horse entry access to some of the more meaningful races down the road.\u00a0<\/span>But isn\u2019t a Grade 1 win meaningful enough? (see Donnybeisbol\u2019s Quest for Relevance, circa 2011)<\/o:p><\/p>\n

At first glance, the entrant whose form jumps off the paper and smacks you in the Simulated face is #2<\/font>\u00a0<\/span>ZAYATS STAR<\/font><\/b>, bred and trained by broohar<\/b> (marineboy<\/i> stable).\u00a0 <\/span>The son of freshman sim-sire Eskendereya and the Red Ransom mare HUNGRY FOR MONEY has made 4 starts, winning 3 in a row, most notably the Grade II Midsoil Stakes in his last start 7 weeks ago.\u00a0 <\/span>In fact, ZAYATS STAR has gone to post against a total of 47 starters (a testament to full fields and depth of his competition), finishing in front of all but one.\u00a0 <\/span>An undefeated horse would be nice, but I\u2019m willing to excuse that effort as it came in March, in a 16 horse URC restricted Maiden Special Weight at 6 furlongs\u2026a veritable marathon for babies of that age.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The winner that day was Tees\u2019 Candy Ride colt METHODIC MADNESS, <\/b>who then needed a switch to turf to regain his winning ways.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

To add insult to the injury of the other 9 entrants today, ZAYATS STAR has never been headed at any call (bar the last jumps of his initial outing).\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s fast, and he doesn\u2019t yield in the stretch (winning by 1 \u00bd lengths, at a minimum). \u00a0<\/span>His speed figs have been steadily increasing, despite the easy wins (73, 77, 80, 87). His pedigree has an interesting mix of classic talent and high cruising speed, being inbred 3 x 3 to Seattle Slew (through Eskenderya\u2019s dam, and HUNGRY FOR MONEY\u2019S dam) as well as\u00a0 <\/span>3 x 5 to Roberto (the sire of HUNGRY FOR MONEY\u2019S sire Red Ransom, and the dam\u2019s-dam sire of Eskendereya\u2019s sire Giant\u2019s Causeway).\u00a0 <\/span>To quote the immortal LloydChristmas –\u00a0 <\/span>I like it.\u00a0 <\/span>I like it a lot.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In the immediate family, ZAYATS STAR has a half-brother named HELD TWO RANSOM, a son of the Danzig\/Rubiano stallion War Front.\u00a0 <\/span>It could be argued that War Front\u2019s is the \u201csprintier\u201d of pedigrees, yet HELD TWO RANSOM won the G2 Trial By Night Stakes at a mile, and was 3rd<\/sup> in the G1 Chicago Derby while on his way to racking up a cool half a million in lifetime earnings.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

If these clues are any indication, ZAYATS STAR will have little difficulty with the seven panels or the 10 horse field or any of the obstacles in his way.\u00a0 <\/span>But they don\u2019t race on Simulated paper, which is why I am going to profile the other 9 contestants, just in case their trainers read the BTB.\u00a0 <\/span>(Just kidding, Squirrel and Roys)<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u00a0 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

It is still early in the world of Simulated 2yo development, and there are plenty of others who have done no wrong\u2026 but have not yet been afforded an opportunity to shine on a grand stage.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Numbers 1 and 3 through 10?\u00a0<\/span>This is your shot at the big time.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The next horse who makes me sit up and think \u201cThat\u2019s interesting,that\u2019s (certainly) interesting, man\u201d is\u00a0<\/span>#5\u00a0 <\/span>BEFORE DAWN<\/font>.\u00a0 <\/span>This Unbridled\u2019s Song colt had a lot going for him, even before he set hoof on a simulated racetrack.\u00a0 <\/span>Bred and trained by Justin (<\/b>just \u2018justin<\/i>\u2019, I guess), he jumped right into Graded company after a solid MdSpWt victory in Kentucky, earning 79 and 86 SP figures in respectable defeats. \u00a0<\/span>Getting the lead from post 14 was no small feat, hanging on for third in the G2 High Roller\u2019s Juvenile at 6f.\u00a0 <\/span>He never got the lead in the \u00a0<\/span>G2 Hoserhead, but out finished the pacesetter and 9 others who looked tough compared to this bunch.\u00a0 <\/span>Momma SASSY LIZ is by A.P. Indy x Seeking the Gold and was a stakes winning sprinter\u2026 at ages 5 and 7.\u00a0 <\/span>This one may have a lot of upside, to say the least.\u00a0 <\/span>He should be in the mix, don\u2019t you think?<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Another clear \u201cStop the press\u2026 who\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>entrant is #9\u00a0<\/span>UNIVERSAL SPEED<\/font>, from Smokeglack<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0cbrady<\/i> stable (URC).\u00a0 <\/span>Clearly, the name fits the colt, who has reeled off 4 wins from 5 well-placed starts, all in allowance company.\u00a0 <\/span>The only blemish is a sub-par 64 SP in a 4.5 furlong open allowance in March, that can probably be chalked up to a lack of rest (only 5 weeks after winning one of the first 2yo races of the season).\u00a0 <\/span>Despite a short field of 4 and suspect competition, UNIVERSAL SPEED\u2019s last race stands out with an 85 SP going 6.5 furlongs.\u00a0 <\/span>Holy frijoles, he\u2019s fast, Batman.\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019d expect that from a son of Zensational and ONTHERUN DIXIE (Sky Mesa x Elusive Quality).\u00a0 <\/span>His momma wasn\u2019t much (claimed for $(SIM) 3500)) but the granddamn Elusive Dixie (o\/o a Dixieland Band mare) was a 3 time stakes winning sprinter.\u00a0 <\/span>Fast begets fast (or maybe it skips a generation, sometimes).\u00a0<\/span>I don\u2019t think the 7 furlongs is going to help this horse out, but he\u2019s fast enough to make it interesting and should not be ruled out as a potential pace stalker of undetermined rating ability.\u00a0<\/span>He\u2019s a player (don\u2019t hate\u2026 congratulate.)<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The remainder of the field is less distinguished, but not likely to be less talented\u2026at least as far as I can tell before Saturday at noon, Simulated Racing Time.\u00a0 <\/span>In light of this, we will now review the entrants in ascending post-position order.\u00a0 <\/span>Trainers \u2013 please do not interpret this as prognostication or an evaluation of relative talents.\u00a0 <\/span>Don\u2019t blame me\u2026 I didn\u2019t determine the post-position order.\u00a0 <\/span>Who does that, anyways?\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll bet that Simulated racing office official is none too popular.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

#1 is another Tees\u00a0<\/b>entrant, KISS MY QUARTERS<\/font>.\u00a0 <\/span>A scratch-bred Awesome Again x Kingmambo x Storm Cat, he was entered in a 5.5 furlong MdSpWt on the turf (presumably to give Ian of \u2018Iant Hates American Sires\u2019 fame a 7th<\/sup> rant-related coronary) where he had 11 horses in front of him at third call, and ended up losing by a half-length.\u00a0 <\/span>Now THAT is as good of a non-winning debut as I would like to see.\u00a0 <\/span>Five weeks later, Tees changed the surface, added 200 meters, and KISS MY QUARTERS responded withan easy late-running victory.\u00a0 <\/span>A quick scan of the sire stats shows a 4yo mare named QUBIT who has the exact pedigree this guy does\u2026 and is a stakes winner on the turf\u2026 at 13 furlongs.\u00a0 <\/span>Despite real-world tendencies for this combination of sires\u2026 in the Simulated world, these are studs among studs, and KISS MY QUARTERS will likely stamp himself a Breeders Bowl and Bluegrass Derby contender with a good showing today.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWho am I, and why am I here?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The original answer is Ross Perot\u2019s presidential running mate James Stockdale, but this existential question might be running through the mind of #3 ADVISABLE<\/font> as he enters the simulated starting gate for the second time.\u00a0 <\/span>Trainer Mtk<\/b> bred this son of Curlin to DANGEROUS EYES(Hard Spun x Seeking The Gold) for his delaware<\/i> stable(Blazing Saddles), and the 3 x 4 inbreeding to Mr.Prospector did not disappoint in the speed department.\u00a0 <\/span>He was modestly placed in a 7 horse MdSpWt, which he won convincingly with a 77 SP.\u00a0<\/span>And then\u2026this? \u00a0<\/span>It remains to be seen if he can make the leap of approximately 15 SP it will take to hit the board today.\u00a0 <\/span>Such a gamble is not advisable, owing to many a simulated heart being ripped from a young runner, but sometimes it pays off.\u00a0 <\/span>By no means is Curlin a bargain sire (mtk\u2019s forte, I have heard), having a super awesome multiple GSW 2yo filly named Estrada (o\/o A.P. Indy x Storm Cat) in this year\u2019s crop, so perhaps the shot in the dark is warranted.\u00a0<\/span>We all can dream, can\u2019t we?<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Speaking of Bargain Breds\u2026 is this a REAL bargain bred?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>#4 MURTARYE<\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/span>is a scratch bred son of Murtajill\u00a0<\/span>(say what?) x Catcher In the Rye (like the novel?) x Flag Down (heard of him\u2026 and that\u2019s it).\u00a0 <\/span>Before all you pedigree snobs get all uppity on an Aussie \u2013 he\u2019s inbred 3 x 3 to Danehill via his sire\u2019s sire Rock of Gibraltar and the damsire(by Danehill) \u2013 this guy destroyed a MdSpWt with an 80 SP and had more in the tank down the stretch at 18-1.\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps breeder\/trainer Acarigua<\/b> (Queensland) knew what the deal was, but I certainly would not have started this horse on a surface that does not rhyme with “Smurf”.\u00a0 <\/span>A similarly-inbred son named PROAJILL (Murtajill x Cacique(Danehill)) is a recent 3yo stakes winning sprinter, but has run exclusively on turf.\u00a0<\/span>Whatever the inspiration, hats off to acarigua and good luck with your Cinderfella candidate.\u00a0 <\/span>If you ignore the pedigree, he looks like he could contend \u2013 if not, the \u2018flash in the pan\u2019 2yo doubts creep into consciousness.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

#6 LAGO MY EGGO<\/font> is a colt by Encosta Del Lago who looks like he could be the proverbial \u201cany kind\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>He\u2019s certainly no toaster waffle (get it?).\u00a0 <\/span>Atthewire<\/b>Thouroughbred\u2019s entrant (EWC) has the dubious distinction of being the field\u2019s only maiden, but that\u2019s about the only variable in which he doesn\u2019t quite measure up.\u00a0 <\/span>The pedigree is ruthless\u2026o\/o BEHOLDEN TO BEAUTY (Rock Hard Ten x Giant\u2019s Causeway), which could literally give you a dirt sprinter or turf marathoner.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s run second by closing off the pace, and second by heading for the lead early.\u00a0 <\/span>The momma never cleared her lifetime conditions, but the grand dam (he-mare JOLLY GREEN GIANT) once ran a 112 SP in a 6 furlong allowance dirt sprint.\u00a0 <\/span>He lost by a neck while running an 82 SP last out, and the horse who beat him is here today as well.\u00a0 <\/span>If there were ever a time to try a Grade 1 field with a maiden, I guess this would be it!<\/o:p><\/p>\n

#7 LOOKIN AT HOTROD<\/font> has taken a more conventional path to his Graded Stakes debut.\u00a0 <\/span>Tazdevil<\/b> (URC again) chose freshman sensation Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) to be the father of the first foal from his eight-time stakes winner HOT ROD LINCOLN (Danehill Dancer x Stephen Got Even x Seeking the Gold).\u00a0 <\/span>The latter was a precocious turf sprinter, who probably drove Tazdevil to drinkin\u2019 with his precipitous decline at age 4.\u00a0 <\/span>This guy is 3 for 4, two wins in a row, steadily improving, an allowance and listed stakes winner\u2026 this is a logical step for him.\u00a0<\/span>The knock is in the speed figure department, earning only an 80 SP tops in a hard-fought 6 furlong race.\u00a0 <\/span>The pace will be hotter today, so he needs rapid improvement.\u00a0 <\/span>If he likes the distance, he is one who could pass the pacesetters and be in the photo.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

#8 FOOL PROOF<\/font> is no MURTARYE from the wrong side of the simulated train tracks, but his origins are markedly blue-collar for a race of this stature.\u00a0 <\/span>A son of first-year Kentucky sire Plan (Storm Cat x Thunder Gulch), he is the first foal of PIRATE\u2019S CUTLASS (Eddington x Pirate\u2019s Bounty), which is a mare many SIM veterans may not have considered SIM-sperm-worthy.\u00a0<\/span>Oh, how wrong they (hypothetically) were.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Neon Shadow<\/b> (alohabold<\/i> stable) may not be a household name, but has been around the simulated block and has a top-quality dirt sprinting millionaire in ELECTED OFFICIAL to show you how it\u2019s done.\u00a0 <\/span>One of the associated stables is called \u2018sprinter\u2019, so perhaps this was no happy accident.\u00a0 <\/span>The horse himself is inbred 3 x5 to Storm Bird and 5 x 5 to Mr. Prospector, but has a nice, speedy outcross in the DDS with Pirate\u2019s Bounty (Hoist The Flag) and Cutlass (Damascus).\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s the way to do it.\u00a0 <\/span>The horse\u2019s form looks a lot like #3 ADVISABLE, in that he entered and won a modest MdSpWt race, here with a 77SP.\u00a0 <\/span>Now it is sink or swim time, and FOOL PROOF has been tossed overboard without a life preserver.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s a hefty 25-1 on the morning line (which I have heretofore ignored\u2026 they\u2019re 2yos whose odds are often reflections of the cost of the pedigree, not ability) and would be quite a story if he brings home the simulated bacon.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Last and certainly not least is el numero diez, HAACK\u2019S GLADIATOR<\/font>.\u00a0 <\/span>Yes, it is an Otto Haack<\/b> charge (erenotto<\/i> stable, Hispano Parlante) so you know it\u2019s going to have a kick-ass pedigree and be ready for business.\u00a0<\/span>He really deserves his own race preview category, as he is the only entrant who has raced at a distance FARTHER than today\u2019s 7 furlongs.\u00a0 <\/span>The pedigree is a clue towards that end, as this is a son of Street Cry out of ALONDRA LADY (Storm Cat x Seattle Slew x Secretariat).\u00a0 <\/span>I can\u2019t think of a more 3yo Classic Dirt pedigree in the SIM, which is probably why Otto placed this guy in an 8 furlong allowance race after a fast-closing 2nd<\/sup> by a nose at 6 furlongs.\u00a0 <\/span>He ran a credible second, passing all but ALWAYS CHARMING, a broohar colt who is entered back in a 7f \u00a0URC event this week.\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps Otto is simply looking for stakes points with a reasonable showing here\u2026 but it could be that GLADIATOR\u2019S \u201csweet spot\u201d is somewhere between 6 furlongs (80 SP) and 8 furlongs (82 SP).\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s do the math(s)\u2026 8 plus 6, divided by 2\u2026. 7 furlongs!\u00a0 <\/span>All things being considered, this is not a horse you would want to ignore in this race, under any circumstances.\u00a0 <\/span>Una mala idea.\u00a0 <\/span>El caballito?\u00a0<\/span>Me gusta.\u00a0 <\/span>Me gusta mucho.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nine upstarts challenge Zayats Star for the Dell Computer Futurity \u2013 Grade 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"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-9549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9549","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\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}