{"id":9798,"date":"2011-11-25T15:27:02","date_gmt":"2011-11-25T15:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=9798"},"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=9798","title":{"rendered":"7th edition of Cougar Bite Classic.."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font color=\"#808080\" face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><i>** Grammar tolerance is advised.<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">It&#8217;s Bargain Bowl time again and all the trainers of bargain horses are looking to West Virginia where this meeting is arranged. Knightmare still keeps this tradition alive so we can watch and be part of this festival. It&#8217;s festival of unusual bloodlines, breeding strategies and big stories of more or less successful trainers and horses.<br \/>The Cougar Bite Classic is definitely one of the races, which brings these big stories to the table. The race was named after mighty chestnut Cougar Bite, multiple turf graded winner who showed to the world how bargains deal with their competition. The participants of this race have celebrated The name since 2005.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">Since inaugural race some other great horses had written their own impressive memoirs. The 2005 winner Pepe&#8217;s Pipes was able to win two graded races (as the only bargain participant in the history of the race), so he partially followed the example of Cougar Bite. Clearance Clarence was a bit unfortunate, had hitting the board four times, but never won as well as Ankaline, who showed great skills in two bargain Arcs..but hadn&#8217;t succeed on the D Day.<br \/>The living legend of bargain racing is called Ten Lost Pyramids. He is the only two-times Cougar Bite Classic winner and definitely will be even after this race. Besides his two wins in 2007 and 2008, he managed also 2nd spot in 2009 and 3rd position in 2010. The veteran is here again this year, but it&#8217;s obvious that he is slowing down and he has already let the younger ones to fight for top positions in bargain races. Still, he was close in the last year&#8217;s edition. When you look back at 2010, you have to remember magnificient fight of Housefullofghosts, Ten Lost Pyramids and Brilliant Notation. The last named showed very strong finish and beat both other opponents. All three were &#8220;put&#8221; just into the quarter of length. That&#8217;s where history ends. Let&#8217;s look to the present&#8230;.but wait&#8230;before that just brief recapitulation of the things said earlier:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\"><i>Top three finishers of The Cougar Bite Classic:<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n<div align=\"left\">\n<table border=\"1\" width=\"940\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2005<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b>PEPE&#8217;S         PIPES<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><i>2:03         2\/5<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">CLEARANCE         CLARENCE<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"2\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">HAPLESS<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2006<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>GALLIC         CHARM<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2:02         1\/5<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">ANKALINE<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"4\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">CLEARANCE         CLARENCE<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2007<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b>TEN         LOST PYRAMIDS<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><i>2:03<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">PEPE&#8217;S         PIPES<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"7\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">CLEARANCE         CLARENCE<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2008<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>TEN         LOST PYRAMIDS<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><i>2:03         2\/5<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">BRIGERAND<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"11\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">CLEARANCE         CLARENCE<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2009<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><b>RECON         SHOP<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\"><i>2:02         2\/5<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">TEN         LOST PYRAMIDS<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"6\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\"><font size=\"2\">CELESTIAL         KEY<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"100\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b><i>2010<\/i><\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF00\"><font size=\"2\"><b>1st<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>BRILLIANT         NOTATION<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"120\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><i>2:03<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFF99\"><font size=\"2\"><b>2nd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">HOUSEFULLOFGHOSTS<\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"25\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\"><font size=\"2\"><b>3rd<\/b><\/font><\/td>\n<td width=\"215\" height=\"8\" align=\"center\" style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000\" bgcolor=\"#CCFF99\"><font size=\"2\">TEN         LOST PYRAMIDS<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">The 2011 has been a year of three horses.\u00a0The bargain long turf division (besides Cougar Bite Classic) consists of The Hunt Turf Cup (9.5F), Arc de Maleleve (10F) and The Wombat Cup (16F). If we overlook The Wombat Cup, which is quite specific, we find out same names in the first three spots. Housefullofghosts, Brilliant Notation and Al Centaine. Two best turf horses of last year&#8217;s Cougar Bite edition were completed by the newcomer to the long division. These three horses have proved, they are the best bargain material on turf. They just changed their order on the podium. Housefullofghosts became the strongest and the luckiest of them, Al Centaine was always close to him and the last year&#8217;s champion Brilliant Notation a bit behind them.<br \/>Everyone would expect another big battle of these three names in the season&#8217;s summit..but we are all slightly surprised. Last year&#8217;s winner Brilliant Notation won&#8217;t defend his title. Instead, he is going to fight to the Bargain Bowl Classic on dirt. Why is that? I asked the trainer of Brilliant Notation (mtk76) and he answered me this way: &#8220;<i>I first entered Brilliant Notation in the Turf to defend his title as I thought that would be a neat thing to try. I took a hard look at it and instead decided to go for dirt glory as I do not think anyone has ever won the Turf\/Dirt Classic double so seemed a milestone to try for.<\/i>&#8221; It&#8217;s very interesting challenge for mtk and he is definitely right &#8211; no horse before was able to win both of these Bargain Bowl tops. And by the way, this dream of mtk&#8217;s doesn&#8217;t need to be unreal. Mtk also mentioned Brilliant Notation 3yo campaign on dirt and 3rd place from Bargain Bowl Classic 2009. Moreover his best speed mark of this year was reached on dirt. So, good luck Mtk! And you all watch the BB Classic race. Besides all the other stories, there is a chance to see new record to the bargain history&#8230;<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">But back to our business, to Cougar Bite Classic. The field of 10 horses is ready for the battle &#8211; battle of two best turf bargains of this year, two marathoners, one aging legend, one successor of famous stable-mate and others. Let&#8217;s look at these warriors:<\/font><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>1<\/u>    <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=192213\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\">   AL CENTAINE (AUS)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>4yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Al Samer <\/b>(Redoute&#8217;s Choice(AUS))<b> x Centaine (AUS) <\/b>(Century (AUS))<b> x Sort <\/b>(Nijinsky II)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: filou (Hawkz Irish Racing)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(19-3-4-4); earnings: $159,371; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">106.106 (10F) \/ 2011<\/span>; jockey: W Bowman ; odds:\u00a0<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">3\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes: (2nd) The Arc de Maleleve 2011; The Hunt Turf Cup 2011 (3rd) The BBRS El Joven 2009<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h1.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Number 1 is carried by Al Centaine. 4yo colt got to the great form this year as also his trainer Hawkz admits. He had showed some talent and potential as 2yo as well, but he truly improved when Hawkz decided to add him some distance. May be he could stand in the starting machine even a year ago, but his trainer decided to let him grow. And Al Centaine paid him well for that. In february, he hit the 100+ speed for the first time and added 4 more during the season. He participated two bargain stakes races this year. In the Hunt Turf Cup, he finished 2nd &#8211; one quarter of length behind Housefullofghosts. In the Bargain Arc, it was only the nose in photo finish, which determined the Housefullofghosts&#8217; another victory over Al Centaine. The logic now says that Al Centaine should be by nose or neck in front of his rival, but the real situation could be different. Nevertheless, the speed marks show the constant improvement. On the other hand, Al Centaine has no race after the Arc (8 weeks ago) and it seems that the horse does the best results after shorter breaks. It&#8217;s going to be close again. Hawkz was very brief in his commentary: &#8220;<i>My Runner has hit good form as a 4yrold. Doesn&#8217;t win out of turn though. Can be expected to run another top race.<\/i>&#8221; Small frustration is evident, it sucks to be always second. May be things can change today. Together with the trainer, we all expect another top race today.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>2<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=160373\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> HOUSEFULLOFGHOSTS(FL)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>5yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Wharf <\/b>(Storm Bird)<b> x Wilde Rufo (GB) <\/b>(Sharrood)<b> x Wolver Hollow (GB) <\/b>(Sovereign Path (GB))<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: lgbost4 (Lgbost)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(31-11-8-2); earnings: $315,117; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">107.367 (10F) \/ 2011<\/span>; jockey: S Tate ; odds:\u00a02\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes: (1st) The Arc de Maleleve 2011; The Hunt Turf Cup 2011 (2nd) Cougar Bite Classic 2010 (3rd) The Hunt Turf Cup 2010<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h2.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Turf champion of this year is Housefullofghosts &#8211; 5yo colt, who showed his big potential last season, when ended 3rd in Hunt Turf Cup and firstly 2nd in last year&#8217;s Cougar Bite Classic. He had a bad luck and was behind Brilliant Notation just by a head. He showed some impressive speed numbers in starter allowances last year. This year, he made another step in his skills. He became experienced allowance horse, he tried G3 race and ended there in the middle of field. But mainly..he became sovereign in bargain races, winning both The Hunt Turf Cup and Arc de Maleleve. Now, he has the biggest chance to win bargain award &#8220;Bargie&#8221; in Turf colt division. But I believe there is something more, what his trainer lgbost (Lino) expects.<br \/>So far, Lino is very satisfied with his season and really appreciates that day, when he claimed the horse from Gorytus&#8217; stables for $25,000. <i>&#8220;He&#8217;s been running real well. Only real bad showing was in a G3.&#8221;<\/i>, he says about this season. Personally, I dont see his 7th place out of 10 in The Lancaster (G3) as a bad showing. Bargain horses usually don&#8217;t show their best in such a competition. Housefullofghosts did a nice job. I asked Lino also about the current form of his bargain star and he believes it&#8217;s fine: <i>&#8220;Always have to worry about the bounce but I think he is ready and has come up sharp.&#8221;<br \/> <\/i>Also tactics doesn&#8217;t change. We should see him in the front, setting the pace. Lino admits it&#8217;s kind of stressful: <i>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone in the race will be in front of him early but that last furlong always gets the heart pumping.&#8221;<\/i> I totally understand, but this style is what suits him best.<br \/>I was also interested in trainer&#8217;s attitude to other opponents, mainly his season rival Al Centaine. Lino respects them all: <i>&#8220;Al Centaine I would say has the best chance but I wouldn&#8217;t be suprised if a couple other runners bring their A game.&#8221; <\/i>We should see very soon, if the race is going to be two-horse show..or we can see unexpected surprise. Without any doubts, this runner is in role of favorite and deserves respect. When speaking about reputation, Lino has a secret wish: <i>&#8220;Let&#8217;s hope the housefullofghosts scares the competition away.&#8221; <\/i>Good Luck!<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>3<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=10980\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> YELLOW GIALLO(IRE)\u00a0<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>5yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Brian Boru (GB) <\/b>(Sadler&#8217;s Wells)<b> x Rakaposhi King (GB) <\/b>(Bustino (GB))<b> x Belmez <\/b>(El Gran Senor)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: curiostud (Planoaxia Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(29-11-8-3); earnings: $251,891; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">100.197 (16F) \/ 2011<\/span>; jockey: S Kelly ; odds:\u00a09\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes: (1st) The Wombat Cup 2009 (2nd) The Wombat Cup 2010<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h3.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">First participant of my stables is called Yellow Giallo. Originally, he is another product of Gorytus&#8217; stables. I really don&#8217;t want to see the day when that player finds the beauty of bargain racing. We all are going to be just spectators then :). Yellow Giallo is great turf marathoner and he confirmed that in the Wombat Cup 2009 and 2010. This year, he was no better than 5th. Still, it&#8217;s a fact that he prefers longer distances over 14F or 16F. Despite that, in the beginning of october when he substituted his injured colleague, he surprised nicely and catched the 4th place in Bargain Arc. I personally don&#8217;t believe, he is going to repeat it. Anyway, he is sharp and ready to fight. May be some smaller money for the 5th spot could be in the game. I really don&#8217;t have many expectations, but I&#8217;m looking forward to see him run.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>4<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=129211\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> TEN LOST PYRAMIDS<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>8yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Tenpins <\/b>(Smart Strike)<b> x Pyramid Peak <\/b>(Mt. Livermore)<b> x Roanoke <\/b>(Pleasant Colony)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: curiostud (Planoaxia Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(44-13-9-8); earnings: $810,473; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">113.234 (10F) \/ 2009<\/span>; jockey: J Maloney ; odds:\u00a014\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes: (1st) BB Cougar Bite Classic 2007, 2008; Arc de Maleleve 2008, 2009; Hunt Turf Cup 2007, 2010; (2nd) Cougar Bite Classic 2009; (3rd) Cougar Bite Classic 2010; Hunt Turf Cup 2008<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h4.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">And here he is. When I&#8217;m talking about this horse, it always smells of unbeliavable excitement and may be a bit of egoism :). Sorry for that. I am just proud of this horse. You are always proud of your first stakes winner ever and it&#8217;s even stronger when he is a bargain champion. I just love this horse (even he is just a piece of Mike&#8217;s DB \ud83d\ude42 ). Ten Lost Pyramids, 6 times bargain stakes winner, is getting older and according the bookmaker, he is third outsider of this race. This is partially influenced by his easy preparation on different surface last time and mainly by his unfortunate injury in preparation for Bargain Arc. This accident also prevented him from the start in that race. He is now back and he is sharp, which is a good news. But you can&#8217;t stop the aging. He is 8 now. In the spring, he was 4th in The Hunt Turf Cup. That is good result, but I want more here. My dream about the 3rd win in this race is probably out of the table. At least, I would like to see him on podium. I am not sure, if it&#8217;s possible. We can expect everything. I think I&#8217;ve done all I could&#8230;gave him different surface preparation&#8230;even studied the previous races of jockey J Maloney, whom I picked specially for him. And now it&#8217;s up to him. This message is also for him: Go, go, go, old buddy..show them your balls! (not literally&#8230;) \ud83d\ude09<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>5<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=116293\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> ANTE MERIDIEM(IRE)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>5yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Classic Cliche (IRE) <\/b>(Salse)<b> x Sonus <\/b>(Sadler&#8217;s Wells)<b> x Secreto <\/b>(Northern Dancer)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: foolofdirt (Zman Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(35-4-5-7); earnings: $167,355; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">105.085 (10F) \/ 2011<\/span>; jockey: C Kasper ; odds:\u00a010\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes: (1st) Silenus Mile (2010) (2nd) The Hunt Turf Cup (2010)<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h5.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Ante Meridiem seems a bit obscure. Nobody is speaking about him, nobody mentions his name. But he has lot of qualities and we should realize it. Ante Meridiem comes from Zman\/Dundey stables. Any clues? Any connections with successful bargain horses in history? Of course they are. The very same trainer of famous Pepe&#8217;s Pipes is back in the action. This is another excursion to the Cougar Bite Classic. Although Ante Meridem doesn&#8217;t have qualities of his precedor, there are some great results in recent past. In 2010 he was able to win Silenus Mile &#8211; half a year after he was claimed from (what a surprise!) Gorytus&#8217; stable. He finished second in the Hunt Turf Cup behind Ten Lost Pyramids at same year. I believe, he was slightly better at 2010 and he could probably have more chances in last year&#8217;s edition. He started 2011 in a great style, winning Bargie Turf allowance and then hitting career best speed mark in Alw-NW3n. Unfortunately, he wasn&#8217;t able to defend great positions from Silenus Mile and Hunt Turf Cup. His speed ratings in second half of this season were slightly decreasing. Anyway, he is a guy, you need to put to your calculations. Bright moments still can be expected from him.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>6<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=145907\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> DIL PICKLE(IRE)\u00a0<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>6yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Dilshaan (GB) <\/b>(Darshaan (GB))<b> x Croco Rouge (IRE) <\/b>(Rainbow Quest)<b> x Manlove <\/b>(Mr. Prospector)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: davebarns (Blacksoxuk Boreal Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(8-1-1-0); earnings: $6,000; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">79.302 (8F) \/ 2008<\/span>; jockey: J Hennessey ; odds:\u00a099\/1<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h6.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Every race has favorites and outsiders. And we need favorites as well as outsiders. They make the field more colorful. Dil Pickle is one of them. He is a first of three Blacksoxuk&#8217;s participants in the race. Despite six years of age, this is going to be his 9th start in career. And he was bred as 2yo!<br \/>He spent his career mainly in maiden races. He finally won last year in february. It was local bred maiden claim in Ireland and he showed easy win over 6F. After that, he entered the competition of claiming race and finished 12th out of 14, 15 lengths behind the winner. And that was his last start, in april 2010. Now he&#8217;s back in the race for prestige and celebration of bargain breeding. Everybody is welcome to do that!<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>7<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=156318\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> RIVER RAKE(TX)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>4yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>River Squall <\/b>(Summer Squall)<b> x Numerous (AUS) <\/b>(Mr. Prospector)<b> x Vanlandingham <\/b>(Cox&#8217;s Ridge)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: knightstc (Knightmare Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(26-3-9-2); earnings: $114,802; best   speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">102.903 (11F) \/ 2011<\/span>; jockey: R Miller ; odds:\u00a07\/1<\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">Bargain racing successes:  (2nd) The Wombat Cup (2011)<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h7.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">We can&#8217;t miss a horse from Knightmare Stables. Morgan, The Boss of bargain racing tradition, who donates all the great fun we have here and who promotes bargain breeding on his page, brings brown colt River Rake to the race. 4yo River Squall&#8217;s son slowly progresses into a handy horse. His improvement started in the end of 2010, when he also meet the bargain racing competition. They were too strong at that time as the Boss says: <i>&#8220;He is a late developer who really started to come along late as a three year old. I ran him in this race last year although I did not think he had a real good chance.&#8221;<\/i> It led to the 6th place in the Wombat Cup and 7th in Cougar Bite Classic. For this season, he improved a bit (as our graph also shows). Nevertheless, he has always lost some lenghts for the best. <i>&#8220;He has been solid this year although his worst races have been in bargain races when he faces housefullofghosts.&#8221;<\/i>, Morgan admits. It has became more and more obvious, that horse loves long turf routes. The Hunt Turf Cup over 9.5F meant 10th place out of 14, Arc the Maleleve 8th out of 10&#8230;while he was able to reach nice 2nd spot in the Wombat Cup (16F). This could give some optimism to the horse and owner as well. Knightmare believes in a good mood of his horse: <i>&#8220;I think he is better at longer distances but is in good form right now.&#8221;<\/i> If the favorite will hesitate, the owner believes in a good result: <i>&#8220;I dont think the favorite will slow down much but if he does I feel confident River Rake will not be too far back and coming out of a longer race should have the drive to be making up ground in the stretch.&#8221;&#8230;<\/i>Good finishing abilities, that could be definitely the weapon of River Rake. Good luck, Boss!<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>8<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=145964\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> MUSIC CITY ONE(FR)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>6yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Green Tune <\/b>(Green Dancer)<b> x City On a Hill <\/b>(Rahy)<b> x Future Storm <\/b>(Storm Cat)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: blueboyuk (Shoeless Joe Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(12-1-2-0); earnings: $31,830; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">83.510 (5.5F) \/ 2010<\/span>; jockey: W Harris ; odds:\u00a099\/1<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h8.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Music City One is another runner from Blacksoxuk empire. His career is similarly suspicious like Dil Pickle&#8217;s. Anyway, he already has experience with bargain racing. In 2009, he was 8th in The Silent Witness Sprint (5.5F). It wasn&#8217;t so bad. The problem is, that he seems to be better on short sprints. The longest race, he ever tried was 8.5F maiden in 2yrs of age. The truth is, that we don&#8217;t know, what today&#8217;s distance going to do with him. May be, he has a talent on it and we will see it in the race. Remember Recon Shop two years ago in Cougar Bite Classic, or Concotelli in the Bargain Arc a year ago. They both showed unexpected improvement, just because they finally got to the distance, they needed. And we know that the Sim often gives you a generous sign, when you find the right discipline to your horse. On the other hand, they had much more class than Music City One even before they tried 10 furlongs. Another problem is long gap since last start (more than 4 months). I don&#8217;t know what to expect here, but this horse still has to be one of the outsiders.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>9<\/u>  <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=166098\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\"> TSUNAMI THREE(ITY)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>5yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Munir (GB) <\/b>(Indian Ridge (IRE))<b> x Model Man (SAF) <\/b>(Elliodor (FR))<b> x Inverness Drive <\/b>(Crozier)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: dendro (Tees (Whisper) Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(38-9-9-8); earnings: $207,695; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">106.007 (9F) \/ 2010<\/span>; jockey: N Fine ; odds:\u00a09\/2<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h9.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">Tsunami Three is 5yo colt, who is now in services of Tees. The player took control over former Whisper&#8217;s stables more than a year ago. But Tees (Will) is known to occur time to time in bargain series and catch other players from balance. Last year, we could see Tophatter, winning in The Wombat Cup. Same horse is now in the Bargain Classic race, attempting his luck in unbelievable 66th career start. But Will is also known for his famous filly Shoaib Akhtar (I hope I didn&#8217;t mess up spelling), who was great bargain turf miler. But back to Tsunami Three. He changed couple of owners during his career, improving slowly with the top in season 2010. At summer last year, this horse managed valuable 4th and 5th place from stakes races. He came to Will&#8217;s services in winter and added two allowance wins, showing nice speed marks. I still believe, he was slightly better last year. May be also distance could be a small issue. One furlong less would be great help for Tsunami Three. Nevertheless, the horse has abilities to show and encouraging win from the last race. From that point of view, he can be dangerous opponent and possibly an adept for some part of the main purse.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><u>10<\/u>    <a href=\"http:\/\/derbyfever.com\/hr\/runtime\/prettyhorse.asp?hossnum=24201\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #000000\">   TUMLINSON(KY)<\/a><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><u><b>5yo c\/g,<\/b> <b>Mizzen Mast <\/b>(Cozzene)<b> x Riverhead <\/b>(Riverman)<b> x Azure Times <\/b>(Olden Times)<\/u><b><br \/> <\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\"><b>Trainer: redbirduk (Blacksoxuk Stables)<\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"3\"><b><br \/><\/b><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"1\">r,w,p,s:<b> <\/b>(29-5-4-4); earnings: $79,464; best  speed:\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #00FF00\">101.215 (9.5F) \/ 2009<\/span>; jockey: Z Erickson ; odds:\u00a07\/1<br \/><i><br \/>Trend in speed figures:<\/i><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/planoaxia.vselijak.eu\/btb\/h10.png\" width=\"498\" height=\"123\"><\/font><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\"><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Verdana\" size=\"2\">And finally, number 10 and horse called Tumlinson. He is third representative of Blacksoxuk Stables. Also, he is the most promising from the trainer&#8217;s trio. This is his first start in new colors. Tumlinson was claimed from CVBear&#8217;s stables, but even CVBear wasn&#8217;t the first owner of the horse. May be, horse will find a stable place in Blacksoxuk Stables. 5yo colt had decent results in 3yo career, then in 4yrs he had some weaker results, but he improved again and in 5yrs he has shown some nice moments in claims and starter allowances. The problem for him could be a lack of class. After all, this is stakes race and it is a hard step to get here from lower claim races. Also, the distance could be a bit short for him. He seems to be more capable over 11 furlongs. Nevertheless, we can expect good fight here and may be strong finish from back positions. That could be an advantage and the chance for Blacksoxuk to grab some money here. Good luck!<\/font><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">Looking again at all the participants..it seems like a race of two horses. We should expect another epic battle between Housefullofghosts and Al Centaine. They are far the best horses of this season and they should prove it here again. As we know how even they are..the details could decide. We know Housefullofghosts is sharp, but we also know that his season was very busy. He already has 10 starts, including G3 race. That could results in some fatigue..but may be not now, may be later this year or next year. On other hand, Hawkz saved some power to Al Centaine, but he lets the horse run after longer break without any preparation. We also know that it is more difficult to get your horse sharp and prepared after longer time. Hawkz was mysterious and haven&#8217;t said anything about it. But you probably want to know my opinion, my tip. I say Al Centaine is getting better and better and he is a year younger than bookmaker&#8217;s favorite. So, I try <b> Al Centaine<\/b>, a head in front of <b>Housefullofghosts<\/b>. Although he would deserve to win as well &#8211; for stable performances, close 2nd spot last year etc. Then I see unclear fog, in which I hardly read names of <b> Tsunami Three<\/b>, <b> Ante Meridiem<\/b>, <b> RiverRake<\/b>, <b> Yellow Giallo<\/b> and may be <b>Tumlinson<\/b>. <b> Music City One<\/b> and <b> Dil Pickle<\/b> are outsiders of the race. If you haven&#8217;t catched the name of <b> Ten Lost Pyramids<\/b>, it doesn&#8217;t mean you are blind. I am just a little superstitious. Put him to the order as you like. I don&#8217;t have a clue&#8230;I&#8217;ll just watch the race as every year with fingers crossed :).<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">Thanks to Knightmare for that we are able to live and enjoy this great festival again and for another season of bargain racing, which he gave to us. If you have anything on your mind, which you want to say or note to bargain racing, to Bargain Bowl to Cougar Bite Classic or else&#8230;just feel free and visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/knightmarebbrs.proboards.com\/\" style=\"color: #000080\" target=\"_blank\">message board of bargain racing<\/a>. You are all welcome there!<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana\">Finally, good luck to all trainers in Cougar Bite Classic and all trainers who have their horses in Bargain Bowl. It&#8217;s a great fun we all make here ;).<br \/>Thanks for reading the preview!<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>..and expected battle of two bargain stars of this season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":334,"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-9798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9798","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\/334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}