Stanton Stakes & Dominion Day Handicap

Delaware Park will be running the $55,000 Stanton Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf today. The pace is hard to decipher in this race. There is no telling who will have the early lead. Knight In Armour is the most likely candidate from the rail. At odds of 10-1, I don’t think he will hold up very long. My choice this race will be the undefeated colt Deal Making. Trainer Graham Motion is an expert at preparing horses for the turf. The colt is a son of Empire Maker and a Danzig mare, so there is no lack of breeding here. He should be able to lay close enough to the speed and jockey Ramon Dominguez should have him a position to win the race. You have to like this one at odds of 6-1.

In the $200,000 Grade 3 Dominion Day, True Metropolitan will be tough as the 7/5 favorite. I’ll look elsewhere as last years Plate Trial winner, Jiggs Coz is eligible to improve second race off the layoff. At odds of 4-1, I expect him to sit right off of True Metropolitan and make a move near the stretch. The late running Sterwins will also be tough at odds of 9/5. Sterwins defeated Go Between two back and is a very nice horse, but I don’t see the pace setting up for him here. Good luck, and check back to GradedStakes.Com for selections later this week.

Heatseeker’s Time Comes Too Soon

Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker has been retired due to injuring the medial branch of the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg. Heatseeker would require atleast 6 months off if they had decided to keep him in training. This saddening news comes just days after Heatseeker was unexpectedly scratched from the Hollywood Gold Cup. Heatseeker would’ve been one of the top choices in this years Breeders Cup Classic.

“We are extremely disappointed as we had our sights set on the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), where we figured to be one of the favorites based on Heatseeker’s dominance of his division this year,” said owner William de Burgh. “I am very grateful to Jerry and his stable team. We all had a lot of fun with Heatseeker, and I know it is a huge disappointment to them as well. Horses like him do not come around very often.” Courtesy of Blood-Horse.com

Heatseeker showed he was getting better every start by winning the Grade 2 Californian last time out. In a race that lacked pace, he voluntarily placed himself close to the pace, before drawing off in an emphatic victory. His retirement comes as a shock to everyone. In an older male division which already lacked depth, Heatseeker was one of the few bright spots. He was fun to watch, and I’m sure he will be remembered for his accomplishments on the track.

Bad Day for Pletcher and Velazquez

Sunday was a bad day for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez. They hooked up in the Tremont and Astoria Stakes with two highly regarded horses who totally flopped. Each were coming off of impressive victories on the Polytrack at Keeneland. That could possibly have been the reason for their bust.

Mr Mistoffolees is a son of Storm Cat, and he sold for $1,500,000 at the Keeneland sale in 2007. The DRF chart for the Tremont says the start was good for everybody but him. He stumbled badly at the break, and steadied early in the race. Mr Mistoffolees ended up 5th and last in the Tremont. He was sent off at odds of 1-5 after his emphatic victory at Keeneland first time out. He won by 9 lengths and covered the 4 ½ furlongs distance in a blazing :50. He just had some bad luck in the Tremont if you ask me. I would draw a line through this race the next time you see him.

Pride won first time out at Keeneland from the 12 hole. That is very difficult to do while racing at 4 ½ furlongs. She stumbled a bit at the break in the Astoria, but had no real excuse. Like I noted before, the fact that she was coming off the Polytrack could have played a role in her defeat. She ended up just missing for third.

The winner of the Tremont was Dagnabit with Cornelio Velasquez and Rick Dutrow hooking up on that one. The son of Freud raced wide and ended up winning by a ½ length. Bold Union was the victor in the Astoria. She drew off by 9 ¾ lengths under Stewart Elliott for trainer Kelly Breen. Her time was a second faster than the boys.

Pletcher and Velazquez swept the Tremont and Astoria in 2007 with Ready’s Image and Glacken’s Gal.

Dirty Deeds

Steve Asmussen, Rick Dutrow, and Jeremy Rose have really cast a shadow on horse racing this week. Asmussen, and Dutrow are both facing suspension because of illegal drugs that were present in their horses’ systems. In the defense of Dutrow his offense wasn’t nearly as severe as Asmussens. His filly, Timber Trick, had lidocaine present in her system. Lidocaine is a nerve blocker which prevented the filly from feeling pain. Dutrow’s horse had a legal medication which was applied too close to race day. This happened during “Big Brown Mania” so I believe it wasn’t intentional. Jockey Jeremy Rose has been suspended for 6 months for whipping a horse in the face. He is also required to take anger management classes.

All parties involved should really consider how much they care about horse racing. In a time where our sport is desperate for new fans and craving the attention it once had, incidents like these are turning people the other way. If they really believe that this behavior is acceptable then the game is better off without them. Their actions are acting as a catalyst for racings further decline.

I am also concerned with the spotty national media coverage which racing has received. I have seen several headlines on each of the people that I previously mentioned, along with stories on Big Brown’s quarter cracks and accusatory articles concerning Gabriel Saez’s role in the Eight Belles tragedy. What I have not seen is any coverage about Curlin winning the Foster Handicap, or Zenyetta’s rise to the top. Doing this, they are presenting the public with a deceiving image of what horse racing is all about. With the good comes the bad, and all sides of the story must be told.

I’d love to hear what everyone has to say about this.

Iowa Oaks

Iowa Oaks (Grade 3)

#1- Timely Reflection (15-1)- This filly is a nice sprinter, but I think she will have problems staying on late in this spot. This race is just too far for her at 1 1/16.

#2 Hartigan (8-1)- Coming off two nice wins in minor stakes at Pimlico. The move up to a Grade 3 makes sense. She was the heavy favorite in both of those races, so the competition was probably very light. Hartigan was a nice second to Armonk so that shows me she has the class to run here. I suggest you use her third.

#3 Storm Mesa (4-1)- Eddie Martin, Jr. has piloted this filly to 3 consecutive victories and all were in powerful fashion. She should have no problem with the distance and seems to be improving. Her Equibase figure was monstrous at 114 last out in her Cinema Stakes win. I love the price on this filly at 4-1. Key this filly on top, she will be ultra tough.

#4 Maren’s Meadow (5-1)- She bounced last time out, but that can probably be attributed to the sloppy track. Prior to that race she won the Grade 3 Borbounette Stakes at Turfway Park. I can’t tell if she won that race because she was improving or because of the synthetic surface. I advise you to use her third.

#5 Day of Victory (8-1)- Ran a nice second last out after swinging four wide in a minor stakes at Prairie Meadows. The winner of that event is also in this race. She is definitely classy enough for this bunch. Use her third.

#6 Alina (7/2)- This filly was a bargain basement purchase at $6,000. Since then she has gone on to finish second to Eight Belles and earn $167,650. After two tries in tougher company this seems like a nice spot for her. I would use her second and third.

#7 Tight Precision (12-1)- I suggest you throw this one out, she doesn’t have the class to run with these.

#8 Miss Missile (12-1)- Was much the best last time out in a minor stakes at a no name track. She’s got nice speed but I don’t think she will be able to hang on, or be anywhere close for that matter.

#9 Sky Mom (6-1)- Was second by a long way to my top choice last time out. She ran a 102 Equibase figure at this distance 3 races back. I would use her third.

#10 Rasierra (9/2)- Wired the field last out after a disappointing 8th in the Kentucky Oaks. She has fired a bullet 3 furlong move since that race and looks ready to roll. The added distance should work to her benefit. Use this filly second and third.

1st- Storm Mesa (4-1)
2nd-Rasierra (9/2)
3rd- Alina (7/2)

Plays:

$20 Exacta Storm Mesa/ Rasierra, Alina (3/6,10)

$1 Trifecta Storm Mesa/ Rasierra, Alina/ Rasierra, Alina, Hartigan, Sky Mom, Maren’s Meadow, Day of Victory (3/6,10/2,4,5,6,10)

$1 Superfecta Storm Mesa/ Rasierra, Alina/ Rasierra, Alina, Hartigan, Sky Mom, Maren’s Meadow, Day of Victory/Rasierra, Alina, Hartigan, Sky Mom, Maren’s Meadow, Day of Victory (3/6,10/2,4,5,6,10/2,4,5,6,10)

P Val Is Back!

Racing legend Patrick Valenzuela is finally back, after overcoming a substance abuse problem. Patrick Valenzuela is possibly the best gate rider in the country, and one of the best of all time for that matter. He has been riding at a small track called SunRay in New Mexico, but should be back to the big time in no time! P Val rode 5 winners, 2 seconds, and a fourth from 8 mounts today. I’m glad to see he is back, he is one of my favorite riders.

P Val is known for his fiery temperament and aggressive riding tactics. He commonly gets into fights with other jockeys. Click here read a story of one of his tangles with Corey Nakatani in 2005.

Valenzueala’s list of accomplishments are endless. He has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness one time, aboard Sunday Silence for both victories. P Val has 6 Breeders Cup victories. He also has wins in the Pacific Classic, Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup, Metropolitan Mile, and the Queen’s Plate. He is quickly approaching 4,000 careers wins. I’m sure he will have many more epic victories to come.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I heard someone earlier today say that jockeys from small tracks weren’t as good as jockeys from the bigger tracks. I happen to take exception to that statement. Hearing that quickly reminded me of a horse named Old Man Buck, and a jockey named Perry Wayne Ouzts. Last fall Ouzt’s was the regular rider for Ken McPeek’s 2 year old colt, Old Man Buck. Ouzts successfully won the Cradle Stakes aboard Old Man Buck at his local track, River Downs. Trainer Ken McPeek decided to head to the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeders Futurity next out. I can’t remember the exact odds, but Old Man Buck was sent off around 30-1. Ouzts got the horse home third, just missing for second. He proved once again, its not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’d like to take a moment to discuss Saturday’s races. Eclisse finished second in the All Along Stakes at the morning line odds of 20-1. I didn’t happen to see what she went off at, but she did end up paying 8.80 to place, so my guess would be around 9-1. I had a feeling she could get loose on the lead. I still haven’t got to watch the video, but I am pretty sure that’s how it went down. You could’ve boxed my top 3 choices in that race for a return of $197. Not a bad return huh?!

The Colonial Turf Cup didn’t go exactly the way I had anticipated. You could probably attribute that to the downpour that hit the track prior to the race. Sailor’s Cap ended up winning the race. In retrospect I should’ve given him more respect. He was improving, but I didn’t think he was good enough. Fabulous Strike won his comeback with the utmost ease. He will add more depth to an already tough sprint division. Keep an eye out for him. I’ll wrap up this post with a selection in tomorrow’s Queen Plate. I’m going to go with the filly, Ginger Brew at 4-1. She has been winning easily, and the fact that they have her in this spot tells me they are for real. Drop me a comment, and let me know what you think!

Phar Lap Mystery Solved

Phar Lap is undoubtedly the greatest race horse in the history of Australia. I recently found an article on Yahoo.com detailing the cause of his death. For years it has been a great mystery, but scientists determined on June 19 that Arsenic poisioning was the cause. You can find the article here.

Some of Phar Lap’s most notable wins came in the Melbourne Cup, which he won twice. Perhaps his greatest victory was in the long forgotten Agua Caliente Handicap. At the time it was the richest race in North America. Click here to read more about Phar Lap. The above is rare footage of Phar Lap winning the Agua Caliente Handicap!

All Along Stakes

All Along Stakes

#1 Palmilla- Rosemary Homeister Jr will be in the irons for this one. She is a stalker/closer type runner who just doesn’t seem to have enough left in the tank at the end of the race. She is going to have a hard time in this race. The entry patterns of the owner have her on the outside looking in.

#1A Royal Pleasure- The entry captured an allowance event at Keeneland last out in October of 2007. Her last work was a bullet 5 furlong move in 59 2/5 B. With the layoff to deal with, there is no telling how she will run. I would watch this race, and catch her next time out.

#2 Lady Digby- The white hot Jeremy Rose will be riding this one. He has had this filly for her past two races and in those two races she won a minor stakes and finished second in a grade 3. I don’t like her chances for the win, but at 6-1 I would include her underneath in my exotics.

#3 Indescribable- Ran a monster race last time out to capture a grade 3 event at Arlington Park. The quicker the pace, the better for this filly. She is not without a chance here, I would include her second, and third on my exotic wagers.

#4 Eclisse- A smart man once told me this; never discount lone speed. This filly at 20-1 looks like she could be just that. She has been running against top class fillies such as Mauralakana, and the rollback in distance should help her ration that speed better. Deadly at 20-1; use in all three spots in your exotics.

#5 Dancing Band- This filly has serious class questions to answer. She will also need some fractions to run at, so I will not be using her.

#6 J’Ray- The connections are probably happy to know that Mauralakana is not in this race, as J’Ray has lost to her three consecutive times. I think this distance suits J’Ray better than her previous two attempts at 1 3/8. Coa is going to have to tend to the early pace, and make sure he stays within striking distance. I’m not sure how she will run, but I would use her second and third, and if your feeling feisty I’d throw her in on top.

#7 High Moment- Throw this one out.

#8 Valbenny- The connections on this horse are the exact same as for Barbaro; just thought I’d point that out. She will have a hard time due to the lack of pace. However, she is too classy to not use. I’d use her second and third.

#9 Rutherienne- Christophe Clemente, the king of the turf is the trainer for this filly. Garrett Gomez, arguably the best in the land as far as jockeys go, will be in the irons. She is my choice for the win based on the classy fillies she has been running against, along with her game win in the Jenny Wiley two races back. She showed that she can chase slow fractions and still close strong. Look for her in the winners circle.

1st- Rutherienne (5/2)
2nd- Eclisse (20-1)
3rd- Lady Digby (6-1)

Plays:

$2 Exacta 4,9/2,3,4,6,8,9
$1 Trifecta 4,9/4,6,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9
$1 Superfecta 4,9/4,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9

Colonial Turf Cup

Colonial Turf Cup- Saturday, June 21, 2008

#1 El Sultry Sun- Nice win over Prussian last out in the Lamplighter Stakes at Monmouth. The son of Eltish hasn’t done much wrong yet, but this will be a serious class test. I would use him underneath in exotic wagers, but I wouldn’t count on him to win this.

#2 Court Vision- Bill Mott’s horse is exiting a poor performance in the Kentucky Derby. He just hasn’t been the same horse as a 3 year old. With his first try on the turf, I think he is a play against. I would use him third only, if not at all.

#3 Your Round- This one is likely outclassed. I wouldn’t use him at all.

#4 Sporting Art- Regular jockey JJ Castellano is back in the irons for this race. He claimed victory two back in the Calder Race Course Derby. I like his closing style, and his wins have been fast. He will be very competitive for the win here; the main rival.

#5 Baltimore Rob- He will seek to improve in his second start since the layoff. He looked very good as a 2 year old, and you can hardly count his latest run in the mud. He may or may not be there at the end, but at 30-1 I would definitely include him in my exotic wagers.

#6 Nistle’s Crunch- This stalking son of Van Nistelrooy was trounced in the Florida Derby. He came back to win a nice non winners of 2 in a year allowance event. Since that race he was third in a Grade 3 in which he lacked room late on the rail. I don’t like him for the win, but I encourage you to use him second and third.

#7 Kentucky Bear- When asked what he thought of Big Brown defeating everything he had faced coming up to the Preakness, trainer Reade Baker replied “He hasn’t faced Kentucky Bear yet!”. Unfortunately, Big Brown left this colt in his wake. He could return to form in this spot. I believe he will be able to run on the turf, based on his third place finish in the Bluegrass which was run over the Poly Track. I would use him first, second, and third in exotic wagers.

#8 Boss Lafitte- Tom Amoss’s colt was victorious last out in an ungraded stakes at Lone Star Park. Since he is a son of Dynaformer, he shouldn’t have a problem with the distance. I believe he is an overlay at 15-1. Use him second and third.

#9 Sailor’s Cap- I believe this colt will receive too much play at 7/2. I’m not wild about this colt’s chances, but I would use him third.

#10 Adriano- This colt was recently moved to Bill Mott’s barn. He is the 3-1 morning line favorite, and rightfully so. He should clean up in this spot. His form on the turf has been excellent, and I think he will relish the return to his preferred surface. I like him for the win.

1st- Adriano (3-1)
2nd- Sporting Event (5-1)
3rd- Kentucky Bear (8-1)

Plays:

$1 Trifecta Adriano/ Sporting Art, Baltimore Rob, Kentucky Bear/ Sporting Art, Baltimore Rob, Boss Lafitte, Nistle’s Crunch

$10 Exacta Adriano/ Sporting Event

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