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How to win a hat
by itch on Friday, August 05, 2011 at 11:37:43 AM



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Your betting guide to the Eddie Haskell
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By ITCH

According to an article from 2009 in the LA Times, life has turned out just swell for Eddie Haskell, the disingenuous troublemaker on "Leave it to Beaver," who could turn on the charm when adults were around.

"My, you look lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver" or "Good morning, Mr. Cleaver," Eddie would say. Then Eddie would grab the the Beav and older brother Wally, and get them in all sorts of trouble.

"Eddie wasn't a bad kid, he never stole anything. He was mischievious - isn't everybody?" Ken Osmond said, unlocking the front door to American Legion Post 520 in Sun Valley, where he is a member.

Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell in the TV show that ran from 1957-63, is now 68 now and retired - sort of.

He spends his mornings opening the post for business, then stocks the shelves and keeps the membership books.

"It's something structured for me. I love this place and the guys in it. It's a social club that does a lot of good work for other vets down on their luck or sick and lonely ones over at Sepulveda VA," he says.

Osmond was in the Army at the time of the Bay of Pigs fiasco and got out just before Vietnam.

"After the service I worked in mostly menial, crap jobs," he says. "Tried a helicopter service for a few years, but it never made any bucks. I never worked harder for less."

In 1970, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department and spent 18 years on the force, most of them as a motorcycle cop.

Imagine that, all those people who got speeding tickets from Eddie Haskell.

But that's not what you're really interested in. What you really want is a hat.

In a very nice contest, Whirlwind Jeff, AKA Super Man, AKA Dr. Dipper Lip, has offered a real-life Haskell hat to the Simmer who can best predict the result of the $1 million Grade I Eddie Haskell Stakes for 3yos going nine furlongs over the main track in New Jersey.

Consider this your betting guide to this year's running of the Eddie Haskell, or, how to win a hat.

To Ken Osmond and the guys at the American Legion in Sun Valley, this one is for you.

DYNA DON'T YOU BLOW is the No. 2 horse in the division, but that has done him no favors in the Eddie Haskell. He is not favored. Going off at 8-1 as the co-fourth choice, Teejay's light gray son of Dynaformer will break widest of all 14. At least he has the services of leading jockey J. Benisz and a long run to the first turn to help him negotiate that treacherous wide post position. Dyna Don't You Blow is a late-running colt who contested all three legs of the Sim Triple Crown this year, failing to hit the board in all three. Even with those three losses, Dyna Don't You Blow retains a sparkling racing record, having won more than $1 million and winning six of his other nine starts. His late run usually proves effective, if not so during the Triple Crown. The horse has had a little bit of rest, and will make his first start here in the Eddie Haskell since the New Yorker in June. The rest may help the horse, as might his return to his favored distance of nine furlongs, at which he qualified for the Bluegrass Derby by winning the lock prep in California. This horse has tons of class and talent, and two graded wins at the distance. We'll see if he feels like firing in his first race off the bench.

The Eddie Haskell is a nice race, but Al's dream already came true on the first Saturday in May with INDY STORM CAT, who will forever have a place in the Sim history books as the champion of the 2011 Bluegrass Derby. This brown son of the affordable AP Indy sire Indy was reserved toward the back of the field early in the Derby, biding his time as ERIC'S FAST set a blistering pace. At the halfway point, Indy Storm Cat started picking up horses. By midstretch, it was clear that he would pick up all of them. Indy Storm Cat blew past the pacesetter well before the wire, and drew away to a two-plus-length victory that set off a raucous celebration by a father whose devotion to his daughter meant that he could not even watch the Bluegrass Derby at post time. Al explained the big day's events to his friend Trotter in a congratulatory message board thread: "Yes, Pete there was plenty of noise coming from me. The best part is that today I had to drive 3.75 hours back and forth from Fargo, ND, to Minneapolis, Minnesota to pick up my youngest daughter's stuff from school." The Bluegrass Derby triumph capped a five-race winning streak for Indy Storm Cat, but he could not keep going in either the Middle Jewel or the New Yorker. He was off the board in both, and like Dyna Don't You Blow, makes his first trip back to the track Saturday since the New Yorker. We'll see if the rest and the cut back in distance prompt the Bluegrass Derby champion to run like he did in May. He's one of three co-favorites at 7-1, and could get a trip starting down on the rail. Whatever the result in the Eddie Haskell, this is "a dream come true horse," said his trainer.

ROWDY CHOICE is another one of the three co-favorites at 7-1. This horse looks a lot different than the top two. He has current form and early speed. After failing to threaten in the Bluegrass Derby and then running a nice third in the Middle Jewel, Punter decided to skip the New Yorker and came back on July 9 in the Grade 2 Swaps Stakes. Rowdy Choice, a brown son of Redoute's Choice, set the pace before settling for second. behind CVBear's PITCH PERFECT. There is not an overwhelming amount of speed in this race and Rowdy Choice enjoys a pace and form advantage over a lot of these deep closers who are trying to recover from poor races. This horse has a ton of class, as evidenced by his earnings of $1.67 million. Ranked No. 5 in the division, Rowdy Choice is a multiple graded stakes winner. It had to be rewarding for Punter to see Rowdy Choice have so much success on the track. He is based on a horse which Punter raced for a long, long time. THE INDY CITY, by AP Indy, won 22 races from 81 starts, earning more than $400,000. The Indy City was a nice horse, winning two non-graded stakes, but not nearly as nice as his son has turned out. He can get even better if he can turn his pace and form advantages into a victory in the Grade I Eddie Haskell.

The Super Stables have two in here and the first is FIFTY TWO PICKUP, a chestnut son of Street Cry whose form rather resembles a deck of cards scattered on the floor. After racing excellently into the Triple Crown, winning the Grade I Movieland Futurity and finishing second in both the Grade I Vermont Is for Lovers and Grade 3 Chicago Derby, Fifty Two Pickup had nothing to offer in the Bluegrass Derby, struggling home in 15th. It got no better in the Middle Jewel or the New Yorker, when Fifty Two Pickup was up the track both times. As it stands now, Fifty Two Pickup is a horse who has lost his way. Like the top two qualifiers, he returns to the track here for the first time since the New Yorker. It's going to have to be a dramatic form reversal if this colt is to contend. Another train wreck, and the Super Stables may have to consider a drop in class to restore confidence in this once-promising colt. He's still done a heck of a lot, earning $784,000, and it will be interesting to see if the Supers can bring him back to his once-sparkling form.

The second half of the Super Stables entry is LANA TURNER, winner of this year's Bluegrass Oaks. So, the Eddie Haskell is a very interesting race in that it includes the winners of the Bluegrass Derby and Oaks. Who will be better in New Jersey? It very well could be Lana Turner, who cuts back to her preferred distance of nine furlongs after a failed experiment at 10 furlongs last out in the Grade I Players Club National Oaks. Even with a fifth-place finish in that race, the form on Lana Turner is much more attractive than the ugly last three lines on her entrymate, Fifty Two Pickup. After having some difficulty in finishing her Grade I tries, Lana Turner was all heart in the Bluegrass Oaks. Breaking alertly in fourth, this chestnut daughter of Street Cry repulsed two very strong challenges from MTK and Galloplaz' DESTINED TO BLAZE, then had to outrun MTK's VIVRANT THING to take down the Oaks. Lana Turner went on to earn the No. 1 spot in her division by running second in the Middle Jewel and winning the Grade I Sister Hen Stakes in front-running fashion. The Super Stables never have been afraid of a challenge, and off her fifth-place finish at 10 furlongs, Lana Turner will make her first start against the boys in her 15th start. This filly has a ton of heart and she's going to undergo another huge test here in New Jersey on Saturday.

The morning line oddsmaker is impressed with PREZLAUERBERG, a front-running roan son of Zensational who will go to post as one of the three co-favorites at 7-1. Unlike all of the colts who qualified ahead of him, this horse had nothing to do with the Triple Crown. While Dyna Don't You Blow and company were in last-week preparations for the Bluegrass Derby, Prezlauerberg was exploding to a career-best 113 speed figure at 9.5 furlongs in a non-graded stake. This horse is a speedy type, a confirmed front-runner who has held the lead at the head of the lane in each of his past six races, holding on to win four of those. After cruising home two back to win the Grade I Labatts Ontario Oaks going nine furlongs, Prezlauerberg shipped here to New Jersey for a race that is sure to puzzle those who are trying to pick the first six in this race and win a Haskell hat. In a non-graded field of only seven, after just having been able to hold off a Grade I field of 14, Prezlauerberg inexplicably faded to fourth in that much easier spot last out. What gives? He should have been able to beat that field easily. Is it a sign of trouble, that the big Grade I win took something out of this horse? Or, did Platero dial his horse back just to give him a jog over the track? If that's the case, Prezlauerberg might be the one you want at the top of your tickets.

Hunch players may be drawn to JERSEY ACT, whose name suggests he was made to race in the Garden State. Representing the GR Simsters, Gobidon Stables will join the retreat to the back of the pack early with this chestnut son of Northern Afleet. Jersey Act is a deep closer, and turned the late-running trick just perfectly last out when he was up with a rush to capture the Grade 2 Flatland Derby at 8.5 furlongs. Left out of the Triple Crown after finishing third in the Derby Lock in Arkansas, Jersey Act showed he might not have been up to that company anyway with a dismal 10th-place run in the Middle Jewel. Jersey Act rebounded strongly to win the Flatland Derby in Iowa. With his second graded win, Jersey Act is now knocking on the door of beating the best the Sim has to offer, and gets another chance to show his stripes with the best here in the Eddie Haskell. Handicappers who are looking for a fresh horse in good form might take a long look at Jersey Act. He ran a career-best 111 in winning that Iowa race, which took place on June 25. The horse has had a nice rest since then and will be looking for a similar-type effort. If he can repeat it, Gobidon may indeed see his colt compete with the Sim's best.

DJ's GOLDEN RIVER is going to have to turn it around if he's going to be a factor in the Eddie Haskell. This brown son of Tiznow, who will represent the Fun and Friends Stable Club for Zap's DJs, was fourth and beaten seven lengths last out by Jersey Act in the Flatland Derby. Jersey Act is only the seventh qualifier for the Eddie Haskell, and he finished far ahead of DJ's Golden River last out. How is DJ's Golden River going to beat several of the colts in the division's Top 10 if he cannot come close to a peripheral contender like Jersey Act? The colt started his career with three straight wins, but has since lost eight in a row. A Grade I is not the most likely place to end an eight-race winning streak. This horse has not won a race in a year! That being said, it's not like the colt is trying to make an insane leap from restricted allowances to Grade I . He's been with this kind before, and competed successfully, if not winning. He was second in the Grade I Corkscrew Stakes, a Derby lock, and second before that in the Grade 2 Lands End. Both of those races were at Saturday's distance of nine furlongs. In total, the horse has hit the board in three graded races this distance. He merits respect, but is suspect with that long losing streak.

Qwikvett's NIGHT OF TERROR is another one who is not exactly a win machine yet. With only three wins in 15 career starts, this chestnut son of Candy Ride has not exactly shown a penchant for finding the winner's circle. While his losing streak is not as pronounced as DJ's Golden River, you have to go back to February to find his most recent win, which took place in a non-graded stake. The colt has lost four in a row and seven of his last eight. Those stats do not exactly inspire confidence entering the Grade I Eddie Haskell. If you're going to build a handicapping case for this horse, you're probably going to start with the Grade I Sand Castle Derby, which was a Derby lock race. Contested at Saturday's distance of nine furlongs, the Sand Castle saw Night of Terror get up for second. The horse has run three straight non-threatening kinds of races, including a sixth-place finish in this year's New Yorker. Maybe the cutback in distance will allow him to show a stronger late run the way he used to do. He'll need something to turn it around, because those last three races do not look so good.

Compared to a lot of the off-form colts in here, DIAMOND PIT looks very sharp for At the Wire Thoroughbreds. This is an old-timey outfit representing the MIDAS residency which is a veteran of more than 18,000 Sim starts. Atthewire has plenty of experience. His horse, however, is not nearly as long in the tooth, and that's a good thing. With only eight races under his belt, Diamond Pit is the most lightly raced colt we've seen so far, which could give him an edge. The horse is racing very well right now. He was third last out in the Grade 2 Swamps Stakes going Saturday's distance of nine furlongs. That broke a three-race winning streak. The horse never has missed the board in his brief career. Also appearing to work in his favor is his tactical speed. While many of the runners in here are deep closers, Diamond Pit will keep much closer attendance to the pace and should be ready to make the first move on the frontrunners. Breaking from the two hole, look for this colt to get a good trip and have a chance at the head of the lane. He bears no battle scars from the Triple Crown and may be ready to move forward in the division. This is one to watch.

Next is SHOOT THE BARREL, who is getting good respect from the morning line oddsmaker at 8-1. That's the same price as the No. 1 qualifier, Dyna Don't You Blow. Can the No. 32 colt in the division really have the same chance as the No. 2 horse? It's evidence as to how strong this race really has come up that you have a legitimate horse like this qualifying all the way down in the No. 11 spot. The strength of the Eddie Haskell is comparable to a Breeders Bowl race with so many leaders in the division showing up for battle. Is the respect from the morning line oddsmaker merited? Lwslo Stables' colt, a brown son of Stormy Atlantic, may be the speed of the speed. Shoot the Barrel built a huge lead of seven lengths at the head of the stretch last out on his way to winning a non-graded stake with a short field of six. He won't get that big of a lead this time, if he gets the lead at all. However, Shoot the Barrel acquitted himself quite well in the New Yorker, in which he was third, and the Middle Jewel, in which he was fourth. He fits with these and might be able to improve on his Triple Crown finishes if he gets the front to himself.

Elenalag sure was impressed with that triple-digit speed figure thrown last out by OLD ETONIAN. It was the first 100-plus number earned by this roan son of the Unbridled's Song sire Old Fashioned, and it's earned him a shot at the best colts in his division. A deep, deep closer, Old Etonian has managed to compete successfully in graded company without any triple-digit numbers until his last race. He won the Grade 2 Moises Alou Cap in March with a 98. The horse was off the board in his next two graded tries, but ran a more competitive race last out in the Grade I Clerk of Scales, in which he was only beaten 2 1/2 lengths when fourth. Old Etonian made up 12 lengths in that race, and will be looking to make his late rush count for more in the Eddie Haskell. His light speed figures earn him not respect from the morning line oddsmaker at 14-1, but he does own a Grade 2 win and would stand to benefit if the front end falls apart.

He's only got 20 stakes points, but I've got to try to make a case for ICANHASSTAKESWINNR, who goes to post for good, old Donny Beisbol in his quest for Sim relevancy. Dismissed at 24-1 and the longest shot in the field, Icanhasstakeswinnr ran his first triple-digit speed figure last out when second of only five horses in a non-graded stake. As Donny well knows, it's a far leap from a short field of five in a non-graded race to a full field of 14 in a Grade I. One factor this horse has in his favor is consistency. In nine career races, he's never missed the board. However, that streak is in very serious jeopardy of coming to an end here in New Jersey on Saturday. This colt has been spotted nicely, facing short fields of no more than five in each of his last five races. He probably owes his perfect on-the-board record more to his trainer finding soft spots than to his talent. A brown son of Distorted Humor, Icanhasstakeswinnr has the right to improve. He's going to have to improve a lot if he's to hit the board again.

Finally, we have the Shamrock Stables' ADRENALINE JUNKIE, who has won two of his last three but qualifies last and has been dismissed at 21-1. Like Old Etonian and Icanhasstakeswinnr, Adrenaline Junkie ran the first triple-digit speed figure of his life last out. He won an N3L allowance by a large margin, 4 3/4 lengths. Apparently, MTK was really impressed with that race because he's thrown this brown son of Indian Charlie into the deep end of the pool in this race. Can a horse who's never so much as tried open company in a non-graded stake really make himself heard from in a Grade I? If MTK says he can, we have to respect his opinion because it has become evident that the Shamrock Stables are a force in the upper echelon of Sim racing. MTK has become a regular competitor in graded racing and he knows what it takes to compete. He must be expected a big improvement from this colt.

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!

Germany Brings SIM TOGETHER for Gold
By- Whirlaway

In a week of strong competitive spirit among leading teams leading up to the Equinics, it was one of the quieter teams that stepped forward. Germany saved one of their best for late in the day in Hong Kong - just as Equinics spirit was reaching a fever's pitch - and came home with the Gold G1-Native Dancer Sprint for three-year-olds. Although it was Team Germany's only gold medal of the day, it was with a colt whose name embodied all that the Equinics was meant to be: building a sense of community, team spirit, integrity, and unity in this great game that we all know and love. After the 6F turf sprint was over, tjay's 3yo son of Seeking the Crown had done what he was supposed to do. SIM TOGETHER did just what his name implied in uniting the community in congratulatory praise for the German Team.

Sim Together, a modestly successful 2yo of G3 victory status already, is a very solid colt who just fights tooth and nail everytime he goes to the track. Unraced in 7 weeks, the crowd virtually dismissed him as the 4th betting choice at 9/1. There were other colt in the race with fancier bloodlines, fancier speed figures. But all that mattered was how they decided to run on this day.

Top jock J.Wesselman had the call on the colt, who typically does like to come from somewhere around mid-pack. "He broke well from the gate today," Wesselman said, "but a bunch of horses got the jump on us. It was pretty darn exciting going down the backside - it seemed like everyone wanted to be on or near the lead. My colt was running comfortably, but we were surrounded by horses - funny to think I guess we were technically in about 10th place at that point. We were only about 3 lengths behind the leaders - and they were cooking up there."

Sweeping into the turn, J.Wesselman gave Sim Together the signal, and the colt's response was immediate - cruising along between horses, picking them up, laying them down, with dead aim on the lead. "I could see Atlantian up there was getting tired," said Wesselman, "it was that 50/1 longshot that I knew we were going to have to fight it out with!"

The 50/1-shot he spoke of was New South Wales's fiery colt, Jack Frost SAF, trained by southafric. Undefeated in two lifetime starts, but with relatively low speed figures, the crowd had pretty much dismissed the son of Western Winter. That was, until he suddenly kicked into gear at the top the stretch to surge to strong lead of a length. Air Blue, making his turf debut, followed him right up the front. The moment of glory to flash through the minds of New South Wales and the Vikings was short lived, however. Sim Together found another gear in mid-stretch and surged to the front with 1-1/4 lengths to spare.

He stopped the timer in 1:10-1/5, posting a hugely-improved 100 SF over any of his previous races. This G1 victory launched Sim Together way up in the rankings: he's now the #8 3yo colt in the sim with earnings over half a million dollars. Jack Frost SAF ran and incredible race for his connections, and was gallant in his first career defeat. He certainly silenced any skeptics who didn't think he could run with this group by posting a 97 SF. The exacta paid a staggering $1277.80.

Air Blue also ran a dynamite race for Team Viking, and his trainer chickadee should be very proud of the colt's determination to stick around after the hot pace and get the bronze with a 92 SF. Considering it was his turf debut, and he posted a speed figure that equaled his career-best on dirt, a future on the lawn looks very promising for the son of Seeking the Gold. Sent postward at 12/1, he helped to build upon the huge payoffs, the trifecta $16,818.80!

The rest of the field included:
East-West Connection's Affirmed Dancer - The 3/1 second-choice in the betting was placed perfectly throughout to make his move to the front, but when the real running started, jockey D.Rideout said the colt lacked the response that had previously propelled him to two graded wins. Held on tenaciously for fourth, and at #15 is still one of the top-ranked sophomores in the world.
DelPenn's Atlantian - the afc2 trainee ran a very gutsy race on the front of a hotly contested pace. The Nureyev colt was never allowed much of a breather, although he broke clear of the pack approaching the far turn. He tired, and didn't have enough to hold off the closing challengers, but fought on bravely through the length of the stretch and was only beat 6-1/4 lengths.
Vermont's Awakening(GB) - promising colt well-outran his 48/1 odds and proved he can run well against this caliber of competition. He didn't close any ground late, but held his form together well to pass many on the far turn.
Terrapin Jockey Club's BJ's Pleasure - Sat in mid-pack throughout and ran evenly, but never seriously entered upon the scene. The colt usually likes to run up near the front, and perhaps his style was compromised by the abundance of speed.
ASR's Golfing Nijinsky - the 2/1 favorite disappointed many of his backers as the son of Danzig clearly did not have his mind on running. Usually he's much closer to the pace in his turf races, so when he broke in 7th and stayed there, jockey M.Day had a feeling the colt wasn't quite right. He'll be back to fight another day.
Minnesota's Czar Venus - Dropped well back early, but put together a sustained run on the turn that propelled him past many horses to get 9th, only 9-1/2 lengths back.
Team Independent Unity's Gessle the Great(GB) - turned in another disappointing run for his connections, sitting near the back early, and tired late. Clearly a classy colt that is much better than his last two have shown, he may be looking for a little breather.
Missouri's Silent Suspect - Was in hot pursuit of the early lead while sitting in the 4th place spot approaching the turn, but lack of seasoning may have gotten the better of him in his turf debut.
Northwest Racing Circuit's Wood You Hush - Fourteenth through the first half, and ran on an even keel to finish closely bunched with Gessle the Great and Silent Suspect.
Ireland's Green Wiz Prince - Running in the sixth spot early, fell victim to the hot pace and tired late.
SERA's Dirty Devil - settled near the back, continued on gamely, though didn't have enough to hold off those with more momentum.
Queensland's King of Prussia - 9th after the break, but began to steadily lose contact with the frontrunners.
Nebraska's Bborascas - previously unbeaten, this wasn't the same colt who won three races easily while posting figures in the 90's. Jockey N.Tippins said the colt couldn't seem to get his air and was climbing throughout the race, so he didn't push him.


Congratulations to tjay and Team Germany for uniting Sim Together to bring home the Gold in the G1-Native Dancer Sprint.




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Past Performances

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Race # 14
-- Owner Restricted Purse: $500,000
All horses, 3 years old -- RESTRICTED TO PARTICULAR OWNERS
Six furlongs -- Firm Turf

Watch this race!


Post Horse Win Place Show
10 SIM TOGETHER $20.70 $10.90 $7.30
2 JACK FROST SAF $29.10 $15.30
4 AIR BLUE $10.00

Exacta: $1277.80
Trifecta: $16818.80

Also Rans: AFFIRMED DANCER, ATLANTIAN, AWAKENING(GB), BJ'S PLEASURE, GOLFING NIJINSKY, CZAR VENUS, GESSLE THE GREAT(GB), SILENT SUSPECT, WOOD YOU HUSH, GREEN WIZ PRINCE, DIRTY DEVIL, KING OF PRUSSIA, BBORASCAS

Time of race: 1:10 1/5


Horse ID# Owner Jockey Post 1st Call 2nd Call 3rd Call Final LB Odds
SIM TOGETHER 35308 tjay J Wesselman 10 12 2-1/2 10 3-1/4 4 1-1/2 --- 9.30
JACK FROST SAF 42142 southafric B Hollier 2 2 1/2 2 1/2 1 1 1-1/4 50.60
AIR BLUE 24402 chickadee Q Dumas 4 3 1/2 3 3/4 2 1 4 12.10
AFFIRMED DANCER 31529 devineequ2 D Rideout 7 5 1-1/4 5 2 5 2-3/4 6 3.40
ATLANTIAN 19150 afc2 Q Cassell 14 1 1/2 1 1/2 3 1-1/4 6-1/4 11.90
AWAKENING(GB) 36459 sojourneys G Arnold 5 10 2 8 3-1/4 6 4-1/4 7-1/4 48.10
BJ'S PLEASURE 26588 vipertwo D Lakencher 11 8 2 9 3-1/4 8 4-3/4 8-3/4 35.80
GOLFING NIJINSKY 16922 balata M Day 15 7 2 7 3-1/4 7 4-3/4 8-3/4 2.40
CZAR VENUS 26240 tuzla13 K Champ 13 15 4-1/2 15 7-1/4 12 8 9-1/2 18.70
GESSLE THE GREAT(GB) 25895 fallon G Adler 3 11 2 11 3-1/2 10 6-1/4 12-1/2 12.20
SILENT SUSPECT 38481 redturkey2 C Shinkle 1 4 1 4 2 9 5-1/4 12-3/4 48.00
WOOD YOU HUSH 19264 dadepark T Brewer 8 14 3-1/2 14 5-1/2 13 8 12-3/4 18.50
GREEN WIZ PRINCE 30727 jackwiz W Bayless 16 6 1-1/2 6 3-1/4 11 7-1/2 16 27.80
DIRTY DEVIL 34004 highstable B Callguire 12 13 3 13 5-1/4 14 10-1/4 19-1/4 30.00
KING OF PRUSSIA 72666 dcc17a N Lewis 9 9 2 12 4-1/4 15 10-1/2 22 69.10
BBORASCAS 16435 bbor3 N Tippins 6 16 4-3/4 16 8-1/2 16 15-3/4 27-3/4 7.70

Royal Cat Wires Field, Holds Off Queen's Cats, To Win Sky Beauty Sprint
By- Toral

The easiest way to win a horse race is to be the fastest, right from the beginning. Take an immediate lead and keep running till someone catches up to you. Nobody kicking dirt back in your face; nobody bumping into you from the side when you try to move where you want to go. This was true when Equus ferus was being chased by slope-headed humanoids during the Ice Age. And the strategy also worked this weekend when seventeen of the fastest mares in the world gathered on Saturday for the six-furlong dirt Grade I $500,000 Sky Beauty Sprint in the second race of the 2002 Equinics (Vermont venue). Royal Cat, daughter of Storm Cat (x Royal Ski x Avatar) was urged to the lead and held it all the way to win a Gold Medal for the Atlas Simulated Racing entity in the biennial salute to sportsmanship, team competition, and improvement of the breed. Vermont home-track jockey G. Blackmore rode the four-year-old Royal Cat, who is trained by the jetstar affiliate stable of A.S.R. member rbokie24. The 10-1 sixth choice in the betting, Royal Cat's win was her third stake and first Graded Stake win, as this 6-furlong specialist ran a 119, exceeding her previous lifetime high fig by 5 points.

Royal Cat sprang from the 10 post, with some early pace interest being shown by Laura Chump and Prospect Jess to her outside and Halo Bite and Bubble Timing to her inside. Royal Cat quickly shook off these, angled to the rail, and took a lead of as large as four-and-a-quarter lengths into the head of the stretch. It was just as Royal Cat's lead reached that plateau that a new challenger emerged, and from that point the question was whether any lead could be held. As those who had dared to try to run with Royal Cat faded, favorite Queen's Cats sought a hole between Prospect Jess and Bubble Timing, attempted to make her move to pass this lot in close quarters entering the turn, steadied, and began to close. But Royal Cat's easy trip had left too much of a task for her half-sister, Queen's Cats (Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector x Search For Gold), who could only close to within a length-and-a-quarter of the winner. This 7 year-old, the #11-ranked mare entering the event, won a Silver Medal for the North West Racing Circuit. Sporting lifetime winnings of over three million dollars, Queen's Cats was conditioned by NWRC member Tim through his slewbetcha affiliate stable. The veteran campaigner, who among other things has won ten Grade II Stakes in her career, has run 120+ speed figures five times in the past, all at 7 furlongs or more; Saturday she was not to put up her sixth.

A memorable and gutty performance was shown by the 22-1 shot Virgin Lever, (Allen's Prospect x Clever Trick x Turn and Count), trained by abacus for Germany. The 5-year-old, tracking Queen's Cats in her move and forced to her outside throughout, closed to win the Bronze Medal, finishing four-and-three-quarters lengths behind the leader. It was a superb performance by this mare who won 3 stakes in a 4-race span as a three-year-old but has not since made as much noise. Virgin Lever could not have picked a better time to run a 109, her best speed figure in a year-and-a-quarter.

In an exclusive interview, Royal Cat's trainer rboble 24 told the SRF, "I was a little worried about Royal Cat's health. She was injured in her race two back and took a long break before her 5.5 furlong prep for the Equinics. I thought that she had the most consistent front speed and could get the lead. She is a special type of horse and I will start prepping her for her rigorous four-year-old campaign that will include as many graded sprints as possible. Naturally, I was afraid of Queen's Cats' late kick, but I knew that three quarters was not her forte and hoped that she would come up short."

Queen's Cats' trainer Tim told the SRF, " I was really wanting her to pull it out because she is going to the breeding barn in the next couple of weeks. 6 furlongs is not her best distance and she needed a little more lane and she could have run the leader down."

Sky Beauty herself won 15 times in 21 career starts, including 9 graded stakes. She won the Filly Triple Tiara at age 3 and was the champion older mare of 1994. Saturday's competitors were very much worthy of this great champion.

Notes....SRF colleague Manager concluded his pre-race analysis in the preview as follows :"Basically, with the large field and the short distance, the whole race could be decided by who gets the luck, and don’t be surprised to see someone like Royal Cat lead the whole way."...Royal Cat's time of 1:08 4/5 tied the Vermont track record....Royal Cat paid $22.60 $13.60 $7.90, Queen's Cats $5.50 $3.50, and Virgin Lever $13.90....Vermont's home field choice Prospect Jess fared best among the other early speed threats, holding on for fourth for trainer fatattack....Jockey Blackmore had another win on the day, on Royalty Beer Belly in the seventh race, the two-mile Best Pal Marathon....




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Past Performances
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Race # 2
-- Owner Restricted Purse: $500,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up -- RESTRICTED TO PARTICULAR OWNERS
Six furlongs -- Fast Dirt

Watch this race!


Post Horse Win Place Show
10 ROYAL CAT $22.60 $13.60 $7.90
5 QUEEN'S CATS $5.50 $3.50
8 VIRGIN LEVER $13.90

Exacta: $95.60
Trifecta: $2474.90

Also Rans: PROSPECT JESS, CUPID'S COMPANION, LAURA CHUMP, EXCESSIVE CLASS, EXBOURNE'S ACTRESS, BUBBLE TIMING, BABY RAISE, HALO BITE, PROSPECTOR MEET, HONDURAS BULL, ONE INN, NIGHT WHITEY, BAREFOOT GIN, DAYTON STORM

Time of race: 1:08 4/5


Horse ID# Owner Jockey Post 1st Call 2nd Call 3rd Call Final LB Odds
ROYAL CAT 53057 jetster G Blackmore 10 1 1-1/4 1 2-1/2 1 4-1/4 --- 10.30
QUEEN'S CATS 12717 slewbetcha W Jackson 5 8 3-1/4 7 5 2 4-1/4 1-1/2 3.50
VIRGIN LEVER 27642 abacus M Wallace 8 9 3-1/4 8 5-1/2 5 5-3/4 4-3/4 22.80
PROSPECT JESS 4157 fatattack W McClendon 14 3 1-1/2 3 2-3/4 3 4-1/4 6 7.00
CUPID'S COMPANION 15604 pirate F Gossett 7 11 5 11 8 10 8-3/4 7-1/2 7.20
LAURA CHUMP 41353 bicuspid D Givins 13 2 1-1/4 2 2-1/2 4 5-1/4 8-3/4 14.50
EXCESSIVE CLASS 45786 woodsmen B Child 11 6 2-1/2 6 4-1/2 7 6-3/4 8-3/4 28.50
EXBOURNE'S ACTRESS 19971 redalert M Murano 6 7 3-1/4 9 5-1/2 9 7-3/4 9-1/2 9.20
BUBBLE TIMING 41349 hornfrog2 H Bowen 3 4 1-3/4 4 3-1/2 6 6-1/4 9-3/4 16.20
BABY RAISE 9784 subwinner N Lawton 16 13 5-1/4 12 8-3/4 11 10-1/4 10-1/4 9.00
HALO BITE 37646 saltwindfa H Holman 9 5 2 5 3-3/4 8 7 11 21.10
PROSPECTOR MEET 40664 trouble1 F Neely 4 14 6-3/4 14 10-3/4 13 12-1/4 11-1/4 29.60
HONDURAS BULL 19658 littlesist N Stelle 15 10 3-1/2 10 6-1/4 12 10-1/2 15-1/2 10.80
ONE INN 3717 merlin G Bungard 17 16 9-1/4 16 15-1/4 15 17-3/4 17 36.40
NIGHT WHITEY 40959 dcc17a B Knights 1 17 9-1/2 17 15-3/4 16 19-1/4 19-3/4 135.50
BAREFOOT GIN 24612 pdq A Darling 12 12 5-1/4 13 9-1/4 14 14-1/2 20-1/4 67.80
DAYTON STORM 31592 kyleconnor B Langhorne 2 15 7-3/4 15 13-3/4 17 22 31 15.60

GoodLuck !
Den beiden CRC Runners

Silver Spoon Juvenile
by spinround on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 11:24:52 PM



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Rematch of The Winter Gin Special Anticipated
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Ten two year old fillies line up in the one mile Grade Two Silver Spoon Juvenile at Hong Kong this week. Run over a firm turf course for a $150,000 purse, the field is evenly matched with eight runners under 10/1 and the longest shot in the field only 12/1. Half of the field is coming in off on the board efforts in graded events last out, topped by favorite Tom and Pap who won a grade three in her most recent start. Second choice Awesome Yasi finished behind Tom and Pap in that race, the Winter Gin Special. Previously Awesome Yasi finshed behind Acqua Di Gio in the Grade Two Lowdown, although that was a sprint. Two other runners are coming out of the Grade Three Dormello, the third and fourth place finishers Wine Artie and West Hollywood. Let’s take a look at the field.

#1 Wine Artie 8/1 thereason stables V Perryman rides

Wine Artie is a daughter of Artie Schiller based on the g-grade Distorted Humor x Desert Wine horse Wine No. Wine Artie was second in her debut and immediately jumped up to take on stakes, running second in the Ghostlyformer Turf Juvenile in April. She tried grade threes on the dirt twice before returning to the grass and maiden company. She broke through with an easy maiden win in August and doubled up the wins with an allowance score at one mile in September. Last out she finished third in the Grade Three Dormello Stakes at one mile with a 92sp. Her first three races were against the boys and she acquitted herself well so she’s used to ruffing it up a bit.

#2 Dacing Dehydrated 8/1 masterm01 stables D Aldridge rides

Dacing Dehydrated is a scratch-bred daughter of Danehill Dancer x Green Desert x Theatrical. The filly broke her maiden first out in June and finished third in an allowance a month later. She won a first level allowance in September but her most impressive performance was certainly her last. She faced the boys in an open allowance and finished a solid second going seven furlongs with a 90sp. She’s never run a mile before but her pedigree suggests that should be within her scope.

#3 Rambling Jet 12/1 snakeeyes stables K Brett rides

Rambling Jet is a daughter of Dynaformer out of the f-grade Dubawi x Nureyev mare Stucco. This is her first foal. Rambling Jet has had a bit of a tough luck year. She only broke her maiden in her most recent start, her first going one mile with an 82sp. She’d come very close before, losing two photo finishes and hitting the board in a third race out of four tries. She’s got to pick up her game in this spot but it may be that winning has taught the regally bred daughter of Dynaformer how to put it all together.

#4 Awesom Yasi 5/1 lado stables R Rice rides

Awesome Yasi is a daughter of Smarty Jones out of the g-grade Awesome Again x Forty Niner mare Forty Nine Nights. Forty Nine Nights has produced two other foals, one of which is stakes placed. Second dam Indy Connection produced one graded winner and one stakes winner from six foals. Awesome Yasi started her career on dirt but switched to turf and lost two photo finishes before breaking through with a maiden victory. She’s run in nothing but graded stakes since, finishing third in the Grade Two Lowdown at six furlongs and most recently second in the Grade Three The Winter Gin Special at one mile with a 94sp. In between she finished off the board in her only grade one try.

#5 Acqua Di Gio 7/1 mtk76hold stables P Kelly rides

Acqua Di Gio is a daughter of Gio Ponti out of the e-grade Cryptoclearance x Giant’s Causeway mare Tote Board Magic. This is the first foal for the stakes winning mare. Acqua Di Gio won her first two starts of the year before jumping up to graded company. She was fourth in her first try and then second in the Grade Three Princess Margo before breaking through with a victory in the Grade Two Lowdown. Most recently she was second in the Grade One The Chevel with an 84sp. Her last three starts have all been at six furlongs and she has never run farther.

#6 Kiva Support 7/1 mclevyrace stables B Hollier rides

Kiva Support is a scratch-bred daughter of Twining x Agnes Tachyon x Apalachee. She began the year on the dirt, finishing second three times in four races before switching to the turf and winning three straight. She broke her maiden going seven and one half furlongs and then came back to win a first level allowance race at one mile. Most recently she took the one mile Five Star Rabbit Turf Juvenile Fillies with an 88sp.

#7 Tom and Pap 4/1 testsch stables T Brewer rides

Tom and Pap is a scratch-bred daughter of Falbrav x Green Dancer x Habitat. She won her first two races, including the Donna Hollandia Turf Juvenile Fillies before trying graded stakes. She finished fourth and third in two grade threes before being given about two months rest. She returned to the races in October and tried a mile for the first time. It was a breakthrough race for her, she won the Grade Three The Water Gin Special with a 96sp.

#8 Hidden Depths 6/1 tyr stables H Harbert rides

Hidden Depths is a daughter of Teofilo out of the g-grade Storm Cat x Stop The Music mare Cherokee Top. Cherokee Top has produced one graded winner and two additional stakes winners from eight foals to race. Hidden Depths won her first two starts, including the More Slew Turf Juvenile Fillies. She was third in a grade two next but has since been off the board in two graded races at one mile. She did face the boys in her last run, the Grade Three Fall Stakes, where she finished fifth with an 83sp.

#9 West Hollywood 11/1 trij stables C Shinkle rides

West Hollywood is a daughter of Danehill Dancer out of the a-grade Gone West x Sadler’s Wells mare Ghost Whispers. This is the first foal for the earner of over $2.6 million. Ghost Whispers did her best running between eight to ten furlongs on the grass. West Hollywood broke her maiden in her third start after finishing second in two previous efforts. Since then she was second in a one mile allowance but that is the only other time she has hit the board. Her last two races have resulted in fourth place finishes.

#10 Bank Robbing 7/1 redhill10 stables M Goldsbury rides

Bank Robbing is a scratch-bred daughter of Northern Meteor x Storm Cat x Forty Niner. She won her first two starts, a maiden and first level allowance by open lengths. She returned to finish second in the Grade Three Park Place Stakes at seven furlongs with an 82sp. She’s never been a mile before.



Good luck to all!