Friday, November 6, 2009

Classic Day, Take Two!

Day number one is over and I can say that I think my pick fared decently, though I seemed to have a horrible case of seconditis. Now that Ladies Day has come and gone it's time to go play with the big boys and see if I can improve my picks for tomorrow off of today.

Juvenile Turf:

1.) Interactif- Did you see this colts Bourbon Stakes? He was wide almost the whole way, got pushed even wider coming out of the turn then ran on huge to hold off Codoy. His only bad race was over the dirt in the Sanford Stakes. On turf he's a monster and he is our best to hold off the Euros in this race.

2.) Viscount Nelson- Speaking of Euros here's a good one for you, out of four starts he's won two and never been out of the money. He is trained by Aidan O'Brian who love to come over to America and steal the spotlight, so watch out for this talented colt tomorrow.

3.) Pounce- Three starts and never worse than a second place finish. His trainer is John Gosden, and if that name sound a tiny bit familiar go back to last year's Classic and check out the name of the winner's trainer, that's right, Gosden beat our own Curlin with the brilliant European Miler Raven's Pass. Hopefully we don't underestimate his horse this time around.

Juvenile:

1.) Lookin at Lucky- Does he win by blowout margins? No. Does he dazzle you with his speed and ability? No. This colt does just enough to win and so far it's working for him. This is his home track plus he already has a win over the distance. He is unbeaten in four starts and it's kind of hard to knock a perfect horse.

2.) Noble's Promise- This horse looks as versatile, distance wise, as they come. He owns wins in races from 5.5 furlongs to 8.5 furlongs. His only loss was a second in his first time out as a maiden in April and he has obviously grown and matured since then. Riding a three race winning streak, if he can carry his Keeneland for to Santa Anita, he'll be tough to take down.

3.) Pulsion- Yes, he took three tries to break his maiden, but right after his maiden win he runs second to the leading Juvenile contender, Lookin At Luck. At 20-1 he is being greatly overlooked, a good race over the track and distance, while finishing second to the favorite of the race deserves a bit more respect than 20-1.

Turf Sprint:

1.) Diamondrella- She was riding a six race winning streak until she tried out the Tapeta in the Masters Stakes. She came right back with a win going a mile at Keeneland in the First Lady to redeem herself after her poor showing in the masters. She has the speed to sprint and the stamina to go a mile, this distance should be to her liking as well as the firm turf. Don't leave this talented filly out.

2.) Gotta Have Her- WHAT?! Two fillies you say, well, yeah. She is three for three at this distance. Also her record for Santa Anita reads five starts, three wins (the three were all at 6.5 furlongs), and a second. It would be foolish to leave this filly off your ticket.

3.) Square Eddie- He's been off form recently, but before he came to the states he used to race on turf and ran in some sprints and did fairly well. I think if he shows up and runs his race he has a shot a top three.

Sprint:

1.) Zensational- His post to be frank, sucks being next door to two other quality speed balls, but if he breaks well he can make that bad post a good post. The sprint division is weak in California this year, but I still think he's the real deal and will hold off the closers to win the Sprint.

2.) Gayego- In his second race off a layoff he came flying up on the outside, devouring his competition to win the Grade one Ancient title. He can rate or set the pace and still perform well, but will probably try to let the speed run themselves into the ground before making a late rush to try and get up for the win.

3.) Crown of Thorns- He almost snuck up to win the Ancient Title last out, running huge in his second start off a layoff. He could be peaking and with his stalking style he'll get first dibs on the lead if the pace melts down. Keep your eye on this talented colt.

Dirt Mile:

1.) Mastercraftsman- Very heavily favored in his American debut. He has been one of the top turf horses over in Europe, even trying the monster Sea the Stars a couple of times. In his only start over an all weather track he stomped the competition, indicating that the Pro-Ride will be no problem. He is the class and talent of the field.

2.) Midshipman- Very lightly raced, but he won his first start back, plus he loves the track, which he proved by winning last year's Juvenile. He is very talented and classy, which are the only reasons he is up this high on my list, even with the second race off a layoff being factored in.

3.) Chocolate Candy- This horse has been there done that and is as consistent and honest as they come. If he brings his A game he could be a real player coming down to the wire.

Mile:

1.) Goldikova- She has not lost a step, in fact she may be even better than she was last year. Her last race was just to sharpen and hone her speed to get her ready to peak in the Mile. She is that good and merits respect. Don't you dare think she is off her game.

2.) Court Vision- Dutrow gets a hold of him and what happens he defeats a very fresh Karelian, who was lose on the lead, and looked to be galloping his merry way onto a Breeders Cup Win and Your In. He has proven to have a dangerous closing kick, which with the aid of a hot pace should vault him into the top three crossing the wire.

3.) Justenuffhumor- He hated the going last time out when beaten by Court Vision and at Santa Anita he will be running with firm ground under him. This time around he gets to show us what he's really made of.

Turf:

1.) Precious Passion- Did anyone see this horse in his United Nations? He SMASHED the course record for 11 furlongs by running every horse off their feet. He literally could have came home in 14 seconds for his last furlong and still have been competitive against Conduit last year. Europe has seen nothing like him and will be caught off guard enough that America will finally be able to defend our turf in the BC Turf.

2.) Dar Re Mi- She is one tough cookie as she proved when running a creditable fifth in the Arc de Triomphe right behind last year's Turf winner Conduit. Her ability to get the distance to be questionable, but 1 1/2 mile here is a lot easier than it is over in Europe.

3.) Spanish Moon- His record for 1 1/2 miles over the last couple of years is impeccable. He has won his last two starts, showing he is in superb form and is very talented. He will be very tough to deny as he comes charging down the stretch.

Classic:

1.) Colonel John- He has been lightly raced and will come into this race fresh and ready to peak. This is his home track, and being as versatile as he is he can run from almost anywhere on anything. With a good trip I see a big time peak performance that could land him a win in the Big One.

2.) Summer Bird- He looks good going over the surface and is coming into the race in super form. The clocker did mention in his last work that though Summer Bird seemed to like the surface he did not relish it. I think his talent, stamina, and heart are enough to put him into contention turning for home.

3.) Gio Ponti- On turf he is a monster up to 11 furlongs. He has proven he can win on synthetics, and since Pro-Ride plays like grass he would seem to have a good shot to win. He has won four grade ones in a row this year and the schedule may have take a toll on him, but he is classy and talented enough to pull this off.


That is all for tonight folks, get a good nights rest and good luck tomorrow!

2 comments:

  1. Great analysis LDP, I agree with many of your picks and will be rooting for many of them as well. I hope it is another great day of racing!

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  2. Thanks Brian,
    I can't believe that you were up so late, the time of your comment, shows 3 am, no way I can stay up that late. Good luck today, and with all your picks

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